DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI — Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who is working as a football analyst with CBS while taking a sabbatical from coaching, says he thinks the Cincinnati Bengals can become a playoff contender as soon as next year.

It all depends on how Carson Palmer comes back from his elbow injury, said Cowher, who knows the Bengals well after coaching against them for 15 years.

"The big key is Carson because with him you can really exploit the weapons the Bengals have on offense," Cowher said. "And with stability on defense, they look like a real team. But it starts with Carson."

The Bengals finished the season 4-11-1 after starting 0-8. They were last in the league in offense — 12th in defense — as Palmer sat out the final 11 games while waiting to see if he would need reconstructive surgery to repair a ligament and tendon partially torn from the bone.

He won't, it was determined, and he should be fully recovered when training camp opens in July.

Cowher also liked the way the Bengals responded to sixth-year coach Marvin Lewis' outburst at the media in December, winning three consecutive games.

"A football team takes on the personality of its coach," said Cowher, whose Steelers teams were 161-99-1 in 15 seasons. "In that incident with the media, Marvin displayed a sense of 'enough is enough.'

"This is a good team, and they responded by backing him up. There's something to be said for a coach who still believes in you even in a tough year. Marvin's a fighter, and he showed that in his own way."

Cowher said the Bengals' defense under first-year coordinator Mike Zimmer was encouraging.

"Week in, week out, you saw the defense play with more understanding of Zimmer's system," Cowher said. "You don't want to make many changes on that side of the ball because they were very good defensively for much of the season."

Of course, others will help determine how well the Bengals perform next season — the whole offensive line, for example — and whether Cedric Benson is kept as the feature back.

Benson signed a one-year deal in late September, had three 100-yard rushing games, and will likely test free agency. Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh also is a free agent.

And while it remains to be seen how accurate Cowher is at predicting success, his coaching skills are very much in demand, even though he has said he has no intention to returning to the sidelines, at least in the near future.

Cowher took himself out of consideration for jobs with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, although both were said to have been interested in him.

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com