Schedule vs. Secondary

The Bengal coaches must have choked a bit on their coffees the morning they learned about the team’s schedule. They might have turned to each other and asked why God or Goodell—sometimes it's hard to tell the difference—was smiting them so. While their own division is tough enough, they also face the AFC East with the surging Jets and the ever-dangerous Patriots, the NFC South with an improving Atlanta Falcons team, and of course, the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. But the real kicker is the two random conference teams they've been assigned: Indianapolis and San Diego. They play every reigning AFC playoff team, and two playoff-caliber NFC teams; the quest for the Ring would appear more doable.

So how will Cincinnati survive such a dangerous labyrinth of a schedule? The common denominator among all the non-divisional quality teams that the Bengals face this year is that they all have excellent quarterbacks. The Bengal front office noticed this trend as well and loaded up on secondary help as a result. Last season the goal was to win the division and it took brute force to accomplish that objective. This season the goal takes on a bigger scope and beating teams outside of the AFC North becomes an added focal point.

Stopping the pass is somewhat easier when you employ the league's top corner tandem; luckily for the Bengals, they enjoy such a luxury. It's no secret that both Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall are Pro Bowl caliber cornerbacks; each had six picks last season and have become the lynchpins to the defense's growing success. There are concerns that Cincinnati may not be able to afford both once their contracts expire, but for now, each is under contract for this season and neither appear dissatisfied with their current situations.

It's the new acquisitions that point to Cincinnati's shifted defensive priority this offseason. The schedule demands that the Bengals become deeper at cornerback to counter the spread-formation aerial assaults they are certain to see. Second-year man Morgan Trent, played a nice rookie season at the nickel position last year, but he will be challenged to keep that spot, both by third-round pick Brandon Ghee, and free-agent pick-up Adam Jones.

Some analysts project Ghee as a possible free-safety someday, but Marvin Lewis made early comparisons to Joseph after drafting Ghee and if he was used at safety, it would likely be on a spot-duty basis. Chris Crocker is aging, and will likely need to be replaced someday soon, but Ghee has a better chance at winning the nickel-back position than he does winning a starting job at safety.

Jones, though, is battling for that nickel spot himself. A lot was made of Adam when he landed at the Home for Wayward Boys—better known as the Bengals—and there was once again media and fan backlash of the move. Yet all the reports of the man coming out of minicamp since then are filled with superlatives concerning his attitude and play. Like so many other reclamation projects chanced by the Bengals, Jones seems on track to become yet another redemption story. Regaining his 2006 form is still a very long way off, but if he continues his dedication to resuscitating his career, there is no reason to think that he won't help the team. Jones has always had tremendous natural football skill as both a cornerback and as a punt-returner. Taking one step at a time in the right direction will certainly turn up the heat for that nickel-back competition.

The other new face in the secondary is safety Gibril Wilson. Both Oakland and Miami signed Wilson to sizable contracts only to suffer buyer's remorse and cut him the next year. But if you look at the numbers and production, it seems this trend is more a representation of inflated contracts than of his game. The Bengals didn't spend a ton on him and they have a few other veteran safeties already on the squad, so his expectations aren't too overwhelming in Cincinnati. Nonetheless, I do expect him to push both Roy Williams and Chinedum Ndukwe for the strong safety spot, and even Crocker at free-safety—though I do harbor concerns about Wilson's speed and coverage ability. With such an aged corps of safeties, and, once again, facing a pass-happy schedule, bringing in another capable man for the job makes good business sense.

And if all those acquisitions weren't enough, the team picked up hall-of-fame defensive back Rod Woodson as an intern coach for this year’s training camp. It doesn't matter that he is a former Steeler, Raven and Brown, the man knows how to play corner and safety, and can only serve as a wealth of information for every player in the Bengals secondary. Defensive-backs coach Kevin Coyle does a fine job, and, presumably, so does his assistant, Louie Cioffi, but Rod Woodson brings a different aura to the advice he gives. The coaches know the textbook stuff, but the greats know the intangibles that separate the elite from the average; players wanna learn from Coyle and Cioffi, but they wanna be Rod Woodson.

