ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

Earlier this week, we revisited Chad Ochocinco's prediction that the Cincinnati Bengals are going to the playoffs this year. So in our latest version of "Take your pick," the AFC North blog wanted to hear from our community on Ochocinco's bold statement.

Here are the best responses in our AFC North inbox, along with a final say on this topic:

Ochocinco, Bengals make postseason!

Ochocinco

Nick from Cincinnati writes: I do think Ochocinco's prediction is correct. With a great defense that could make the top 10 this year and with Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocino back to full form there's no reason why the Bengals shouldn't be a top contender in our division and go to the playoffs.

Mike Newberry from Cincinnati writes: Take your pick: "Is Cincinnati a playoff team in 2009?" The answer is YES. Bengals had a sneaky good defense last year ranked at #12 overall while enduring mass injuries. We had over 20 players on IR by the end of the 09 season. With the additions of Tank Johnson, Roy Williams, and Rey Maualuga, there's no reason why our D couldn't be ranked in the top 10. We also upgraded our O-line with arguably the best OT (Andre Smith) through the draft along with center Jonathon Luigs who was a three time Remington Award (nations top college center) nominee, winning the award his junior season. Add to this the addition of WR Laveranues Coles in free agency and our WR core is once again very deep and capable of spreading the field. Cedric Benson turned it on towards the end of last season and our offense will be stoked to have a big season this year as long as Carson Palmer stays protected. Barring injuries...our beloved Bengals will be in playoffs this year.

Steve from Loveland, OH writes: As a Bengals fan, I'm hopeful my team will make the playoffs. This all comes down to: 1) the quality of the O-line; 2) the health of Carson Palmer; 3) the attitude of the team - especially Chad Johnson. The defense is a sleeper NFL top-10. If the offense scores, this team will be 10-6 to 11-5 as in '05.They need - at a minimum - a split with the Steelers and Ravens and a sweep of the woefully inept Brownies.

Matt from Columbia, MD writes: Regarding the Bengals' playoff hopes, I believe that the Bengals have a decent shot of making the playoffs. Why? The Ravens look like a super franchise one year, terrible the next, and again super last year. The Browns looked legitimate in 2007 but most years are incompetent. The Steelers are somewhat more stable but even they had an 8-8 season in 2006. The real question is, why can't Cincinnati win the North? I certainly don't expect them to, but they have some talented players (Rivers, Palmer) who didn't play much last season, and some fresh new faces. I wouldn't be surprised if they go 12-4 or 1-16.

Ochocinco, Bengals watch playoffs from home!

Ed from Atlanta writes: I don't think Ochocinco is going to cash in on this one. Though their offense will be much improved over last year with his determination and Palmer's good health, they will not be able to stifle Pittsburgh's and Baltimore's defense enough for it to matter. Add to that, their defense will not be able to keep either Ben Roethlisberger or the sophomore [Joe Flacco] down long enough to take away the W's. They will knock on the door, but watch from home again this year.

Michael from North Hollywood, California writes: James, no, the Bengals won't make the playoffs. They will be a better team than last year, but that won't be enough to get past Baltimore and Pittsburgh. And as you said, getting three teams from a division into the playoffs is very rare. They'll come up short, but they could very well affect the seeding by beating a team or two.

Earl from Southern Pines, NC writes: Ocho-stinko needs to just shut up and sit back and watch a real football team play, one like the Pittsburgh Steelers. Every year he and Carson Palmer say they're better than the Steelers and that they are going to do this and that, and every year they are the Bungles, one playoff appearance in 15 years? Maybe Chad should change his name to Ocho-choke-o!!!

Erik from Cincinnati writes: While I love everything I have seen this off season, I still can't see the Bengals making the playoffs. They have been going the wrong way since 2005, and while I expect a lot more from them this year, I don't see 8-8 or 9-7 making the playoffs this year. The AFC is going to be brutal again this year with Tom Brady back. The Steelers have learned from their last post-Super Bowl slump, and I expect them to be great...again. The Ravens could go either way. Flacco is a year smarter (good or bad?), but they had some HUGE losses on D, and that is how they have been winning lately. In closing, I would do a back flip if the Bengals gave me a playoff season. But as of right now, they have a lot to prove.

AFC North final say

Because I'm not making any firm predictions until the end of the preseason, I recruited regular AFC North contributor Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. to close out this interesting topic.

Matt Williamson: Chad is incorrect. I see the Bengals improving. They're vastly improved on paper, and I expect No. 85 to have a much better season. He's going to be more dedicated and has a lot to prove, and Palmer is coming back. So, overall, I like their passing game, but it keeps coming back to me with their offensive line. I don't trust them to run the football consistently, especially with Benson up the gut. I don't think they're going to have any interior running game to speak of. They're very week at the center position and they play three dominating nose tackles within their division. They are really going to have a hard time in the middle of the field offensively. I think they're a six- or seven-win team but probably still the third-best team in the division. One more note: I do like their defense a lot more than people realize. Their defense is a lot better than people think.

If you have any fut
ure "Take your pick" ideas, feel free to send them to our AFC North inbox.