Assessment for 2012: State of the Franchise

The nicest thing about the 2011 season was obviously first and foremost AJ Green: the best rookie they've had in ages and ages. Dalton also played very well for a rookie QB and looks good enough to win with, though he did not play well today. As for the young talent, they had mainly five guys who played major roles with (R) or (2) next to their names: Dalton, Green, Gresham, Atkins, and Dunlap. So I don't get carried away labelling that the best haul of young guys ever. It's nice but they need a lot more to win a Super Bowl.

Now what needs to be fixed?

The most important thing going forward is what happens with Lippincott's replacement. Do we get a family member/other unqualified crony/someone from a local high school? Or, (like the Raiders just hired the Packers director of football ops to be their new GM), do we get someone who has at least a few NFL bonafides? If Mike Brown leaves that spot open ("we don't need a director of football operations") or hires a crony ("my grandson Timmy can do it just fine"), then it's unrealistic to expect that much change in this town. Sorry. The number one need is still a competent person to run this organization from top to bottom. And I don't mean Katie!

I am not sure if I'd mind if Marvin Lewis was promoted to the GM or Director of Football Operations spot. On the one hand I think he's a crummy game day manager and a crummy game day motivator, but he at least knows a bit about winning football from working for a Ravens Championship organization. On the other hand you could consider Lewis a "crony" at this point since he's done very little to justify as long a tenure as he's had in Cincy (no other town would have tolerated such a long non-winning streak). This team has lost fifteen straight games to playoff teams, and Lewis' overall record against playoff teams is 14-44-1 (0.246). And it's the same old pablum reactions to wins and losses, saying the same things over and over again and expecting different results I guess.

In terms of managing the roster: the team has a ton of free agents, some of whom are pretty desperately needed because you simply cannot expect a draft (even with a couple extra picks) to produce so many players. Of the back seven on defense, six of todays starters were other team's draft picks and a bunch of 'em are free agents.

Year after year Mike Brown leaves money under the salary cap while former players like Justin Smith and J Jo are now earning Pro Bowl spots in other towns, and the guys the Bengals bring in are usually other people's scrubs (Nate Clements a very big exception as he's still quite talented and performed admirably in 2011). Even Evan Mathis was let go, he's a very serviceable player at a position of need and much better than Livings in almost everybody's grade system.

And, significantly, they are getting very little from their third round draft picks of late (with a few very important exceptions) (I'm talking Moch, Ghee, Chase Coffman, Caldwell... that's four picks with not that much to show for them as of today). You have to hit on more of those picks if you are not a major player in free agency (which the Bengals never are and don't look to be in 2012 barring supernatural intervention that is normally reserved to help Tim Tebow)

Positions of need in 2012:

On offense they need better interior linemen. I'd probably try to draft a center and move Cook to Guard. The Bengals ranked THIRTIETH in adjusted yards up the middle by Pro Football Outsiders. Significantly, Anthony Collins is a UFA this year, and if he goes they have no depth at tackle.

They also need upgrades at RB and WR because AJ Green is the only legit threat that really scares the other teams and they're all going to scheme against Green.

On defense the defensive backfield could use at least one cornerback and a major upgrade at FS. I don't know which I would rank as most important there. Safety is one of the most neglected positions over the history of this team, with few high draft picks expended, and some pretty sub-par free agents acquired. Every highlight for the other guys, I see a Bengals safety wrong-footing out of the play. Like clockwork!

The linebacking group is not that great. Two of the three were guys they picked up off the street, testifying to continued inability to draft top LB in spite of spending more of the franchise's high draft picks on the position than any other position. Maualuga is often wrong-footing or running into a gap where nothing is happening. He's just not going to be a dominant force that Marvin Lewis covets since having Ray Lewis to work with.

Of the free agents I'd bring back Kelly Jennings (they are desperate for DBs and he should be pretty cheap). I would try to retain Sims, Rucker, and Fanene. Not sure about Manny Lawson or Adam Jones (given today's melt-down).

There's a lot of work to do if we ever hope to see a Super Bowl win. I'm still firmly in the camp of doubters. Obviously. Throw your challenge flags early. Marvin Lewis does!