After his 2008 season many people started to think that he was nearing the end of his career.  But, Ocho Cinco came back with a vengeance in 2009 for the Bengals.  He played in 16 with the Bengals last season and he caught 72 passes for 1,047 yards (14.5 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 32 yards (10.7 ypc) last season.  Ocho Cinco has now played 9 years for the Bengals in which he has played in 137 games and caught 684 passes for 9,952 yards (14.6 avg) with 62 TD grabs.  Ocho Cinco has also carried the ball 24 times for 175 yards (7.3 ypc) in his career with the Bengals.  He has had at least 90 catches in a season 4 times for the Bengals and he has had at least 1,047 yards receiving 7 times in his career.  If the Bengals sign, draft or trade for a quality WR to play opposite of Ocho Cinco there is no reason to think that he can’t still play at a high level for the next couple of years.

27-year old Cedric Benson proved that he is the real deal last season for the Bengals.  He played in 13 games for the Bengals last season and he carried the ball 301 times for 1,251 yards (4.2 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  Benson also caught 17 passes for 111 yards (6.5 avg) last year for the Bengals.  Benson really has stepped up for the Bengals the last couple of years as he has paid them back for giving him another chance to be a feature back after failing for the Bears.  Benson has now played in 25 games (2 years) with the Bengals and he has carried the ball 515 times for 1,998 yards (3.9 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  Benson has also caught 37 passes for 296 yards (8.0 avg) for the Bengals.  Look for Benson to be the main man in the running game for the Bengals as long as he can stay healthy.

25-year old corners Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph both got stiffed as neither of them made the Pro Bowl this season.  Hall has played in 15 games for the Bengals this season and he has made 67 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 24 passes defensed and 6 interceptions.  Jonathan Joseph has played in 15 games for the Bengals this season and he has made 66 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 20 passes defensed and 6 interceptions (including 1 returned for a TD).  Both Hall and Joseph deserved getting picked for the Pro Bowl but the most stunning thing is that no Bengals’ player got picked to represent the team despite the fine season the team has had.

There were whispers last season that 31-year old WR Chad Ocho Cinco was on the downside of his career.  But, that has not been the case this season as a healthy Carson Palmer is helping Ocho Cinco prove that he has a lot left in the gas tank.  Ocho Cinco has played in 14 games for the Bengals this season and he has caught 68 passes for 1,016 yards (14.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 34 yards (17.0 ypc) this season.  Ocho Cinco is now back among the elite WRs and the Bengals’ offense is benefitting from it big time.

30-year old running back Larry Johnson probably can’t wait for tomorrow to finally get here as he will be playing against the Chiefs.  Johnson is the #2 all-time rusher in Chiefs’ history but Coach Haley didn’t get along with him and thus cut him loose.  Johnson has shown with the Bengals that he still has something left.  In 5 games with the Bengals, Johnson has carried the ball 33 times for 155 yards (4.7 ypc) and he has also caught 3 passes for 4 yards (1.3 avg).  After Benson gets his yards look for Larry Johnson to make his old team pay for getting rid of him like they did.