It's clear that Cincinnati is taking their schedule seriously. When Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, and even Mark Sanchez await, a team has no other choice but to take immediate countermeasures. The NFL is said to be a passing league, and has created a pass-defense premium as a result. Offenses use more wide receivers and spread formations more than ever before, so having multiple worthwhile defensive backs is the logical approach. Even though many people in the world still refuse to admit it, the Bengals' logic has been sound for a while. Adjusting to their tough schedule is just the most recent example of that.

Mojokong—imagine a tiger-striped missile-defense shield, and that's kind of like our defense.

The Brown Wreckage of a Franchise

If one were to dig under the topsoil of the AFC North, eventually that person would discover small fragments of evidence that suggests the Cleveland Browns were at one time on top. The ghosts of football past still roam around Cleveland, whispering reminders the glory days in the ears of hardcore Browns fans—Paul Brown himself probably pops in from time to time. But it's been a long time since then, and the Browns find themselves picked to finished last by nearly every entity, ethereal or physical, that follows the game.

Alas, even though the football scene in Cleveland is a smoldering pile of debris, all is not completely lost. Similar to the 2008 Bengals, the Browns started out the season in dismal fashion only to rebound nicely and win their last four games. They finished 5-11, but displayed some workable pieces for next year as part of their seemingly perpetual rebuilding stage.

The brightest beacon of hope along the western Lake Erie shores comes from a man who resembles a walrus: Mike Holmgren. This mustachioed mastermind was the perfect man to give the title of Browns team president and general manager and the effect of his presence should become visible soon. Holmgren, of course, won the Super Bowl in Green Bay and lost one with Seattle, but that was as coach and GM. Now his hands are off the players and are instead wringing together in the owners box.

Holmgren's first big decision was to retain the controversial head coach Eric Mangini. At many points last year, Mangenius, as Tony Soprano once called him, seemed positively certain to lose his job. The team looked horrendous. Reports began to surface of a poor locker room environment and Braylon Edwards was picking fights with a smaller member of Lebron James' entourage. Suddenly, Edwards found himself traded to the Jets; overnight the team looked better and most importantly, they began winning.

In the process they discovered the talents of Jerome Harrison. In the last three games, Harrison exploded for 561 yards on 106 carries with five touchdowns. Harrison likes to take hand-offs in shotgun formations where he has more time to find running lanes and explode through the seams.

Of course, the Browns have a nice left side of their offensive line to run behind. Tackle Joe Thomas, guard Eric Steinbach, and center Alex Mack, make up a formidable wall that allows both Harrison, and whichever quarterback the team decides on, to operate easier.

As for the quarterback position, there is a lot of uncertainty lurking about. The candidates are weak. Gone is last year's tandem of Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. Here is the aged Jake Delhomme, who looked so bad a year ago with Carolina that I thought perhaps the UFL would be his next destination. As is Seneca Wallace—former Holmgren guy in Seattle who has seen plenty of action but never seemed to impress much. If Delhomme wins the starting job in training camp and plays all season, I predict that he sets the new record for most interceptions in a season with close to 40. If Wallace gets the job, the turnovers will go down but the offensive output won't be much better. In short, they're in trouble at quarterback. Cleveland also drafted Colt McCoy, a smallish quarterback with a hurt shoulder. NFL Network's Brian Billick said he sees McCoy as a backup only, and that kind of talk makes me think the kid has a few years before he really makes a difference.

The biggest trouble though, is their defense. Last season the Browns ended up near the bottom of the league in all major defensive categories. Outside of generating little pass rush and not stopping the run, their most fatal flaw was their secondary. With Cincinnati and Baltimore spending extra money and resources in attempt to shore up their passing game, Cleveland needed to improve their defensive backfield, so they spent their first two picks on secondary help.

Their first pick was cornerback Joe Haden from Florida. Haden strained his back before the combine which caused him to run a slower time than many expected from him, but recovered with a faster time at his pro day and convinced the Browns of his talents. He was widely considered the top corner available in this year's draft and should be a starter early on this season.

The next draft installment was safety T.J. Ward from Oregon. Some experts felt the Cleveland reached some to take Ward considering he is somewhat smaller for an NFL safety and has already needed two knee surgeries, but the Browns were determined to improve the weakest spot on the team even if it meant taking a guy like Ward earlier than most would have. Ward has the coverage skills to play either corner or safety, and is labeled as a player who helps in run support by taking good angles to the ball carrier.

