PRESEASON WRAP - Pros and Cons

[Okeana]

Lets start with the things I am concerned about and then the positives.

{CONCERNS}

1. Andy Dalton - This is always a topic of debate, but what isn't up for debate is the inconsistency in play especially in tough games. I have to list him as my number 1 concern going into the season because the season hinges on him playing well. That said he has flashed and looked good with more tools available to him, but in the end of the day he makes me very nervous.

2. Offensive Line Backups - The Offensive Line has shown well when we had our 5 starters in, but as soon as one of those guys dropped out it goes to hell. This may be something that improves as the season goes on and hopefully Fischer develops as a rook, but guys like Winston and other veteran backups just looked absolutely terrible.

3. Tight Ends and Receivers staying healthy - This is another group that is very thin and was exposed last year when injuries caught up to us int he playoffs. We simply cannot afford to lose guys like Eifert and Jones on this offense.

4. Kick returns as special teams - Missed blocking assignment on a punt and no real flash in the return department is a concern.

5. Peko - This guy just looks old and useless. Somehow he played a Jedi Mind trick on the staff and players because they love this guy and make bad business decisions keeping him around. This guy has about as much chance of making a good play this year as he does of getting cut which is an absolute zero. That said we have rotational guys that will play and prop this old war horse up.


{POSITIVES}

1. Linebackers - I figured I would start with the one that most Bengal fans will probably debate. Our Linebackers are better this year than last year because of the arrival of three men..... Hawk, Dawson, and Carter. Many people believed when we picked up Hawk that it was another aged player that wouldn't bring much to the team and I couldn't sing enough praises about this guy. He wants to be part of this team, he comes from a high caliber team, and he was released because of injury and cap rather than decline in skill. Historically he isn't a injury prone guy and if you look at his stats he didn't fall off a cliff. I love what he does in the run game and while he isn't going to be a pass rushing Linebacker we have guys like Dawson, Carter, and Burfict. Dawson is developing nicely and I can't wait to see how the season goes for him. The real gem in the bunch is Chris Carter who has shown he can play standing up and with his hand down. The guy plays like a Steeler with great intensity and effort every time he lines up. MARK MY WORDS if Chris Carter keeps developing like he did this year he will be a pro bowl player on this team which isn't something anyone could have seen coming.

2. AJ McCarron - This guy is really impressing me the more he plays and will be a starter in this league. With the 1's in week 3 he looks like an absolute pro making some of the best looking throws in the preseason. The one thing that impressed me the most is that this guy just doesn't break under pressure and in week 4 he sure did feel the pressure. This guy put up almost 200 yards with backup receivers and a line that couldn't stop a high school pass rush. He didn't force passes into interceptions and went through his reads while being pressured. When things did go bad he kept his cool and did his job.

3. Run Game - I will keep this short and simple. Hill, Gio, Burkhead, Peerman, and Hewitt are the best complete squad of backs in the league. A lot of our success this season will rely on this unit both on the run and in the pass game. Everyone of these guys can catch and bring a different element to the game. I'm simply amazed more people aren't talking about this squad of absolute killers.

4. Atkins and the Pass Rush - So a lot of people are going to say that we didn't necessarily show great in the preseason for pass rush, but I like what I see. Atkins is a total monster and worked hard this last year to recover from what could have been a career ending injury. With the emergence of guys like Carter and Dawson our pass rush immediately improved, but now add in Michael Johnson a known quantity on this team and the development of Williams at DT(Which I just can't see us cutting over a guy like Thompson or Hunt) and I think we are going to see fireworks this season.

5. Cornerbacks and Safeties - Do i really need to say anything ? We look deep at this position and with our front 7 improved it can only make these guys look better.

Have anything to add ? would love to hear your comments and hear your opinions.