Things for Bengals Fans to Celebrate

[DesperateDerelict]

Link: FoxSports Begals Report Jan 24 6:00 pm EST

For all of the legitimate progress the Bengals made as a franchise during the 2005 season, the wild-card playoff loss to Pittsburgh was only the start of a very bad week for coach Marvin Lewis and the organization.

During the game, a 31-17 Steelers victory, the Bengals lost golden-boy quarterback Carson Palmer to a knee injury that his surgeon initially called "devastating" - before backtracking - and which might jeopardize Palmer's ability to return in time for the start of next season. Then a Web site report that gifted wide receiver Chad Johnson allegedly got into a halftime altercation with two coaches has gained increasing degrees of credibility with each passing day, Johnson's awkward news conference denial not withstanding.

Former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason, a CBS Sports NFL commentator, has said that if the story involving Johnson is true - and Esiason said he believes it is - that Lewis needs to regain control of his team.

And then Lewis drew mild criticism from Steelers coach Bill Cowher and his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, in response to Lewis' postgame comments. The exchange of barbs, plus the release of a postgame celebration video in which Cowher and his players mock the Bengals' signature "Who Dey" cheer, has turned the heat up on an already simmering rivalry.

The Bengals, in short, appeared to be unraveling only hours after playing in their first postseason game in 15 seasons.

Lewis, quiet since wrapping up his postseason news conference Jan. 9, finally addressed the bad week in an interview with The Cincinnati Enquirer on Jan. 14. He said that there was no physical altercation involving Johnson, wide receivers coach Hue Jackson and Lewis at halftime of the playoff game.

"I guess my feeling is since the loss to Pittsburgh, it seems as though a dark cloud has tried to drop on our franchise," Lewis said. "I want to apologize to our fans that this has occurred. They should be excited about our future. I thank them for their support of our football team. Our direction is not going to change. We have built a strong foundation. We had 24 guys with three years or less experience. With the practice-squad guys who have a chance to make the team, that's 30 guys. That's a good thing. Those guys will keep improving.

"The optimism that was there after 2003 should be 10 times greater after the 2005 season. We are not going to lose sight of what we've done."

As he has done since being hired three years before, Lewis stepped in to reassure the organization's customers.

Lewis re-emphasized that neither he nor his players are satisfied and promised more changes in the off-season, though he would not get specific.

"We're in great shape salary-cap wise, and we're going to make every effort to extend our guys," Lewis said. "We're going to get some new guys. They will be held to the same standard. We're going to be better in '06 than we were in '05. I was criticized for how I reacted (in a low-key manner) when we clinched at Detroit. I was thankful and grateful for what happened. But we weren't finished. There were bigger fish to fry."

After clinching the AFC North title and a playoff berth with a victory at Detroit on Dec. 18, the Bengals lost their final two regular-season games and their wild-card game.

The health of Palmer's knee changed the tone of the off-season. While the value of backup quarterback Jon Kitna, an unrestricted free agent come March, would appear to have increased, there is a sense that Lewis will look in another direction - even if that quarterback has to open the season in place of a rehabbing Palmer.

Palmer underwent surgery in Houston to repair two ligaments. In two interviews Wednesday, Palmer's surgeon, Dr. Lonnie Paulos, initially said Palmer's injury was more severe than originally thought. Palmer had signed a six-year contract extension on Dec. 29 - essentially a new nine-year deal worth $118.75 million - that keeps him with the Bengals through the 2014 season. Then Paulos backtracked on much of what he said and called Palmer's twin ligament tears (anterior cruciate and medial collateral) "a typical football injury."

Said Lewis, "In talking with Carson's family and representation, what (the surgeon) said was somewhat taken out of context. Every indication given to us, the analysis of the injury, yes, it's a bad injury. But he's going to be fine. It's a shame he suffered the injury. But we know he will work very hard to come back. Carson's well-being and health are very important to us."

But the challenging week shouldn't mask the progress made in 2005.

A number of elements converged positively for the Bengals that allowed them to become the franchise's first playoff team since 1990.

With just 13 players remaining from the kickoff weekend roster in 2002, the year before Lewis' hire as coach, the Bengals truly are now his team.

His three drafts as Bengals coach have yielded a young but improving core of players. A fourth draft and another year of maturity should help in 2006, when the Bengals will face a significantly more challenging schedule.

The Bengals enjoyed a weak list of opponents in 2005, defeating just one team, the Steelers, that had a winning record at the time. The Bengals were fortunate to play Minnesota in September, at the height of the Vikings' disarray. One week later, the Bengals went to Chicago and defeated the Bears, who had yet to jell into the No. 2 NFC playoff seed. For the second consecutive season, the Bengals went 4-0 against NFC teams.

Despite the relatively soft schedule, the Bengals won and won big on the road, finishing 6-2, compared to a third consecutive 5-3 record under Lewis at Paul Brown Stadium.

What went right:

--Palmer blossomed into a Pro Bowl quarterback, breaking franchise single-season records for touchdown passes (32), passer rating (101.1) and completions (345). He was voted to his first Pro Bowl, in the heady company of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

--The team took the coaching of Lewis and coordinators to register a franchise-record-tying 44 takeaways. That number included 31 interceptions, 10 by Pro Bowl cornerback Deltha O'Neal, who broke Ken Riley's franchise record of nine from 1976.

--Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry co-existed peacefully in the backfield. Johnson was his normally steady self with 1,458 rushing yards, and Perry was a dangerous third-down back who finished with 51 pass receptions despite missing two games with an ankle injury.

--Then there was receiver Chad Johnson, as entertaining as lethal. He had a single-season franchise record 1,458 receiving yards.

--The offensive line set another franchise record by allowing just 21 sacks and opening big holes for Johnson and Perry in the run game. Right tackle Willie Anderson was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. Versatile left guard Eric Steinbach was a first alternate. Left tackle Levi Jones was the second alternate.

--Rookies made an instant contribution. Middle linebacker Odell Thurman led the team in tackles and had five interceptions that came at the most opportune times, especially the 30-yarder returned for a touchdown at Tennessee. Thurman's unexpected strong season as the starting middle linebacker helped to make up for the disappointing showing by first-round pick David Pollack, a linebacker-end who didn't ever catch up after a 20-day contract holdout that erased all of training camp.

--Third-round pick Chris Henry emerged as the No. 3 receiver and finished with six touchdowns. Sixth-round pick Tab Perry gave the Bengals a dangerous kickoff return man; he also made plays offensively in limited opportunities.

--Injuries were few and far between. The biggest loss was a free safety Madieu Williams. His shoulder injury, which required surgery and landed him on the season-ending injured reserved list, was a blow to the run defense. Starting strong safety Kim Herring went on IR in the preseason, and safety play was a weakness all season. Looking ahead to the off-season, the Bengals desperately need to add a space-eating defensive tackle and more depth at safety and cornerback. Tory James lost a step in 2005, and third-year draft pick Keiwan Ratliff should be ready to start opposite O'Neal.

"The 2005 season was a great learning experience for our franchise, our team and for me," said Lewis, 27-21 in three seasons as Bengals coach. "We've established an evaluation process of free agents and college prospects. All we're going to do is get better and better at this."