The Same 'Ol Bungles?

With Carson Palmer wanting  out of Cincinnati badly, Chad Ochocinco still whining, and and underperforming defense, you know the Bengals will find a way to squander the fourth overall pick.

As we witnessed two years ago, there is talent in the Queen City.  The problem has been getting that talent to perform.  Two years ago, they swept through the tough AFC North; now they have the fourth pick in the draft.  Marvin Lewis found a way to remain with the Bengals, much to the chagrin of some players and fans.  With all the drama, the main questions are:  Can the Bengals draft a leader and can they move the drama queens out of town?  The Bengals probably won't address either option, but there are several directions they can go.

They can move Ochocinco to a team in need of a wide receiver and go-to guy.  They can trade Palmer to a team needing a veteran quarterback.  They can do nothing and take the best player available in the draft.  They can move the players and draft the best player available.

The top two players left on the board would be Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley and Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green.

Two seasons ago, defensive tackle seemed like the least need, with Domata Peko and Tank Johnson playing like men instead of whiny Bengals.

At receiver they have Ochocinco and Terrell  Owens plus a bevy of receivers with potential (Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley, and Jerome Simpson) buried on the depth chart under the two prima donnas.

The ideal situation to us Contrarians is to move both Palmer and Ochocinco and draft a future leader.  They had the eighth rated offensive line last season, so we would like to see them add a quarterback.  The quarterback to build around is either Missouri's Blaine Gabbert or Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.

The Contrarians like Newton here.  He's more like former War Eagle Jason Campbell than he is like Vince Young.  With some talent around him, he's shown he can be a very effective player.  His penchant for controversy fits well with the Bengals' reputation.

The Bengals have never been afraid of reaching in the draft on players with potential.  If Palmer is serious about moving on, the Bengals should draft a quarterback, lest they end up like the Raiders or Browns, two teams with better records in 2010.  

Cam Newton could potentially be a top NFL quarterback.  Assuming Palmer moves on, The Contrarians assess that Newton is the best fit for the Bengals, with the caveat that things change if Palmer stays in Cincinnati.