I'm sitting here watching the 2016 Bengals Seahawks game...

[*SHRacerX*]

(08-31-2020, 02:43 AM)samhain Wrote: Losing those two WRs plus Eifert rarely being available wasn't awesome, either.  They always seem to have trouble replacing 2nd wrs.  They never replaced TJ as a complement to Chad with any really success, and it took a few seasons to get another running mate for AJ when Boyd came into his own.  

The Whitworth/Zeitler defections might not have stung so badly if they'd been successful selecting their replacements.  Ogbuehi and Fisher will always symbolize the beginning of the end for the Dalton/Green era here.  They were both crushing blows to any hopes they had of maintain success after 2015.

Nailed both points...The rushing attack was never the same after that, either.  

If you look at that WR corps, it had the right amount of experience.  Wasn't relying on any rookies.  Ditto 2020.  AJ, Boyd, and Ross will make a solid starting 3, and you have quality depth in Tate, Higgins, Erickson, and Thomas.

The offensive line isn't quite as proven, with the biggest question mark being at LT.  Sure, he has impressed at camp, but Jonah Williams hasn't played a snap against NFL linemen and he will face Bosa and Garrett right away.  

The center position was the weakness of the 2015 offensive line, with Russell Bodine in year 2.   I would consider Hopkins an upgrade there

The guard play was very solid with Boling and Zeitler.  Again, a bit of an unknown with XSF, but I feel pretty good about Michael Jordan in year 2.

Andre Smith was playing solid RT, and we can hope that a similar light goes on in Bobby Hart. 

FWIW, I think losing Peko in the middle of the defensive front in 2017 was a blow as well.  Haven't been nearly as good at stopping the run.  Here's to DJ Reader being a massive upgrade over last year.