In a very surprising development from my point of view, ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that Marvin Lewis is expected to re-sign with the Cincinnati Bengals as head coach.

Nearly every NFL insider over the last month called Lewis a lame-duck coach and said there was hardly any chance he would return for his ninth season with the Bengals.

However, a few factors might have led to this impending reunion.

First, with the possibility of a lockout this summer -- while the NFL and the Players Association tries to work out a new collective bargaining agreement -- the Bengals didn't want to have a new coach that perhaps wouldn't have gotten a chance to coach his players on the field until camp opened in late July. If there is a lockout, there won't be any offseason OTAs, mini-camps or anything of the sort. So, Lewis would at least bring stability in a very unstable league right now. Although, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said recently that he fully expects there to be a CBA agreement hammered out in the very near future.

The other reason Lewis might be returning is that he actually got his way to some extent with the demands he made of owner Mike Brown. Lewis wants an indoor practice facility, more control over the roster and his coaching staff, and a beefed-up scouting department. The prevailing thought was that the notoriously-cheap Brown would say, "No, thanks, I'll continue doing things my way even though I've proven to be a train-wreck." However, maybe the old man actually told Lewis that he would meet some of his demands. I still find that hard to believe, but we should know a resolution later today.

Right now, the smart money is on Lewis staying, when just a few days ago it looked like his tenure in Cincinnati was over for sure.

Now let’s take a look at what the Cincinnati Bengals should do on defense and special teams this offseason, beginning with the defense.

DEFENSIVE LINE

The Bengals are in good shape here with a young and extremely-talented unit. Rookie second-round pick Carlos Dunlap from Florida is a candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and leads the Bengals with 8 sacks. The team’s rookie record is 8.5 (Justin Smith in 2001) and it will be interesting to see if Dunlap can surpass that in the season finale at Baltimore this Sunday.

But by far the more-interesting thing if you’re a Bengal fan is to think about this young man’s future in the league. At 6-foot-6, 277-pounds, he’s a big defensive end, yet one that has proved right away that he can get to the quarterback. And remember, this guy was a big-time playmaker in college as well, and if not for a DUI arrest his junior season (final year in college) he would have been a first-round pick, no questions asked. So, did the Bengals get a steal here? Yes, a hell of one. If he stays healthy, he will lock down one of the defensive end positions for the foreseeable future and has all the makings of a future star.

The other starting DE in 2011 will be Michael Johnson (6-7, 268) and he’s more of a speed-rusher off the edge. Johnson was a third-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2009 and is coming into his own this season. He and Dunlap could be a nice pair of bookends for years.

At defensive tackle, Domata Peko (6-3, 320) is a solid player and he’s locked up under contract for the next four years. He’s a good anchor inside and plays the run well, which might allow the Bengals to use 2010 fourth-round pick Geno Atkins more next season. Atkins is undersized for a DT at 6-1, 293, but he’s an outstanding pass-rusher for an interior player. He and Peko could develop into a good tandem. And the Bengals still have Tank Johnson and Pat Sims under contract as well. Chances are Johnson will be the starter next year if he returns healthy as expected, but Atkins will push him for playing time.

So, as for what to do this offseason on the D-line ... it's simply not an area of need for the Bengals. They would be better served to address their actual needs (like O-line and safety) in the early part of the draft and in free agency. Then again, when discussing the draft, I’m always a “best player available” guy. So, if there happens to be a can’t miss defensive lineman out there, you take him. But there doesn’t appear to be such a player in the draft this year, so don’t look for any early D-line draft picks from the Bengals.

LINEBACKER

First things first, it’s time to let Dhani Jones go and move Rey Maualuga to his natural position of middle linebacker. That’s a no-brainer and hopefully it finally happens this offseason. Jones is slow and there’s a reason he was released by two good organizations like the Eagles and Giants earlier in his career. Plus, Maualuga – the team’s 2009 second-round pick – is a budding playmaker and needs to be in the middle where he belongs. He can be a wrecking ball in there and create serious havoc.

