Cincinnati Bengals Betting Odds – NFL Football Futures
A wave of change is sweeping the Cincinnati Bengals, as familiar faces are shown the door and new youngsters take their place. With so much turnover, Cincy is likely in for another long, though season.
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A look at the numbers:
Last season – 4-12
Projection this season – 3-13
Bengals Super Bowl XLVI Odds – +10000
Bengals 2011-12 AFC Odds – +5000
2011 Bngals AFC North Lines – +1200
Two of the franchise’s faces over the past decade are (likely) gone. Quarterback Carson Palmer has asked the team for a trade, saying he’ll retire if he doesn’t get his way. Management has dug its heels in, telling the media that Palmer is as good as retired, in that case. Meanwhile, receiver Chad Ochocinco—who is often more of a headache than a help—has been traded to the New England Patriots after the Bengals had finally had enough.
Both players’ eventual replacements are already in place thanks to the draft.Cincinnati took wide receiver A.J. Green fourth overall. The Georgia product is a big, explosive target, with many teams ranking his as the best offensive player in the draft. Under center, the Browns are hoping second-rounder Andy Dalton is their quarterback of the future. Some observers though the TCU grad could have gone in the middle of the first round, so he offered nice value at the top of the second.
For now, though, it appears journeyman Bruce Gradkowski will take the reins. The former Buccaneers and Raiders quarterback is nothing special, but he’ll make a decent enough stopgap until Dalton is ready to get onto the field—though it’s worth noting owner Paul Brown has called Dalton the starter at this point.
The Bengals defense was extremely disappointing last year. The unit allowed 18.2 points per game in 2009 (sixth in the NFL), but plummeted all the way to 24.7 points per game (24th in the league) last season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The secondary has some holes to fill. Starting cornerback Jonathan Joseph, one of the best young players at his position, was lured to Texas in a $48.5-million deal. Leon Hall still gives the Bengals a nice option at corner, and the team is hoping Adam “Pacman” Jones can return from injury and provide some solid play on the other side of the field.
Both players would benefit from an improved pass rush. Cincinnati managed just 27 sacks all last season, ranking 27th in the NFL. The Bengals were also middle-of-the-pack in interceptions last season, so big plays as a whole were missing. The Browns have to be much better in both departments if the “D” is going to return to its 2009 levels.
That means counting on another big season from Carlos Dunlap. The defensive end excelled as a rookie last season, racking up 10 sacks. The Bengals can hardly afford a sophomore slump—in fact, they need more production out of Dunlap—so he’ll be feeling the pressure this year.
HOW IT STANDS NOW:
Cleveland added some young, talented players in the offseason, but that likely won’t result in any immediate success. Those youngsters need time to grow, and there are still plenty of other holes to fill on the roster. The long-term future may be a little bit brighter, but tomorrow is still rather cloudy.
Season Win total Prediction: 3-13
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