Position Battle: RB

[Sascha]

With guys like DeDe Dorsey, Cedric Benson and Brian Leonard in the running, who wins the Bengals HB job?

[Dreamers]

I'd like to see Leonard but it looks like Benson is winning this job.

[Chris Raiden]

Benson hands down. He played well down the stretch last year and should get the first look this season behind a revamped offensive line.

[Cincy14]

Not that he was the starter but I saw that Kenny Watson got cut yesterday..

[Who Dey]

Benson will be the number one back, with Leonard getting a decent number of carries if he's healthy.

I figured Watson might be the odd man out with Leonard and the rookie (whose name escapes me) being drafted.

[Badeye]

Benson as the starter, and that kid drafted in the fourth round as the primary backup. Very nice change of pace back, he can catch the ball pretty well from what I've been reading....and its clear he's got break away speed we haven't had on the field in two decades.

Dorsey has the speed, but I question if he can stay healthy, and I question his ability to learn the playbook.

Leonard is a sold back...but molasses in the winter runs faster. He's even slower than Rudy Johnson was his last two seasons with us.

[GatorsRock]

Sounds like Cedric Benson is the consensus. How do you expect him to perform this season?

[Badeye]

Sounds like Cedric Benson is the consensus. How do you expect him to perform this season?

Same as he did last year. He'll do great against bad teams, and average less than 3 yards per carry against the Steelers, Ravens of the NFL.

If the Bengals are very lucky, they'll go 9 - 7. If they have anything along the lines of 'luck' they've experienced the past two decades, it will be another 4 - 6 win season.

Defense looks very solid. Special teams seems improved. But they still have problems on the offensive line, and they don't have a running game worth speaking of.

Given the lack of a running game, its on Palmer and the Wide Receivers. Given the O line's current status, I'll be shocked if Palmer plays in all 16 games. As we saw last year, without Palmer the Bengals are no different than those we witnessed throughout the 'lost decade' of the 1990's.

I'd say the Ravens have the best shot at winning the division, followed naturally by the Steelers. Brownies will be also rans...which means the Bengals might split with them. I have zero faith the Bengals can beat either the Steelers or the Ravens home or away right now.

Its my sincere hope I'm wrong about this, folks. I would love it if this forum was able to give me grief throughout this season over being so completely and totally wrong about the coming season.

Course, if you look through the Pigskin Heaven database, you'll see I've said this prior to the beginning of each of the past three seasons. I've been accused of being a horrible fan, a guy given to extreme pessimism. And much worse each of those years - BEFORE the season played out as I sadly predicted.

We'll see.

[Cincy14]

Same as he did last year. He'll do great against bad teams, and average less than 3 yards per carry against the Steelers, Ravens of the NFL.

If the Bengals are very lucky, they'll go 9 - 7. If they have anything along the lines of 'luck' they've experienced the past two decades, it will be another 4 - 6 win season.

Defense looks very solid. Special teams seems improved. But they still have problems on the offensive line, and they don't have a running game worth speaking of.

Given the lack of a running game, its on Palmer and the Wide Receivers. Given the O line's current status, I'll be shocked if Palmer plays in all 16 games. As we saw last year, without Palmer the Bengals are no different than those we witnessed throughout the 'lost decade' of the 1990's.

I'd say the Ravens have the best shot at winning the division, followed naturally by the Steelers. Brownies will be also rans...which means the Bengals might split with them. I have zero faith the Bengals can beat either the Steelers or the Ravens home or away right now.

Its my sincere hope I'm wrong about this, folks. I would love it if this forum was able to give me grief throughout this season over being so completely and totally wrong about the coming season.

Course, if you look through the Pigskin Heaven database, you'll see I've said this prior to the beginning of each of the past three seasons. I've been accused of being a horrible fan, a guy given to extreme pessimism. And much worse each of those years - BEFORE the season played out as I sadly predicted.

We'll see.

I had entered the preseason with a glimmer of hope but the offensive line performance has dashed that. I'm hopeful that an improved defense will help but I'm worried about the protection that this line will offer Palmer. This franchise doesn't seem to get it right very often and it is hard to have a positive attitude about our chances.
:(

[Badeye]

Cincy14, yep. The Family - as Daugherty calls the Brown's, isn't interested in winning, just making money. They have beaten any glimmer of optimism out of us that have followed the team since the Nippert Stadium days in the late 1960's.

I think the Bengals will keep Benson, Leonard and Scott. DeDee Dorsey...simply doesn't have an 'NFL body'.

[Texecutioner]

Same as he did last year. He'll do great against bad teams, and average less than 3 yards per carry against the Steelers, Ravens of the NFL.

If the Bengals are very lucky, they'll go 9 - 7. If they have anything along the lines of 'luck' they've experienced the past two decades, it will be another 4 - 6 win season.

Defense looks very solid. Special teams seems improved. But they still have problems on the offensive line, and they don't have a running game worth speaking of.

Given the lack of a running game, its on Palmer and the Wide Receivers. Given the O line's current status, I'll be shocked if Palmer plays in all 16 games. As we saw last year, without Palmer the Bengals are no different than those we witnessed throughout the 'lost decade' of the 1990's.

I'd say the Ravens have the best shot at winning the division, followed naturally by the Steelers. Brownies will be also rans...which means the Bengals might split with them. I have zero faith the Bengals can beat either the Steelers or the Ravens home or away right now.

Its my sincere hope I'm wrong about this, folks. I would love it if this forum was able to give me grief throughout this season over being so completely and totally wrong about the coming season.

Course, if you look through the Pigskin Heaven database, you'll see I've said this prior to the beginning of each of the past three seasons. I've been accused of being a horrible fan, a guy given to extreme pessimism. And much worse each of those years - BEFORE the season played out as I sadly predicted.

We'll see.


I wouldn't worry about that. The problem that you find on the web is that their are so many homers for their teams that post, that many fans on boards are a lot more overly optimistic about certain players on their teams and their team's chances from year to year especially if you post on the main boards of a team.

I've been called the same thing about my teams that I root for a lot myself, but I'm just realistic about my team's chances considering what we have and what kind of direction the team's going in. I don't know why so many fans feel like they have to feel like their team is going all the way every year just because they root for them. The Bengals haven't made a lot of good moves in the last few years and have had an owner that has made things much more difficult, so I'm not sure how anyone could have called you a pessimist with a straight face.

[Cincy14]

The Bengals haven't made a lot of good moves in the last few years and have had an owner that has made things much more difficult, so I'm not sure how anyone could have called you a pessimist with a straight face.

I usually call Badeye a realist...

[Badeye]

Thanks guys, appreciate it. Its not that I don't want them to be a great team. Its the simple fact I've been beaten down these past two decades.

Being a Bengals fan is like being a Cubs fan....without the warmth and charm.