ESPN. Bengals on the Rise

[BURROWorBUST]

(04-10-2020, 09:40 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Hmm, not so sure I can buy into the "but we were close" in so many of those losses.  Most of those games got cosmetically closer, late in the game, after the other team had taken their foot off the gas.

Had they held momentum throughout most of those games, and lost them late for one reason or another, that logic would hold more credence.  As it stands, I can see the Bengals being significantly better this year.  But I absolutely cannot buy into the close losses last year argument, as most NFL contests are relatively close games.

No me either. I'm much more prone to buy into the excuse that we were without our #1 WR all year. AJ Green DOES make a difference when he's on the field.

HOWEVER, that excuse only goes so far. Our defense SUCKED!! There's no two ways about that. We did get better in the last 5 or 6 games, but those games were against some pretty lousy teams. Even the Patriots were a shadow of their former selves.

THAT SAID, the coaches and front office must agree with my assessment of the D. Otherwise, they would never have gone out and spent the money that they did. As much as we hear that they want to do right by Andy, I think they also want to do right by Burrow by improving the team before we even draft him. That should nullify some of the Carson "Pick-6" Palmer narrative that we're not committed to winning a Super Bowl. Reader, Bell, Alexander, Bynes, and Waynes should all, presuming they stay healthy (Jesus please!) start for us this season. One more key piece for the defense in rounds two or three should be enough to ensure that we will be much better than last year on that side of the ball.

I'm less sure of the coaches' assessment of our O-Line. I think most of us would agree that it, too, needs some serious strengthening. Bobby Hart, Fred Johnson, and the glut of questionable talent at guard do little to instill confidence that Mixon will be able to maximize his potential. Taylor has said that the success of his offense and his passing game hinges on the ability to run the ball. There's a good chance that one of the top tackles in this draft class drops to #33, but the same can be said of one of the top linebackers (Queen or Murray) or Edge guys (Baun). Personally, I'd rather wait until the 3rd round for a linebacker. I'm just not confident that a quality RT is gong to drop that far. I'd rather run the risk of Davis-Gaither, Troy Dye, or Logan Wilson dropping to the 3rd than I am of Lucas Niang or Isiah Wilson dropping to the 3rd. 

As much as I'd love to take one of these #1 caliber WRs in the 2nd round, that would be a luxury I'm not sure we can afford. But I emphasize that I'm not sure. It depends on who falls where, I suppose. I think I'd prefer to wait until round 4, and pray that JaMarr Chase falls to us in 2021.