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2005 Team Report: Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterbacks
Starter: Carson Palmer
Starting QB: After caddying for Jon Kitna as a rookie, Carson Palmer took over the Bengals' starting quarterback job last year and played moderately well for a first-year starter. He has all the physical tools to succeed - good size, a strong arm, fine mobility and overall athleticism. But his production was up and down as he frequently made poor decisions and forced the ball into coverage. He threw 18 interceptions in 13 games before spraining his knee in week 14. Palmer did improve over the course of the season, however, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt in his first five games, 6.7 in his next five, and 9.4 in his last three. In his final ten quarters of play, Palmer completed 76% of his passes and earned a passer rating of 116. Palmer should continue to improve as he gains experience in offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski's system. If he can bring his accuracy and consistency up a level, he has the potential to put up good numbers in the Bengals' offense.
Backup QB: Jon Kitna is an experienced quarterback who has proven his ability to run Bratkowski's offense. As a starter in 2003, he threw for 3,591 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading the Bengals to their first non-losing season since 1996. Kitna is an ideal backup quarterback because, despite lacking great size and arm strength, he can come into a game cold and run the offense without making careless mistakes or bad decisions. Craig Krenzel, the heady former Buckeye, was claimed off waivers in June and will serve as the team's emergency QB.
Running Backs
Starter: Rudi Johnson
Starting RB: Rudi Johnson got his first opportunity for extended playing time in 2003 when Corey Dillon suffered knee and groin injuries early in the season. Johnson made the most of that opportunity, rushing for over 150 yards three times in just five starts. As the full-time starter in 2004, he set a team single-season record with 1,454 rushing yards and finished as the league's eighth-best fantasy running back in standard scoring leagues. Johnson signed a long-term deal with the Bengals this offseason and returns as their featured RB. He has tremendous power as an inside runner who will fight for every last yard he can get. He doesn't have great speed or elusiveness, but he can occasionally get outside and turn the corner. He can carry the ball 30+ times in a game without losing his effectiveness, but is a bit one-dimensional in that he doesn't contribute much in the passing game. Backup RBs: Chris Perry was the Bengals' first-round draft pick a year ago, but he saw little playing time in his injury-plagued rookie season. A strained hamstring kept him out of the first few games, and then an abdominal strain in week six effectively ended his season. When healthy, Perry is a tough inside runner with a decent size-speed combination. In college, he ran with vision, balance, and strength. He should get an opportunity to play on passing downs this year, as he is a better receiver out of the backfield than Rudi Johnson. Kenny Watson was Johnson's primary backup last year, most of his playing time on offense came in obvious passing situations. He has good hands and is dangerous in the open field.
Fullback: Jeremi Johnson has done a fine job lead-blocking for Rudi Johnson over the past two years, but he is a one-dimensional fullback who is seldom used as a runner or receiver. He lacks the hands and speed to take on a bigger role in the offense.
Wide Receivers
Starters: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Starting WRs: Chad Johnson has emerged as one of the league's best wide receivers. He is fast, runs excellent routes, can adjust to the ball in the air, has great hands, and is a tough competitor. Johnson can beat double-teams with his quickness, and is a complete receiver who is a threat on short, intermediate, or deep patterns. He made numerous acrobatic catches last year that were worthy of replay on NFL Primetime. When Peter Warrick was sidelined by a fractured shin last year, T.J. Houshmandzadeh stepped into the #2 role and played well. Houshmandzadeh doesn't have great speed, but made a number of big catches last season. He can find the soft spot underneath a zone, and can take a lick and hold onto the ball. Backup WRs: Peter Warrick's release at the end of August opens the door for third-year pro Kelley Washington to step into the third receiver role. Washington is an exceptional athlete, but he doesn't run great patterns and has struggled to get open. He has had a good training camp this year, however, and may be ready contribute more to the offense. Rookie Chris Henry is a tall, fast, athletic receiver who has drawn comparisons to Chad Johnson. Kevin Walter, a 6-foot-3, 218-pound receiver, is currently holding down the fifth WR spot.
