The Chargers had me thinking the Bengals roster

[*SHRacerX*]

(09-04-2019, 06:07 PM)impactplaya Wrote: Derwin James is out for half the year.
Melvin Gordon is holding out.
Those are 2 big time playmakers not taking
The field Sunday.
Yet they are still considered a potential SB
Team minus those 2.
But the Bengals are regarded as a bottom tier
Team by most.
Can you if the Bengals were missing Atkins and
Mixon now how the conversation would go?
Are the Chargers that much better than
The Bengals?

I think the NFL is trying as hard as they can to promote the two LA teams.  Biggest market in the NFL.

No, I don't believe their roster is that much better, if at all, compared to the Bengals.  

Derwin James is amazing, and I really wish he had ended up here.  However, with him out their defense is simply not the same.  They (the NFL and ESPN) also love them some Phillip Rivers.  He seems like a good guy, although he always came off a bit juvenile early in his career with his trash talking.  They have a couple premier DEs, but have trouble staying healthy.  The Bengals simply get no attention because they are such a small market/fan base.  Our roster is as good as any in the NFL.  Yep, I believe that.  Every team has holes.  Ours is at LB.  (More on that later).  Every team has depth issues.  The roster will only go as far as the coaching and scheme take them.  I have said it many times:  Look at Goff before and after McVay.  Third stringer as the 1st overall pick to Super Bowl QB.  Coaching and scheme matter a great deal.

Coaching and scheme has been OK here,  and not much else.  So, how did we finish?  Largely OK for seven straight years with Dalton and Green, but never great.  What I like about Taylor is he seems to have a fresher, more innovative approach to the offense.  I have very little understanding of what to expect from the defense, although that 5 man front intrigues me.  We ALWAYS seemed lost on how to attack maximum protection.  

Going back to the LB discussion.  Sure, it is arguably our biggest weakness especially in terms of depth.  But what if you looked at Hubbard and Lawson as OLB that are going to rush the QB instead of how we traditionally view the LB position here?  Vigil is very capable but needs to stay healthy.  Brown lost 20 lbs in the offseasn and was playing well before an injury.  Jordan Evans is serviceable as a backup.  And then we have the athletic, but inexperienced Jordan Evans as the starting WILL when in base 4-3.  It isn't the disaster we saw last year, which was both decimated by injuries and neutered by Teryl Austin's scheme.  Our worst position group on the entire team will at least be solid this season.

The offensive line takes a lot of heat, and yes, I am worried about Cordy Glenn and the concussion protocol.  They have found a group that is playing to their strengths.  No longer trying to make a square peg fit in to a round hole:  Price is a better guard than center.  Hopkins is a better center than guard.  Ogbuehi is a better bench than anywhere on the field.  And the much maligned Bobby Hart has been a solid run blocker and will be a better fit athletically for this offense.  

The offensive weaponry is also going to help the line.  Having Eifert, Ross, Mixon, Boyd, Willis, and even Uzo/Sample on the field together will keep defenses honest.  There will be mismatches against every defense and I believe Dalton will be able to find it.  

The defensive line has a lot of talent and competition for playing time.  They could really help out the LB and secondary by improving the pass rush.  Judging by what I am seeing out of Hubbard and Lawson, combined with what I know about Geno and Dunlap, I am very optimistic that this group will be leaps and bounds better than a year ago.  

All told, this team only has a poor reputation and it was largely earned by health and poor coaching.  They have the talent and we will soon see what kind of coaching we have in the toughest environment of the league.