Marty's Completely Late Coming 2009 In Review

[Ferb]

I've waited a few weeks to write this because I didn't want it to sound emotional, overdone, etc. However, today, I realized that it was an emotional type of season. From Stokley's Fluke until Shank Graham's choke, this season was a roller coaster of ups and downs, in essence a microcosm of life.

The Good:

Carson Palmer showed he is the unquestioned leader of this team- He is the heart and soul, the pulse and the sound and the fury. Ok, maybe a little over the top, but it is what it is. 2008 and 2009 show that this team rises and falls on the play of CP. The comeback at Pittsburgh? The stuff that Bengals legends are made of. The emotion of telling Marvin "NO" against the Browns? Priceless. The winner against Baltimore was another emotional high. Fact of the matter is, this team does not SNIFF 10-6 without Carson

This team has one of the best Defenses in the NFL- -And Mike Zimmer deserves a LOT of credit for it. I'm willing to bet a dollar to a donut that Zimmer was in the war room on the table jumping up and down and screaming when Rey and Michael Johnson were available in their respective spots. Not to mention that Peko has turned into a STUD under Zim, and Odom a BEAST. This is an extremely young defense that with a couple of more pieces (Another DT, a Safety) could start to rival the Steel Curtain or the Orange Crush. Yea, I said it. Neither of those two had to contend with the circus passing offenses of today's NFL, and we have two shutdown corners that can.

The Bad:

We have an OL that can Run Block but not Pass Block- Carson simply does not have enough time to throw. Is some of that the receiver's fault? Sure. Is some of it Carson's fault? Sure. BUT, in the grand scheme of things, you could put Peyton Manning back there and he's not gonna complete more than 60% of his passes. This line, for having 3 UDFA's and no first rounders starting, did a hellacious job this year. One can hope that Andre Smith with a year under his belt will solidify the T slot, but with Bobbie Williams being 34, you have to look G in the draft. The good news is, Kyle Cook has nailed down the C spot for years to come.

A double dose of Tragedy- The loss of Vicki Zimmer was bad enough. The players were close to her, and your heart has to ache for Zim. I hope to GAWD that I never lose my wife. I'd rather go first. On top of that, you have Slim's death a few weeks later. Why does it seem that when things are goo in Cincy, the football gods feel the need to piss on us?

The Ugly:

The Wideout core has went from a strength to a weakness- Besides the Ocho, who did everything he could, this core terribly underperformed. Coles looked lost until someone wised up and put him in the slot, where he played well towards the end of the season. Besides the Pitt and Baltimore games, Caldwell played like, well, a rookie. Jerome Simpson should be cut. Quan Cosby played well when given the chance, but that was too few and far between. Maurice Purify is a special teams demon, but needs to be given more chances. This team has to look at taking a WR or two in this draft, or even chasing Boldin, Marshall, TO, or Floyd.

Bob Bratowski- Run, run pass. Do i need to say more?

2010 Outlook:

From on the field play to off the field moves, 2009 was a rarity and a treat for Bengals fans. A sweep of Pitt and Baltimore, an AFC title, and the playoffs in a season most of us called 5-11 to 8-8. Granted, the playoff one and done sucked, but it didn't sting as nearly as bad as the 2005 one ond done. This team overachieved, BUT there a e a LOT of good things to look foreward to.

[The Entertainer]

[maualuga]

At least you can admit that we greatly missed T.J.