The Bengals have gone from being one of the worst sports franchises in the history of sports to an 8 and 8 team.  In other words average.  Now I know they made the playoffs two years ago, but after the let down last year which saw them lose the division title and not make the playoffs, I think it is safe to say that the Bengals have been an average team for the most part under Marvin Lewis’s reign. 

That makes the 2007 season a critical year for this franchise, the players, and the Coaches.  The Bengals are going to show which of the two teams they really are.  The 8 and 8 average team who gave up the division title or the up and coming potential powerhouse playoff team we saw in 2005.

In the NFL, there is a fine line between 8 and 8 and a Division title.  One of the things that accounts for that fine line is schedule.  The Bengals schedule last year was less than easy.  This year they have a schedule that at first glance looks like it is very manageable.  Another thing that certainly helps in the NFL is the strength of the other teams in your division.  This may not be as easy.  The Browns have defiantly done some things to improve and the Titans should prove to be a very good football team. 

Consistency and keeping key position players is also a very big difference between the good NFL teams and the average one.  The good team tends to keep things consistent when it comes to player personnel.  The Bengals have done ok here, but do still have some huge question marks.  Odell Thurman and David Pollack are two of them.  If both of these players are unable to go, then it leaves the Bengals in need of linebackers.  Another big question is going to be the Bengals second year defensive players.  Can players like a Frostee Rucker step up to actually be contributors?  The final huge question is the defense overall.  Can the defense get better or will they be even worse with the loss of some of the player like Pollack, Thurman, and others lost in free agency this year.

For the Bengals another factor that will impact their season is their ability to stay out of the spot light nationally for the wrong reasons.  Say what you want, but having eight player arrested and all the negative national media attention on your team certainly cannot make things any easier.

The last difference between playoff teams and average NFL teams is their ability to close.  I mean finish games.  Think of some of the horrible situations the Bengals allowed themselves to fall into.  Tampa Bay and San Diego come to mind right away.  You cannot be a great team if you are leading by 21 points at halftime and allow a team to come back and beat you.  Championship teams don’t lose to team like Tampa Bay either.  If the Bengals win those two games, they walk into the playoffs. And who said every game does not count.

In the end, I think the jury is still out on this team.  I think the 2007 season is going to allow Bengals fans to see into the future.  Unfortunately for Bengals fans, I think they are going to see something to really get excited about for a long time to come, or they may come to realize that 8 and 8 may become a very familiar thing in the city of Cincinnati.  This is defiantly a big season for the team.  I guess we will all find out which team the Bengals really are soon enough, especially with the schedule opening up against the Ravens on Monday night football.    

Jeff Moore

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