Why do you feel optimistic about this Bengals team relative to prior years?

[Shake n Blake]

Here's what I'm optimistic about:

- That the Bengals will win between 9-11 games.
- That Dalton is better than he played last year
- Our latest draft
- Marvin Lewis' ability to overcome adversity to make the playoffs

Here's what I'm not optimistic about:

- That the Bengals will win 12+ games or compete for a 1st round BYE
- That Dalton can become anything better than an average guy who has some really bad games
- That they'll finish with a winning division record
- Marvin's ability to get guys ready to play in January