Looking at the weak-side linebacker spot, I’m not a big Keith Rivers fan, but the 2008 first-round draft pick is a sure-fire starter again next season. It’s not as if he’s terrible, so the team won’t give up on him yet. But he doesn’t do anything especially well and isn’t as physical as you’d like from an NFL linebacker.

On the other hand, I like Rivers’ backup, Brandon Johnson, quite a bit. Hopefully the team finds a way to bring him back. He’s a good all-around player with above-average athletic ability and plays with a mean streak.

With Maualuga moving to the middle (hopefully) that leaves a spot open at the strong-side linebacker position. Could this be an area the Bengals address somewhat early in the draft? (With a second/third round pick?) It wouldn’t surprise me. I’d also like to see them take a hard look at the free agent SAM linebackers available this offseason. Something definitely needs to be done there.

SECONDARY

I think the team has to re-sign cornerback Johnathan Joseph who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. It won’t be cheap (in fact, it will be extremely expensive) but he’s one of the best all-around corners in the NFL when healthy. And I’m not ready to write him off as undurable just because two out of five seasons he’s battled some injuries. That happens in football. It would be foolish to allow a Pro Bowl-level corner leave when players of his ilk are so hard to find. The Bengals will be set for years with Joseph and Leon Hall if they play their cards right. Mike Brown has plenty of money; pony it up for J-Jo. Then you don't have to mess with trying to find corners in the draft or in free agency for a long time.

At safety, what a cluster eff the Bengals have on their hands. They have a bunch of average-at-best guys and nothing more. They also have a lot of questions: Will they bring Roy Williams back? Will they re-sign Chinedum Ndukwe who is scheduled to be a free agent? Will they keep Chris Crocker around?

There is also Reggie Nelson, a 2007 first-round pick by the Jaguars who the Bengals traded for this year in exchange for cornerback David Jones. He does have some intriguing talent, but it remains to be seen if he's anything more than a serviceable backup at safety and special teams contributor.

The Bengals certainly need to add a safety in the draft and perhaps in free agency. I would love to see a good safety fall in their lap in let's say the third round of the draft.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

The good news for the Bengals' D is that Mike Zimmer is under contract next year and will be back with his aggressive, attacking style. Whether Marvin Lewis returns as head coach (which, amazingly, is suddenly looking like a possibility if you believe some of the reports out there) or the front office decides to go in a different direction, Zimmer will be running the 2011 Bengals' defense. And that makes this fan/blogger happy. He's simply one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL, as he proved against Philip Rivers and the Chargers last week. (Much to the detriment of my fantasy team, which would have won my league if Rivers had anywhere near the type of game he's accustomed to having this year. Instead, Zim's crew shut him down, sans a garbage-time touchdown.)

SPECIAL TEAMS

I think Mike Nugent will retain his job as the team’s kicker once healthy. It’s no sure thing, but that’s what I’m betting for now. He gets good distance on his kickoffs, he has good range on his field goals and he's generally accurate.

Punter is set with 2009 fifth-round pick Kevin Huber, who isn’t great, but is a solid player at his position in the NFL. Hopefully Huber will just continue to make small strides and he will have a long career in this league.

As for the return games, I somewhat like Bernard Scott as the kickoff returner, but I wouldn’t mind it if the Bengals found a guy late in the draft that could come in and compete at punt returner and kickoff returner. Someone who truly specializes in that craft.

Speaking of punt returner, I was a big Quan Cosby fan last year, but he hasn’t been quite as good this year. It will be interesting to see what the team decided to do there. But don’t forget Mike Brown has a history of going cheap on special teams. For example, he would never go out and sign a top kickoff/punt returner as a free agent. So, the best chance the Bengals have of finding one is through the draft.

Maybe a second WR after they take A.J. Green with their top overall pick? Whoops, this was supposed to be about defense and special teams, and there I go beating the Green drum again.

But if you think it’s time to get rid of Chad Ochocinco (and it is) and you already know the team isn’t re-signing Terrell Owens (they aren’t) they need another deep threat to go along with Jerome Simpson. Green might be the best player available when the Bengals draft.

Just sayin’.

