Thursday, August 29, 2002 Updated: September 4, 5:39 PM ET
Cincinnati Bengals
By
LAST SEASON: 6-10, tied for 5th in AFC Central PROJECTION: 3rd in AFC North
Defenses beware -- Dillon has his eyes on another 1,000-yard season.
STRONG SIDE
RB: There's no telling how far off the charts Corey Dillon's stats will soar. He's fast enough to go the distance (96-yard TD run last year). He's tough enough, at 225 pounds, to carry the ball 340 times, second-most behind Washington's Stephen Davis (356). And in each of his first five seasons, he's gained more than 1,000 yards. Six straight will put him with the NFL elite -- only Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin have done that. FB Lorenzo Neal, who's ridden shotgun for four 1,000-yard rushers, thinks Dillon's a lock to make the trio a quartet: "Corey can get 2,000 yards. He's like a horse, and he only gets stronger."
WEAK SIDE
QB: What Cincy needs -- and hasn't had since Boomer Esiason in the late '80s and early '90s -- is a real QB. The Bengals were last in scoring in 2001, and Jon Kitna's 61.1 rating was the lowest among NFL starters. Akili Smith, the No.3 pick in the 1999 draft, is still No.3 on Cincy's depth chart. Journeyman Gus Frerotte, the Bengals' fifth starting QB in five seasons, brings a career 76.1 rating to the job.
WR: One guy with attitude, Darnay Scott, is out. Another guy with attitude, Michael Westbrook, is in. If the injury-prone Westbrook breaks down, coaches believe second-year receiver Chad Johnson is ready. Johnson's off-season development is one reason management was willing to let Scott go.
OL: These guys gave up just 28 sacks, fifth in the AFC. T's Willie Anderson and seven-time Pro Bowler Richmond Webb are crafty pass-blockers. Inside, G's Matt O'Dwyer and Mike Goff clear lanes for Corey Dillon. First-round pick Levi Jones, a 6'5", 310-pound stud, makes a good unit even better.
DL: Cincy's 48 sacks last season (No. 2 in the AFC) are just the beginning. With Reinard Wilson (9 sacks) on one side and Justin Smith (8 sacks) on the other, the Bengals are strong outside. Stout
T's Tony Williams (6'1", 292) and Oliver Gibson (6'2", 315) hold down the middle.
LB:Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons are together for a fifth consecutive year, a lifetime in the shop-'n-drop cap era. They have the speed to chase down runners all over the field (Cincy had the AFC's seventh-best rushing defense in 2001), freeing up the D-line to focus on the pass rush.
DB: The secondary gets beat long, short and often. Adding CB Jeff Burris (3 picks for the Colts last season) can only help. The wild card is speedy rookie FS Lamont Thompson, second in the NCAA in interceptions last year at Washington State.
ST: Wonder why Cincy used a fourth-round pick on K/P Travis Dorsch? Neil Rackers made just 29 of 49 FG attempts the past two years. Peter Warrick needs to do better than 6.4 yards per punt return.
This article appears in the September 16 issue of ESPN The Magazine.
