Hi all,
Being an Australian and living in Sydney it is hard to keep track of the changes all the way over in Cincinnatti.

So to set me up for the season ahead, who are the new additions I should keep an eye out for during the start of the season? Who do you fell will be the surprise players of season? and where do you realistically believe we will be at the end of the regular season?

Thanks in advance and go the Bengals

Garry

(08-31-2016, 07:22 AM)AussieBengal Wrote: Hi all,
Being an Australian and living in Sydney it is hard to keep track of the changes all the way over in Cincinnatti.

So to set me up for the season ahead, who are the new additions I should keep an eye out for during the start of the season? Who do you fell will be the surprise players of season? and where do you realistically believe we will be at the end of the regular season?

Thanks in advance and go the Bengals

Garry

Keep on eye on Tyler Boyd at receiver, Alex Erickson at PR/KR and Nick Vigil and Karlos Dansby at LB. We also will have a new starting RT once he becomes healthy in Cedric Ogbuehi but he may not be able to start the season due to injury. Hopefully he's back by week 1.

Those are the major additions to the roster this year, if I am thinking of everybody.

That's spot on. I would add a few guys that might have bigger opportunities this year:

CJ Uzomah and Tyler Kroft, both TEs. With Eifert injured, both will get significant opportunities to make an impact.

My surprise guy this year is a guy I scouted heavily: Cody Core. I think they stole him in the 6th round. Big, fast, great hands, but a bit raw. He has already responded well to coaching and the team really likes him. I could see him getting a few vertical shots early when teams don't know who he is.

Rex Burkhead is going to get more opportunities this year as well.

On the defensive side of the ball, last year's Round 4 selection, Marcus Hardison #91 has been having a quiet, but very good camp and preseason. The guy can line up at 5 technique and spell Peko on third and long, both helping Peko stay fresh and generating more pass rush. A former DE, Hardison has some quicks and has looked very strong in the preseason.

Shawn Williams looks to have the intensity, but is still feeling his way around a bit (no gameplan, to be fair) at the safety position opposite George Iloka. He will be taking over for Reggie, who we lost in FA to the Raiders.

I think the end result of the season comes down to health. They are absolutely a playoff caliber team, and I would say it is a two team race for the division with the Bengals and the fat ass rapist led team to the east. If the Bengals are healthy in the postseason, they can absolutely win it all.

If that happens, I have to streak down my block (which I will gladly do) and the NFL will simultaneously explode because that isn't at all what Goodell and the legion of organized crime want, but I think this "us against the world" attitude works.

Thanks guys, it is really hard to keep track of the turnover of players from this far away so I really do appreciate the tips. Its especially difficult at this time of year with the playoffs just starting in the major football codes down here. I absolutely appreciate the info on the players in less high profile positions as that is always the most difficult players to find out about without wading through numerous threads on here.

The absolute worse part about being an NFL fan down here is having absolutely no one to talk to about the game lol, so I enjoy reading these boards massively.

(08-31-2016, 07:22 AM)AussieBengal Wrote: Hi all,
Being an Australian and living in Sydney it is hard to keep track of the changes all the way over in Cincinnatti.

So to set me up for the season ahead, who are the new additions I should keep an eye out for during the start of the season? Who do you fell will be the surprise players of season? and where do you realistically believe we will be at the end of the regular season?

Thanks in advance and go the Bengals

Garry

Man I miss Australia, such a rad place to visit.

It's cool to see a Bengals fan all the way in Aussie.

With the loss of Marvin Jones and Sanu at wide receiver the Bengals are going to need some guys to step up and catch the ball. Brandon LaFell was the veteran free agent pickup from the Patriots. Coming off of a down year were he was slowed by a foot injury he's looking to rebound. Sadly we haven't seen much of him yet because he has a hand injury but he made his first game appearance last Sunday so that's encouraging.

I'm more excited about the rookies though. Tyler Boyd was our 2nd round pick. He did it all at Pittsburgh where he played college ball and it sounds like he was pretty much there whole offense. Everything we've seen from him so far has been as good as we can hope for and I think it's safe to say we're all excited about him. Personally I think he's gonna be a lot better then Sanu or Jones but it's just way too early to tell until the real action begins.

Cody Core and Alex Erickson are the other two rookie receivers we brought in. Core is a 6th round pick and doesn't look the part. He looks like he could've been drafted a few rounds higher and Erickson went totally undrafted. Both look like they have serious potential.

On the offensive line watch the right tackle spot. The Bengals first round pick last year is going to be starting there at the beginning of the year. It will be his first game. People say he would've been top 5 pick in the draft if he didn't tear his ACL his last year of college so he fell to the Bengals at the 21st pick and recovered all last season.

Turning to defense there are 2 young guys at the defensive tackle spot in Hardison and Williams the coaches have raved about and looked good during pre-season. We have a great d-line but it's about time for a young guy to step up.

Karlos Dansby was a veteran linebacker we picked up from Cleveland. He's on the back end of his career but he's still a great cover linebacker and should help us out on defense right away. He's been an underrated all-pro his whole career and almost landed here when he was looking for a new team a few years back.

