The Bengals

The AFC North is an ugly place these days. It could produce a lot of very competitive football. If you had asked me a month ago who I thought was in the driver's seat, I'd have said the Ravens. I'd still probably go with that answer, just because I think they have a better ability to control the ground game in both directions.

However, that's not to overlook the Bengals. Cincinnati will likely control the airways more than any other team in the division. Not enough is said about it, but they have the best tandem of corners in the entire league. Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph both racked up 6 picks and over 70 tackles last year. That is tremendous production, and it absolutely dwarfs anything anyone in the AFC North is doing, this side of Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed.

Ah yes... Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed. About them.

Troy has held the distinction of being the best safety on the planet for at least 25 games in the last three calendar years. The problem of course, is that he's injury prone, and as seen last season, the only impact player in the Pittsburgh secondary. He's also aging, and while 30 isn't ridiculously old, it's not pre-injury mid-20s, like those DBs in Cinci.

Ed Reed is very similar to Polamalu, in that he's a beast, but really a man alone in his secondary. He's also injury-prone, and will start the season on the disabled list. Reports have him out for the first 6 weeks, which is really why we're talking about the Bengals having a chance. With Reed out, and the Ravens unable to field quality CBs, it's open season to pass on those dirty birds.

That's where TO comes in. As you may have read, the Bengals decided to add to their stable of character-issue punks when they went out to sign Terrell Owens. As far as the off-field, rumor mill goes: who the fuck cares? Here's what I care about: TO is 6'3, 224. Chad Ochocinco is 6'1, 192. Antonio Bryant is 6'1, 205. First round rookie sensation TE, Jermaine Gresham is 6'6, 261. Those are some big receivers, none of whom are drop-prone.

Anytime you have that combination over four guys, you really don't need a speedster in the bunch. Just ask San Diego. That's been their formula for winning the division these last few years. Expect a lot of bunch formations and single back looks, at least early in the game. Cinci won't be able to keep it up for 60 minutes on account of their receiving corp's age, but if Palmer can do his thing in the first half, then you'll see them bring out the fullback and start pounding the ball with Cedric Benson.

I actually don't think much of Benson, and feel that the advantage Ray Rice has over him is the difference between the two teams. If there's a way to beat Cinci, it'll be to divide the offense. Put all the pressure on the receivers or put all the pressure on the running game. Neither unit will be able to carry the team, and that's when you can expect locker room tensions to form.

I like Cinci's linebackers (all three are kind of hidden gems in the same way the CBs are), but they don't have a Ray Lewis at that position, or any other, to keep the team focused.

In conclusion: this has the makings for a very solid Bengals team. They were above average defensively last year, and below average offensively, but have made some offseason improvements to bring up the latter. I think they'll pose a challenge to everyone on their schedule, but ultimately, the lack of an explosive playmaker will leave them vulnerable to good, comprehensive defenses, like the kind you see in January.