We all know there are some definite locks to make the roster. That could be draft picks, key FA acquisitions, or veteran starters.

However, there seems to always be at least one player to make the roster that many did not expect.

My dark horse is Sean Porter. Many Bengals fans don't know a thing about him. Prior to going to IR the past two seasons, he was a fourth round pick out of Texas A&M. In his rookie year in 2013, he had a torn labrum in preseason, and in 2014 he went on IR in early October with a knee injury.

However, coming out of college, Porter was very healthy and productive. He showed that he could be a very effective pass rusher, but he also showed good coverage ability and run defense when A&M switched to a 4-3. His skill set shows versatility to play any LB position, but he would be an ideal candidate to be a SAM on a Marvin Lewis team.

Porter is up to 242 lbs now (229 when drafted), so hopefully he's added even more muscle. This is a make or break preseason for Porter, as he needs to stay healthy and impress enough to stick to the roster. However, with the lack of talent on the back end of the roster at LB, I think Porter has the talent to impress enough to be the last LB to make the roster and give the Bengals that ideal SAM with pass rush ability that they've been seeking under Marvin's tenure.

Who is your dark horse that you think (or hope) makes the roster and why?

I am sure we have our optimistic fans who think we are going to the superbowl every year, or "Homers" if you will. We also have those who are going to be down on this team very badly and no matter if we finish 13-3 will complain about the 3 we lost and talk about how we're going to blow it in the first round. I want the REALISTS to give an honest and detailed prediction for this upcoming season, and for the sake of argument we will say that NOBODY Crucial to the team gets hurt; only so that predictions can be made on if we have all our key players all the time. I know this is a dream scenario and will not happen, but it just makes it simpler for prediction purposes. Also I will do a prediction if we lose only 1 major starter on offense or defense, DALTON for offense, and Burfict for defense are OFF LIMITS and wont be injured for the major player injured prediction : (Poll is for 1 key injury prediction) So without further delay, here we go!

<<<*** 2015 Bengals Record ***>>>
<<<*** 12 wins, 4 Losses ***>>> No Injuries
<<<*** 10 wins, 6 Losses ***>>> We lose a single key OFF or DEF Player


_____OFFENSE_____
I think that the 2015 Bengals will be a force to be reckoned with, if the offense can light it up like we know Hue Jackson can get it going. Once Hue gets us firing on all cylinders, we wont be able to be stopped. He had Jason Campbell in oakland with an 8-8 Record and a top 10 offense (I believe it was top 10 that year). He just seems to have a way to motivate those and get the most out of them, and is the only oakland coach to give them an 8-8 record since over 10 years ago!
QB) I think the Front office, Marvin lewis, and Hue have given Andy Dalton every single chance to succeed this year and want to make sure that if he is given everything he needs, he can be an elite QB. Sadly I think this may not happen, and we will know for sure to be looking for a future franchise QB since after this year we can cut him free and clear if he does'nt work out. I sure hope we don't, but I can see it happening in the desperation move to keep cincy filling those seats every sunday and lining browns pocketbook.
TE.) is a position I can easily see gresham giving in to coming back, at a lower salary and as the #2 guy just to save his career.... He needs to play to make money, and any team signing him is better than none, plus he knows the system and would be a GREAT 2nd TE during red zone drives. If he refuses to come back, we have 2 rookies who look good enough to fill in for at least this year, and they must have enough faith in T.E. (tyler eiffert, lol just noticed his initials are the same as the position he plays.)
WR.) AJ Green is an absolute beast, but I wonder if he has gotten cocky and thinks he is "good enough" and isnt trying to become the best of all time. This is in fact pure speculation, and just a gut feeling. Regardless, he is an absolutely AMAZING #1 WR and could benefit from Marvin Jones supplanting the #2 spot that was filled by #3 receivers this past year. Sanu and the others can definitely come into their own, and I really want to see what Sanzenbacher will do! Overall I say our receiving corps WR and TE together will be a dominant one, especially if Gresham comes back on the cheap!
OL.) We all know this is going to be our bread and butter position, Madden (as well as every great coach) have always said the game is won in the trenches, and if we get our team protecting Dalton with all this talent he could be an ELITE QB. Whitworth is a absolute monster at tackle OR he can slide in to guard. Boling is GREAT, and Smith is Sure'ing up the right side. So those new tackles can plug in to whatever position they can improve us at, and when an inevitable OL injury happens they are there to step in with almost no drop off in performance.
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I will be Following up with the review of the defense in this post 2moro. Please share your opinions, thoughts, and even light criticisms! This new board will be a great one, and I would LOVE for all the boards.bengals members to move here with us!

