(05-22-2015, 03:43 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I am not talking about just this year.

Are you claiming that you have predicted the Bengals would make the playoffs each of the last four seasons?  I am pretty sure I can find some posts on the other board to prove that you did not.

If you look at my history over the past few years I am the first to admit that we have a very talented roster that is capable of making the playoffs.

My gripe has always been that we still need to make additional changes if we want to be Superbowl contenders. That is the basis for my whole post. C'mon Fred......get with the program.

I feel more confident this year than last year. That's about it. 2013 seems like it was the best opportunity for us not only to get a playoff win, but get to the Super Bowl. They were undefeated at home, were undefeated against playoff teams in the regular season, and had a top 10 offense and defense.

While some players have gotten better, they haven't really added any upgrades. Sure, Kirkpatrick may be better than Newman last year and MJ is definitely and improvement over Hunt and Gilberry, this team hasn't added much. Just depth and future starters.

Although, I think the coordinators no longer being 'rookies' will help as well.

I'm confident that they will make the playoffs. It just depends on how they progress their players. Besides Sanu, Iloka, and Kirkpatrick, did any other player really improve? It seemed like many players regressed as well. Dalton is the obvious choice as to regressing, but there's more. Gio regressed and didn't attack holes like he would in college and his rookie season. Atkins struggled to get back to his All-Pro level; sure one can say injuries hurt him but he also had a full season to amass more than what he did. Leon Hall is another choice.

So while we have a talented roster, players need to progress, and we rarely saw that last year. Now that says something about our roster if players regressed and we still won 10 games. So I'm more confident in this year rather than last year.

The biggest thing for me is that they allow Dalton to be a gun-slinger. He's proven that he is going to throw interceptions and turn the ball over. So why not get him to reach his ceiling since he always hits his floor?

(05-22-2015, 04:55 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: The biggest thing for me is that they allow Dalton to be a gun-slinger. He's proven that he is going to throw interceptions and turn the ball over. So why not get him to reach his ceiling since he always hits his floor?

I'm not so sure allowing Dalton to sling the ball all over the field is the right course of action. I'd prefer him to limit his throws since he is turnover prone and stick to a ground game with Hill and Bernard.

Put it this way; I have much more faith in Hill than I do Dalton.

(05-22-2015, 05:00 PM)CornerBlitz Wrote: I'm not so sure allowing Dalton to sling the ball all over the field is the right course of action. I'd prefer him to limit his throws since he is turnover prone and stick to a ground game with Hill and Bernard.

Put it this way; I have much more faith in Hill than I do Dalton.

And I agree, but this past year they forced into Dalton's mind "Don't make the mistake"; which appeared to override his "make a play" mentality that we needed in certain games.

He was a gun-slinger in 2013. I prefer that to the game manager they tried to make him be last season. Sure, he threw for a little more than 100 attempts that year, but he had the least amount of passing attempts (481) in his entire career. His 2nd lowest? 516 his rookie season.

While there should be more emphasis on the running game this next year, I don't believe that forcing that mindset into Dalton helps him as much as it should.

(05-22-2015, 05:00 PM)CornerBlitz Wrote: I'm not so sure allowing Dalton to sling the ball all over the field is the right course of action. I'd prefer him to limit his throws since he is turnover prone and stick to a ground game with Hill and Bernard.

Put it this way; I have much more faith in Hill than I do Dalton.

Dalton is only a year removed from throwing 33 TDs

Why would you want to take the ball out of his hands?  

I'm all for the running game, but Dalton's already proven he can move a team up and down the field throwing the ball.  

(05-22-2015, 01:37 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Here's what I'm optimistic about:

- That the Bengals will win between 9-11 games.
- That Dalton is better than he played last year
- Our latest draft
- Marvin Lewis' ability to overcome adversity to make the playoffs

Those were the things I was optimistic about in 2012...

















And 2013...

















and 2014.

Now I'm


(Yes, that's Mila Kunis)

(05-21-2015, 01:17 AM)CornerBlitz Wrote: 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.

On offense, we are going to have the year we could have had last year without all the injuries. This is also Andy's last chance before the Bengals can walk away from his contract, and I think he's going to bring it. I am rooting for him to succeed. On defense, I don't think we realized what an important piece of the puzzle Michael Johnson was until he was gone and our run defense went away. Now that he's back, it will all click into place again.

(05-22-2015, 05:09 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: And I agree, but this past year they forced into Dalton's mind "Don't make the mistake"; which appeared to override his "make a play" mentality that we needed in certain games.

He was a gun-slinger in 2013. I prefer that to the game manager they tried to make him be last season. Sure, he threw for a little more than 100 attempts that year, but he had the least amount of passing attempts (481) in his entire career. His 2nd lowest? 516 his rookie season.

While there should be more emphasis on the running game this next year, I don't believe that forcing that mindset into Dalton helps him as much as it should.

It didn't help him at all. It hurt his confidence, made him tighten up. If he's your guy, you have to let him do it with a balanced attack and forget the fear of failure. I agree with run heavy but you have to be able to sling it too.

Will be interesting to see how they use Eifert and the new TE's. A good TE is a QB's best friend. So important to have receivers other than AJ that he trusts.

