Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong in 2016. I look for this team to bounce back and be more like 2015 than 2016, only we hit the play-offs healthy for a change and not only win that play-off game but with stars Dalton, Green, Eifert, Atkins, Dunlap healthy this team goes Super Bowl.

(03-30-2017, 11:01 AM)kevin Wrote: Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong in 2016.  I look for this team to bounce back and be more like 2015 than 2016, only we hit the play-offs healthy for a change and not only win that play-off game but with stars Dalton, Green, Eifert, Atkins, Dunlap healthy this team goes Super Bowl.

I admire your optimism.  I don't share it, but I admire it.  

I hope so Kevin, I really do. But I still strongly believe our O-line is our weak link and it will show up sooner or later, probably sooner.

"Can they" and "Will they" are 2 completely different questions.

Depends how well the new o-line will hold up.

It's all a big whole question right now.

Well, we play on the road at PIT, at BAL, at DEN, at TEN, at GB and at MIN. Almost guaranteed that at least 3 of those games are in the first 8, so I'd say it's very unlikely an 8-0 start happens.

(03-30-2017, 11:08 AM)BonnieBengal Wrote: I admire your optimism.  I don't share it, but I admire it.  

I love the Reds but I see last place again.   If I thought Bengals were last place, but I don't.  We don't lose a home game playing in London.  We don't play at New York on 9/11 or at New England and at Dallas. It was a bad year to play the NFC East.   When I saw the schedule last winter I knew the cards were stacked against us.  A rough schedule plus losing a game in The Jungle to play in London.  I never complain about the schedule except for last year as soon as it came out.  This years schedule is a more average schedule.  Plus we lost a lot of players to free agency and Eifert injured in Pro Bowl and Burfict suspended to start season and then all the major injuries.  Not little injuries which is football, but just too many major injuries. Plus Nugent.  Last winter I ticked people off when I saw the schedule and I said Bengals could start 0-4 and I didn't like losing a home game. Bengals did not start 0-4 as I feared. I've been a Bengal Fan since 1968 and I never complained about a schedule until 2016 came out.

Now here comes 2017.  A more average schedule. Dalton healthy with pass catchers he knows, not like losing Jones and Sanu. We have a great D and the makings for a great offense.  Our kicking has to be better.  I look for us to have a great draft picking more early and more often.  I see this team looking more like the 8-0 start in 2015 than everything that went wrong in 2016.  Plus look at all the coaches that left after 2015.  I think our coaches are more settled in and ready to fire it up in 2017.  If this team can avoid many major injuries and of course injuries happen but if we can be one of the more injury free teams, we do have the Pro Bowlers to get after teams. I see some rookie of the year types added in the draft.  I see us having a Defense teams hate to play. I see us having too many pass catchers to cover and the running game back. Now, if our O Line comes together and can fire off the ball and block and use their size to dominate we have as much chance at Super Bowl as anybody. 6 play-off seasons in 8 years tells me this team can bounce back and get after it. The 1980's O Line eat together, went bowling together, were together on and off the field and this group trying to become a unit need to do the same. I think this team will block, and we have everything else.

I think we will have a great year. Young guys who had been injured will be coming back, we've got a chance to get an impact player at 9, overall "easier" schedule.

I really think we'll be back in the playoffs.

But, it's going to take the line several games to adjust. New guys stepping into new roles. I don't think we will look very good the first 2-3 games.

Ive been a Bengals fan long enough to know that when expectations are low and the team is flying under the radar is when they play their best ball.

Nobody saw 09 coming, nobody saw 2011 coming and now 2017 is coming.

Bengals are gonna be coming out swinging. Especially if Burfict can keep his fat ass in shape.

I really appreciate the optimism, but I think this team is multiple times more likely to start 0-8 versus 8-0. The team has not improved over last year.

Draft a PK...preferable the kid out of Arizona State in the 4th round and we are SB bound.

