Between the Lines: Cincinnati Bengals 2009 Review/2010 Preview

As we get ready for the start of the NFL season, FanHouse will be take a look at the offensive line situation for each team in the league -- how they performed last season and how they project into 2010. You can find additional FanHouse offensive line analysis here.

Cedric Benson proved to be one of the big surprises of the 2009 season, as the once-disappointing tailback turned into one of the better power backs in the AFC. But Benson wasn't entirely responsible for his success -- you also have to credit the Bengals' offensive line, a unit that has managed to largely retool in recent years into a solid unit.

And the Bengals have done it despite the fact that Andre Smith, a 2009 first-round pick, was largely missing last year.

More Between the Lines: Browns | Ravens | Steelers

Player	Sacks	Median Sack Time	Over 3 Seconds
QB/Play Call	8	2.25	3
Dennis Roland	7.5	2.75	2.5
Andrew Whitworth	4.5	3.6	3.5
Bobbie Williams	3	2.2	1
Anthony Collins	3	2.3	0
Cedric Benson	2	2.55	1
Kyle Cook	1	3.2	1

The Good: Even with first-round pick Andre Smith missing much of the season with a broken foot (and general lethargy), the Bengals offensive line turned into a strength.

Smith was supposed to be the anchor of the Bengals' line, but it's hard to really say they missed him. Andrew Whitworth proved to be an solid left tackle and Anthony Collins/Dennis Roland were adequate at right tackle. Cincinnati's strength is pass blocking. Part of that came from the Bengals' bizarre approach of using an extra tackle as a tight end even on passing plays, but it also came from the fact that Whitworth has turned into a solid left tackle.

But the real strength of the Bengals' offensive line in 2009 was the interior linemen. Veteran guard Bobbie Williams and center Kyle Cook helped Benson to a career resurgence. The combination of Evan Mathis and Nate Livings wasn't as solid in run blocking, but they were solid in pass blocking.

The Bad: After spending the first part of the year as the biggest tight end in NFL history, Roland ended up winning the right tackle job, but it's hard to say that he was an upgrade on Collins. Roland struggled in pass coverage and wasn't a significant upgrade in run blocking either. Roland's biggest problem is the speed of his feet -- he was generally beaten by rushers just turning on the jets and beating him to the outside. Considering he's one of the tallest players in NFL history at 6-foot-10, there's no real option to move him inside to guard, so Roland will have to work on improving his agility.

The Future: Year Two of the Andre Smith era has gotten off to just as bad a start as year one. Smith missed almost all of training camp because of a foot injury -- it doesn't help that he weighs as much as a Mini Cooper. But really, the Bengals don't need Smith to have a solid line. They bring back all of the starting five from the second half of the season and they have two more linemen (Anthony Collins and Evan Mathis) who have starting experience. Anything the Bengals get from Smith is just a bonus.