Tight Ends
Starters: Reggie Kelly
Reggie Kelly, the starter, is generally in the lineup on first and second downs. Kelly is primarily a blocking tight end who lacks the speed to get downfield and isn't much of a playmaker after the catch. Matt Schobel is the best pass-catching TE on the Bengals' roster, but his playing time is limited because he shares time with both Reggie Kelly and Tony Stewart. He will have more receptions if he can improve his blocking sufficiently to get more reps on offense - something he worked on this preseason. Tony Stewart, like Reggie Kelly, is a better blocker than receiver. He lacks speed, but has good hands and can get open in short space, which makes him useful around the goal line. Place Kicker Shayne Graham : Graham has quietly become a very good kicker. He connected on 88.0% and 87.1% on FGs that last two years and has never missed a PAT. He's spent this offseason working on kickoffs - his one weak area. The Bengals offense has been providing him with scoring opportunities. He ranked 12th in kicker scoring in 2003 and fifth last year. Kick and Punt Returners Kick Returners: Tab Perry, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Kenny Watson, Chris Perry Sixth round draft pick WR Tab Perry set the season kick return yardage record for UCLA as a junior, and probably inherits the top KR spot after incumbent WR Cliff Russell was released in the final round of cuts. Backups WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (10 returns, 22.7 avg) and RB Kenny Watson (13 returns, 18.5 avg) both saw limited returns last year with mediocre results. RB Chris Perry is also a possibility for 2005. Punt Returners: Keiwan Ratliff, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Deltha O'Neal CB Keiwan Ratliff emerged as a decent PR (17 returns, 12.2 avg). He uses his moves and vision to compensate for lack of speed. Backups T.J. Houshmandzadeh (11 returns, 8.0 avg) and Deltha O'Neal (7 returns, 4.7 avg) both have some PR experience. Offensive Line
Projected Starters: RT Willie Anderson [inj], RG Bobbie Williams, C Rich Braham, LG Eric Steinbach, LT Levi Jones
This is a much better unit than most people are aware. Three of the five linemen are Pro Bowl caliber players (T Willie Anderson, T Levi Jones, and G Eric Steinbach) and guard Bobbie Williams has the ability to develop into one if he can improve his technique shortcomings. Steinbach has great athleticism and had a great season a year ago. Anderson has been a great tackle for nine seasons with the Bengals, although he did have microfracture surgery during the offseason and partook in only light drills during camp. Jones has really developed into a force at the tackle position and could be the best lineman on the team, depending on who you ask. Bobbie Williams has great size and is very aggressive, but his technique needs to improve to reach the next level. He has great size and athleticism. This is a unit that has played together for a while now. They should continue to get better and better over the next couple of years as they help the overall offense improve. Team Defense In 2004 the Bengals took another big step toward becoming a "Marvin Lewis caliber" big play defense. For the first time in over a decade Cincinnati ended the season in the top half of the league in total yards allowed. More importantly the defense finished tied for third in takeaways (36) improving by 12 over 2003. The team's sack total improved considerably last year, too (From 30 sacks to 37). With the additions of DE David Pollack and LB Odell Thurman in this year's draft all the pieces are in place. Several of last year's rookies have already made an impact and two or three other young players have a shot at significant roles. The organization believes that with this year's personnel tweaks and new DC Chuck Bresnehan in place, they have the ingredients to produce a top 10 defense. It may take awhile for it all to come together though. The Bengals still need to improve drastically against the run, where they finished 26th in 2004. They also need to get better at keeping opponents out of the end zone after finishing 21st in scoring defense. All in all, this is a team headed in the right direction. In '05 they should take another step toward becoming a very good defense. Look for them to be much better in December than in September. This unit's fantasy value is clearly headed upward. In scoring systems that stress takeaways and sacks the Bengals were a top-12 defense in 2004 and should be even better in 2005. One more note of interest, Cincinnati plans to begin tinkering with a 3-4 scheme, particularly on passing downs. Defensive Line
Starters: LDE Justin Smith, RDE Robert Geathers, RDT Bryan Robinson, LDT John Thornton
Starting DL: The Bengals front four left something to be desired in 2004. The defensive tackles were partly to blame for the lackluster run defense and the starting ends recorded only 14 sacks between them. The addition of first round pick David Pollack should go a long way toward fixing that shortcoming, but he's being moved to OLB. Bryan Robinson replaces Tony Williams at right defensive tackle but there is some question as to the whether this marks an upgrade. Cincinnati still lacks a big bodied space eater on the inside and has instead a collection of "average sized guys" who rely on quickness and scheme. Starters John Thornton and Robinson both check in right around 300 pounds and neither can be considered dominant. DE Justin Smith remains the Bengals' best (proven) defensive lineman though he has yet to live up to lofty expectations having failed to record double digit sacks in any season (8.5 in 2004) while being somewhat of a liability versus the run. The Bengals have decided to move Justin Smith to the LDE spot and are expected to start Robert Geathers at the other DE spot instead of Duane Clemons. Geathers was a 4th round draft pick who saw an increased role after week nine, recording 3.5 sacks in November. He is a better natural pass rusher than Clemons and is bigger than Pollack. Backup DL: Duane Clemons lost his starting job but still figures to see time as part of a DE rotation once he returns from a 4-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. While strong against the run, his 6.5 sacks aren't the kind of pressure Marvin Lewis expects from his defensive ends. During his absence, Carl Powell will fill in as the #3 DE. Powell is a career backup who has played on 5 different teams during his 8-year career. During their decade plus of futility in the 90s, the Bengals biggest shortcoming was the inability to get production out of their latter draft picks. In Marvin Lewis' tenure, no part of the organization is more improved and the full success of the last three drafts under his watch has yet to be fully realized. The pair of fourth round picks Cincinnati spent on Robert Geathers and Mathias Askew last year may prove to be two of the team's best moves since Paul Brown ran the draft room. Geathers has already been moved into the starting lineup, and at 310 pounds Askew is the team's biggest defensive lineman. Askew saw considerable action over the second half of last season and is expected to challenge Thornton for playing time this fall. Additionally, Jonathan Fanene was a 7th round pick this year who made the team and could see playing time early on due to the Clemons suspension. DT Langston Moore started 8 games last year after an injury to Tony Williams, but was a surprise cut. He will be replaced by 2nd year player Shaun Smith, who was a college teammate of Moore.
