How much has this team really improved this off-season?

[*SHRacerX*]

(07-17-2019, 09:47 PM)BengalChris Wrote: When I look at the roster overall I find it hard to locate any position that has been improved much. Here's the project starters.

QB Dalton - no change
RB Mixon - no change
LT Glenn - no change
LG Jerry - change from Boling, but is he any better really? Or is it going to be Westerman stepping in?
C Price - no change, but he's coming in healthy and has a year under his belt. I expect improvement.
RG Miller - upgrade over false start guy (whatever his name was)
RT Hart - no change where an upgrade was very warranted
TE Eifert - coming in healthy, as usual - How long will he last? Uzomah ended up starting last season and may very well be the guy this year, so no change here either.
WR1 AJ Green - no change
WR2 Boyd - no change
WR3 ???? - any consistency would be an upgrade, but did we acquire that consistency? Will anyone show up as a consistent WR here or do we just move Eifert out to WR as his starting role and start Uzomah at TE? Personally, I believe Eifert moved outside as a WR and Uzomah as starting TE puts our best hands on the field and creates the best kind of mis-matches.

Has the offense been upgraded? Or are we counting on people not being injured in 2019 as our upgrade?


Projected defensive starters:

LDR Dunlap - no change
DT Atkins - no change
NT Billings - no change
DE Hubbard - an upgrade over MJ, but was here last season.
DL rotation - several guys are returning from injuries and that depth should improve the DL's performance overall.
LB Vigil - no change
LB Brown - no change. Are we counting on him being healthy as the upgrade over last season's tackling void?
LB Pratt - Hopefully he'll be an upgrade over how Burfict played last season.
CB Willie Jackson - no change
CB Kirkpatrick - no change
CB Dennard - no change, Webb isn't better than Dennard but he could help out if a starting corner misses a game or two.
FS Bates - no change
SS Williams - no change

Again, I have to ask, are we counting people not being injured in 2019 as our upgrade?

Well, being the optimist that I am....

On offense:  New coach, new scheme.  Teams won't be teeing off on formations that everyone and their brother knows are run plays.  Speaking of the run, we have two new, young RBs that will be pushing for playing time.  Competition improves the breed.  We will also hopefully see Ross used for something other than vertical routes outside the red zone.  Remember, the offense wasn't the problem last year until injuries cost them.  Dalton had a great (should have been) game-winning drive against pitt only to see the defense not hold it.  

I also think that Price in year two, Miller at RG, and Hart improving (remember, he will turn 25 in August...Whitworth never became a starting tackle until he was 27) will pay huge dividends in the run game, and the apparent emphasis on play-action should benefit as well.  

On defense:  The biggest improvement will be the subtraction of Teryl Austin.  Complete dunce.  The team last year looked substantially better after his dismissal, even with so many out injured.  And the addition of Pratt and the return of Brown will be a big improvement in what was our weakest unit a year ago.  Vigil missed games last year as well. 

What has me most excited is the return of Carl Lawson.  I think the tandem of him and Hubbard at RDE with Dunlap and WIllis at LDE will be strong.  Billings took a small step last year, and will be pushed by the likes of Glasgow, Wren, and maybe Ringo?  

The back end of the defense is our absolute strength, which makes it all the more maddening that they wasted top picks on a panty-waste zone scheme that played off coverage.  It would be like drafting a QB #1 overall and only running the ball.  Dumb, dumb, dumb...  

So, in summary, I see a team with new coaching across the board that SHOULD be leaps and bounds more innovative than under Marv and co.  I see the return of numerous starters and a couple new pieces from the draft.  

If nothing else, I am really hoping they won't be such a boring team to watch.  That alone has me more excited and optimistic for 2019.  I have been clammoring for a more aggressive mindset on defense for ages, and more creativity on offense as well.  Hoping those two things have the kind of impact that McVay had replacing the similarly boring Jeff Fisher.