Team MVP James Brooks Running Back Cincinnati Bengals Versatility was James Brooks' middle name during my campaign with the Bengals. Not only did he post stellar rushing numbers while not once being injured, he also led an otherwise uninspiring pass attack, becoming the first man to crack 1000 in both rushing and receiving. On top of that, he crossed the goaline 39 times, a number I didn't expect to see until my Bo Jackson or Jerry Rice seasons. Final Stats Rec Yards Avg. TD 136 1481 10.8 22 Rec Yards Avg. TD 53 1082 20.4 17

Nothing stands out on the Cincinnati team aside from the underrated James Brooks. Available on all three worthwhile pass plays and benefitting from two good running plays, Brooks had a monster season, rushing for nearly 1500 and receiving for over 1000. After him though, there wasn't much to write home about. Esiason was an above-average presence in the pocket, showing solid accuracy and consistency despite what has to be considered a below-average playbook. We get another useless flea-flicker and the shotgun bomb, which only works before week 3 or if you have Jerry Rice on your team because if one guy's covered, they all may as well be covered. The receivers on this team were just there, likely realizing this was the James Brooks show and thus just coming along for the ride. I must admit I figured Eddie Brown or Tim McGee would pass 1000 receiving yards for the season, but I was wrong. It has to be hard to spread the wealth when three of your four pass plays only accomodate three receivers.

Not many sacks were recorded by this above-average defense, primarily because I focused my controls on David Fulcher, defensively the highest-rated player in the game. Three sacks and four picks were a little disappointing though.