Carl Lawson

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(08-23-2019, 10:31 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: We have 7% chance of making playoffs. We need to improve on all fronts. With Geno getting old, we have to start getting pressure elsewhere.

According to whom?  Some talking head click bait-starved twitter bully?  And if Geno is getting old, give me some of that old man stuff, because he looks unblockable. 

Reuben, I'm not attacking you, but let's have at least a little optimism here!

Look at it this way:

Special teams:  Always solid

Offense:  Was rolling with one basic premise last year:  Send Ross deep (until the red zone), let AJ, Boyd, and EIfert work underneath.  Give the ball to Mixon every so often.  They were 4-1 before injuries took their toll.  They have looked vastly better (and I still believe they aren't showing crap with the run game) and might FINALLY use all their weapons.  That TD pass to Uzo?  Yes, please.  The offensive line looks leaps and bounds better than last year.  If Dalton is the QB the entire season, only one twice did he have 9 losses (to be fair, one year had a tie).  He is almost always good for 9-10 wins.  This offense will protect him and he will thrive when he has all his weapons back and the offensive line looks to be much improved.

Defense:  After a couple weeks to get adjusted, the Bengals defense, with a lot of backups finished averaging 21 points per game against the final four weeks of the season.  And that was dealing with a pathetic, Jeff Driskel-led (not all his fault) offense.  Getting back Lawson, and having more depth and rotation at the defensive line will surely help generate more pass rush.  As will the 5 man front that might finally be an answer to the max protect struggles this team has always seemed to struggle against.  This year's defense should at least be mid-pack and with their offense, it could yield 10 wins.  

Lastly, I think the team will really feel that they have more of a chance with our new coaching staff.  Young, energetic, and creative are words that have not been used to describe this team for some time.  I am really excited to see what they can do.