Many people blame the Cincinnati Bengals 4-11-1 record of last season to losing Carson Palmer for three fourths of the season. However, there were deeper problems. In 2006 and 2007 Palmer threw for over 4,000 yards and had over 25 touch downs. In 2007, however, the team went 0-4 in the games that Palmer played. So that is not exactly a sign that the Bengals teams would have done any better with him at quarterback instead of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Even Peyton Manning might have had a difficult time igniting the Bengals’ 2008 passing game.

So what caused the slide from being the league’s seventh best passing team in 2007 to 2008 when they were third worst? There were two major factors that contributed to the downfall of the team’s passing game. The first factor was the performance of Chad Ochocinco. After six seasons in a row of going over 1,100 yards, in 2008 Ochocinco gained only 540 receiving yards. Not nearly as explosive as he was in previous years, his biggest accomplishment of the 2008 season wasn’t anything he accomplished on the field, but rather his off field feat of having his last name legally changed from Johnson to Ochocinco.

The second factor causing the Bengal’s passing game slide was their lack of a decent ground game. Cincinnati released Rudi Johnson, running back, prior to the season. They felt confident that Kenny Watson and Chris Perry would be able to handle things. Unfortunately this did not materialize and the two running backs only rushed for a combined 324 yards for the season.

Their performances were so poor that the Bengals had to call on Cedric Benson, the often troubled running back, who rushed for 747 yards and two touchdowns on 214 carries. Despite the solid contribution, even Benson could not keep the opposing defensive teams honest, as the kept their focus on stopping the Bengals only real offensive threat, TJ Houshmandzadeh.

So despite the fact that 2008, where the Bengals ended up 12th in the league, was the best performance for the Bengals defense since 2001, the 2008 season was a waste.

Key Additions
Wide receiver Laveranues Coles. The Bengals will definitely miss T J Houshmandzadeh. However, the addition of Coles definitely helps to soften that blow. Coles is not the same deep threat that he was at one time, however he will be able to utilize his toughness to run the Bengals offense underneath routes.

Coles’ 2008 season was solid. He had 850 receiving yards and seven touchdowns and might improve on these numbers in 2009 paired up with Palmer. Particularly if Ochocinco doesn’t perform more like Ouchostinko.

Key Departures
Wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh. T J had been the Bengals wide receiver workhorse for three years with over 90 receptions for each of those three seasons. In 2006 and 2007 Housh had 1,000 receiving yards and nine plus touchdowns. His stats went down in the 2008 season when the Bengals passing game unraveled. He still managed to snag 92 receptions, 904 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Palmer will definitely miss his go to receiver.

Offensive tackle Andre Smith. Last year the Bengals allowed the third most sacks in the NFL and also had the third worst average yard per carry in the league. So it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Bengals desperately needed to bolster the offensive line during the off season.

The Bengals selected Andre Smith, impressive tackle from Alabama, as the sixth overall pick in the draft. However, similar to most of the Bengals players, Smith comes with some questionable character traits and work ethic. If Smith is able to come through this season, he could end up anchoring the Bengals offensive line for years to come. However, if he fails to do this, the pick could end up blowing up in the Bengals faces.

Spotlight
Quarterback Carson Palmer is the biggest risk/reward option of the 2009 season. Fantasy owners will not only have to concern themselves with whether or not he can recover from last year’s elbow injury and surgery, but there are also questions about his wide receiver options after Housh bolted to Seattle. However, Palmer has gone over 3,800 yards and had at least 26 touchdowns in all three seasons before last season, so he could definitely be a great value pick.

The Bengals gave running back Cedric Benson his second chance after he was released from the Chicago Bears due to a DUI and BUI. Benson was able to take advantage of the opportunity and played good enough, particularly in the season’s last two games where he rushed for 182 yards and secured his 2009 starting spot. You can consider him as a running back 3 option in your fantasy draft.