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Cincinnati Bengals History | 1972 - Bengals.com

1972

History

The team rallied from the disappointment of 1971 to finish 8-6 for the second time in three seasons. It wasn't enough for a second playoff berth in three years, but Coach Paul Brown said at season's end that the Bengals had met his goal of becoming a "fully competitive" NFL franchise by Year Five. (The Bengals would back up those words by going 38-18 over the next four seasons.) Besides the drama of a playoff bid that ended with a loss to Cleveland in Game 13, the season's major storyline was the battle between veteran Virgil Carter and second-year Ken Anderson for the No. 1 QB spot. Anderson got Brown's nod in preseason, but Carter took the job back for Game 9 vs. Oakland, after Anderson had struggled in a 40-17 loss to Pittsburgh. Carter was injured in the Oakland game, however, and Anderson started Game 10, a 20-19 upset loss to a Baltimore team that had won only twice. Carter started in a Game 11 win at Chicago, but passed for only 120 yards with two INTs, and Anderson was reinstalled at No. 1 for a Game 12 win vs. the Giants. Anderson started the crucial Game 13 vs. Cleveland, but he was sidelined with an injury, and the Browns sealed a 27-24 win when Carter suffered an INT by LB Billy Andrews on a short pass to Cleveland's goal line with 0:36 to play. Anderson came back to start the play-for-pride season finale, directing a 61-17 romp at Houston, and Anderson would not again be seriously challenged until 1984, when at age 35 he was bothered by injuries and began to give way to Boomer Esiason. DT Mike Reid, Cincinnati's top pick from the 1970 draft, was the only Bengal named to the Pro Football Writers' first-team All-Pro squad, but rookie S Tommy Casanova also made a big impression and was voted by his teammates as the club's MVP. The 61 points scored at Houston stands through 2017 as a club record. It has been matched once since, in a 61-7 win vs. the same Houston franchise in 1989.

721022-Bengals_Anderson-AP_360108674542-NFL Photos-NEW

League Rankings

Table inside Article
TOTAL RUSH PASS
OFFENSE 9 (308.4) 14 (142.6) 9 (165.8)
DEFENSE 3 (253.7) 12 (129.6) 4 (124.1)

Year Totals

Table inside Article
PLAYS FIRST DOWNS NET YDS RUSH NET YDS PASS TOTAL NET YDS PTS
OFFENSE 899 255 1996 2321 4317 299
DEFENSE 794 207 1815 1737 3552 229
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Individual Leaders

Table inside Article
PLAYER CATEGORY
Horst Muhlmann Scoring
Ken Anderson Passing
Essex Johnson Rushing
Chip Myers Receptions
Chip Myers Receiving Yards
Dave Lewis Punting
Tommy Casanova Punt Return
Bernard Jackson Kickoff Returns
Horst Muhlmann Field Goals
Tommy Casanova Interceptions

Coaching Staff

Table inside Article
Paul Brown Head Coach
Vince Costello Linebackers
Jack Donaldson Offensive Backfield
Bill Johnson Offensive Line
Chuck Studley Defensive Line
Bill Walsh Receivers/Quarterbacks
Chuck Weber Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backfield

1972 NFL DRAFT: FEB 1 - 2

Table inside Article
ROUND PLAYER POSITION COLLEGE SELECTION NUMBER
1 Sherman White DE California 2
2 Tommy Casanova DB Louisiana State 29
3 Jim LeClair LB North Dakota 54
4 Bernard Jackson DB Washington State 81
5 Tom DeLeone C Ohio State 106
6 (sent to Chicago in trade on 9-2-70) 133
7 Steve Conley LB/RB Kansas 158
8 Dan Kratzer WR Missouri Valley 185
9 Stan Walters T Syracuse 210
10 Brian Foster CB Colorado 237
11 Kent Pederson TE California, Santa Barbara *261
12 Rick Wegis S Cal Poly-SLO 289
13 James Hamilton P/QB Arkansas State 314
14 Steve Porter WR Indiana 341
15 Hosea Minnieweather DT Jackson State 366
16 John Wiegmann WR Cal Poly-Pomona 393
17 Dave Green P/K Ohio 418

*NOTE: Buffalo had the No. 261 overall choice in Round 11 but passed, allowing the Bengals to move from No. 262 to 261.

Pro Bowl

Players selected for the 1972 NFL Pro Bowl: WR Chip Myers, DT Mike Reid

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