Here is one man’s opinion of what the Cincinnati Bengals should do this offseason from a player-personnel perspective. They will also undoubtedly usher in a new coaching staff, but we’ll stick to analyzing the players for now. Part I will cover the offense and I’ll be back with Part II which covers the defense.

WIDE RECEIVER

First of all, it’s time for the “diva days” to end at wide receiver. That means saying good-bye to Chad Ochocinco, someone who has provided us all with amusement over the years (and a lot of production on the field). But it’s time to move on. Chad will be 33 soon and doesn’t have many good years left – although he does take relatively good care of his body.

I think it will be difficult for Mike Brown to let go of Chad, but he needs to. It is obvious Terrell Owens won’t be back, either. (The team has already said as much after Owens blasted the organization.) So, it’s time to start fresh at wide receiver and that’s why it’s great Jerome Simpson is getting quality playing time down the stretch this season.

Yes, Jerome Simpson, the player we all wrote off as a bust. The Bengals took him in the second round in 2008 (over DeSean Jackson) and it was looking like a terrible pick until recently. However, Simpson has tremendous athletic ability and does a good job of catching the ball away from his body with his oversized hands. I’m not saying he’s going to be a star in the NFL or even close, but he does deserve a shot to show what he can do as a starter in 2011.

The Bengals also have 2010 third-round pick Jordan Shipley, who is the ideal slot/No. 3 receiver.

But that still leaves a spot open in the starting lineup next to Simpson – preferably a No. 1 wideout. Simpson might be ready to be a starter, but I don’t think he’s ready to be the No. 1 WR on the team.

So, the Bengals could keep Ochocinco around, who is under contract for next season at $6 million. But again, I think it’s time to cut bait with him. And since the Bengals will be selecting either second or third in the 2011 draft, that means they will have the opportunity to take the best WR in the draft, A.J. Green from Georgia.

I’m all for Cincinnati taking the best player available (the BPA theory always works best) but maybe that player is Green. He’s a gamebreaker-type and a 1-2-3 punch of Green, Simpson and Shipley could have the Bengals set at WR for years.

But there are so many other holes on the team and it will be interesting to see what they end up doing in the draft and in free agency.

QUARTERBACK

I don’t see the team giving up on Carson Palmer, especially not after what he showed last Sunday in the 34-20 win over the San Diego Chargers. Palmer isn’t having a great year, but he’s not having a bad one, either. He’s thrown for 3,665 yards (completion percentage of 61) with 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

If the Bengals had the top overall pick and had the opportunity to take a can’t-miss like Andrew Luck, it might be a different story. However, he will go to the Carolina Panthers (or to a team that trades up and gets him). The last thing the Bengals need is to let Palmer go and then have some scrub starting at the most-important position on the field. Palmer might not be great, but he is no-worse than a mediocre starting NFL quarterback and he’s proven he can take the team to the playoffs when he has a good running game and defense. Put it this way: if he was the starting QB for the Baltimore Ravens, no one would say a negative word about Carson Palmer. (If it sounds like I’m saying Joe Flacco has the easiest job in the NFL for a QB, it’s because I am.)

So, is Palmer the elite, top-five-NFL-QB we all thought he once was? Absolutely not. But it’s also not time to throw him out with the trash. He still has some solid years left at the age of 31.

Looking down the depth chart, I like the idea of cultivating Dan LeFevour as the backup or No. 3 QB, and perhaps drafting a QB in the middle-to-late rounds to fill out the roster (a player that could be Palmer’s eventual replacement if the Bengals get lucky). Hopefully they finally get rid of Jordan Palmer though – he’s not an NFL quarterback. Knowing the Bengals though, it wouldn’t surprise me if they did nothing at the QB position this offseason. There is a very good chance it will be status quo with Carson Palmer as the starter, and Jordan Palmer and LeFevour as the backups.

RUNNING BACK

I’ll keep this short and sweet: I like the status quo here. I look for the team to re-sign Cedric Benson who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. I also like Bernard Scott as the young backup. I even like Brian Leonard as the third-down back because of his great hands and his ability to make the first man miss and pick up the first down.

