Beefing Up the Front

It's May and training camp is still more than two months away but can you think of a better time for JungleInsider.com to take a look at different positional groups for the Bengals? Up first is the defensive line.

The Bengals begin their offseason practice sessions, or organized team activities (OTAs) Wednesday. It is just the next step for the players and team towards the regular season opener on Sept. 7 at Baltimore against the division rival Ravens.

Following a disappointing 7-9 season in 2007 there was plenty of blame to share throughout the team and coaching staff. The offense put up some gaudy overall numbers but ultimately failed in several key areas and that resulted in the losing record and a second straight non-playoff appearance as much as anything the much-maligned defense did or did not do.

Still, head coach Marvin Lewis showed his disapproval for the defense by releasing coordinator Chuck Bresnahan and linebackers coach Ricky Hunley in favor of Mike Zimmer and Jeff FitzGerald, respectively. Bresnahan and Hunley can be seen as fall guys or scapegoats for the overall ineffectiveness of the defense but the fact is that for well before either of those two coaches joined the Bengals the defense has been the team’s Achilles heel.

Today JungleInsider.com begins its look at the defense with the down linemen, the front four and first line of assault.

STARTERS: DE Robert Geathers, DT Domata Peko, DT John Thornton, DE Antwan Odom.

KEY RESERVES: DE Frostee Rucker, DT Michael Myers, DE Jonathan Fanene

LOSSES: DE Justin Smith (UFA, San Francisco), DE/DT Bryan Robinson (UFA, Arizona).

NEWCOMERS: Odom (UFA, Tennessee), DT Pat Sims (Round 3), DT Jason Shirley (Round 5), DE Angelo Craig (Round 7), DT Michael Marquardt (college free agent).

SYNOPSIS: The New York Giants proved in this past Super Bowl against New England that even a devastating offense such as the Patriots has a weakness; namely if you don’t protect the quarterback all of the best schemes drawn up don’t matter. It was a similar lesson administered by Tampa Bay against Oakland in Super Bowl XXXVII, although not quite as emphatically as the Buccaneers handed it to the Raiders five years ago.

The Bengals reached opposing QBs just 22 times last season, the lowest number by the franchise since the 1993 squad brought down the same number. The Cincinnati pass defense was 26th in the league, part of the reason being its inability to get pressure on the quarterback with its front four on a regular basis. And while the defensive line hasn’t been as bad against the run as perceptions have made it out to be, the truth is that neither has it been an overwhelming factor in making the Bengals a more consistent team in run defense.

The Bengals have given up an average of more than 115 yards rushing per game in each of the last six seasons.

Moves made and attempted to be made this offseason show how much importance the Bengals are placing on getting improved play upfront in 2008. They lost Smith, the team’s best defensive player, and a savvy veteran with good locker room presence in Robinson as well as misfiring on trade attempts to pick up Shaun Rogers from Detroit and Dewayne Robertson from the New York Jets but yet they still succeeded in getting younger and bigger. Odom was signed from Tennessee after producing eight sacks last season for the Titans in a situational backup role. The question remains to be seen how effective he can be as an every-down player.

Geathers led the team with 3½ sacks but coming on the heels of a breakout season in 2006 (when he produced 10½ sacks) he is expected to rebound and be a player whose presence is felt on every down. He was second amongst defensive linemen in tackles and showed his athleticism by starting four times at strongside linebacker when injuries placed the Bengals in a bind at the position. With Smith gone, Geathers will be the focal point of this group.

Thornton was voted by his peers to be the defensive captain last season and has as much respect from his teammates as any other player in the locker room because of his professionalism but he is entering the final season of his contract and is due to make a base salary of $3.5 million this season. In the world of NFL salary cap economics that makes him a possible cap casualty but it is more of a likelihood that the Bengals keep him around for the many intangibles he brings and as a role model for rookies Sims and Shirley.

Sims, out of Auburn, is expected to play early and often this season. He impressed Cincinnati scouts and coaches by playing through a broken hand last season. That the Bengals were able to draft him in the third round gives this draft class the potential of being highly productive. There is no doubt the team had its eyes on DT Sedrick Ellis in the first round only to see New Orleans trade up in front of them and take Ellis off of the board but being able to get help at both tackle (Sims) and linebacker (No. 1 pick Keith Rivers) in the first three rounds may yet prove more beneficial.