If the two youngsters weren't enough to stop the bleeding against the pass, the Browns also traded for veteran corner Sheldon Brown from Philadelphia. While it may have seemed that Brown's play slipped some prior to last season, he bounced back with a nice year that included five interceptions. Brown should help on the field, in the meeting rooms, locker room, and practice field by instructing the youth about the ins-and-outs of becoming a pro.

Throw in Eric Wright and safety Abram Elam, and Cleveland has some pieces to surely be better than a season ago, but the results may appear marginal, at best, right away. Still, bringing in solid draft picks to combat an increasingly passing league will help Cleveland resurrect a pass defense from their existing rubble.

I don't expect many wins from the Browns this season, but I do expect to see an attitude reversal. Even though they played the Bengals well in their two losses to Cincinnati, the Browns seemed like a gimmie game for most of the league. Prior to finishing the season well, they hit rock bottom and embarrassed their fair city. Next year, with Holmgren at the helm and Mangini seemingly comfortable with his players, I would think that the Browns will have a bit more bite to them. Nonetheless, playing in a tough division and starting Delhomme at quarterback, this franchise is still another year or two from even sniffing a .500 season.

Whether this season is a boom or a bust, remember Browns fans, in the Walrus you trust.

Mojokong—wishing we had an aquatic mammal for a general manager.

The Pittsburgh Afterthought

When pundits write about how they expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to struggle and miss the playoffs this season, we Cincinnatians can feel the temperature rising in the East. It wafts westward like a backward storm, heating the air with pure frustration and anger. The good people in Pittsburgh care deeply about their football and when their team is brushed aside like the top of a perfectly good onion, it drives them simply bonkers.

The worst part for them is that this year it's true. After priding themselves for winning and avoiding trouble for so long, the Steelers have suffered a brief rash of serious player-conduct concerns. Their tumultuous offseason includes franchise quarterback, Big Ben Roethlisberger being suspended anywhere from four to six games, and starting wide receiver Santonio Holmes was traded to the New York Jets. Many, including myself, feel that these setbacks alone are enough to keep them from playing football into January.

There are other concerns though. Even if Big Ben and Holmes were playing, it was no lock that they would be real challengers for the division.

Steeler fans will tell you that last year was an anomaly brought on by Troy Polomalu's knee injury and that they turned it on too late in the season to recover from a five-game losing streak. But the fact is, they were too inconsistent to win regularly, and they didn't respond well after a loss. Mike Tomlin is a promising young head coach for sure, but I feel perhaps his reputation exceeds him some.

I admit that my reasons for such an opinion are somewhat flimsy. To me he seems more of a rah-rah coach than a hardcore tactician, and I feel his adjustments during games are weak. Time and again, we watched the Steelers squander wins late in the game last year. In saying that, any NFL head coach is an adequate tactician who, for the most part, has earned the head coaching spot by demonstrating such a prowess, though he appears not to do much actual coaching during the games. I'm certain that I am overstepping my knowledge of what takes place on an NFL sideline, particularly along the Steelers', but that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Another coach on their staff worth mentioning is a different story. As long as Dick LeBeau is there, Pittsburgh's defense should always be a concern for the rest of the league. Mike Zimmer is good; Dick LeBeau is the master. Not only that, but he's rejoined with his best pupil who's absence last year demonstrated his impact on the game: Troy Polomalu.

There is no defensive player who leaves an imprint on the gridiron quite the same as Polomalu. He alone influences the outcome of games, and when he goes down, so do the chances of a Steelers win that day. The Bengals were twice the beneficiary of such an injury and five other teams also exploited that weakness. Yet, even though he is back, after hampered by a knee problem for most of last year, it's a fair question to ask if he will hold up for all 16 games this season. With him, they are a storybook defense. Without him, they're only pretty good.

