The NFL has reduced starting RB Cedric Benson’s suspension for off field conduct from three games to one game.  Benson is going to serve the suspension after the bye week when the Bengals play the Seahawks.  Benson has played in all six games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 117 times for 458 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 5 passes for 24 yards (4.8 avg) so far this year.  Bernard Scott will get the chance to replace Benson as the main man against the Seahawks.  He has played in six games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 30 times for 85 yards (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Scott has also caught 5 passes for 13 yards (2.6 avg) so far in 2011.  Brian Leonard will also pitch in for the Bengals against the Seahawks.  He has played in 6 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 9 times for 64 yards (7.1 ypc).  Leonard has also caught 9 passes for 104 yards (11.6 avg).  The Bengals are averaging 105.3 yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry so far this year.  They hope to improve on those numbers after the bye week.

28-year old RB Cedric Benson has been suspended for three games by the NFL for violating the league’s off-field conduct policy.  Benson has played in all 3 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 58 times for 244 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 4 passes for 19 yards (4.8 avg) so far this year.  Benson has appealed his suspension (the league won’t turn it over), so he will get to play until they either hear his appeal or he drops it.  27-year old RB Bernard Scott will be the main man in the running game for those three contests.  He has played in all 3 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has 8 carries for 23 yards (2.9 ypc).  Scott should be up to the challenge as he played well in his first two years (2009 and 2010) with the Bengals.  He played in 29 games coming into this year for the Bengals and he carried the ball 135 times for 620 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Scott also caught 16 passes for 127 yards (7.9 avg) in his first two years with the Bengals.  Brian Leonard will also see an increased workload due to Benson’s suspension and he is a solid back.

The Bengals have lost 25-year old WR Jordan Shipley for the rest of the season due to a torn left ACL.  Shipley played in both games for the Bengals this year and he caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  He has now played in 15 games in his first two years for the Bengals and he has caught 52 passes for 600 yards (11.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Bengals will need 26-year old Andre Caldwell to step up and be the #3 WR the rest of this year.  Caldwell has played in 2 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Andre Caldwell has now played in 40 games in his first four years with the Bengals and he has caught 90 passes for 882 yards (9.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

With Marvin Lewis back in the fold for at least 1 more season as the Bengals’ head coach, you can expect Carson Palmer & Jordan Palmer back at QB for 2011.  31-year old Carson Palmer played in all 16 games for the Bengals last season and he completed 362 of 586 passes (61.8%) for 3,970 yards with 26 TD passes and 20 INTs (82.4 QB Rating).  Palmer also carried the ball 32 times for 50 yards (1.6 ypc) last season.  Palmer has now played in 97 games in his career with the Bengals and he has completed 2,024 of 3,217 passes (62.9%) for 22,694 yards with 154 TD passes and 100 INTs (86.9 QB Rating).  Palmer has also carried the ball 179 times for 316 yards  (1.8 ypc) with 5 TD runs so far in his career with the Bengals.  Carson Palmer will be the Bengals’ starting QB for at least the 2011 season, but he will have to play better than he did in 2010 to keep the starting job past next season.

26-year old Jordan Palmer is lucky his big brother is the starting QB for the Bengals or he might not have a job in the NFL.  Palmer played in 1 game for the Bengals last season and he completed all 3 of his pass attempts good for 18 yards.  Palmer has now played in 4 games in his NFL career and he has completed 10 of 15 passes (66.7%) for 59 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs (34.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards in his career so far. 

VERDICT:  Don’t be surprised to see the Bengals use a 2nd or 3rd round pick next April on a QB to develop behind Carson Palmer.  Whenever the Bengals decide to get rid of Carson Palmer, his brother will follow him right out of town.

UPDATE:  (3/3/2011) – Carson Palmer has said that he will retire before stepping on the field with the Bengals again.  It looks like the Bengals are going to deal him and probably cut his brother.  Don’t be surprised to see the Bengals draft a QB in the first round of the NFL Draft next month.

30-year old QB Carson Palmer is looking like a beat up, punch drunk QB so far this year.  Palmer has played in 12 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has completed 280 of 465 passes (60.2%) for 3,009 yards with 20 TD passes and 15 INTs (80.1 QB Rating).  Palmer has also carried the ball 21 times for 49 yards (2.3 ypc) so far this year.  Those numbers don’t look too bad on the surface but the Bengals’ offense has stumbled despite having a nice set of skill position players.  I think it will be time to move on to a new QB starting in 2011 for the Bengals unless Palmer really finishes strongly, which I don’t see happening.

27-year old RB Cedric Benson has been crying that he hasn’t been getting the ball enough so far this year.  He has played in 11 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 218 times for 788 yards (3.6 ypc) with 4 TD  runs.  He has also carried the ball 20 times for 126 yards (6.3 avg) with 1 TD grab this year.  Benson has only rushed for over 100 yards twice so far this year.  He also has five games this year when he has had 60 yards or less rushing.  Benson needs to earn more touches because he’s doesn’t deserve them based on his performance this year.

The Bengals started this season well going 2-1 in their first 3 games of the season.  But they then have lost six games in a row (current losing streak) but they have only been outscored by a combined 33 points!  A lot of the games have come down to coaching decisions and unless the Bengals rally the rest of the year I think Marvin Lewis is going to get fired.  The Bengals are 58-62-1 (48.3%) during Lewis’ 8 years in charge and that’s just not good enough.

When the Bengals were courting Terrell Owens over the summer, Chad Ocho Cinco said that he would have no problem playing Robin to T.O.’s Batman.  The problem so far is that Ocho Cinco is playing more like Alfred (Batman’s Butler) than Robin.  The Bengals need Ocho Cinco to step up to get the offense purring like the team though it would.  Ocho Cinco has played in 9 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has caught 47 passes for 559 yards (11.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Those numbers pale in comparison to Terrell Owens’ numbers this year.  T.O. has played in 9 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has 59 grabs for 834 yards (14.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs. 

Starting RB Cedric Benson isn’t happy with the Bengals’ offense right now.  Benson has played in 5 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 103 times for 406 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 5 passes for 39 yards (7.8 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  Last season Benson played in 13 games in which he carried the ball 301 times for 1,251 yards (4.2 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also caught 17 passes for 111 yards (6.5 avg) last season.  Benson has averaged 21.6 touches per game this year (running & receiving) and last year he averaged 24.5 touches.  I just don’t see why Benson is crying.  He just needs to play better, period.

Sure, 32-year old WR Chad Ocho Cinco continues to smile and say the right things to the media.  But you have to wonder if he’s happy behind closed doors right now.  He has caught 26 passes for 316 yards (12.2 avg) with 1 TD grab in the Bengals first five games this year.  Ochco Cinco has led the Bengals in receiving in 7 of his first 9 years with them as he has been the team’s go-to man since his second year in the NFL.  36-year old Terrell Owens has been the Bengals’ top wideout this year with 31 grabs for 476 yards (15.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  One has to wonder if Ocho Cinco really meant it when he said he doesn’t mind being Robin to T.O.’s Batman.