Where we go from here....

Well here we are, sitting at 0-8 at the half way point. Thanks Mike Brown! Bengals fans like myself are accustomed to poor teams, after all, that is all we have had for the last two decades with a couple rare exceptions. But this one seems to hurt more. The reason in my opinion is the fact that he gave us hope. He gave us hope that things were changing, hope that someone other than himself had some power to change the direction of this failed franchise.

Mavin Lewis came in and they showed signs of these changes. The organization changed directions and in 2005 they reached the playoffs for what seemed to be the first of a nice run. Too bad that run was one year. What has developed since then has been been the quick deterioration of what was a promising young football team. This team is simply a mess. Too many I's, and not enough team. Too many glaring weaknesses and pivotal spots. A leader who's legs have been chopped out from underneath him by an owner incapable of change. Simply put, this team has gone from young and promising ot a complete mess in 3 years. This may be the most frustrating season I have seen as a Bengals fan.

So what has to change? Well I'd love to state the obvious and say the owner, but we all know that is not changing. The problem is as long as he is the owner will any other change even matter? No GM to speak of, and an owner that seems to do what he wants in regards to personal despite a proven track record of not knowing what the hell he is doing. So, does Marvin go? I say he almost has to, but what will that do? Not much, as whoever they bring in will not have the power to make the needed changes. I'm also not sure Brown will buy out the contract, so Marvin may be here for a couple more years regardless. The problem is, Marvin has lost this locker room. He has lost all credibility. Some of this is on him, but most of it is on Brown. Stay or go, not sure it makes a difference.

One change that must be made is at Offensive Coordinator. Bob Bratkowski is not capable of making the most out of the talent he has. This offense needs a fresh start, and they needed it two years ago. With a new OC, this offense may be able to show the potential it once did. A lot of it hinges on the health of Carson Palmer as there is a lot of unknown right now, but regardless, Brat has to go.

So now one to the skill positions on offense. Obviously so much of the Bengals offense hinges on Carson Palmer. Carson is the center of this offense and just has not been right since his knee injury in 2005. Now the elbow is the big concern. How bad is it? No one really knows, but this is not a case of simple swelling. There is a big issue here and the question is what needs to be done? Why he is not on the IR is beyond me, but he continues to state his season is not over. It needs to be. Surgery or not, let him get right. I well run organization would have made this call by now, but not the Bengals. So what about the WR's? Well Housh is gone unless they tag him. no way he resigns a long term deal with this train wreck. If you tag him, he's not going to be happy, but when have the Bengals worried about that? My feeling is they tag him and deal with the drama that will unfold. But what about Chad? If they trade him during the off season they will not be dealing with dramatic cap hit they were looking at last year. There will still be some interest, but are they willing to give in? I doubt it, but it's possible. The problem is they still can't count in Henry and the rookies have not shown anything this year to make them believe they don't need him. My guess is they keep him, happy or not. Now on to RB, Perry and Benson are not the answer, but who is? Do they go after one in the draft? A lot of Ohio State fans want to speculate that Beanie Wells will be in Cincinnati next season, not me. I love Beanie, but behind our line he's not the answer. His injury history scares me and they have bigger holes to fill with their top pick. So that leaves us looking for one in the 2nd round again, or trading someone like Chad to pick up an additional first round pick to grab one. One thing is certain In my opinion, the Bengals starting RB for 2009 is not on their roster....at least if they want to fix their RB issue.

SO now it is on to the biggest issue of all, their offensive line. What a mess. This needs to be priority number one in the off season and needs to be a focus of free agency. They could easily be looking at a top lineman in the draft, but they can't stop there. Andrews will be gone, so tackle is a big need, but Center is the biggest need of all. The draft is not the spot to fill this need. They need to go after the top center in free agency and seal up the middle of that line. If they can solidify that spot, the rest could come together, but it has to start there. If the Bengals are serious about turning this team around, they will start here.

So now what about the defense? For once I can honestly say I'm more worried about the offense than the defense. I like the young kids in the secondary and feel they will continue to improve and if the front seven can be improved, you will start to see some Pro Bowl nominations in the secondary in the upcoming years. So what needs improved? Again we go back up front. This team still lacks a force in the middle that will free up their speed ends and shut down the run. A big DT has been needed for years and is still a need. Peko is a nice piece, but only one. Another big guy upfront will make a big difference. If they don't go OT with ntheir top pick, it needs to be spent on a DT or dynamic DE. Their ends are OK, but not great and they still are missing that pass rush dynamic that makes a defense great.

The bring spot this year was Keith Rivers before a broken jaw ended his year. Going forward, he still should be a staple of this defense for years to come. The LB group is not bad, but there is not depth and they could use an upgrade at middle LB. This is another spot they could be looking at during the first day of the draft. I do like Mike Zimmer at DC, and feel that no matter what changes occur on the coaching staff, this does not need to be one of them. He has brought some much needed changes to this defense that have gone unnoticed due to the overall issues on the team.

So what happens? Well that is anyone's guess but to summarize here are my top 5 issues going into the 2nd half of the season and into next year.

1. Offensive Line - Center is a huge problem and the rest of this group needs to start playing up to their potential. To fix the issues, 2 or 3 new starts is needed for next year.
2. Defensive Line - There is talent on this defense that is not as effective as it could be if they could just get better play from the front 4. A run stuffing DT is needed as is a dynamic pass rusher.
3. Coaching staff - Well my opinions on Bob Bratkowski are well documented, and unfortunately I think Lewis has to go. I would get rid of Bratkowski now, why wait? If Lewis stays, he needs to reinvent himself as a coach. Not sure if this is possible, but he'll need to do something to regain control of this team.
4. Running Back - A fresh look is needed here and the answer is not on the team right now. Time to go back to the drawing board here.
5. Attitude - This team is in need of a complete attitude adjustment. Something needs to happen to give this team something to believe in. They need to start working towards the good of the team, and not the good of self.

No job should be safe the rest of the way, and some heads need to roll. The fans of Cincinnati deserve more....they need more....we were given a taste in 2005, and to have it all fall apart is one of the biggest disappointments I have felt as a Bengal fan.