With so many other needs, I don’t see the Bengals burning a draft pick on a running back, unless they don’t re-sign Benson.

At fullback, I’m glad they got Chris Pressley back. I think he’s the long-term answer in terms of a battering ram lead blocker.

OFFENSIVE LINE

This is a very important area to address this offseason. With Andre Smith turning into the bust that many of us predicted, the Bengals have a huge hole at right tackle. They also have issues at left guard, and perhaps center and right guard. (Bobbie Williams is very solid at right guard, but 2011 will probably be his last year in a Bengals uniform.) Kyle Cook was looking like a gem last year at center, but seems to have regressed this season. Then again, he seems to have picked it up in the latter-half of the year, so who knows.

The bottom line is that the Bengals need to add at least one or two offensive linemen this offseason and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them use an early draft pick on one (in the second or third round … not in the first, though).

TIGHT END

I still think Cowboys WR Dez Bryant will be a star in the NFL, but there is no questioning the talents of the man the Bengals chose instead, tight end Jermaine Gresham. He has all the tools and will be one of the best players at his position for years to come if he stays healthy. And I like that he’s been productive from day one and didn’t need some B.S. “adjustment” to pro football. You either have it or you don’t, and he has it.

The Bengals really did well in the 2010 draft as I blogged about earlier this month. Getting Gresham, defensive end Carlos Dunlap, Shipley and defensive tackle Geno Atkins all in the same class was quite a coup. Dunlap has racked up eight sacks – making him a candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year – and Atkins is an undersized demon in the middle of the D-line.

More on those guys – and the rest of the defense – in our next installment. We’ll also cover special teams.

This season as been a disaster, but one of the few bright spots of 2010 for the Bengals was their draft in April. Let’s take a closer look:

First round, tight end Jermaine Gresham: I wanted Dez Bryant – and still think he’s going to be a star in the NFL – but there is no question Gresham is a very-exciting talent at the TE position. But he’s not just living on potential; he’s been productive as a rookie with 47 receptions for 409 yards (8.7 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. He is without a doubt the franchise’s best tight end since Rodney Holman. Gresham is a freakish athlete (6-foot-5, 261 pounds) with great hands and he’s only going to get better with time. If he’s able to stay healthy, we’ll be talking about one of the best tight ends in the NFL in a few years.

Second round, defensive end Carlos Dunlap: He was considered a possible steal when the Bengals nabbed him and he’s more-than lived up to the hype. Dunlap leads the team by far with five sacks (no one else has more than two) and is a physical force at his size of 6-foot-6, 277 pounds. Dunlap is really starting to come on now at the end of his rookie season and the future appears glaring bright for him. In addition, the future status of Antwan Odom is up in the air, and the other starting defensive end – Robert Geathers – has also seen his production fall off. Dunlap is a likely starter for the foreseeable future. (And I’d like to see Michael Johnson paired with him as the other starting DE – at least on passing downs. Jonathan Fanene – who has been hurt this season – might also be a starting DE next year.)

Third round, wide receiver Jordan Shipley: The Bengals hit this one out of the park. I thought Shipley might be a sneaky-good pick, but I didn’t think he would be nearly this good. Through 13 games, he has 47 receptions for 569 yards (12.1 ypc) and two touchdowns. He’s fearless going over the middle (despite a hit earlier in the season against the Browns that might make other receivers gunshy), does a great job getting open and catches nearly everything thrown in his direction. Plus, he can get yards-after-catch. Add it all up, and the Bengals found a keeper here in the third round with the 5-foot-11, 193-pounder. He is the ideal NFL slot receiver.

Third round, cornerback Brandon Ghee: I thought this was a good pick at the time because Ghee was considered the top corner left on the board and the Bengals needed depth at the position behind starters Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall. However, Ghee has been banged up for most of the season (he’s on injured reserve and won’t play the final three games) and hasn’t been able to show what he can do. Cincinnati landed the 6-foot, 192-pound Wake Forest product with a compensatory pick and if he’s going to stick with the Bengals he’ll need to impress the new coaching staff during the offseason and in camp next year.

