Cincinnati Bengals 2009 Media Guide.indb - Bengals Home

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STADIUM , NFL & MEDIA RECORDS HISTORY 2008 REVIEW COLLEGE FREE AGENTS 2009 DRAFT CHOICES VETERANS ROSTERS
BOB BRATKOWSKI — Offensive Coordinator
Bob Bratkowski is in
his ninth year as Bengals
offensive coordinator. During
the era of head coach
Marvin Lewis, Bratkowski
has developed and directed
units that have gained
recognition among the
NFL’s most talented and
explosive.
Though 2008 was a
down year offensively, with Pro Bowl QB Carson Palmer
playing only four games due to injury, a longer view
of rankings tells the story. The Bengals have been in
the NFL’s top seven in passing offense in three of the
last four seasons, and in the top 10 in total offense in
three of the last four years. In third-down effi ciency,
Cincinnati’s offense has been in the top 10 for four of
the past six years.
Besides Palmer, six other Bengals offensive players
have been selected for the Pro Bowl during Bratkowski’s
term as coordinator. The list includes OT Willie Anderson,
HB Corey Dillon, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh,
HB Rudi Johnson, FB Lorenzo Neal and WR Chad
Ochocinco.
Twice during Bratkowski’s tenure, the Bengals have
set franchise records for fewest sacks allowed. A record
of 21 was posted during the divisional championship
season of 2005, and the bar was re-set in ’07 with only
17 sacks allowed.
The solid protection helped Palmer become the
fi fth-fastest player (59 games) in NFL history to reach
the 100 mark in TD passes. Palmer knocked Brett Favre
and Daunte Culpepper out of the top fi ve in the category,
and joined a group that also includes two Hall of Famers
(Dan Marino and Johnny Unitas), a surefi re future Hall
of Famer (Peyton Manning) and a Super Bowl winner
with Hall of Fame potential (Kurt Warner).
Over 2004-06, Rudi Johnson’s 4221 rushing yards
were the most by any Bengal in a three-season span.
Earlier under Bratkowski’s watch, Dillon posted a pair
of 1300-yard seasons, and QB Jon Kitna saw his stock
as an NFL starter revived.
Last year’s team rallied to fi nish the season on a
three-game win streak, with Bratkowski and the offensive
staff getting the most from a backup quarterback and a
line that was woefully short on experience due to injuries.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick posted an 83.8 passer rating over
the last three games, and the line helped the Bengals
average 167 rushing yards in the three contests, with
only three sacks allowed .
The Bengals played their last six games of 2008
with rookie Anthony Collins at LOT and fi rst-year player
Nate Livings at LG. Collins had seen action for only a
handful of plays before he was called on to start, and
Livings had seen no game action at all. In the season
fi nale against Kansas City, when Cincinnati rushed for
a season-high 204 yards, another player with virtually
no experience was in the starting lineup, as fi rst-year
player Dennis Roland was pressed into service due to
injuries at the ROT spot.
Bratkowski (pronounced “brat-COW-skee”) has been
an NFL coach since 1992, and he was coordinator of the
University of Miami’s NCAA champion offenses in ’89
and ’91. He entered the NFL ranks in 1992 at Seattle,
and was with the Seahawks through ’98. He spent the
1999 and 2000 seasons as wide receivers coach with the
Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Bengals in ’01.
At Seattle in 1997, he was coordinator for the NFL’s
top passing offense (247.4 yards per game). The team
ranked third in the NFL in total offense. Seattle also
established club season records in ’97 for most yards
passing (4187) and completions (359). The Seahawks
were second in the NFL in fi rst downs (331).
Prior to his 1992 hiring by Seattle, Bratkowski
spent 14 years as a college coach, including offensive
coordinator assignments at Weber State, Wyoming and
Washington State, in addition to Miami.
As a college player, Bratkowski was a three-year
letterman as a wide receiver at Washington State. His
father, Zeke, played quarterback for 14 seasons in the
NFL, seeing action for the Bears, Rams and Packers.
Bratkowski was born Dec. 2, 1955, in San Angelo,
Texas. Bob and his wife, Rebecca, have two children
— son Shane and daughter Courtney.
PLAYING AND COACHING HISTORY — 1975-
77: Played wide receiver at Washington State. 1978-80:
Assistant coach (AC), Missouri. 1981-85: Offensive
coordinator, Weber State. 1986: Offensive coordinator,
Wyoming. 1987-88: Offensive coordinator, Washington
State. 1989-91: Offensive coordinator, Miami
(Fla.). 1992-94: AC, Seattle Seahawks. 1995-98:
Offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks. 1999-2000:
AC, Pittsburgh Steelers. 2001-present: Offensive
coordinator, Bengals.
25 DOES THE TRICK
The Bengals are 22-1 in the last 23 games in which they’ve had a rusher carry 25 or more times. HB
Cedric Benson added to the list in the last two weeks of 2008, rushing 38-for-171 in a 14-0 win at Cleveland
and 25-for-111 in a 16-6 conquest of Kansas City.
The Bengals, however, have had only four games in the last two seasons with a 25-carry rusher.
Cincinnati’s only loss in the last 23 with a 25-carry rusher was Dec. 24, 2006 at Denver, when the Broncos
overcame a 30-for-129 day by Rudi Johnson in a 24-23 win.
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