I don't take expert opinions very seriously but I do like to read what is predicted every now and then. All six of PFT's blog posters have decided the Bengals will miss the playoffs. That kind of surprises me but I do like that the team is flying under the radar a bit. Some people forget just how decimated from injuries we were at the end of last season.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/08/pfts-2015-season-predictions/

We can all hope that Bodine comes out and holds his own, but he's looked shaky in the preseason.

If we get a game or two in and it looks like the offense can't operate with him at center, what would you give up in a trade to get a quality center in order to save the season?

It would obviously depend on how good the center is, but I'd be willing to give up a third round pick if that's what this team needs to be a contender, even if we get hosed in trade value because it's a need.

We can't do anything if Bodine's getting pushed back into Andy on every play.

I was looking at the depth chart, trying to figure out who doesn't dress. It's not an easy task

What I think I know:

CJ Uzomah – Why would they dress him? IMHO he's lucky to be on the 53.
Derron Smith – Played pretty well in preseason, but they have 3 safeties, plus Hall
Chirs Lewis-Harris - I think they dress Shaw for STs.

Here's what I don't know.

MJ or Hardison – It depends on MJ's readiness.
Little or Alford – this would be a tough call to make. I'd guess they'd dress Little, but could see it going the other way, too.

That still leaves 2 more guys to not dress. What are your thoughts?

Just curious how soon you think these following players will start making an impact.



Chris Carter -- We've seen what he can do, and the coaches have too. He made the roster, but how long will it be before we see him rushing the passer? Do they already have a plan to bring him in on 3rd down rush situations or are they slowly working him in? Will we see him week 1?

PJD -- We all want him out there, but how long does it take to crack the lineup? If no one gets hurt, will we see PJD halfway through the season? Or, will he pull a Dennard and ride the bench the entire season after a promising preseason?

Greg Little -- We all get a little excited when Little touches the field. He has that Dez Bryant body, and flashes when he does make plays. How soon does he make an impact? Will his precense be similar to the one he had last year (seen one play, gone the rest of the game), or will he contribute on a weekly basis?

Fisher -- A lot of people keyed him in as the first rookie to make an impact this year. After a discerning preseason, how soon will he get on the field? He may come in for some jumbo packages, but will he do anything else?

Kroft -- We really haven't seen much from the guy. Will he make plays when they are needed most? Or will he fumble and bumble his way to Gresham status. Is he a one catch a game TE or a 4 catch a game TE? Is he going to be bailing Dalton out? How often will we run 2 TE sets knowing that he is the number 2 TE?

Alford -- Will Hue Jackson have packages for Alford or will he stay mainly a practice player due to his lack of experience. He didn't do much to impress the coaches, which doesn't bode well for his impact in games, but maybe I'm wrong. How long until we see Alford make a noteworthy play?



Those are the 6 new guys I can think of who could possibly make an impact sooner than later. If you have others please bring them up, as I may have forgotten someone.

 

With all of the speculation and reports coming out today concerning possible cheating beyond just Spygate by the Patriots, it made me recall our team's last two visits to Foxboro.

Basically, they got murdered both times. The first score (season opener 2010) was 38-24, and was comprised of many disasters such as a Palmer pick 6 and a Brandon Tate kickoff return TD before that was a good thing. The team looked helpless vs the New England offense. Welker scored a couple of times and both NE tight ends were factors.

From jump, this loss could very easily be dismissed as a much better team housing a very bad team (which the Bengals undoubtedly were in 2010) in their building.

Then we have last season. I believe the Bengals lost 42-17. Bengals weren't nearly as bad a team. In fact, they were on quite a roll leading up to that game. Some called them the best team in football up to that point. New England, on the other hand was coming off of an embarrassing loss in KC. The pundits were giving eulogies for the careers of Brady and Bellichick leading up to that game. Good call on that one.