Fourth round, defensive tackle Geno Atkins: Man I love this kid. It’s rare to find good pass-rushers from the DT position, but Akins has the potential to be a great one. He just has a knack for beating his man at the line of scrimmage and getting to the quarterback. It’s not showing up in the stat-book this season (he has 1.5 sacks) but there have been several occasions in which he’s forced an incomplete pass because he drilled the QB just as he was throwing the ball. And he’s led to other players (like Dunlap) getting sacks because Atkins was able to flush the quarterback out of the pocket. Atkins is a long-term asset for sure and was a steal this late in the proceedings. The knock on him is his size (6-1, 293) but he plays bigger than that and has tremendous burst and quickness. And it must be repeated: You just don’t see defensive tackles with those kind of pass-rush moves.

Fourth round, linebacker Roderick Muckelroy: He was a productive player at Texas and this appears to be a solid pick in retrospect. Nothing spectacular and Muckelroy might never be a starter at this level, but he looks like a decent special teams guy and backup LB. The Bengals landed him with their second compensatory pick of the ’10 draft and he helps give the roster quality depth at the bottom. Muckelroy doesn’t have great speed, but he’s not slow, either. And he brings nice side to the gridiron at 6-2, 246.

Other draft picks: The Bengals’ other picks in the 2010 draft were: OL Otis Hudson (fifth round), WR Dez Briscoe (sixth) and center Reggie Stephens (seventh). Only Stephens was able to make the active roster.

Grade: We won’t know the true grade of the Bengals’ 2010 draft for another 2-3 years. But as it stands right now, I give the team a solid A-. They did good with their top picks in Gresham and Dunlap, and also found some nice steals with Shipley and Atkins. All four of those guys should be impact players for the next several years and if you get that much quality out of one draft, you did well.

Why not A or A+ then? Well, as good as it was, let’s not kid ourselves. It wasn’t some out-of-this-world draft that we’re going to be looking back years from now as the draft that turned the Bengals into perennial playoff contenders. But the bottom line is that fans should be pleased about the 2010 haul. I sure as hell am. (And we need some freakin’ good news after this sinkhole of a season.)

If things hold up the way they are, the Cincinnati Bengals (2-11) will have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

The Carolina Panthers (1-12) – who the Bengals beat earlier this season – all but have the top pick locked up. They would most-likely take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, but there is the chance they will look to trade the pick (especially if they are tricked into thinking that their 2010 second-rounder, Jimmy Clausen, is the answer at QB).

If that’s the case, the Bengals need to do whatever it takes to move up and draft Luck. And if they had the No. 2 pick, it shouldn’t take too much to move up a spot.

Do I think Carson Palmer is the lone reason for the Bengals’ struggles this season? Absolutely not. But his career is in clear regression and the Bengals would hate to look back on it 5 years from now and wished they had done more to try and get Luck.

Yes, the Bengals have several needs and there are fans that would want nothing to do with starting from scratch with a rookie QB. But I say it’s time – especially if a player like Luck is available. No one is a “sure thing” in the NFL, but the Stanford signal-caller is as close as it gets.

Plus, the Bengals would have to pay Palmer a boatload of money to keep him next season, unless he's willing to take a paycut (which I seriously doubt). It's time to pull the plug on Carson and start fresh.

Course, knowing Mike Brown, he's probably targeting Cam Newton. I think Newton needs to get arrested at least once between now and the draft for Brown to really have strong interest in him. Going AWOL from the combine wouldn't hurt, either.

As the losses pile up – and his production begins to decline – Terrell Owens is letting his true colors shine through.

Following the Bengals’ 23-7 loss at the Steelers on Sunday – in which Owens had just one reception for 22 yards – he lashed out and said, “I can’t throw the ball to myself.” He also said quarterback Carson Palmer likes to kill puppies and that’s he’s secretly a member of the Taliban. (OK, so he didn’t say that last part, but he might as well have. And with Palmer's beard, he could almost pass as a Taliban guy. Nah, there are no Muslim extremists who throw quite that many pick-6's.)

