05-21-2015, 12:47 PM
(05-21-2015, 01:17 AM)CornerBlitz Wrote: I just don't see why people think this is the year that the Bengals breakthrough in the playoffs. They are for all intents and purposes the same team as the last few years. I have little doubt that they will be a solid team in the regular season but in my eyes there is nothing for me to point to and use as a crux to argue that this team will be better.
It is frustrating as a fan to see this lackadaisical approach from the front office in regards to making changes. What could one possibly point to and say, "Hey, that is the reason why the Bengals will win in the playoffs this season?" I just don't see it. You could make the case that this team has more question marks considering the play of Dalton last season and the inconsistencies on the defensive end.
This isn't homer vs hater. Look at the roster and coaching staff; you will be lead to the same conclusions if you are objective.
They now have a running game, which they didn't have the first 3 trips to the playoffs. If Marvin Jones and Eifert are healthy, they also have a pretty good receiving corp to go with it. Even an injured rookie like James Wright showed promise. That gives them a balance on offense they haven't had in the Dalton/Green era.
I also like the fact that Michael Johnson is back. He was part of some pretty good Bengals defenses during his time here. He allows guys like Wallace Gilberry to go back to being a rotational player. It's also reasonable to expect Geno to have a bigger impact than he did last season coming back from injury. I also like the opportunities some of our draft picks have to contribute and draft picks from previous years to get an opportunity. There are a couple guys who were first round picks (Kirkpatrick and Dennard) who will have an opportunity to play big minutes this year.
Not sure how you can pretend this is the same team when it is anything but.
