It's that time for yet another mock draft in the many we've chronicled so far. And I'm sure by now that most, if not all of you followers of Cincy Jungle, are tired of these mock drafts not being the actual one in April, but they are entertaining and we like the debates that they spur.

But it's still February so we have to play the "what if game" for now.. In the latest mock draft, Sports Illustrated has the Cincinnati Bengals selecting a guard and cornerback with their two first-round picks, continuing one of the common trends we've seen with the Bengals in these mocks.

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One of the several positions Cincinnati must fill this offseason is running back. Reports this morning of Benson's displeasure with the Cincinnati offense all but confirmed what Bengals fans had been thinking all offseason--Cedric Benson will not be a Bengal in 2012. To say Benson "lacked explosiveness" is a drastic understatement. On his best day he would not fumble in the fourth quarter and pick up no more four yards with holes you could drive a bus through. Watching Arian Foster run all over the Bengals in the playoffs left a lot to be desired from our own backfield, and Benson is clearly not the answer. His loss is nothing to mull over.

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Cedric Benson is acting childish. The NFL Combine is kicking off. Mock drafts are in full charge. This must be the offseason. But only in name. The truth is that there is no offseason. There is no period in which writers like us at Cincy Jungle get time off. There is no time for Bengals fans to sit back because there's too much to speculate on, too much conjecture or fantasy forecasting. Wait until free agency kicks off, the visits, the rumors, the false reports launching a conveyor-belt of updates. And let's not forget the hours after the NFL Draft when teams sign undrafted free agents, often reported from obscure sources. It's the NFL offseason and we wouldn't have it any other way.

The Bengals are in need of a new No. 2 receiver to play opposite A.J. Green. It was Jerome Simpson's job to lose but after a mediocre 2011 season in which he was terribly inconsistent and after some legal troubles involving 2.5 pounds of marijuana, it appears as if he's lost it. Without another talented receiver, defenses would focus all their attention on stopping Green and the Bengals passing game, and eventually the entire offense, would suffer.

The good news is that this year's draft class and free agency is going to be packed with good wide receivers that could do the job. Unfortunately, in a recent article from Rotoworld, Evan Silva picked the one receiver I would want nothing to do with for Cincinnati.

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According to The Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy, the Cincinnati Bengals have hired Jim McNally, a former assistant coach, as a team consultant.

McNally was the team's offensive line coach from 1981 to 1994 which means he coached the Bengals offensive line to two Super Bowls and four playoff appearances. He has coached at the college level and in the NFL with the Bengals, Giants, Panthers and, most recently, with the Buffalo Bills from 2004 to 2007. He was actually inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Bengals offensive line will hopefully benefit from McNally's presence and help set the team up for success in 2012.

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Wait. You mean to tell me that the Cincinnati Bengals have a need to rebuild their offensive guard position? Seriously. Who would have thought that such monstrosities of awesome like Nate Livings and Mike McGlynn, spewing fire like demon spawn from the seventh circle in hell, wouldn't be enough to satisify Bengals fans and ensure that Cedric Benson doesn't fumble during critical fourth quarter possessions. Those same plays that Benson complains are the result of a dislike of Jay Gruden's offensive philosophy. Fumbled the football? Blame Jay. Punched a man on a Texas street during the dog days of Summer? Blame Jay. Only averaging 3.9 yards/rush? Blame the offensive line. Alright so there might be a certain truth to that.

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Since coming to the Bengals as a free agent in the 2008 season, Cedric Benson has not rushed for less than 1,000 yards (except for in 2008 when he only played in 12 games but still rushed for 747 yards) and has had over 270 attempts (again, except for 2008). Benson emerged as the Bengals no. 1 back in 2008 and and never looked back. Bob Bratkowski's offense suited a running back like Benson because even though, at the time, the Bengals had Carson, Chad, and TJ, Benson got a lot of carries and took the load on his shoulders in the fourth quarter when the Bengals were ahead and needed to run out the clock. During the 2009 playoff campaign, Benson was a workhorse; he ran for 1250 yards and had over 300 carries.

Coming in to the 2011 season, the Bengals revamped their offense by trading Chad Ochocinco, drafting A.J. Green and Andy Dalton, eventually trading Carson Palmer to the Raiders, and brought in new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. With two rookies as the focal point of the offense, it would be safe to assume that Benson would get the ball more than usual because he was surrounded by inexperienced rookies. As we know now, that was not the case and Benson's statistics (1067 yards and 273 attempts) showed that the focus of the offense would be on the two rookies and the passing attack.

It is understandable that if you are an NFL skill player you want the ball in your hands as much as possible, but when your team is winning, what else matters, right? According to Benson, it does matter...a lot.

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