(03-30-2017, 11:31 AM)kevin Wrote: I love the Reds but I see last place again.   If I thought Bengals were last place, but I don't.  We don't lose a home game playing in London.  We don't play at New York on 9/11 or at New England and at Dallas. It was a bad year to play the NFC East.   When I saw the schedule last winter I knew the cards were stacked against us.  A rough schedule plus losing a game in The Jungle to play in London.  I never complain about the schedule except for last year as soon as it came out.  This years schedule is a more average schedule.  Plus we lost a lot of players to free agency and Eifert injured in Pro Bowl and Burfict suspended to start season and then all the major injuries.  Not little injuries which is football, but just too many major injuries. Plus Nugent.  Last winter I ticked people off when I saw the schedule and I said Bengals could start 0-4 and I didn't like losing a home game. Bengals did not start 0-4 as I feared. I've been a Bengal Fan since 1968 and I never complained about a schedule until 2016 came out.

Now here comes 2017.  A more average schedule. Dalton healthy with pass catchers he knows, not like losing Jones and Sanu. We have a great D and the makings for a great offense.  Our kicking has to be better.  I look for us to have a great draft picking more early and more often.  I see this team looking more like the 8-0 start in 2015 than everything that went wrong in 2016.  Plus look at all the coaches that left after 2015.  I think our coaches are more settled in and ready to fire it up in 2017.  If this team can avoid many major injuries and of course injuries happen but if we can be one of the more injury free teams, we do have the Pro Bowlers to get after teams. I see some rookie of the year types added in the draft.  I see us having a Defense teams hate to play.  I see us having too many pass catchers to cover and the running game back.  Now, if our O Line comes together and can fire off the ball and block and use their size to dominate we have as much chance at Super Bowl as anybody. 6 play-off seasons in 8 years tells me this team can bounce back and get after it. The 1980's O Line eat together, went bowling together, were together on and off the field and this group trying to become a unit need to do the same. I think this team will block, and we have everything else.

It all comes down to O line.  I have predicted us to win less than 6 games based on losing Zeitler and Whit and relying on Ogbuehi as our starting left tackle.  I hope you're right and i'm wrong.

(03-30-2017, 11:49 AM)OrlandoBengal Wrote: I really appreciate the optimism, but I think this team is multiple times more likely to start 0-8 versus 8-0.  The team has not improved over last year.

I disagree 100 %......We go into 2017 with more positives......We went into 2016 with all negatives.....WE are not asking who Dalton will be throwing to with Jones and Sanu gone......We are not talking about Eifert injured from Pro Bowl,......We are not talking about Dalton injured from 2015......We are not talking about Burfict suspended first half of season.......I see many more upsides. .....Spring, Summer and PreSeason and I think we end up with an O Line that can be better than last years.  We were not strong at O Line in 2016, so maybe some changes were needed. I think we still add some O Linemen before Preseason.  If we can block, we have too many good pass catchers to cover, so if Dalton hits the open man like in basketball, we move up and down the field.  Green could see more one on one, which is bad news for defenses. 

I have a lot of optimism for next season as well, but it all depends on the OLine. I think any other weaknesses on the team can be covered up if the OLine plays well. That is my only concern. And I think we'll definitely improve that with the draft. I am pumped for next year. I agree that we will go to the playoffs, but I'm not sure an 8-0 start is going to be possible.

8-0? Absolute pipe dream. Eight wins on the season, maybe.

(03-30-2017, 12:03 PM)kevin Wrote: I disagree 100 %......We go into 2017 with more positives......We went into 2016 with all negatives.....WE are not asking who Dalton will be throwing to with Jones and Sanu gone......We are not talking about Eifert injured from Pro Bowl,......We are not talking about Dalton injured from 2015......We are not talking about Burfict suspended first half of season.......I see many more upsides. .....Spring, Summer and PreSeason and I think we end up with an O Line that can be better than last years.  We were not strong at O Line in 2016, so maybe some changes were needed. I think we still add some O Linemen before Preseason.  If we can block, we have too many good pass catchers to cover, so if Dalton hits the open man like in basketball, we move up and down the field.  Green could see more one on one, which is bad news for defenses. 

How do you see this line being better than last year?  The two best pieces of that line are no longer here.  The worst piece of that line is now protecting Andy's blindside.  They brought in Andre Smith to play guard, a position he has never played.  I used to really like Dre, but he has only played a full season one time in his career.  Each year he has graded worse than the year before since 2012.

Also, who do you think is going to take the double team away from Green?

I wouldn't say we have an easy schedule, but it is much more manageable.

I'm going to withhold my predictions for this year until that first drive on offense. If the DL comes pouring through the OL like they did last year, it won't matter who we play really, because we're going to be in for another long season.

(03-30-2017, 12:02 PM)BonnieBengal Wrote: It all comes down to O line.  I have predicted us to win less than 6 games based on losing Zeitler and Whit and relying on Ogbuehi as our starting left tackle.  I hope you're right and i'm wrong.

This is where it hinges no doubt. I am kind of in the middle at this point. I believe that Og and especially Fisher will
improve immensely from last year even with our mediocre to terrible O-line coach. Bodine needs replaced though and
if we draft a Center somewhat early i will have much more optimism.

Lots of ifs, if Andre can stay healthy i think he could be a great RG as long as we don't use him to pull. The running
game could easily be upgraded which will take some heat off of Dalton.

Our Defense is where i am excited. We could be great on this side of the ball this year. Letting Peko and Maualuga go
and having Billings and Minter start is a major upgrade IMHO. We will see, but i could see us being a damn tough team
in the regular season just cause of our Defense, but if the O-line plays well, we could be a force.

I will never speak of a Playoff win while Marv is the Head Coach though, 0-7 speaks volumes.

I love the Bengals and hope OP is right but I think 2-6 is more likely for first 8 games

 We have a very questionable pass rush and are average to below average defending the run. Maybe rush D seriously improves because of Minter.

we won't be as good at LT no matter what Og does. More likely that Og is one of the five worst LTs in the league putting him up there with Bodine.

Bodine remains one of the five worst centers in the league.

Dalton is seriously injured- see two points mentioned above re LT and center.

Maybe Andre Smith is all pro at RG- I seriously doubt this.

Maybe we draft Mixon who is the next coming of Adrian Peterson. I doubt it.

Plus, Marvin is still the coach so if a miracle happens and we make playoffs ( while losing twice to Steelers or at least losing to Steelers at home) we have no chance of winning  a play-off game.

(03-30-2017, 02:20 PM)bengals67 Wrote: I love the Bengals and hope OP is right but I think 2-6 is more likely for first 8 games

 We have a very questionable pass rush and are average to below average defending the run. Maybe rush D seriously improves because of Minter.

we won't be as good at LT no matter what Og does. More likely that Og is one of the five worst LTs in the league putting him up there with Bodine.

Bodine remains one of the five worst centers in the league.

Dalton is seriously injured- see two points mentioned above re LT and center.

Maybe Andre Smith is all pro at RG- I seriously doubt this.

Maybe we draft Mixon who is the next coming of Adrian Peterson. I doubt it.

Plus, Marvin is still the coach so if a miracle happens and we make playoffs ( while losing twice to Steelers or at least losing to Steelers at home) we have no chance of winning  a play-off game.

There was a lot of change last year and the results were not good.  This year, guys who were new last year now have a year of experience.  That should help a lot, or at least some.

We will be younger, should be faster, hopefully that means better.

But, there was a bunch of change this offseason, with more to come. 

We'll have an OLine that will have never played together as a unit until Week 1.  How likely is it that they'll hit the ground running?

Last year, we had growing pains.  There will be more of that.

This might really be a transitional year, where we'll see flashes or even stretches of potential but it won't be consistent, just like last year.  I'm thinking we are about a five hundred kinda team that will have a chance to be really good in '18.

One thing that's certain--we need a good draft, one that puts players on the field this year and contains at least one impact player.