Brought in as a much-heralded defensive mind, one of the key criticisms to head coach Marvin Lewis’ tenure has been his inability to develop an effective defense. Yet, even his most persistent doubters have to acknowledge that many of the team’s issues are more related to personnel than coaching and philosophy. Lewis has some impact on the players he ends up with, yes, but there are a lot more than just his hands involved in the process and luck and economics factor in strongly as well. Right off the bat, his best player had had his fill of the Queen city, and there was no way the Bengals were going to fork out the cash to keep Taekeo Spikes. Just as Madieu Williams looked to be on his way to great things, injuries set him back a few years and it seemed like he never recovered past anything better than just an average player. David Pollack showed signs he might be the lynchpin pass-rushing force perfect for building the unit around, but his career lasted less than two seasons thanks to injury. Odell Thurman fizzled out too. So here we are, a play date with the boys in orange and black has been the miracle cure for struggling opposing offenses for almost two decades, we’ve had a defensive guru as head coach for six years and there has been little progress. Until now? While continuing to display many flaws, the Bengals’ 2008 defense showed some signs of life. Fans have high hopes that last year was just a stepping stone for what has yet to come.
Last season, new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer led his boys to a league ranking of twelfth in yards/game. True, there wasn’t a whole lot separating teams 12 through 22, but considering for support Cincy’s D had the league’s worst offense, I’d say it was quite an accomplishment. Can Zimmer elevate his unit to the next level? If so, it all starts up front. On the second level, the linebacking corps has to continue to progress, and the secondary has to stay healthy.
First Line of Defense:
Perhaps the biggest key to the Bengals’ D becoming a force to be reckoned with is the defensive line. Cincinnati has long craved a drain-clogging presence at DT and Domato Peko and Pat Sims just might be it. Towards the end of 2008, as the team started to be more competitive, some of the pressure was taken off the rush defense and the young duo started to show what they can do. They acquired a slight upgrade from John Thornton in Tank Johnson (assuming he behaves), but Peko is really the guy that has to continue to develop and anchor. Past the top three guys, coaches will likely have to make a judgment call on who would be a more valuable to keep on the roster: the mammoth late-round 2008 draft pick Jason Shirley or the smaller more athletic prospect selected in the sixth round this year, Clinton McDonald.
The bigger question: can the guys on the edge get to the quarterback? I’m excited to see if Antwan Odom can make an impact in year two with the team. He has reportedly bulked up to 285 and has some punch, but it remains to be seen if he can convert his rebuilt physique into sacks. Coming back from microfracture surgery, I’m not sure that Robert Geathers has a 10-sack season in him. I think the backups are solid in Jonathan Fanene and Frostee Rucker, but I don’t see either making a big impact outside of run support. The X-factor is rookie Michael Johnson. He has all the tools to be special. The coaches just have to find a way to extract it from him. Hit ‘em with Odom, the hammer, on one side and strike with lightning on the other. It will also help to have T. Johnson as more of a threat to rush from the inside. Who knows, it just might work.
The Heart of the Matter:
The linbacking corps has a chance to be great. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow, but eventually I think people are going to take notice of this group. The impact of getting Keith Rivers back is getting overlooked right now. The guy got his feet wet last year and showed a real nose for the ball, but an injury shortened rookie season has him flying a bit under the radar. Dhani Jones handles the middle competently while providing immense personality and leadership to the team. He should last just long enough until Rey Maualuga is ready to take over. Rashad Jeanty is the underrated player of the crew. He is tough as nails and seems to play solid whenever given the opportunity. Tallying 96 tackles in ‘08 in his third year with the Bengals, coaches will most likely stick with him as the starter on the strong side and substitute in Maualuga at their discretion. Along with Maualuga, Darryl Blackstock, Brandon Johnson, and Abdul Hodge represent a fairly capable crop of backups. The group has been banged up during camp, but no one is expected to miss extended time. If all goes well, they will be the stabilizing force of the unit that provides the flare needed to take things up a notch.
Thin Around the Edges?
The Bengals have invested highly in their corners. Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph have a couple of years under their belts. Is this the year they pay major dividends? I’m not so sure they will. I think they can both be very good, but for them to play at an all-star level they have to be enhanced by the front seven. If the defensive line and linebackers can do a better job forcing opposing offenses to be more predictable and take risks, these two will flourish. All they have to do is stay healthy. Or at least they’d better. The team was thin behind the young starters before David Jones went down. If Jones doesn’t stay healthy when he comes back, would they be okay with some combination of Jamar Fletcher, Geoff Pope, and Morgan Trent? Maybe but if one of the starters goes down it could get ugly. I just hope one of the safeties can play corner. Fans have to be excited to see if Chris Crocker picks up where he left off in ’08. Stick him next to Roy Williams in the starting lineup and you can just feel the defense getting meaner. Chinedum Ndukwe is opportunistic. Marvin White is a hard-nosed gamer. Corey Lynch and Kyries Hebert are ideal backups with significant special teams prowess. Who do you cut? I hope they keep all six, but it seems like going with only four pure corners is becoming more and more of a long shot. I think it comes down to how White looks coming back from the torn up knee and if Williams can still play with the edgy toughness he exudes in his personality.
Does this defense have a shot at finally breaking the mold of being perpetually ordinary? Absolutely. The mix of veterans and younger players is almost perfect. Top to bottom they are as talented as they have been since I’ve been cheering for them. The one thing they are missing is a face. They have several guys who can lead, but they don’t have that player that consumes the minds of offensive coordinators around the league. They don’t have a game changer...yet. Right now, it’s all about potential. All of the pieces are on the table. Personnel is no longer the sticking point. Now more than ever the onus is on Lewis and Zimmer to turn these guys into something special.