Just a few weeks ago, Owens was saying how much he enjoyed playing with Palmer and that he hoped to be back in Cincinnati for another season. However, things began to fly south for the winter when Owens called out Palmer last week following the loss to the Saints, claiming there were times he was open but didn’t get the ball enough.

And now this week, Owens was right back at it. That’s the T.O. we’ve been waiting for!

However, Owens also gave an interesting and accurate take on Bengals’ offensive coordinator Bob “Throw A 4-Yard Pass On Third-and-5” Bratkowski.

The Bengals began the Steelers game playing well and led 7-0 past the midway point of the second quarter. However, they fell apart from there, and following the game Owens brought up something about Bratkowski that fans have been screaming about for years: Brat is terrible at making in-game adjustments.

“We had no adjustments,” Owens said, according to ProFootballTalk.com

Not one?

OK, maybe he was exaggerating a bit, but probably not all that much. Brat is all about coming up with a plan and then sticking with it even when the opposing defense adjusts to what he’s doing.

So, while ridiculous play-calling will always be what Bratkowski is remembered for the most (I’ve honestly never seen a team that consistently throws short of the markers on third down – part of that is on Palmer, but Brat is the one calling the plays) his lack of in-game adjustments is another reason he is one of the worst OC’s in the biz.

The good news is that this is the final year Bengal fans will have to worry about having Brat around. He will be out the door along with head coach Marvin Lewis. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will still be under contract in 2011, so owner Mike Brown could insist that the new coach (someone offensive-minded) keep Zimmer as his defensive coordinator. Or there is the outside chance Brown will promote Zimmer to head coach.

And actually I shouldn’t say “outside chance.” Since that would be the cheapest option, you know Brown is strongly considering it.

As for the Bengals perhaps picking No. 2 in April’s NFL Draft, more on that in this space soon.

The Bengals’ front office and the new head coach – whoever he might be after Marvin Lewis is fired after this season – are going to have an interesting decision to make at the wide receiver position. And honestly, I think it’s a rather easy one.

Do they cut-bait with Chad Ochocinco, chose not to re-sign Terrell Owens and start fresh with a first-round wideout?

I believe the answers to be, in no particular order, yes, yes and yes.

The artist formerly known as Johnson has been a good circus act in Cincinnati for many years. He will go down as a Bengals’ Hall of Famer (although not an NFL HOFer as he hopes). But it’s time to take his routine to another city. I’m not sure what his trade value would be like this offseason, but the Bengals should look to get whatever draft pick they can for him and move on. If it’s a fifth-rounder, great. You aren’t going to get much better than that for an aging Chad (will be 33 in January).

And T.O. has actually had a great season and is still in impeccable shape for his age (will turn 37 in a week). But there is no way a new coaching staff is going to want to have him on the team. It’s not going to happen.

So, with Jordan Shipley in the fold – who will be a good No. 2 or No. 3 WR for years – and the tight end position finally set with Jermaine Gresham (the Bengals’ first good TE since Rodney Holman), it’s time for the Bengals to grab a game-breaking wide receiver in the first round of the 2011 draft.

And I think that player is A.J. Green from Georgia.

The 6-foot-4, 212-pound junior was suspended for the first four games of this season by the NCAA for selling his ’09 Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000. I’m not sure if that is an egregious-enough mistake for the Bengals to take him (they prefer huge red flags like the ones that were flying everywhere around Andre “The Bust” Smith when they foolishly decided to draft him two years ago) but they should definitely take a very close look at drafting Green.

In three years at Georgia, playing in the toughest conference in the nation (SEC), he’s piled up 158 receptions, 2,542 yards and 23 touchdowns. There is no question he will leave early after this season and the Bengals would be wise to snatch him up if he’s on the board when they draft. And we know Cincinnati will be drafting early; the only question is how high. Andrew Luck is the definite top-overall pick – so he will likely go to the Carolina Panthers. But hopefully for the Bengals’ sake Green is still available when they pick and they actually do something intelligent for a change and take him.

Only two years after taking Andre Smith with the No. 6 overall pick of the draft, the Cincinnati Bengals will enter the 2011 offseason with offensive line at the top of the priority list.