Linebackers
Starters: WLB Brian Simmons, MLB Odell Thurman [r], SLB Landon Johnson
Starting LBs: Brian Simmons, Nate Webster and Kevin Hardy went into the offseason atop the Bengals' depth chart, but that didn't last very long. Hardy was one of the team's prized free agent additions last season but he has lost a step or two and was released in May. Webster went down last September with a knee injury and is on the PUP. Caleb Miller, Webster's replacement last year, is also on the PUP. The Bengals spent a 2005 second round pick on Odell Thurman, considered by many to be the top middle backer in the draft. Thurman beat out Miller and Landon Johnson for the starting MLB job. Meanwhile, 1st round pick David Pollack was expected to start at SLB, but a lenghty holdout has opened the door for Landon Johnson to take over. Johnson saw a lot of action at MLB due to all the injuries last season and made a good showing, but he is better suited for the strong side. Backup LBs: While he is currently listed as a backup, 1st round pick David Pollack will likely be given a chance to compete for a starting spot at some point this season. He's a former defensive end, however, so he'll likely need some time to adjust to the position change and may be used as a pass rush specialist early on. Another example of quality middle round picks, Caleb Miller, a third round pick last April, gained valuable experience in 2004. Prior to being slowed by a bad ankle he had shown signs of becoming a solid NFL starter, but was placed on the PUP list to start the 2005 season. Nate Webster's health remains a major question mark, but with the addition of Thurman the Bengals addressed what was a thin and inexperienced LB corps. They remain inexperienced for now but there is sufficient talent so that an injury this year wouldn't be nearly as devastating. Like Miller, Webster will also begin the year on the PUP list. Larry Stevens is a 2nd year player out of Michigan who will contribute mostly on special teams. The Bengals signed Hannibal Navies, who started the past 2 years at SLB for the Packers, to improve their LB depth.
Defensive Backs
Starters: RCB Tory James, LCB Deltha O'Neal, FS Madieu Williams, SS Kevin Kaesviharn
Starting DBs: The biggest difference between the 2004 Bengal defense and the Bengal defenses of the previous 10-15 years was the ability to defend the pass. Tory James led the charge finishing second in the league with eight interceptions while former Bronco Deltha O'Neal chipped in four more. The two give Cincinnati a formidable pair of corners and were the main reason the club improved to 13th overall in pass defense. Keiwan Ratliff, a second round draft choice also contributed as the team's nickel back. Madieu Williams may have been the team's most pleasant surprise of the 2004 season. Cincinnati picked him up with the second round pick they acquired from the Patriots in the Corey Dillon deal and all Williams did was lead the club in tackles while starting games at corner and both safety positions. As it stands now Williams will settle into the FS position but his versatility gives the coaching staff a lot of options. Kim Herring, the intended starter at strong safety, landed on IR and veteran Kevin Kaesviharn will get first crack at replacing him. Backup DBs: While the Bengals have markedly improved the secondary over the past two seasons, the unit still lacks quality depth, especially at cornerback. Ratliff could step in as a starter if needed but beyond him there are questions. Reggie Myles is an adequate fourth corner with limited upside and behind him is a group of special teams players and/or projects that have yet to mature. The simple fact that journeyman Anthony Mitchell was expected to challenge for a starting job is proof enough that the SS position is on the list of positions which need improvement. With that in mind, the team moved quickly to sign veteran SS Ohalete after he was released by the Cardinals late in the preseason. Ohalete has been a starter in the league over the past few years and could eventually provide an upgrade. Kaesviharn isn't a good fit at SS but he is a solid backup at FS. He's excellent in coverage and will likely see time in the dime formation.
Last modified: 2005-09-06 10:54:28
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