With the revamped passing game of both Cincinnati and Baltimore, Pittsburgh needs to prove it can stop its divisional rivals when they go to the air. Their secondary is solid but not all that deep, and teams with multiple-receiver sets can easily find mismatches when spreading it out. The Steelers will always provide a healthy pass rush—and they added even more to that in this year's draft—and they are always confusing as hell for quarterbacks, but give Carson Palmer or Joe Flacco some time and watch the Pittsburgh frustration mount. Sure they can stop the run—they always do that too—but a potentially vulnerable secondary will allow teams to win through the air.

Once more, with the Bengals great corner tandem, and the Ravens improved pass rush, the Steelers have stiff competition to the division's best defense this year.

Of course, even with Troy, but without Ben, there is still a major concern. Even if the suspension goes only four games, that still leaves the young and inexperienced Dennis Dixon or the ancient, dusty Charlie Batch at the helm. Dixon played well in his only start last year against Baltimore, but one is allowed to wonder if he can put together any kind of string of consistent play, especially now that teams can scout him some. Batch seems very old, and could suffer a concussion in the parking lot on the way to his car. Neither scare me all that much, and it would surprise me if they won two games during Ben's suspension.

Once Ben does return, I'm not sure he can continue his scrambling ways and stay healthy. We watched him take many, many hits last year, some resulting in concussions, and was sacked far more than was necessary. This, in large part, was not due to any offensive-line deficiencies, but rather Ben's own refusal to give up on a play. He is certainly an entertaining player, but his flare for the dramatics might end up with him battered on the bench. The other two noteworthy divisional quarterbacks get the nod for this reason.

As for their running game, it is solid, but again, not without concern. Rashad Mendenhall is a capable young back who should improve even more next season, but he too is not consistent, and was especially weak against the AFC North last year. Gone is Willie Parker, but still here is Mewelde Moore who has been a real gamer for Pittsburgh during his career. Moore is a classic third-down back who reminds me of former Patriot Kevin Faulk, but there doesn't seem to be any everydown-back replacement should Mendenhall become hurt at any point. Ray Rice and Cedric Benson are better and I rank Mendenhall third in AFC North running backs.

The Steeler receiving corps also lacks depth and name recognition, and until Limus Sweed stops dropping touchdowns, they aren't much of a threat either. Heath Miller is a great player, and the division's best tight end, but their combined passing arsenal is marginally worse than Cincy's and Bmore's retooled attack.

But out of all that doom and gloom coming form Pittsburgh, it's the Steelers' special teams that might be the season's backbreaker. It was awful last season, giving up four touchdowns on returns including the decisive score by Bernard Scott that allowed the Bengals to win their second contest against the Steel Curtain in 2009. It was so bad that ownership decided it needed to replace the special teams coach; welcome Al Everest, you gotta a lot of work to do.

The Steelers smell like a team in decline to me. I have the utmost respect for their organization and even though I dislike them, I admit they know how to stay competitive. I don't see Pittsburgh rolling over and slipping to a five or six-win season, but the mystique just isn't there anymore. Maybe it's the troubles and the suspensions they've recently incurred, but I think it's more than that.

I think they have become an old team in key spots and are led by only a decent coach. I think they have a franchise quarterback who is no longer loved in the their city and whose style of play will cut his career short regardless of where he ends up. I think they have limited receiver options which was a problem that plagued the Bengals' season in '09. But beyond all of that, I think they are simply outclassed by two other divisional opponents, and that can be tough to overcome for any team, no matter how storied or revered.


Mojokong—I've booted my objectivity out of my house for a while; my apologies to the offended.

AFC North: A Two-Party System

With Pittsburgh mired in controversy, and Cleveland still fully in the throws of a rebuilding process, the AFC North appears to be a two-horse race between our beloved Who-Deys and the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is already an early media darling and they have unquestionably improved their team through the draft and free agency, but the Bengals are better too and they won both contests last season despite being underdogs each time. Even though the majority of the sports world will once again pick Baltimore to come out of the North in 2010, Cincinnati remains the cream of the divisional crop.

Ravens general manager, Ozzie Newsome is a man who sticks to his winning formula closely. His squads of the past have typically been brutish smash-mouth teams that win through their defense and ball-control. While they have thrown the ball more in the last couple seasons with quarterback Joe Flacco running the show, they remain a beefy team with the same tough characteristics. But so do the Bengals. In fact, the two teams are closely matched in many categories, but it's one wild-card category that makes the difference: the passing game.