The Bengals are a disaster up front, with the exception of left tackle Andrew Whitworth and right guard Bobbie Williams. The problem is that Williams, 34, likely only has one year left in his career; maybe two max.

That means there are holes at left guard, center and right tackle. I thought Kyle Cook was going to be a solid center, but he appears to have regressed this year.

Then at left guard and right tackle, the Bengals have a pair of former undrafted free agents: Nate Livings and Dennis Roland. They’re both from LSU and no one else in the NFL wanted them except the Bengals. And they’re not just on the roster, they’re starters.

Not that it’s Roland’s fault that Smith turned into a complete bust. (That one’s on the Bengals’ front office considering the litany of warning signs about Smith before the 2009 draft.)

Guys like Livings and Roland should be backups at best in the NFL and this gives you some idea of why the Bengals’ O-line is so bad. And I probably should have included Cook in the previous sentence as well.

So, if there's actually going to be an NFL season in 2011 (and I think they'll work out a deal and will avoid a lockout) look for the Bengals to add a few offensive linemen. I don't think they'll take another one in the top 6 of the draft, but they'll definitely draft a couple at some point and might also look to add one via free agency.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was named the 2010 National League Most Valuable Player in a runaway vote on Monday.

Votto, 27, received 31 of the 32 first-place votes and beat out the likes of Albert Pujols and Carlos Gonzalez for the hardware.

Votto led the Reds to the NL Central championship and their first trip to the playoffs in 15 years. He batted .324 with 38 home runs and 113 RBI’s. His average was second-best in the NL (behind Gonzalez) and he was third in both homers (behind Pujols and Adam Dunn) and RBI’s (behind Pujols and Gonzalez).

And get this: Votto made just $525,000 last season, making him not only the best player in the NL, but the best bargain in all of baseball. He is arbitration-eligble this offseason and will receive a hefty raise. And a well-deserved one.

Now the question is whether the Reds can keep Votto long-term, or if he will eventually chase the money and go to the highest bidder. Cincinnati doesn’t have to worry about him becoming a free agent for another three years, but the team would be wise to at least try and lock him with a long-term contract. It will cost a lot, but it would be worth it. Votto is simply the purest hitter to come through the Queen City in many years. And you don’t have to worry about him getting in trouble off the field.

A reader of the site (“Deem0916”) wrote in and asked me an interesting question this morning: Is Carson Palmer’s arm shot?

I don’t think it’s completely shot, but he certainly hasn’t been nearly the same quarterback since suffering an elbow injury two years ago which shelved him for the rest of the season.

I don’t think this has anything to do with the knee injury that Palmer suffered in January of 2006 (the playoffs of the 2005 season) when he went down against the Steelers. Palmer came back with a big 2006 season, so I really don’t think the knee has anything to do with this.

To me, it’s clear that Palmer has never fully gotten over the elbow injury. He elected to not have surgery following the ‘08 season (which I thought was a good sign at the time) but he’s never been the same since. Maybe he needed surgery and made a poor choice. Or maybe he’s just lost it mentally.

Although, the problem seems to be more than just what is going on between his ears. Palmer simply does not have the same velocity on his throws that he displayed earlier in his career. His accuracy has also declined, which is hard to explain unless he does in fact have an injury that is still nagging him.
Either way, he seems pretty close to being done to me. Then again, the Bengals won’t be able to find anyone better at the quarterback spot, so I’m sure they’ll keep him for at least another year. And that’s probably the smart thing to do until they know they have a good replacement.

For fans wanting a QB change now, it isn’t going to happen. Not when the craptastic Jordan Palmer is the backup. You think Carson is playing bad? Just give Jordan a chance to see the field. He might set a new single-game interception record.

The other option is rookie Dan LeFevour from Central Michigan, although he is probably at least a year away from being able to help. He played strictly a spread offense in college (and was very effective running it) and is still learning how to be a pro-style QB that takes the majority of snaps under center. The Bengals might have something with LeFevour and if Palmer keeps on playing terribly, we might see the rookie before the year is done just so he can show what he can do.