This game was just an embarrassment. No tackling, the defense couldn't get lined up (despite all of the awesome "leadership" guys we have collecting paychecks), and the New England offense always seemed to run the right play at the right time. The offense couldn't get it going either, despite a relatively mistake-free game by Dalton.

Could these games have been the result of possibly locker-room bugging or play-sheet theft by NE? Was there extracirricular gamesmanship that was less apparent to the casual observer? I'll also submit that the Bengals actually beat NE in the game between these two disasters, back in 2013. That game was in Cincinnati. The Pats gave them a game, but hardly looked like pros playing against a bunch of high schoolers as they have in the two Foxboro tilts.

An SI report came out today that says at least 19 teams take precautions against sabotage when visiting Foxboro. Anyone think we're one of those teams? Do the players on this team just piss themselves with fear at they idea of playing in NE or are they just that much worse of a team? Both possible, but IMO, I think the cheating advantage is worth discussing in our case.

In my opinion both the AFCN and AFCW have three potentially good teams and one really bad team. For the purposes of this poll I am just asking for predictions regarding the top 3 teams in each division.

Here is a little info from each AFCW team from last year. I know last years numbers may not mean anything this year, but it gives a little knowledge to fans that didn't follow those teams very closely last year.

DEN...12-4....4th off....3rd def
SD..... 9-7...18th off....9th def
KC..... 9-7...25th off....7th def

I think most of us follow the Steelers and Ravens pretty closely, but I encourage anyone who knows what any of the AFCW teams have done in the off season it post that info.

Here are the schedules.

BENGALS
....SD
....KC
at DEN

STEELERS
at SD
at KC
....DEN

RAVENS
....SD
....KC
at DEN

So how many of those 9 games to the teams from the AFCN win?

I know a lot of us feel our center and backup center position needs to be upgraded.

The Falcons cut their 5 year starting center Joe Hawley. He is coming off major knee surgery and still has some knee soreness.

I don't know him well, but if healthy, he could be a good answer to push Bodine.

Thoughts?

2 of their predictions are Bengals related, and i think especially number 2 is very interesting.
I like Dalton, however i see the same issue that some of you guys - Dalton flukes way too often and just breaks down.!


1:
Andy Dalton throws more TDs than Peyton Manning

I'm no Andy Dalton fan, but I love the talented Bengals offense. With a loaded backfield and A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu and a healthy Marvin Jones in tow, Cincy's starting quarterback has no more excuses. He'll toss his share of drive-crushing picks, but Dalton is two years removed from a 33-touchdown campaign. This prediction, though, is more about Manning, who is months away from turning 40. Yes, Denver's quarterback is one of the greatest signal-callers in NFL history, but age-old passers tap out quick. Brett Favre's final season saw him throw just 11 touchdowns over 13 starts. Manning's a legend, but this season will mark the end. -- Marc Sessler


2:
McCarron makes at least one start before taking over Bengals' O in '16

AJ McCarron will make at least one start this season before the Bengals turn over their offense to the young quarterback in 2016. This organization isn't known for bold strokes, but patience is wearing thin with Andy Dalton's penchant for face-planting in big games. Stuck in quarterback purgatory with Dalton, the coaching staff believes McCarron is "fully capable of becoming a starting-quality player," NFL Media's Albert Breer reported in June. McCarron made three impressive throws in the third preseason game that we simply don't see in Dalton's repertoire. Armed with the most loaded offense of his tenure in Cincinnati, Marvin Lewis can turn to McCarron if necessary, knowing that Dalton's six-year, $96 million contract is essentially a year-to-year proposal with an escape clause available next offseason. -- Chris Wesseling

Here is link to the rest :
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000523584/article/bold-predictions-for-the-2015-season

Anybody else having problems with Bengals.com?

Videos don't work for me. Page continues loading. And my dad said his computer got malware warnings from going to the site.

Heard that MJ was back on the field today. Most likely won't play on Sunday but will at least be a game time decision.

Good to see him back on the field