Nick Vigil is a 3rd round rookie linebacker who the coaches are feeling good about. He has to put on some more weight and adjust to the game physically but apparently his instincts on the field and his intelligence are off the charts.

Darequeze Dennard was our first round pick 2 years ago at corner back. Behind a super talented group and held back by injuries he's looking to take over the 3rd cornerback spot this year manning up against slot receivers. He's got big shoes to fill left behind by one of the best Bengals in recent history Leon Hall who is playing for the Giants this year. The little bit we've seen from Dennard has been positive though.

Shawn Williams was a third round pick 3 or 4 years ago and is taking over for another Bengal great Reggie Nelson who moved on to Oakland this year. We first saw Shawn play during injuries last season he has looked solid but this is his first year as a starter and like Leon Hall I think Reggie Nelson left a big void that needs to be filled.

Neither will start, but believe DE-Will Clarke and S-Derron Smith with be major contributors off the bench for defense.

(08-31-2016, 09:47 AM)CageTheBengal Wrote: It's cool to see a Bengals fan all the way in Aussie.

With the loss of Marvin Jones and Sanu at wide receiver the Bengals are going to need some guys to step up and catch the ball. Brandon LaFell was the veteran  free agent pickup from the Patriots. Coming off of a down year were he was slowed by a foot injury he's looking to rebound. Sadly we haven't seen much of him yet because he has a hand injury but he made his first game appearance last Sunday so that's encouraging.

I'm more excited about the rookies though. Tyler Boyd was our 2nd round pick. He did it all at Pittsburgh where he played college ball and it sounds like he was pretty much there whole offense. Everything we've seen from him so far has been as good as we can hope for and I think it's safe to say we're all excited about him. Personally I think he's gonna be a lot better then Sanu or Jones but it's just way too early to tell until the real action begins.

Cody Core and Alex Erickson are the other two rookie receivers we brought in. Core is a 6th round pick and doesn't look the part. He looks like he could've been drafted a few rounds higher and Erickson went totally undrafted. Both look like they have serious potential.

On the offensive line watch the right tackle spot. The Bengals first round pick last year is going to be starting there at the beginning of the year. It will be his first game. People say he would've been top 5 pick in the draft if he didn't tear his ACL his last year of college so he fell to the Bengals at the 21st pick and recovered all last season.

Turning to defense there are 2 young guys at the defensive tackle spot in Hardison and Williams the coaches have raved about and looked good during pre-season. We have a great d-line but it's about time for a young guy to step up.

Karlos Dansby was a veteran linebacker we picked up from Cleveland. He's on the back end of his career but he's still a great cover linebacker and should help us out on defense right away. He's been an underrated all-pro his whole career and almost landed here when he was looking for a new team a few years back.

Nick Vigil is a 3rd round rookie linebacker who the coaches are feeling good about. He has to put on some more weight and adjust to the game physically but apparently his instincts on the field and his intelligence are off the charts.

Darequeze Dennard was our first round pick 2 years ago at corner back. Behind a super talented group and held back by injuries he's looking to take over the 3rd cornerback spot this year manning up against slot receivers. He's got big shoes to fill left behind by one of the best Bengals in recent history Leon Hall who is playing for the Giants this year. The little bit we've seen from Dennard has been positive though.

Shawn Williams was a third round pick 3 or 4 years ago and is taking over for another Bengal great Reggie Nelson who moved on to Oakland this year. We first saw Shawn play during injuries last season he has looked solid but this is his first year as a starter and like Leon Hall I think Reggie Nelson left a big void that needs to be filled.

Wow what an informative read, thank you for the effort that you put into this post. In regards to the rookie RT, ACL's are a difficult injury to come back from mentally, in my experience it takes a lot of game time to get the confidence back that the knee will be ok. With him not playing last year do you believe this will still be a factor?


I always enjoyed watching Hall and Nelson play, but was excited by the talk surrounding Dennard when we first drafted him. I also like what you had to say about Vigil as that should mean we are fairly strong at LB later in the season.

There are not many Bengals fans down here, happy to say I've been a fan since the early 90's but most people down here support the big market teams. The Ravens are hugely popular down here, along with the 49ers, due to an Australian Rugby League player making their squad last year, the Broncos, Cowboys and Patriots. So poor little me is definitely in the minority.

(08-31-2016, 10:17 AM)Go Cards Wrote: Neither will start, but believe DE-Will Clarke and S-Derron Smith with be major contributors off the bench for defense.

Thank you, these are the types of players I like to hear about, the slightly below the radar guys that are so hard for me to keep track of.

(08-31-2016, 08:35 AM)AussieBengal Wrote: Thanks guys, it is really hard to keep track of the turnover of players from this far away so I really do appreciate the tips. Its especially difficult at this time of year with the playoffs just starting in the major football codes down here. I absolutely appreciate the info on the players in less high profile positions as that is always the most difficult players to find out about without wading through numerous threads on here.

The absolute worse part about being an NFL fan down here is having absolutely no one to talk to about the game lol, so I enjoy reading these boards massively.

