BENGALS 2012 Preseason Preview

The season ended last year with a disappointing loss in the playoffs to a red hot Houston Texans team in front of a blood thirsty crowd at Reliant Stadium. With the emergence of a young core of star players on both sides of the ball the Bengals are poised to make a run to the playoffs once again. Head Coach Marvin Lewis may have the best coaching staff of his career. On both sides of the ball the Bengals are beefing up the playbook. The evolution of this team will be fun to watch in the coming weeks. Let’s hope this is the season that dreams are made of and the Lombardi trophy becomes a reality.

Defense will remains the focus of this team from the head coach perspective. Marin Lewis and Mike Zimmer have a relationship made is football heaven. Mike is his own man and runs this defense as he sees fit but respects the bosses input. Marvin is always keeping a close eye on the roster battles and overall effort of his players. I think this unit is poised to take the next step and become an elite defense this year. The draft was a wake up call to all. Now is the time to address the short yardage struggles as the Bengals D-Line got even bigger and stronger staking up on interor bulk. In round 2 the Bengals snatched up DT Devon Still out of Penn State and in round 3 they plucked the huge Clemson DT Brandon Thompson. Hopefully the new blood can jell with the up and coming D-Line lead by Geno Atkins. The linebackers get another year to work as a unit. All 3 starters from last year return in Howard, Rey and Manny. There will be flying all over the filed making plays. It is time for Rey to take the next step and assert himself as the leader of the Bengals defense.  

Second year Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden has won over the Cincinnati fans with his creative play calling, fiery style of coaching and the huge role he played is Andy Dalton’s materialization into a legit NFL franchise quarterback. Aj Green continues to assert himself as the next big thing with his outstanding play at wide receiver. Both young guns made their first playoff appearance and the Pro Bowl in their rookie seasons. Couple these young rising stars with an offensive line that finally has the championship type pedigree lead by coach Alexander. The groups leader in the trenches Whitworth thinks this unit is ready to assert themselves as the bullies of the rough AFC North. Jermaine Gresham has showed up to camp coming off of his first Pro Bowl appearance ready to take the next step in becoming a top notch NFL threat at the tight end position.The weapons are in place for a championship season.

The NFL has seen the shift to an all out passing league. The scary production is forcing some teams to rethink their defensive strategies. Even the mighty Ray Lewis is shedding pounds to be better in coverage. The Bengals O-Line is built to run the ball. Gruden is a west coast style coordinator but he emphasizes the run more than most. Plus we all know Marvin Lewis is going to want to run the ball and emphasize stellar play defense. I guess what I am getting at is if the Bengals get their running game on point this could be a great opportunity for this team. The AFC North will remain a smash mouth division but even the mighty Steelers threw the ball around last year like a 13 year old playing Madden. I think this leaves the door open for a huge year by this rushing attack. Teams will not be living in fear of the back field of BJGE and Scott but come the bye week they may be singing a frightening tune. 

There will be ups and downs but if the Bengals can start fast and come out guns blazing this could be a magical season. Let’s try and sell out the Jungle every game! I want Paul Brown Stadium to become a feared destination on our opponent’s schedule. We can not control a lot as fans but we can control this! Get off you tail and go support this very exciting young team!