Pro Football Talk ranks Bengals 19th

[redsrule2500]

PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: NO. 19

Okay, we've thought long and hard about this one. We're now into the teens with this little team-by-team exercise, and fans of pretty much every NFL franchise from here until the top of the list could plausibly argue that their squad could be the last group standing come February.

So we think every team is fair game from here on up, including teams that some so-called experts might have on the short list for a stint in Miami and Super Bowl XLI.

Before we go any farther, we need to remind the readers (and ourselves) of the purpose of this list. It's not an effort to project each team's finish in 2006; we'll do that closer to the start of the season. Instead, this list is a snapshot of the manner in which we believe the 32 members of the NFL fit together.

And we'll be candid. On at least one draft version of this here list, the team we're putting at No. 19 was close to No. 1. But that was two weeks ago; since then, there has been more evidence that the ship could be sinking, and that last year's success might not be duplicated.

The Cincinnati Bengals.

Yeah, baby. Welcome back to the bottom half of the league, Mike Brown. You've worked hard to get here.

Indeed, the clincher for us was the statement Brown issued on Friday in response to mounting criticism of the team's decision to select linebacker Ahmad Brooks in the third round of the supplemental draft. Said Brown: "Regarding this week's selection of Ahmad Brooks in the supplemental draft, we are aware of no pending allegations of any kind against Ahmad. The club's judgment is that any past transgressions were insufficient to deny him an opportunity to prove himself as a responsible NFL player."

Mike, you're missing the point. If Brooks was the only guy of questionable character on the team, that would be one thing. But he isn't. He's only the newest arrival.

Sooner or later, there's going to be a critical mass of turds wearing black and orange. Sooner or later, the non-turds will get turned off by the guys whose antisocial behavior off of the field surely translates into, at a minimum, a degree of ignorance and/or arrogance that will make the kids less likely to buy in to the systems and attitudes that the coaching staff is trying to communicate.

Sooner or later, this team will implode.

And we now think it could be sooner.

For starters, quarterback Carson Palmer is rehabilitating a serious knee injury that knocked him out of the playoff loss to the Steelers. Though every knee surgery performed on every NFL player is always a "success" and every rehab is always "ahead of schedule," the reality is that it takes a long while to get back to normal after tearing an ACL. Even if every piece of blue-sky-and-sunshine press regarding Palmer's prognosis might be the full and complete truth, there's no way to know for sure because no team is going to be candid about the status of its starting quarterback, especially during the prime ticket sales time of the offseason.

And if Palmer isn't ready or if he gets re-injured, Jon Kitna no longer is available to stop the bleeding. Instead, the job would fall to (gulp) Anthony Wright or (double gulp) Doug Johnson.

Beyond the question of when or if Palmer will be back to form in 2005, the biggest question mark for the offense is another topic that the team won't address -- whether and to what extent coach Marvin Lewis will rein in receiver Chad Johnson. We reported in January that Johnson engaged in a disruptive locker-room altercation during halftime of the team's postseason loss against Pittsburgh, and one of the reasons that at least one member of the team was willing to disclose the incident was to ensure that it won't happen again when the season is on the line. There's a high degree of resentment regarding the perceived double-standard that Lewis employs when dealing with Johnson, and that makes us even more convinced that an implosion is coming.

Is there still hope? Can the Bengals climb out of the hole into which they've plunged without losing a single game? Yes, there is and, yes, they can.

But the first step will be to make a strong statement that turdishness no longer will be tolerated. The easiest way to do it? Cut receiver Chris Henry and offer Nicholson a one-year contract for the rookie minimum of $275,000. Those are the two guys, after all, who have engaged in conduct since joining the team that has resulted in an arrest. (Frostee Rucker has been arrested, too, but that was the product of conduct preceding his final year at USC.)

Next up, Marvin needs to quit coddling Chad Johnson. It's the quickest way to get the attention -- and keep the respect -- of the majority of Bengals players who aren't selfish, who follow the rules, and who abide by the law.

We don't see it happening. Indeed, if the Bengals were prepared to address these issues, they wouldn't be making excuses for their decision to draft a guy who had been kicked off of his college team. Instead, they'd be running the other way from guys like Brooks, as teams trying their best to deturdify (like the Vikings) did.

But Marvin still thinks that he can change these guys, even in the midst of an offseason in which three players with one year or less of NFL experience were arrested a total of five times and suspended for four games.

They just don't get it, and teams that don't get it rarely get their hands on a Lombardi.

Okay, fantasy grades.

Quarterback: Carson Palmer was tremendous in 2005, and should have merited stronger consideration for NFL MVP. We think that, in a roster rife with problem children, Palmer's strong performance and steady hand were arguably more valuable than Shaun Alexander's churning of turf behind the best offensive line in the league. In fact, Palmer had more passing yards, more completions, and more touchdowns than Peyton Manning.

But Palmer suffered that tragic ACL tear in January, and it would be naive to assume that he's going to pick up right where he left off. It'll be a long road, he'll likely still put up good numbers. But he's not a top-five pick this year, and we'd use those high-round selections elsewhere.

Running back: Rudi Johnson broke his franchise single-season rushing record by four yards on fewer carries, despite having a knee injury for most of the year. Even if Carson Palmer isn't the quarterback he was in 2005 (or if he isn't the quarterback at all), Rudi will get his yards, and touchdowns. He gets an A-.

Wide receiver: Chad Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league; there's no disputing that. But if Carson Palmer stumbles on his road back from that torn-up knee, it will affect Johnson's numbers. He gets a B+ for now. T.J. Houshmandzadeh had a solid year as well but, again, he'll only go as far as Palmer can take him. Give him a B-.

Tight end: Look elsewhere.

Defense: Statistically, the Cincy "D" wasn't a powerhouse in 2005, but it created the most turnovers in the league. Even with question marks surrounding linebacker Odell Thurman, the addition of Sam Adams beefs up the defensive line and the unit will be stronger in 2005. (Until the team implodes.) We give them a B.

Kicker: Shayne Graham is capable of scoring a ton of points, if the offense is clicking. So, once more, Graham's grade all falls back to whether Carson Palmer can be as effective as he was in 2005. We give him a B for now.

Before all of the Bengals fans out there simultaneously fill up our e-mail box with insults and various other unpleasantries, keep this in mind. We think that your team is among the most talented in the NFL. But we currently fear that a lack of leadership from the top of the organization and an inexplicable thirst for all things turd could make the Bengals the prime candidate for a plunge in 2006.

http://profootballtalk.com/2006BengalsPreseasonRanking.htm

Thoughts?

[Kazkal]

alrdy posted.

[Dadraftnick]

IMO the guy at Profootballtalk.com is a Steelers fan.

Yes,he will get on them(such as giving them flack for Santonio Holms),thats his job but, the way he blathers in Steelers coverage tells me that,it is one of the reasons that he gives the Bengals such a hard time.

Or ,maybe he just thinks that Rothelsburger has a cute butt.