Each team bolstered its passing game this offseason.

Baltimore traded for Anquan Boldin—a highly talented but oft-injured receiver (hasn’t played a full season since 2006) who enjoyed playing along side Larry Fitzgerald since 2004. They also acquired the once-promising Dante Stallworth, who was suspended last year after killing a pedestrian in Miami Beach with his automobile on March of 2009. Boldin has size and Stallworth has the speed making them interesting compliments to one another. The Ravens of course still have the ageless Derrick Mason with previous first-round bust Mark Clayton residing in their system as well. Newsome also ended up with two quality tight-ends in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta in this year's draft to eventually compete for playing time with longtime Raven installment, Todd Heap.

The Bengals reloaded their passing attack as well. Antonio Bryant replaces Laveranues Coles, rookie Jordan Shipley will battle Andre Caldwell for the third-receiver, and first-round pick Jermaine Gresham comes into training camp as the best tight-end prospect the team has seen in years. Like the Ravens giving Stallworth another chance, Cincinnati signed the long and tall Matt Jones who once had a promising career with the Jaguars before a series of arrests related to drug charges and probation violations. Jones will likely battle for a roster spot and may have to outperform the insofar disappointing Jerome Simpson in training camp to make that happen. And, of course, the Bengals still have Chad Ochocinco, who had an average 2009 and who hopes to do more dancing in '10.

Then there are the quarterbacks.

For the Ravens, it starts and ends with Flacco. Cool Joe has improved in both of his professional seasons and there's no reason to think that this season will be any different. He has all the physical elements—a big, smart guy with a strong arm that can move around pretty well—but it's his leadership skills that make him dangerous. He isn't the most verbose or intense person it seems, but he's cool under pressure and his teammates respond well to that. Compared to Carson Palmer, I'd say Flacco ranks pretty evenly heading into this season so I'm calling it a draw on the quarterbacks.

The success of the running game obviously factors into the success of the passing game as well. While Cedric Benson and Ray Rice are very different backs, their rushing production totals are pretty much the same, earning both men trips to the Pro-Bowl. Once again, this category is also a draw.

Therefore, the category that makes the most difference between these two teams isn't necessarily the passing game after all, rather how to stop it.

It needs mentioning that a good pass-rush has a lot to do with the effectiveness of a pass defense as a whole; each team drafted a pass rusher in the second-round this season, and therefore, comes up as yet another draw.

Yet if the Ravens have a detectible weak link, at least on paper, it's their secondary. While nowhere near the ineptitude of say the Cleveland Browns' secondary, the Ravens had their issues at key times last year. Their safeties are fine. It's true that Ed Reed is a sage old-timer by NFL standards and he leaned heavily toward retirement after last season. Nonetheless, the man is one of the best safeties ever and he's always dangerous when on the field. But it's the Fabian Washingtons and Chris Carrs and Dominique Foxworths of that secondary that make me shrug. Those guys are okay, but they had trouble with Bengals receivers last year. So why would I expect them to do any better against an improved Cincinnati team?

The Bengals, meanwhile, have one of the best corner tandems in the league. Ask Derrick Mason what he thought of last year's Bengals pass defense. The man was covered more than spilled oil in the Gulf, racking up three catches for 31 yards in two starts against Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph. Just in case those two studs aren't enough, Cincinnati also drafted Brandon Ghee and brought in Adam Jones to compete with second-year man Morgan Trent for the nickel position. Also back are the hard-hitting veteran safeties Roy Williams, Chinedum Ndukwe, Chris Crocker, with Gibril Wilson being added to that mix.

Yes sir, throwing on the Bengals will be tough this year for the Ravens and everyone else in 2010. Both teams are high-quality squads that should end up in the Playoffs but it's the Bengals pass coverage that gives them the slightest edge in the division over Baltimore. Either way, no matter which side you're talking to, both cities will be glad to see Pittsburgh pouting around and kicking things because they missed the Playoffs again. Suckers.


Mojokong—certainly not as worried as some other local Bengal writers about the division.

