Okay, the bitter sting of the Bengals’ soul-crushing loss to the Texans has had a week to subside. It’s time to take a look at where Cincinnati really is moving into the offseason.
Improved
I wrote in my playoffs preview that the Bengals are an improved team from last season, and my opinion on that hasn’t changed. They finished 10-6 instead of 9-7. They were second in the division and were 3-3 instead of 2-4. They took a step back in losing to Cleveland but two steps forward in beating Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The win over the Steelers was especially impressive given that it came in a hostile environment and they had to win it to make the playoffs. They earned their way into the playoffs instead of backing in.
This team is better. There is a lot to hang its hat on, starting with the defense. The Andy Dalton era began with two straight playoffs appearances, and only Ken Anderson had done that before. Boomer Esiason and Carson Palmer did not.
Still the Same
Unfortunately, as improved as this Bengals team was, it retains many of the qualities of past units that caused fans to scream. Boneheaded coaching decisions like going for it on 4th-and-24 in Pittsburgh. Star players having terrible games at the most critical times, like Rey Maualuga and Jermaine Gresham against Houston. Losing games they should have won like against Miami and Cleveland.
As I watched the playoffs this past weekend, one thing that really struck me was how the postseason really winnows out the pretenders. On the big stage, with everything on the line, the good teams make plays and get it done. The teams that aren’t ready, that aren’t quite as good, miss opportunities.
The Bengals are good enough, talent-wise, to beat any of the teams that played this weekend. But they aren’t ready yet. They still miss opportunities. You can get away with that in the regular season. That’s how they beat San Diego and Philadelphia and even Pittsburgh. But come playoffs time, you just can’t give opportunities away. That’s why they lost to Houston. That’s why Houston and Seattle lost Sunday.
What’s Good
There are a lot of things to like about the Bengals as they stand now. The defensive line is stellar. It doesn’t get a lot of publicity because it plays in small-market Cincinnati and because it hasn’t won a playoffs game yet, but the Bengals have one of the best defensive lines in the league. Cincinnati’s top offseason priority needs to be re-signing Michael Johnson.
They are also good at quarterback. Yes, Andy Dalton needs to improve his deep-ball accuracy, but I don’t understand why everyone is bashing him after the playoffs loss. He made some mistakes, but he got little help from his offensive line, nor did his offensive coordinator do him any favors by calling a very poor game.
In the first half of the season, Dalton was criticized for throwing the ball too soon and not letting plays develop. He was criticized for not extending plays with this feet. In the second half critics complained he held the ball too long and didn’t make decisions quickly enough. He’s a young guy, and it’s obvious he’s working on finding the balance between a quick release and letting the game come to him. And let’s not forget that the offense largely ground to a halt after Mohammed Sanu broke his foot and no one could replace his skills.
What he is, though, is unflappable, and it’s been a long time since we’ve had a quarterback like that in Cincinnati. Carson Palmer may have had a cannon on his right shoulder, but he panicked and tried to force balls where they wouldn’t go when the game was on the line. Dalton has won 19 games in his 34 starts, and 11 of them have been on the road. He needs to grow and mature and throw a better deep ball, but he is not a choker or a bad quarterback. Give him some time.
What Needs to Improve
The Bengals have several needs if they want to be better next year. First, they have to run the ball better. BenJarvus Green-Ellis did yeoman work this season, and he busted a number of long runs late in the year. A change-of-pace back with some explosive speed would really make a difference, though. Green-Ellis does a great job of blowing through holes in the line, but Cincinnati needs someone who can get to the edge and be 10 yards down the sideline before opposing defenses know what happened. Dalton will improve as a passer if opponents can’t just load the box and blitz.
The Bengals also need to improve at the receiver position. AJ Green is one of the best players in the game. But only Mohammed Sanu created a lot of trouble for opponents opposite him, and Gresham made a habit of dropping passes this year, despite posting career highs for yards and receptions. The Bengals need someone to come up with big plays on a consistent basis besides Green.
Defensively, they need to sort out the linebacker situation. Vontaze Burfict was outstanding. He’s easily the best new addition in 2012. Maualuga had a decent season, but he had his worst game in the playoffs when Houston TE Owen Daniels made him look like a fool. Manny Lawson was solid but not outstanding. The Bengals need two more guys who make plays every game. They need an anchor.
They also need to upgrade in the secondary. Terrance Newman had an outstanding season, but how long can a 10-year veteran be expected to play that well. Dre Kirkpatrick is supposed to be that guy, but his health issues this year make you worry.
Likewise, the Bengals need another safety. Things got better when Chris Crocker rejoined the team, but when you need a journeyman player who was out of football after you cut him to get the ship righted, it suggests that position is ripe for an upgrade.
Finally, the Bengals need to improve their coaching. They’re not going to fire Marvin Lewis, so he needs to get better at his in-game decision-making. There were way too many blown timeouts and just plain bad decisions in games. Moreover, and I’ve written this several times here, Marvin needs to figure out how to mentally prepare his players for big games. They just can’t come out tight when it matters. They need to know how to play loose and have fun. That’s the attitude that causes guys to make plays at critical moments.
The Bengals could still lose Mike Zimmer to another team, but at least it won’t be the Browns, so that’s good. Zimmer is easily the best coach on the staff, and the defense is the reason Cincinnati won seven of its last nine and made the playoffs.
The jury is still out on Jay Gruden. Assuming he stays, he needs to improve some of his playcalling. The Wildcat bomb from Sanu to Green was brilliant, and he generally schemed well for opponents. The offense has been a lot more imaginative under him. But he totally bungled the playoffs game, ignoring AJ Green completely in the first half and failing to run the ball despite Green-Ellis rushing for 43 yards on just three carries. He tried to get a little too clever to outscheme the Texans instead of just going with what was working and having his team punch Houston in the mouth.
There’s certainly hope for next season in Cincinnati. There is a good, strong foundation here, and the Bengals have three picks in the first two rounds of the draft, meaning they should be able to bring in some impact players. There’s no reason not to raise the expectations at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals are good. They are a few players and coaching decisions away from being great.
Who Dey Herald 
Reblogged this on true bengals fans and commented:
This is an amazing article that I totally agree with. The game against Houston should have been ours. We are young and when Andy Dalton fixes his issues with the deep ball and timely releases the offense will do much better.