06-24-2015, 05:42 PM
(06-24-2015, 05:08 PM)jowczarski Wrote: Cedric Peerman: There is a value for veteran special-teams only guys. I saw it up close with Jarrett Bush in Green Bay. But, eventually, their time comes (see Bush being allowed to walk this offseason). Peerman will turn 29 in October, so he's not "old" and he knows the offense and can get the job done on ST. The thing about that special unit is discipline and the ability to tackle. Now, those guys are meant to be expendable in that you can keep a young guy who might be amazing, but if you totally go that route you end up paying the price on Sundays. With Hewitt being valuable at the H-Back spot, you only really can carry four runningbacks. So now we're talking about James Wilder, Rex Burkhead, Terrell Watson and Peerman for two spots. To me, Wilder and/or Watson would have to be really amazing in the preseason to supplant Burkhead and Peerman.
Tyler Eifert: He is healthy. But now, it's about seeing him in contact, and re-establishing a rhythm with Dalton. Honestly, they need him to produce like a first-round pick this year.
Dalton's arm strength: To me, it's more about consistency. In open OTAs, I saw him make a couple of bad underthrows. Then, he hits the blazing Mario Alford, in stride, perfectly, deep down the sideline. He also makes all the throws out to the sideline. What does that say to me? He can get the ball wherever, it's just 'can he get it wherever all the time?' No one is perfect, not every throw will be perfect, but to me it's a matter of working on that consistency.
Center behind Bodine: I'll be 100% honest. I wasn't looking - we had Fisher moving around all over, the rookie tight ends, Marvin Jones v. the DBs, and frankly with no contact inside, I just didn't look. But honestly, training camp will be a better judge.
Emerging targets for Dalton: I don't see any, not if everyone is healthy. Maybe you could see some Burkhead in the slot or out of the backfield, and Kroft and Uzomah have shown flashes, but it's status quo there. One of those rookie tight ends could end up playing a bit if the mature quickly in camp, so I guess that could be your "sleeper" target -- but only after Green/Jones/Sanu/Eifert and the RBs.
Geno looks like Geno: I get what the coaches are saying, but there is no contact at all. Some guys looked really good, some guys didn't. But they all looked quick because no one could really put their hands on them or stop them from running upfield. I'll just take the coach's word for it and we'll see...
D-Line rotations: See above. So hard to tell. Honestly, everyone was rolling in and out and around the line (except for the heavies, who were definitely inside). I think during the "basketball on grass" session, it was more about getting reps at various spots and working on techniques.
Facilities: The new weight room area is amazing - the players love it.
Troy Hill / safety: Troy flashed in the rookie camp, but didn't see many reps at all during OTAs that we could watch. I didn't see him play any safety, either - though Leon Hall took some snaps back there during our last OTA session. (I was off for the mandatory mini-camp.) They are a little thin back there - and they have said Shaw could play safety, but he won't.
UDFAs: The two that stood out, to me, in the OTA periods were Jake Kumerow and Floyd Raven, Sr. (safety). Part of the reason is because they actually got on the field. And, when they did, they were around the ball (Raven, Sr.) or they caught it (Kumerow). I'll be watching those two in camp.
Divisional thoughts: I saw someone say history is why the national media picks the Ravens and Steelers to win the division/make playoff runs. Yes. I keep harping on the 40-win stat from the last four years, the fact that the Bengals have the best record in the division in that timeframe, but the reality is every team is judged by the postseason - and those franchises have multiple Super Bowls and current Super Bowl-winning head coaches and quarterbacks. In the preseason, it's easy to see why people would just pencil them in. It's also because those teams have long track records of losing "stars" or key contributors and just filling the holes with guys who later become stars. From a media guy's perspective, it's not Bengals-hate -- it's just that those franchises have earned that trust.
Thanks for the links Jim. Good reads, especially the one on Williams. I listened to the periscope broadcast. Pretty cool, look forward to the next one.
Thanks again for taking time out of your schedule to do this. I'm sure I can speak for every member of this board, when I say it's much appreciated!!
