(08-29-2021, 10:51 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: I agree with all of this. I'm really hoping for a week 1 win but we definitely need to be very competitive at the very least. Hopefully Chase gets himself some decent separation on a couple plays for easy catches and get his confidence going as most of his drops seem to be with people around him. 

Probably the thing I'm most concerned about is Zac coming up with a good game plan with the right mix of conservative/aggressive play calling. We definitely have the players to accommodate a dink and dunk approach while occasionally taking some shots if the protection is holding up.

But they don't have any solid LB's and no serious pass rush. 5 wins is max

(08-29-2021, 11:58 PM)cincyfan429 Wrote: But they don't have any solid LB's and no serious pass rush. 5 wins is max

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from the pass rush in the preseason. We got after Brady with top unit against top unit. Hendrickson has shown up well. I think we look improved in terms of our ability to rush as a unit.

I think the linebackers are improving from last year. They’re young yet.

I want to see the run d improve as well as covering backs and tight ends.

(08-29-2021, 11:58 PM)cincyfan429 Wrote: But they don't have any solid LB's and no serious pass rush. 5 wins is max

Yes they do and yes they do.

This isn't last year.

(08-29-2021, 11:30 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: Well we finish Baltimore, KC and then Cleveland so hopefully we're not counting on a strong finish to get to 6-11 because that will be tough especially after a bad year. Where did you hear Khalid Kareem got injured I didn't see that and tried to look and didn't see it mentioned?

It's on Twitter and Hobson mentioned it in his game review.

(08-29-2021, 08:03 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: Now that this franchise preseason is over, and as much as it pains me in to agree with talking heads, 5-12 is the best case scenario barring key season ending injuries! 

I'm sure you will get hammered for this take, but it is your take and therefore isn't wrong (yet).  It is just your belief and that is fine.

Chase's drops issues are real.  That doesn't mean he is the 2nd coming of John Ross, but it is an issue.  Losing Ossai sucks ass after such an amazing start as well.  However: 

I will try to provide you some more optimism, but I understand your take given history with ZT and some early concerns.

1.) It's preseason.  ZT comes from the McVay coaching tree and McVay has shown absolutely no interest in showing anything in the preseason.  Last night's game had ZERO starters on defense.  We have also not really seen Burrow with Chase, Boyd, Uzo, Higgins, and Mixon at all.  The GOOD thing from the preseason is that the first team defense has looked really good and the first team (ish) offensive line has protected extremely well.  

2.) 5 wins is LESS that what we would have had last season (IMHO) if Burrow played all 16 games and there are 17 games on the schedule this year.  Last year's team was pathetic in the middle of the defensive line, and CB play was very poor as well.  The offense was just starting to hit its stride when Burrow went down.   Speaking of which:

3.) Joe Burrow.  He is healthy.  He is hungry.  He is in his second year in the system.  That bodes VERY well for the Bengals and not so well for the rest of the league. 

4.) Joe Mixon.  He is healthy.  He is hungry.  He LOVES the system under Frank Pollack and is ready to show the league that he should be thought of as a top tier RB.

5.)  The new pieces:  The return of Reader, Williams, Hopkins, and Waynes.  The addition of Owuzie, Hilton, Hendrickson, Ogunjobi, Reiff, and McPherson.  That is 10 new starters that we didn't have some or all of the season last year.  ALL of those players have shown very well in camp or preseason this year.  

My guess is 10 wins.  I know the schedule is a bytch and the division had three other teams that all won 11 games last year, but I see this team barring some massive injury, winning 10 games.  They need to start fast, though.  The most beatable part of the schedule is in the beginning.  

(08-29-2021, 08:24 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Oh boy, we can't wait.  You need to just make a yearly doom and gloom thread.

He's not a historical doom and gloom guy.  He's just giving his belief at this point. 

I have no faith in Zac. 8-9 will be the best he'll ever do if he ever does "very well" in a season.

(08-29-2021, 08:39 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: Yes, and even if he caught it the defense was all over him.

I watched this several times.  Actually, if Chase doesn't "clap" on the ball (which looked really weird), and he fields it cleanly, he can take two quick steps toward Burrow and the play might have worked very well as there was a blocker there as well.  

It wasn't necessarily to get Burrow a big completion, just for him to get the feel of being out there and energize the fans that were there.  

(08-29-2021, 11:58 PM)cincyfan429 Wrote: But they don't have any solid LB's and no serious pass rush. 5 wins is max

I get why people would have this mindset, especially when it comes to the pass rush, since for some time now we have all been very excited about the pass rush only to be massively let down.

However, the addition of another relentless guy like Henderson and Ogunjobi, the return of Reader and a healthy Hubbard, and the addition of a guy like Darius Hodge (the dude is quick and creative) makes me think otherwise.  

As far as the LBs go, so much of their success is predicated on the aforementioned defensive line.  That line has been VERY stout in limited action this preseason.  The LBs all have speed to cover sideline to sideline, and if the defensive line can keep guys off them, they could be solid at the very least.  

The Bengals’ 2021 record is all up to the defense. This offense isn’t going to score a ton of points either though the air or on the ground; there won’t be any shutouts but we’re not going to see too many 30+ point games either. If Cincinnati can produce one of the better scoring defenses then yes, then maybe a record between 7-10 and 9-8 might be remotely possible. If not then I’m sticking with my prediction from last spring: 2-15.

(08-30-2021, 08:51 AM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: The Bengals’ 2021 record is all up to the defense.  This offense isn’t going to score a ton of points either though the air or on the ground; there won’t be any shutouts but we’re not going to see too many 30+ point games either.  If Cincinnati can produce one of the better scoring defenses then yes, then maybe a record between 7-10 and 9-8 might be remotely possible.  If not then I’m sticking with my prediction from last spring: 2-15.

