Cincinnati Bengals Betting – Bengals Enter Rebuilding Year With A Ton Of Question Marks
The 2011-12 NFL betting lines season will be one of transition for the Cincinnati Bengals, a trend that has come up seemingly far too often for Ohio’s second team. Gone is Carson Palmer, who actually chose to retire than to play in the NFL for the Bengals. Gone is Chad Ocho Cinco, the superstar presence that served as a lifeline for Cincinnati fans even when the team struggled. Marvin Lewis remains in the fold as the head coach for now, but unless this team shows significant progress this season he too will join Palmer and Ocho Cinco outside of the organization. Even if he does do well, the writing may already be on the wall.
There is no definitive answer as to what would have happened to Lewis had this not been a lockout years. Some in the sports betting bonus media have entertained the idea that had a new head coach had the time to implement his philosophy and have the team ready for the coming season, and had Lewis’ money not have remained on their books, then perhaps the Bengals would have gone ahead and made a coaching change. Lewis has one of the best defensive coordinators in the game in Mike Zimmer and the team looked good on that side of the ball again last year. The problem was the team’s offense, and that is something that Lewis will be responsible to fix.
The Bengals’ defense fell off statistically last sports betting season, but that had more to do with the fact that the offense could not keep them off of the field than anything else. Cincinnati won’t benefit from the loss of one of the top corners in the game in Jonathon Joseph, and although Leon Hall remains the team has yet to address the hole on the other side of the field. The defensive line is strong and remains intact with Domata Peko and Tank Johnson up front, but the team will need to address both its pass rush and secondary to have a chance at ranking in the top half overall.
On offense the question marks are even greater, with Andy Dalton slotted to take over at quarterback and AJ Green as the top receiver option. There is no denying that both of those rookies are significant talents, but the Bengals will need to surround them with strong veterans to bring out the best in them. Cincinnati was able to resign Cedric Benson to a one-year deal to keep some continuity in the running game, but there are still question marks on the offensive line.
The Bengals had a strong sports betting bonus draft but the loss of Palmer will hurt, and the team might be forced to go out and add a veteran. The schedule will not be easy, although it never really is when you play four games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens each year. Cincinnati has gone from contender to rebuilding in less than a calendar year and it will take time before this team can compete in the AFC North once again.
