<span style="color:#330000"><div align="center">2006 Cincinnatti Bengals Preview</div><div align="center"></div> The Cincinnatti Bengals will look to build off of their 2005 season in which they were crowned AFC North Division Champs. The Bengals rapped up the 2005 regular season with an 11-5 mark, and a #3 seed in the AFC playoffs. However, their season came to an end following a first round playoff loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that game starting quarterback Carson Palmer went down with a knee injury. Palmer tore all three ligaments in his left knee. This leaves the Bengals with some concerns as they enter the 2006 season. Another concern the Bengals have going into the upcoming season are the off the field issues the team was plagued with during the off season. Second year wide receiver Chris Henry was arrested several times on a variety of charges, while second year middle linebacker Odell Thurman will serve a four game suspension for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. Henry had an impressive rookie year hauling in 31 passes for 422 yards and 6 touchdowns. While Thurman was the team leader with 105 tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks. He was also tied for second on the team with 5 interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Without Thurman?s presence in the middle the Bengals will be left with a hole entering the first four games of ?06. Offensively the Bengals appear to be strong as was the case last season. If Carson Palmer can return to the form he displayed last season, they should have no trouble putting points on the board. Last season Palmer Threw for an impressive 3836 yards and 32 touchdowns and finished the year with a quarterback rating of 101.1. Besides the abilities Palmer is blessed with, he is also blessed with a terrific supporting cast. Chad Johnson is as solid a receiver as there is in the league. Last season he caught 97 passes for 1432 yards and 9 touchdowns. This year expect much of the same from Johnson. The other Johnson, Rudi Johnson was the teams leading rusher piling up 1458 yards on the ground to go with 12 touchdowns. Running back Chris Perry added 279 yards on the ground and another 328 yards and 2 touchdowns by air. T.J. Houshmandzadeh was second on the team in receiving with 78 receptions for 956 yards and 7 touchdowns. Defensively the Bengals have much to improve apon from last season. The team ranked 28th in total defense in ?05 giving up nearly 339 total yards per game, and 21.9 points per game. However, they were tops in the take takeaway department with a total of 44. Timely turnovers last year kept them above water at times. Cornerback Deltha O?Neal was tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions, while Thurman (as mentioned) and Tory James each picked off 5 passes. The Bengals will need to find a way to be more complete on defense in ?06. The Bengals looked to the draft in the off season to fill some holes defensively. They drafted cornerback Jonathan Joseph from South Carolina with the 24th pick in round one of the 2006 NFL Draft. They later added defensive end Frostee Rucker (USC), defensive tackle Domata Peko (Michigan State), and outside linebacker A.J. Nicholson (Florida State). Nicholson however joins the list of Bengals with off the field issues, and is doubtful to be a contributor this season. They also in a highly publicized move drafted troubled linebacker Ahmad Brooks (Virginia). Brooks once considered a lock to be a top 10 draft pick opted for the NFL?s supplemental draft after being dismissed from the University of Virginia football team by head coach Al Groh. Brooks has tremendous upside, but given his past track record has an equal downside. Overall the Bengals have a very solid team. But the question ?s that surround the team will be unanswered until they begin their quest to repeat as division champs, and build upon their first playoff appearance since 1990. They obviously will need quarterback Carson Palmer to show no ill effects from his knee injury. They will also need to find a way to put the off field issues behind themselves and move forward. Finally they will need to play more balanced football. They need to brush up on the defensive side of the ball if they hope to get anywhere in a very strong AFC North division.By: Darren Schilling (darnik44)</span>
Very good analysis, you should do more of them although it's probably too late to do that many...so maybe next year. :thumbsup:
