"Opinions? Yeah, I got 'em!" said a perpetually agitated Nuff Johnson
I tried conjuring up Geraldo The Oddbounces Jeanie for some low down on the Cincinnati Bengals’ upcoming 2010 season. But apparently our misfit mystic is sleeping off an all-night kegger held at the U.C. HairPie Sorority House. With that being the case, here’s one Johnson’s opinion on what to expect in 2010:
Key Players: Can O-Line keep Carson clean… can D-Line make opposing QBs dirty…can Marvin & Brat work in harmony to maneuver all their new passing game toys to get more balls in the air?
Best New Contributors: Rookies Jordan Shipley & Jerome Gresham with veteran Terrell Owens should have Carson Palmer on the top of his game – no excuses for #9.
Biggest Hole on Roster: We’ll not shed a tear over Shayne Graham’s departure. The most difficult challenge will be for the Bengals Training table staff to find a way to fill the insatiable hole that sits just above Entree Smith’s neck. Lil’ Palmer at #2 QB illustrates the degree to which they are screwed should Carson crumble.
The ’10 Season Comes Down to: (Picture me reaching into the Big Bag of Football Cliches). Injuries can destroy a season in one play, while a healthy Bengals team should play well enough to be in every game this year.
But What If…? If they continue with 10+ penalties per game I see a losing record. I’m also concerened that their very average Special Teams could cost them at leaast one game.
Follow the clues to an elementary conclusion: an 8-8 season
Summary: When healthy, we should see a dynamic Bengal offense that’ll be hard to stop and a young Defense that could be even better than last season’s breakout year. (However, they play a brutal schedule and could start the season 0-2.)
W/L record: 8 – 8, with a swing of 2 games either way; obviously, those 2 games will make all the difference.
Nuff said.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Nuffster, our opines obviously differ. Entering the season (in the AFC) I say it’s 1) Indy, 2) New England, 3) Cincinnati, 4) Baltimore, 5) San Diego (the Jets are pretenders and probably won’t even make the playoffs this year). By the end of the season I see the Bengals being able to seperate from Indy and New England with the running game – which should be enough to carry them to the AFC Championship. My prediction becomes a lot easier if they get home field.
Chargers are better than Ravens, and maybe better than PATS.
If Lewis goes 8-8 with this team he deserves to be fired. So will Bratkowski.
I hope I’m wrong, Timzilla, but this team is sooooo different from last year’s that I’m afraid they’ll stumble on the way to figuring out who they are. They should be in every game, but a missed FG here and a penalty or 10 at the wrong time can turn a W into a L. If that happens two or three times in the season, a rose-colored 11-5 turns into a dingy 8-8.
And the Bengals need not worry about firing Lewis, dallasorbust; I think he has had enough of the Brown family and all their cluelessness, and he will find a head coaching position elsewhere.
Nuffer, it’s because they are so diiferent is why I think they can win it all. My Super Bowl prediction is based on two key things happening – 1) Palmer having a big year because he finally has WR/TE weapons, and an OL that (hopefully) keeps him from getting killed … and 2) at least a slightly improved D that puts more pressure on the QB. If either of those 2 assumptions break down, all bets are off. But when you really look at the AFC, outside of Indy right now, who really looks all that much better than Cincy?
Nice cut-n-paste Tz!