Middle-Management Minions Make It All Tick

Position coaches don't get much media attention. There's lots of talk about coordinators, but their underlings, the middle management of the football world, largely goes unnoticed. Yet it seems to me that these poor saps are vital to a team's success and failures, and, in the Bengals case, were greatly responsible for the turnaround of last year.

Take for instance secondary coach Kevin Coyle. This is a guy who has molded two first-round picks into Pro-Bowl caliber players. That might not seem all that impressive on the surface, as we tend to expect such things from first-round picks, but Coyle has also developed sixth-rounder Morgan Trent into a good third corner as well. Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall weren't automatic locks to become the players they are. Hall isn't the fastest guy, but makes it up with excellent technique; Joseph is the fastest guy, but has had to polish his technique. Coyle has brought along each in expert fashion.

Then there is linebackers coach Jeff Fitzgerald. If you have ever seen this man work in person then you know he is slightly nuts. This is the type of person that goes about mundane tasks like grocery shopping with fervor and aggression. He chews out the breakfast cereals for costing too much and praises the stock boy for his knee-bending skills, slapping him on the butt as he passes; it probably embarrasses his family. On the practice field, however, his amped-up approach to all things is welcomed and he is comfortable, and it shows.

Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga didn't quite explode into the superstars we had all hoped for, but they were solid overall and were huge in run support. Brandon Johnson made the most of his opportunities, especially in the Wild-Card game, and even Rashad Jeanty contributed nicely once Maualuga went down. The litmus test for Fitzgerald will be how Rivers, Maualuga and Johnson improve even more this year. Once Rey-Rey gets more of a handle on the nuances of the pros, and once Rivers gets a little angrier, these two can be wrecking balls that propel this defense into the ranks of the elite. With a human pit-bull like Jeff Fitzgerald in their proverbial shit-all training camp, I expect a surly bunch of linebackers to emerge from Georgetown, Kentucky this year.

One of my favorite position coaches is Paul Alexander. An offensive-line coach has perhaps the most pressure of all the position coaches from the outside world. When the secondary is getting beat, and the linebackers are missing tackles, fans tend to blame the coordinator. But when the quarterback is getting smeared almost every time he drops back to pass, fans cut right through play-caller and identify the real culprit behind the problem as the offensive-line coach. Yet when four undrafted linemen contributed heavily to an impressive showing all season long last year for the Bengals, there wasn't much praise raining down on Alexander. His job is to lead around a herd of elephants and show them how to be as nimble and fleet-of-foot as possible when working with so much girth. Not an easy job. But his guys are gritty, versatile and seemingly well-coached. Once he molds Andre Smith into the player he can become, the real fireworks will begin. That process should begin to show this season.

The last coach I feel is worth praising is Jim Anderson. No one other than Mike Brown himself (and that guy J.B.) has been with the Bengals longer. Anderson's coaching history is filled with bell-cows. First there was Corey Dillon; a taller back with a great combination of speed and power and an excellent stiff-arm. Then came Rudi Johnson, a surprise success who ran straight ahead and occasionally resembled a bowling ball. And now there is Cedric Benson, the total package who is determined to master this league before his huge upcoming payday.

With all the headliners, though, Anderson has also made the most of his backups. We saw early flashes of Bernard Scott's ability in 2009, demonstrating some sweet complimentary skills to those of Benson. Brian Leonard hard-nosed his way though some key plays last year too, and even Larry Johnson got the hang of things pretty quickly under Anderson. He also helped DeDe Dorsey develop his skills and become a potentially electrifying player.

Without these coaches, the Bengals would not be playoff contenders. There have been teams assembled in the past that have been big on talent but small on organization--the Washington Redskins come to mind---but last year's Cincinnati team was the opposite of that. By the end of the season, the lack of talent became impossible to hide and the team fell short; to even make it to such a stage with so many "average" players on the roster is a true testament to the men laboring on the practice fields and in the meeting rooms. This year, those same unsung heroes return with an upgrade in talent and high hopes throughout the city. So while Marvin Lewis, Mike Zimmer and Bob Bratkowski remain in the media spotlight, it will once again be their minions that will make or break the Bengal's season in 2010.

Mojokong--peaking under rocks.