Though the start of the NFL season is months away and teams are still adjusting their roster, the Packers and Bengals are poised to rebound in 2009. These two teams appear to have made the right personnel changes to ensure success during the 2009 NFL season.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals, who had high hopes in 2008, suffered through a disastrous season filled with key injuries and turmoil before finishing with a 4-11-1 record.
Bengals fans had hoped to keep their most productive wide receiver, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but ended up losing him to free agency. What does 2009 hold in store for the once proud franchise?
On the offensive side of the ball, the Bengals will see some improvement in a unit that was ranked 32nd in the league when it came to 204 total points scored and averaged 245.4 total yards per game.
The biggest impact will be the return of Pro Bowl quarterback, Carson Palmer, who was sorely missed in 2008. Even with the loss of Houshmandzadeh, you can expect Palmer to have another solid season where he should throw for 4,000 yards and at least 25 touchdowns.
Keep an eye on running back Cedric Benson, who has revitalized his career with the Bengals, rushing for 747 yards in 12 games. The Bengals were so impressed with his work ethic that they signed him to a two-year contract.
The biggest addition to the offense was the selection of tackle, Andre Smith. Though some of the draft experts labeled Smith as a problem player, it was not because of off the field legal problem; rather it was how he did not prepare for the combine.
Smith’s presence on the line is going to pay dividends and help cut down on the 51 sacks the Bengals allowed last year.
The strongest part of the Bengals in 2008 was their defense and they will be even better in 2009. They allowed only 325.5 total yards per game, 12th in the NFL, and allowed 205.4 passing yards per game, ranked 15th in the NFL.
They accomplished this feat even when one of their top players, linebacker Keith Rivers was lost for the season in week seven.
The Bengals will feature one of the top linebacker corps in the NFL, with Dhani Jones, Rivers, and rookie Rey Maualuga, who the Bengals scooped up in the second round of the draft.
The addition of Tank Johnson to the interior of the defensive line will help clog up the running lanes and let the linebackers clean up the tackle.
If you want to see the defensive rookie of the year, look no further than the Bengals third round pick of Michael Johnson. Though Johnson is going to have to deal with some issues when playing against the run, he will make life a living hell for the opposing quarterback in passing situations and will record double digit sacks.
The time has come for head coach, Marvin Lewis, to show us whether he is one of the better coaches in the NFL or just another in the long line of failures for the Bengals.
Coach Lewis is going to show the NFL that he can coach and mold young players into complete NFL players.
Even though they play in a tough division with the Steelers and the Ravens, you should expect this team to be in contention for the playoffs and ending the season above he .500 mark with a 9-7 record.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers finished the 2008 season with a dismal 6-10 record and out of the playoffs after reaching the NFC Championship game in the previous year.
In fact, the only thing that gave the Packer fans any solace was when the New York Jets, led by Brett Favre, failed to make the playoffs. The question is will 2009 give the cheese heads across the country something to cheer for.
When the 2008 season started, many felt the weakest link on the Packers was going to be their inexperienced quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
But by the time the season was over, he was the one thing the Packers could count on a consistent basis. In his first full season as the starting quarterback, Rodgers completed 63.6% of his passes for 4,038 yards with 28 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions.
Rodgers continued to develop a relationship with his wide receivers, especially rising star, Greg Jennings, who had 80 receptions for 1,292 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2008.
The Packers running game, led by Ryan Grant, was slow getting out of the gate. Grant did not record a 100 yard rushing effort until week seven, though he did end the season with 1,203 yards on the ground and only four touchdowns.
Without a doubt, the weakest link for the Packers last season was their defensive unit. The unit allowed an average of 334.3 yards per game, which was ranked 20th in the NFL while allowing 23.75 points per game, ranked 22nd in the NFL.
Though the defense did lead the NFL by scoring seven defensive touchdowns and were ranked 4th in the league with 22 interceptions, the unit was ranked 25th with 27 recorded sacks.
Packers’ management showed a commitment to address their problem by using six of their eight selections on defensive players in the draft.
The Packers bolstered the interior of their defensive line when they selected B.J. Raji and found a player, Clay Matthews, who will be able to pressure the quarterback. The pressure from the front seven will help a better than average secondary that is a year older.
Though the defensive is making the switch from a 4-3 defensive scheme to a 3-4, the Packers have done a solid job of bringing in what appears to be the right talent for the scheme.
The success of their defense will hinge upon how much Raji and Matthews contribute. The blessing for Packers is they play in the NFC North, one of the weakest divisions, even if Favre joins the Vikings.
They have a relatively easy out of conference schedule that should help this team win 10 games in 2009 and a shot at the divisional title.
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