Looking Forward to the Bengals Future

The Bengals finished their 2010-2011 season with a 4-12 record after a loss at the Ravens to finish the season. The Bengals held the Ravens to only 13 points and didn't give up many big plays. However the Bengals couldn't capitalize when they got to the Ravens side of the field, missing a very makable 29 yard field and a pick in the end zone also a failed 4th down conversion on the Ravens 26 yard line. That's a total of 21 possible points that they left on the field, or at the very least 9, that would've made the difference in Baltimore.

There are many decisions Mike Brown will have to make this offseason. The first of which is Marvin Lewis' contract which is up.

"I don't know what's going to happen, all I know is that I'm unemployed," Marvin Lewis said after the game today. Marvin said he expects to know his fate by Monday, and no one is certain on what Mike Brown will decide on for the future. On one hand, Marvin Lewis hasn't won a playoff game in his entire career as a head coach for the Bengals. On the other hand, Lewis won 2 of his last 3 games and was very competitive in the loss against the Ravens and has had a lot of success with young players in the last few games. Also, with the uncertainty of next season with no CBA in place, it might be difficult to get a new coaching staff in place. Marvin has also made requests to Mike Brown for an indoor practice facility, and is one of the reasons Lewis held out on signing a contract last offseason.

Another decision Mike Brown will be facing soon is deciding whether or not to pick up the option on wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. There is a $6 million option on Ochocinco and if Brown decides not to pick up the option, it'll cost him $3.5 million, so it's essentially a $2.5 million decision as it's going to cost Brown $3.5 million either way. The Bengals are currently at a loss right now without a definite #1 wide receiver, yes they have Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell, but right now they are looking like two #2 receivers.

Brown will also have to decide where to go in the draft. The Bengals will be picking 4th in the NFL draft because they have the stronger schedule than the Bills or Broncos. If the Bengals do decide to release Chad Ochocinco, they could go with AJ Green, a top, can't miss WR prospect and is being compared to the likes of Calvin and Andre Johnson. The Bengals could also go with looking towards the defensive line and drafting DE Da'Quan Bowers out of Clemson or DT Nick Fairley out of Auburn. However, the Bengals in the later half of the season have seemed to find their pass rush with Carlos Dunlap, who broke the Bengals rookie sack record with 9.5 sacks. The record was previously held by Justin Smith with 8.5 sacks. The Breakdown Blog will be breaking down all of these prospects in the draft in the coming weeks.

Some other decisions Brown will have to make is to keep or cut some of these players:


FREE AGENTS LIST

• Exclusive rights: WR Quan Cosby, LS Clark Harris CB Rico Murray, LB Dan Skuta, S Tom Nelson, RB Cedric Peerman,
• Restricted free agents: C Kyle Cook, OG Nate Livings, QB Jordan Palmer, OT Dennis Roland
• *Free agents with four credited seasons: RB Brian Leonard, S Chinedum Ndukwe
• Unrestricted free agents: RB Cedric Benson, DE Jonathan Fanene, LB Brandon Johnson, LB Dhani Jones, CB Johnathan Joseph, TE Reggie Kelly, OG Evan Mathis, WR Terrell Owens, S Roy Williams, S Gibril Wilson.

* Free agents with four credited seasons were unrestricted until last year when they became restricted under an uncapped year. It is likely with a new collective bargaining agreement that they would become unrestricted again.
Thanks to the Cincinnati Enquirer for the Free Agents list

The 'Rome Zone'

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson (89) catches a 10-yard touchdown pass against San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver (27) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) Buy Photo

The Bengals won only their 4th game of the season and it was against a legitimate playoff contender--that was until the Bengals knocked them out of playoff contention. A week after the Bengals put an end to their 10 game losing streak that began with the team that started it, the Browns, the Bengals rallied and came out on top against a San Diego team fighting for a playoff berth.

For the Bengals, the win means nothing for the season, but everything for the players. The biggest story of the day may not have been the huge upset the Bengals achieved (Chargers having the #2 offense and #1 defense), it was that they did it with out Batman and Robin, or by their secret identities, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. T.O's season ended with a torn meniscus in the knee, just 17 yards short of his 10th career season of 1,000 yards or more and with 9 touchdowns. Ochocinco had a foot injury and didn't play. No, instead the Bengals and Carson Palmer did it with 'Rome and Bubba. AKA Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell.

Jerome Simpson had his breakout game of his career on Sunday. He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft and is everything you want in an NFL receiver. He ran track in college, so you know he's fast, tall at 6'2 and he's got big hands, huge actually at 10.38" hands. But for some reason prior to this season, he had only made one catch for two yards and been inactive for most of his three year career in the NFL, not even in pads. He was called a bust by many a Bengal fan and many didn't think he could ever earn a starting job in the NFL.

This all changed on Sunday when Jerome Simpson had his breakout game with 6 receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Jerome Simpson proved to everyone on Sunday exactly why he was drafted in the second round. He looked like a veteran out there making play after play. He scored his first touchdown of his career at the corner of the end zone of what Simpson calls, "The 'Rome Zone". You throw it up there, and the ball is his. The Bengals tried a similar play last week against the Browns to Ochocinco, Carson made a perfect throw and it went right through Chad's hands and hit his facemask.

Jerome Simpson may just be the future for the Bengals, but we need to see consistency from 'Rome. A week before he had 2 catches for 30 yards, but he was only thrown to three times and was held in the end zone on a comeback route. The Bengals have a decision to make this offseason if they want to keep Ochocinco on a $6 million option or go with the young guys in Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell. They both proved they can be starters in back to back weeks. They both have been buried in the depth chart behind the veterans, T.O and Ochocinco. Sunday in Baltimore may be Chad's last game as a Cincinnati Bengal if they don't decide to pick up his option. It's easier to predict a perfect NCAA March Madness bracket than what Mike Brown and the Bengals do in the offseason.