09-05-2019, 07:55 AM
(09-04-2019, 10:45 PM)BengalChris Wrote: I read on this board that occasionally that these are Marvin's players and things will go slow to learn ZT's scheme so expect a slow start. But that's just a preemptive excuse for failure, if it comes. When you look at most of the mainstays on the Bengals roster: Green, Atkins, Mixon, Kirkpatrick, Willie Jackson, Dunlap, Dalton, Eifert, plus the recent good picks in Boyd, Bates, Hubbard, Lawson, they are all scheme versatile. I'm sure I've left someone off that list who have excelled, not intentionally.
Green would be good in any system, except maybe the triple option and even then they'd throw him the ball from time to time.
Atkins can be a 4-3 DT or a 3-4 DE on basically any team.
Willie Jackson is a very good corner and no matter what you play on defense he'll be able to cover top WRs.
Dunlap has the size to be a DE in either a 3-4 or 4-3. He's a good pass rusher and he sets the edge well in the running game and bats down lots of balls.
Bates would be good on any team in any defensive scheme.
Boyd can play, regardless of the scheme and he has outside skills, not just slot skills.
What running game would Mixon not excel at? None.
All those are good players and certainly known names around the league. Last year, with our worse than this year's coaching staff, they started 4-1 beating two eventual playoff teams in the first two weeks and this team jumped in the power rankings, until injuries set in and it took a dive.
Certainly this team would be ranked in the middle of the pack or higher.
Why not? The organization has a reputation for being dysfunctional at the top, which unsettles everything below.
Really, this team should come out smokin'. Dalton can play within himself and the coaches should know what he can and cannot do, so the scheme should reflect that, if it's the right scheme for this team.
Personally, I believe we have a good shot at winning this Sunday. The question marks mostly have to do with the coaching staff, not the players.
I think you're asking the wrong question. It's not whether players like Dunlap and Atkins can play 4-3 or 3-4 but which system they will be most effective in.
