Bengals camp report: Cincy wants to lose loser moniker

GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- They run routes, and it's there. They pass, and it's still there. They tackle and it's with them when they do that too.

Come to think of it, it's always with Cincinnati Bengals players, no matter where they go or what they do, on or off the field, sort of like a gloomy shadow that never seems to fade away.

They are losers. It sticks with them, and it's hard to wipe away.

That might sound harsh, but admit it: When you think Bengals football, you think losers.

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How can we not?

"You get tired of it," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said. "At the same time, you understand. It's not that I think it's OK. I just understand why we have the stigma."

Is this what Paul Brown expected when he started this team?

The Bengals have won five playoff games in their history. They haven't won one postseason game since a little show named Seinfeld came on and the first George Bush was in the White House, which was 1990.

In 40 seasons, the Bengals have had 13 teams with a winning record and only two since 1990. It is a franchise that has chewed up and spit out coaches like David Shula and Bruce Coslet, making it a supposed burial site for coaches.

With all that as a historical backdrop, and the loser legacy, why it is that I think the 2009 Bengals will be different? Am I crazy?

"No, you're right on," Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco said. "We will be good."

I thought that before taking my training-camp trip to see the Bengals, and now I'm even more convinced of it.

The Bengals will push for a playoff spot -- and maybe more.

It starts with the return of Palmer. When he's healthy, which he is now, Palmer is a top five passer. He had back-to-back seasons with 4,000 yards in 2006 and 2007 and threw 86 touchdown passes in three seasons, but missed most of last season with an elbow injury.

Anytime a quarterback has arm issues, it's a concern. Palmer nearly had Tommy John surgery, which would have been serious stuff, to fix the elbow, but opted to let it heal on its own on the advice of some doctors, but against some others.

"I'm 100 percent," Palmer said during a break from camp. "There's not a worry at all, not a concern with it. It's not like I'm on a pitch count or anything. I'm just glad last season is over. It was a 16-week season that felt like six years."

Palmer didn't start throwing again until February. Even then, it was a slow process. You would hardly know now.

Watching him last week loft tight spirals down the field and fire the short ones with plenty of zip, you would hardly know he had problems with that right arm.

"I was very tentative at first," Palmer said.

While there is pain, Palmer does have a reminder of the injury, reaching down to rub his elbow as he talked.

"It's a little gritty in there," he said. "You can feel the scar tissue. It's scary when you hurt your arm. I hurt my knee, but if a knee is 90 percent you can get away with it at quarterback. Your arm and elbow and shoulder have to be 100 percent."

Without Palmer, the Bengals were a disaster on offense last season. They finished last in total offense and scored the fewest points in the league. The passing game, normally a strong suit, ranked 30th as Palmer missed all but four games.

It's no wonder the receivers on this team are so excited to have him back.

"Carson is our best chance to get to the playoffs, period point blank," Ochocinco said. "If we're to get to the next level and make a run at that trophy, it all starts with nine [Palmer's jersey number]. Seriously, truthfully, that's coming from The Mouth."

Maybe fellow receiver Chris Henry summed it up best: "He can fling that thing."

Fling that thing indeed. With Palmer, the Bengals can return to the big play. In the NFL, that's a must.

The Bengals had 21 pass plays of 21 yards or longer in 2008, including just two of 40 or longer. By comparison, the New Orleans Saints had 66 of 20 or more and 16 of 40 or more.

With Palmer playing in 2006 and 2007, the Bengals averaged 52 plays of 20 yards or more and 11.5 of 40 or more.

"The field is pretty short when Carson is your quarterback," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "When he isn't on the field, it's a lot longer."

To help the big play, the Bengals have tweaked their running game some. They want to be able to run it better with Cedric Benson, so they've adjusted.

They also might try and run more, which isn't necessarily a good thing unless they throw to score early and then run to win late.

In 2005, Palmer and the offense led the Bengals to a division title, but they lost in the AFC playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers when Palmer was hit in the knee and lost for the game. He had major knee surgery after that season, but played the first game the following season.

That team didn't have the defense this one does, which is why the Bengals are real playoff contenders.

Cincinnati finished 12th in defense last season and they have some good, young players, ready to take the next step, players like corners Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall and linebacker Keith Rivers.

They also again have players who want to work, Lewis said.

"What happens with a little bit of success [2005] and a little bit of age comes the thinking from some guys that they don't think they can do this, or they're a little sore, and they need time on a Wednesday," Lewis said. "I think it's hard to win in the NFL that way, time after time. I watched that spread with us, but we've made the transition again out of that group into a hard-working bunch."

The Bengals, who used to be a late-night punch line for all their arrests, have had one in two years. Henry, whose rap sheet might fit nicely on a scroll, is said to be a changed man and he's back playing and playing well. The NFL suspended Henry for parts of the 2007 and 2008 seasons for off-the-field issues, but team president Mike Brown decided to bring him back last season in a controversial move that just might pay off.

These Bengals seemingly have changed their stripes -- no more prison ones.

"I don't think this our most talented team," Palmer said. "But it's our best team and our best group of guys. It's a mature group of guys. In the past, we had talent, but we didn't have the smartest group of guys off the field. This team is different."

Which is why it might finally start to outrun that nasty shadow that seems to follow all Bengals teams.

Losers? Not this season, as tough as that might be to believe.

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