What Is Different and Is It Enough?

[BengalChris]

(05-20-2017, 12:33 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: Hey folks, I am making a rare cameo appearance, since it's the off season, and since moving from the fourth row 50 yard line to the upper deck!

I'm looking forward to August and seeing how things unfold and will watch, root, and follow, when I can, just doing so without the NFL Ticket.

My question is this;

What, if anything, is different about this year, opposed to any of the other seasons since 2011?

For those that think this year is different that leads to my next question;

With Brown and Lewis still at the helm, will the differences be enough and why?

Differences

1. Improved outside speed at receiver with Ross and Core looking good.
2. Lost one of the top LTs in the league and he's being replaced by one of the worse OTs in the league. If Ogbuehi has just a so-so OT season then he will have improved dramatically. I doubt he has that much improvement in him in one season.
3. Lost our best interior lineman, but replaced him with Andre Smith who will should be a better run blocker.
4. On defense we've gotten younger with Minter and Lawson at LB and we are hoping WJIII and the NT (forget his name at the moment) step up after both missed all of their rookie years.

Will it be enough?
Probably not enough to advance in the playoffs. Lewis will be Lewis. Defense will be top 10 scoring defense once again, but O-line will continue to plague the offense with back field pressure and penetration. Bodine is still the OC and will be leaky. Ogbuehi, even if he improves, probable won't be a good starter and since he's never played a full season there's no reason to suspect he will this year. We don't even have a decent backup at LT to boot.