Where abouts in Sydney are you from? And are you a born Aussie or expat?

I actually just got back home to Cincinnati after living in Melbourne for a bit of time over in the Southbank area - right next to the Crown Casino  

...Ended up going there too many times post Fitzroy...

Great to see more Bengals fans from an international perspective!

(08-31-2016, 01:32 PM)mroudfly Wrote: Where abouts in Sydney are you from? And are you a born Aussie or expat?

I actually just got back home to Cincinnati after living in Melbourne for a bit of time over in the Southbank area - right next to the Crown Casino  

...Ended up going there too many times post Fitzroy...

Great to see more Bengals fans from an international perspective!

Western Sydney, Born in Australia, grew up in country New South Wales. How long were you in Melbourne, if you were here last season I wish I had known we could have caught up for a game when I was in Melbourne.

(08-31-2016, 11:02 AM)AussieBengal Wrote: Wow what an informative read, thank you for the effort that you put into this post. In regards to the rookie RT, ACL's are a difficult injury to come back from mentally, in my experience it takes a lot of game time to get the confidence back that the knee will be ok. With him not playing last year do you believe this will still be a factor?


I always enjoyed watching Hall and Nelson play, but was excited by the talk surrounding Dennard when we first drafted him. I also like what you had to say about Vigil as that should mean we are fairly strong at LB later in the season.

There are not many Bengals fans down here, happy to say I've been a fan since the early 90's but most people down here support the big market teams. The Ravens are hugely popular down here, along with the 49ers, due to an Australian Rugby League player making their squad last year, the Broncos, Cowboys and Patriots. So poor little me is definitely in the minority.

No concerns for ogbuehi the rt because he healed up but played as extra blocker and such on running plays and some screens last year. They really did a good job of working him into the lineup and using him as uch as possible when he was healthy last year. He got about 6 games last year so he should be good to go this year.

Most of the others have covered the real news, very well I might add. So, I will just say that it's great to know that there is an Aussie Bengal fan! One question, is Fosters really Australian for beer? Or, do you all have another brew of choice?

GoCards beat me to it but I am really liking Derron Smith at safety and think he will earn plenty of playing time

(08-31-2016, 02:50 PM)AussieBengal Wrote: Western Sydney, Born in Australia, grew up in country New South Wales. How long were you in Melbourne, if you were here last season I wish I had known we could have caught up for a game when I was in Melbourne.

I was just there for 4-5 months (March - Aug) helping to develop a new team. I was there during March Madness, Masters, NBA Playoffs, etc...So I did find myself waking up and going to bed at weird hours in order to follow my sports haha.

As to the other point above, I didn't see Fosters once while I was there...Lots of craft breweries and Carlton Draught...

(08-31-2016, 07:53 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Most of the others have covered the real news, very well I might add.  So, I will just say that it's great to know that there is an Aussie Bengal fan!  One question, is Fosters really Australian for beer?  Or, do you all have another brew of choice?

There's at least 2 of us here in Australia!

Fosters is barely even beer. Living here in Victoria I would have to argue for Victoria Bitter (VB) as being a superior mass-market beer, if for no other reason than their classic TV commercials from the 70s and 80s.

AussieBengal, did you see that 7Mate will be showing the Bengals-Jets game? At a 3am start though!

(08-31-2016, 07:53 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Most of the others have covered the real news, very well I might add.  So, I will just say that it's great to know that there is an Aussie Bengal fan!  One question, is Fosters really Australian for beer?  Or, do you all have another brew of choice?

Fosters is not a beer that Australians actually drink, that is the swill we export to the rest of the world, it is weak and tastes like dishwashing water. We keep the good brews for ourselves.

(09-01-2016, 12:58 AM)The 160lb Fullback Wrote: There's at least 2 of us here in Australia!

Fosters is barely even beer. Living here in Victoria I would have to argue for Victoria Bitter (VB) as being a superior mass-market beer, if for no other reason than their classic TV commercials from the 70s and 80s.

AussieBengal, did you see that 7Mate will be showing the Bengals-Jets game? At a 3am start though!

Good to see I am not the only one in he entire country. That's great about 7mate showing the Bengals-Jets game, I actually get gamepass and watch all Bengals games live on that. I haven't missed seeing a Bengals game since 2010. We might have to find a way to watch a game together a some point.
How did you become a Bengals fan living in Australia?

(08-31-2016, 07:13 PM)Jpoore Wrote: No concerns for ogbuehi the rt because he healed up but played as extra blocker and such on running plays and some screens last year. They really did a good job of working him into the lineup and using him as uch as possible when he was healthy last year. He got about 6 games last year so he should be good to go this year.

Thanks mate, that is awesome to hear.
Thanks everyone I really appreciate the feedback to this thread.

(09-01-2016, 05:23 AM)AussieBengal Wrote: Fosters is not a beer that Australians actually drink, that is the swill we export to the rest of the world, it is weak and tastes like dishwashing water. We keep the good brews for ourselves.

So it's like our Budweiser?