You're just being realistic FIK. I think you are also one that wants the franchise to prove you wrong, but until then, it is what it has been since 1991!

(08-30-2021, 08:59 AM)bengalguy71 Wrote: You're just being realistic FIK. I think you are in also one that wants the franchise to prove you wrong, but until then, it is what it has been since 1991!

Absolutely I want to be proven wrong. My heart wants 17-0. My head sees 7-9. My gut tells me 2-15.

+++

We must live in Realville here. The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since Paul Brown died thirty years ago. That’s three decades. There are 32 teams in the NFL and if the Bengals don’t win a playoff game in 32 years this becomes a mockery of statistics.

Zac Taylor might be a smart guy and I’m sure he “nailed the interview” just like Mike Brown said he did. Zac is good with the media and his family is wonderful.

Unfortunately he’s not a good head coach.

The sky, it hurts!!

I’ve never seen such an uproar over preseason. To me, you guys are acting like some chick in a bad relationship who at the first sign of trouble brings back the last 30 years of mistakes the guy has made. Refuse to look at any positives, only want to moan about the negatives.

I don’t think this team is world killers by any means, but the offense is going to be a lot better than you’re all crying about. We’ve only seen the starters play together for 3 snaps, and they were these predetermined garbage snaps that Greg Gumball was even tipped off on.

We came out of preseason generally unscathed. The offensive line held up well against TB & WFT who both were playoff teams last year due to the strength of their Dlines. We still have Higgins & Boyd out there ready to make plenty of plays. We’ve also been getting much more productive pressure from our starting D who didn’t even touch the field yesterday… Those are just a few of the positives people are overlooking.

Reel it in, buckle in buttercup, we’ve got some winnable games with a fun team here.

The star of the season will be the kicker.

(08-30-2021, 06:09 AM)J24 Wrote: It's on Twitter and Hobson mentioned it in his game review.

You knew when he made a couple big plays an injury was coming.

To the o/p I say we are a 5-7 win team. Not enough to get excited about. But we'll have to look deep to find positives in this season. Defense will improve, offense will as well. 2021 rookies will show late in the season they will be ready in 2022.

I'm going to stick with my previous guess of 6 wins or less. Make no mistake, I hope I am very wrong. A winning season or potential playoff hunt would be amazing. The preseason was encouraging and I think we are going to the right direction. I think we're going to have some tough losses, but that we're building.

On offense, Burrow is the biggest concern for me. He has all the talent in the world and the OLine looked good. I'm still concerned about the mental side of things for him. It takes a minute to move on from that and know you're going to be okay when taking a hit. I'm not saying he's going to have a poor season, but he could start slow. A healthy and productive Mixon would be great as well. It would be nice to see him more in the passing game as an outlet for Burrow. Mixon does well catching out of the backfield. I can't really say enough about Pollack. The OLine was my biggest concern, but they're all coming along well. I think Smith has a really bright future and will be a contributor sooner rather than later.

On defense, they look very much improved. We'll see if the play well in spite of Lou or because of him. I still don't like him and think he puts them in bad spots, but there is a lot of talent on that side of the ball as well. If they are able to consistently get pressure, that would be a huge plus. I wish we were able to have Ossai, but I like Hodge too. I think Hodge will be a nice rotational piece on the DLine. I'm hoping Waynes can get healthy and be a big contributor. I'd like to see more blitzing this season. I think that could be big with Hilton and Bell. As always, health is the big thing. If the defense stays healthy, they should be a top half of the League unit. That improvement would be huge for us.

Special Teams, McPherson is awesome. Having a big leg FG kicker helps the offense a ton. We should score more considering we don't have to gain as many yards to be in scoring range. I'd prefer more TDs, but anytime you can score points is a plus. It's going to be nice to have a kicker that doesn't make me nervous every time he trots out on the field. I know people will defend Bullock and all, but I was still nervous every time he came out. Yeah, maybe that was more on me but the double leg cramp thing still sticks out in my mind.

I believe the team is overall better than the last 2 seasons. There's more talent and more depth which are both important to being a winning team. Chase will figure it out and be catching the ball again. I'm not too concerned about that. Taylor and Lou are still the 2 biggest issues/concerns to me. Talent is there, the team has been spending in free agency, their guys are here, it's time to produce. 6 wins would seem disappointing on the surface, but it's better than Taylor has done so far. I still think it's going to take a little bit for the OLine, Burrow, and Chase but they will gel and get there. Another offseason with Pollack, another draft, another free agency, and another year removed from the injury for Burrow and I think next year could be big. I will gladly eat my crow if they pull it all together and take even bigger strides this season. I just think we're still going to have some growing pains this season as the team continues developing.

(08-30-2021, 08:29 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: He's not a historical doom and gloom guy.  He's just giving his belief at this point. 

Seems like his point is the same every year.

(08-29-2021, 08:03 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: Now that this franchise preseason is over, and as much as it pains me in to agree with talking heads, 5-12 is the best case scenario barring key season ending injuries! 

Actually, "best case scenario" is 17-0, making the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl.

I think you meant to say "realistically" but even then, that's, like, your opinion man.

MY opinion is that if the defense plays like it has so far in the preseason, we're looking at 7-8 wins at least with the assumption of the offense playing like it did last year. If the offense improves AND the defense plays like it has in the preseason, I could see us winning 10 games or more.

Most likely, the offense will start off slow but build as Burrow gets back into things and gets over the mental issues with the injuries and I think the defense will play pretty well, so my prediction is we're going to win 9 games and fight for a wild card.

This cracked me up and reminded me of back on the old original Cincinnati Enquirer message board that got shut down after 9/11. There was a poster named rabbi whose only post about once a week for years was "6-10 at best! I laughed and thought "he's back!"