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.

Here is a link to the "Around the NFL" podcast, which a good majority talks about the "Dalton Scale". Quick Disclaimer, I hate these dudes, especially Gregg Rosenthal. :vomit:

Anywho, here is the link.

http://www.nfl.com/podcasts?id=26d688927df08855d267faf0bc1c3593

If you skip to 27mins they start to talk about Dalton

A quick summary is that Dalton has become so horrible lately that they are ditching the "Dalton Line" all together. As I'm sure you know, these guys decided that a team with a QB worse than Dalton needs a new QB, and a team with a better QB than Dalton is ok at QB (and thus the term Dalton Line was created).

Dalton was so bad last year, that they now see him as the 25th or even 27th QB in the league
Thus, he cannot be the QB or "scale" to judge other QBs off of.

The segment reminded me of jungle noise and gave me a few laughs, although if you dislike Dalton hate, this probably isn't for you.

Bengals Just drafted Fisher and Ogbuehi
Currently at OT we have Whit, Fisher Ogbuehi, Andre, and Winston. Perhaps they re-sign collins if they trade Smith.
This would be assuming we sign Whit to an extension.
2016 OT's would be Whit at LT Ogbuehi or Fisher at RT and the other would be the swing backup.


Giants O-line is a mess. They just lost their starting left tackle for 5-6 months.
If Jake Fisher proves he is beast, let the Bengals try to get something in return for Andre Smith other than a Comp pick.
I know he's rehabbing. By all accounts he should be ready for the season. He looks in Monster Shape. So why would you want to trade him? IDK! Just a fun thread.

So seeing as the Giants need a LT...They could swing Erek Flowers to LT. Plug Smith in at RT.

Now what do you want back from the Giants? Something reasonable. Draft Pick, Player? (Not Eli Manning, Or Beckham or Cruz. That will never happen.)
I don't really know the Giants roster so well. Honestly I don't think they really have any specific player the Bengals want that they would give up.
So...for me it'd be at least a 2nd Round draft pick. Better than a comp pick.

If you know another team that needs a tackle that has a player or two...Who would you trade Andre Smith for?
Make it somewhat realistic. (Yes I know the idea itself is not realistic but go with it)
Its the offseason and we are bored!)

Just saw in twitter.
Now ESPN and Bleacher report just hit up my phone with it.

Yup yup.
Bengals official Twitter also.

Pretty Excited about this pick. The guy comes from an uptempo offense. Ducks Ran more plays during a College game than any other teams while Fisher was there.

I really think he is conditioned more so than a normal O-line rookie.

Could Terrelle Pryor make this team now with the PAT rule changes? His size and speed make him a great 2pt option.

No need to get Dalton smashed trying to jump over the pile.

I bet the impending rule change was the main reason why we gave him a look. Sneaky smart Bengals.

They really need to expand the roster to about 60 players and let them all dress. I have no idea why they have so little roster spots.

Stupid autocorrect in the title

Thought I would put this here:

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-leaders-in-training-/781cd9df-5e23-4ba2-bc18-7cec738f314a

He really doesn't have anything promising to say about Burfict's status and says we most likely won't see Ced-O in pads until week 7.

Changes are as follows.
Point after Touch down will now be snapped from the 15 yard line.
Two Point conversions are still at the 2 yard line.
Defenses can now score on a turn over on a 2 pt conversion.

The new board is now working at work and the interface is no longer being blocked! What happened!?

PS I know this is in the wrong spot but I am just so excited!