"They have great leadership in Carson Palmer. They have great talent. They have a lot of stuff going for them. Every team needs a couple of pieces to reach that next level," Ward said. "I remember when I came into the league with the Giants we were just a couple of pieces away from being a great team and we showed that throughout the years. It just depends on the situation, depends on the coaching staff.

"Coach Lewis, he's done a heck of a job out there in Cincinnati. Granted, they had a down year last year and the year before but I think that had a lot to do with injuries and stuff like that. But I'm pretty sure everybody is healthy and ready to go and it's a league where anybody can win, anybody can go to the Super Bowl. The last two years has proved that. I really feel that they are an up-and-coming team and big things should happen for them this year."