There is a perception among fans that the Bengals have a young team on the rise...but that isn't reality any more. After 5 years of playoffs...our core has aged.

Peko, MJ, Dansby, Maualuga, and Jones are all guys getting up there in age and declining.

It's a lot of starters to replace in 1 year.

(01-12-2017, 02:18 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: There is a perception among fans that the Bengals have a young team on the rise...but that isn't reality any more. After 5 years of playoffs...our core has aged.

Peko, MJ, Dansby, Maualuga, and Jones are all guys getting up there in age and declining.

It's a lot of starters to replace in 1 year.

Dunlap & Geno are pushing 30 as well. A youth movement is needed on D, and this is why they will probably draft defense first, most likely d-line.

(01-12-2017, 02:23 PM)Hoofhearted Wrote: Dunlap & Geno are pushing 30 as well. A youth movement is needed on D, and this is why they will draft defense first, most likely d-line.

It's rough because a lot of these positions don't have young guys waiting to start.

Hopefully Billings is ready to replace Peko. I have no idea. Hopefully Vigil is ready to start too. William Jackson will be a key too.

Funny how suddenly that seemed to happen. Just goes to show that when you have a talented young core, you can't waste it by ignoring FA and sticking with a modern day Jim Mora at HC...and an incompetent lifer o-line coach.

Geno Atkins should be a future HOFer, but being stuck on a going nowhere team with no publicity will hurt his chances.

(01-12-2017, 02:33 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Funny how suddenly that seemed to happen. Just goes to show that when you have a talented young core, you can't waste it by ignoring FA and sticking with a modern day Jim Mora at HC...and an incompetent lifer o-line coach.

Geno Atkins should be a future HOFer, but being stuck on a going nowhere team with no publicity will hurt his chances.

Yeah I think there is a tendency for fans to think that a young team will continue to get better...but that really didn't happen. The Bengals struck gold with Dalton, Atkins, Dunlap, and Green...and lived on that success for years. Now the team has aged to a point where they need to do atleast a partial rebuild. With what to show for it? Playoff appearances with 0 wins.

(01-12-2017, 02:24 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's rough because a lot of these positions don't have young guys waiting to start.

Hopefully Billings is ready to replace Peko. I have no idea. Hopefully Vigil is ready to start too. William Jackson will be a key too.

Yep, good news is your star players there (Dunlap and Geno) have at least two more years of outstanding football, but the other DT and DE desperately needs youth. 

Better news is they more often than not strike gold in later rounds (4th round to be specific) for interior tackles. 

(01-12-2017, 02:18 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: There is a perception among fans that the Bengals have a young team on the rise...but that isn't reality any more. After 5 years of playoffs...our core has aged.

Peko, MJ, Dansby, Maualuga, and Jones are all guys getting up there in age and declining.

It's a lot of starters to replace in 1 year.

Spot on. many have been saying this for a while and faced with "yea but we are a playoff team...wait till next year"

I think that is why some of us are very frustrated. We had a a great opportunity to truly compete but instead 0-5 in the playoffs. That is why I say this team's leaders (Owner, Management, Coaches and QB) will be known as the people who did the absolute least with the best opportunity. 

It's crazy how time flies...Dalton is getting up there in age too, he turns 30 this October

(01-12-2017, 02:18 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: There is a perception among fans that the Bengals have a young team on the rise...but that isn't reality any more. After 5 years of playoffs...our core has aged.

Peko, MJ, Dansby, Maualuga, and Jones are all guys getting up there in age and declining.

It's a lot of starters to replace in 1 year.

Yeah, but losing those guys will not hurt the Bengals. It's not like any of them outside of maybe Jones contributed that much this year.

Bilings will start next year along with Vigil. I wouldn't be surprised if we draft a new MLB.

(01-12-2017, 02:43 PM)Trademark Wrote: It's crazy how time flies...Dalton is getting up there in age too, he turns 30 this October

True, but QBs fortunately last longer than most positions. A good QB can play deep into his 30's.

At one time we were one of the most talented teams. But other teams now have caught up to us. The draft and stockpile approach has been mixed in results.

(01-12-2017, 02:39 PM)Rhinocero23 Wrote: Spot on. many have been saying this for a while and faced with "yea but we are a playoff team...wait till next year"

I think that is why some of us are very frustrated. We had a a great opportunity to truly compete but instead 0-5 in the playoffs. That is why I say this team's leaders (Owner, Management, Coaches and QB) will be known as the people who did the absolute least with the best opportunity. 

Sadly, the window for a championship with much of the current roster has closed. Our next playoff appearance will probably be with 7-8 starters that aren't starting for us now.

How we use 1st Round picks and don't land guys that start Year 1...I don't know. The team has holes and aging guys everywhere.

(01-12-2017, 03:14 PM)Au165 Wrote: Bilings will start next year along with Vigil. I wouldn't be surprised if we draft a new MLB.

I hope so...but how the team operates...it's hard to say. It might be Thompson and Sims taking Peko's spot.

(01-12-2017, 03:50 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I hope so...but how the team operates...it's hard to say. It might be Thompson and Sims taking Peko's spot.

I am reading between the lines of the recently posted Guenther interview. He said we need to get younger and mentioned those guys.

(01-12-2017, 04:16 PM)Au165 Wrote: I am reading between the lines of the recently posted Guenther interview. He said we need to get younger and mentioned those guys.

Bengals.com always does fluff pieces in the offseason.

I honestly doubt they know what they have in Billings. He was hurt so early. You have to get big guys in pads before you can tell.

(01-12-2017, 04:19 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Bengals.com always does fluff pieces in the offseason.

I honestly doubt they know what they have in Billings. He was hurt so early. You have to get big guys in pads before you can tell.

....well it's an interview not an article with direct quotes so not sure what your talking about. Maybe you should go read it.

Peko is Done....that fat ***** useless piece of shit was atrocious all season. It was embarrassing watching that tub of goo get pushed around on every snap.

An aging defense? Well, it's a darn good thing that Guenther specifically mentioned 3 young guys in his recent interview. Billings, Jackson, and Vigil look to be the new faces of the Bengal defense. Just the emergence of those guys will swing the "age pendulum" enough to show that we ain't stopping, any time soon.

(01-12-2017, 03:16 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: True, but QBs fortunately last longer than most positions. A good QB can play deep into his 30's.

In the 1970s George Blanda was a freak, playing well into his 40s. Brett Favre was still deadly at 41 and with New England's stellar offensive line, Tom Brady might play another five to ten years at a high level. Andy Dalton is a very young 29 and if the Bengals get a real offensive line coach, he could play until his hair looks like a Buckeye helmet: Mostly gray with some red here and there.