But you can't go out of your way to take the ball out of the QB's hands. That's a flashing neon light that tells the defense how to play you.

(05-22-2015, 07:43 PM)McC Wrote: It didn't help him at all.  It hurt his confidence, made him tighten up.  If he's your guy, you have to let him do it with a balanced attack and forget the fear of failure.  I agree with run heavy but you have to be able to sling it too.

Will be interesting to see how they use Eifert and the new TE's.  A good TE is a QB's best friend.  So important to have receivers other than AJ that he trusts.

But you can't go out of your way to take the ball out of the QB's hands.   That's a flashing neon light that tells the defense how to play you.

Something killed Dalton's confidence last season you could see it. The first 5 games and the last 12 were like night and day.

And I totally agree with Wolf and McC, they need to just quit trying to mold Andy into this or that and just let him play. Sure we don't want 55 passes per game but it's not about that. It's about trying to build this or that mindset into him. A couple years ago they tried the unscripted plays mindset, it didn't work either.

Just shut up and play ball.

(05-22-2015, 05:39 PM)WhoDeyWho Wrote: Why would you want to take the ball out of his hands?  

 

Because he's turnover prone and we have a strong running game. Simple as that.

(05-22-2015, 05:39 PM)WhoDeyWho Wrote: Dalton is only a year removed from throwing 33 TDs

Why would you want to take the ball out of his hands?  

I'm all for the running game, but Dalton's already proven he can move a team up and down the field throwing the ball.  

Because he had 20 interceptions as well. Don't get me wrong I think he is a good player but I agree with lessoning his role.

Because with players aging and leaving after this year, they all know this is their last chance to be the team that they can be.

They're probably tired of the criticism and status quo, and knows that their careers and credibility hang in the balance.


Expect to see a better Bengals squad this year. If Burfcit is back in form, expect a AFC contender.

With the drafting of Cedric and Fisher, I believe that Andre Smith is as good as gone after this year.

I keep seeing that people want Dalton to maintain his reduced role to limit his int's, but didn't he throw 17 last year?

2011: 516 attempts - 13 int's (2.52%)
2012: 528 attempts - 16 int's (3.03%)
2013: 586 attempts - 20 int's (3.42%)
2014: 481 attempts - 17 int's (3.53%)

(05-22-2015, 05:09 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: And I agree, but this past year they forced into Dalton's mind "Don't make the mistake"; which appeared to override his "make a play" mentality that we needed in certain games.

He was a gun-slinger in 2013. I prefer that to the game manager they tried to make him be last season. Sure, he threw for a little more than 100 attempts that year, but he had the least amount of passing attempts (481) in his entire career. His 2nd lowest? 516 his rookie season.

While there should be more emphasis on the running game this next year, I don't believe that forcing that mindset into Dalton helps him as much as it should.

(05-22-2015, 07:43 PM)McC Wrote: It didn't help him at all.  It hurt his confidence, made him tighten up.  If he's your guy, you have to let him do it with a balanced attack and forget the fear of failure.  I agree with run heavy but you have to be able to sling it too.

Will be interesting to see how they use Eifert and the new TE's.  A good TE is a QB's best friend.  So important to have receivers other than AJ that he trusts.

But you can't go out of your way to take the ball out of the QB's hands.   That's a flashing neon light that tells the defense how to play you.

(05-22-2015, 08:09 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Something killed Dalton's confidence last season you could see it. The first 5 games and the last 12 were like night and day.

And I totally agree with Wolf and McC, they need to just quit trying to mold Andy into this or that and just let him play. Sure we don't want 55 passes per game but it's not about that. It's about trying to build this or that mindset into him. A couple years ago they tried the unscripted plays mindset, it didn't work either.

Just shut up and play ball.

(05-23-2015, 10:28 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I keep seeing that people want Dalton to maintain his reduced role to limit his int's, but didn't he throw 17 last year?

2011: 516 attempts - 13 int's (2.52%)
2012: 528 attempts - 16 int's (3.03%)
2013: 586 attempts - 20 int's (3.42%)
2014: 481 attempts - 17 int's (3.53%)

Yeah, it got into his head. You just cannot force him to not throw interceptions apparently.

He needs to loosen up a bit and just do his best. Considerable difference from last year and the rest.

You would of thought the improved running game would of helped him but he still needs to play free out there.

(05-23-2015, 10:28 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I keep seeing that people want Dalton to maintain his reduced role to limit his int's, but didn't he throw 17 last year?

2011: 516 attempts - 13 int's (2.52%)
2012: 528 attempts - 16 int's (3.03%)
2013: 586 attempts - 20 int's (3.42%)
2014: 481 attempts - 17 int's (3.53%)

No Marvin Jones all year, AJ green missed 4 games, and Tyler Eifert missed all but one half of a game all year. His numbers should be better with all those guys being healthy this season.

(05-23-2015, 02:10 PM)J24 Wrote: No Marvin Jones all year, AJ green missed 4 games, and Tyler Eifert missed all but one half of a game all year.  His numbers should be better with all those guys being healthy this season.

Very true as well.

I am confident in this team because its a good football team. Last season we lost Michael Johnson, Tyler Eifert, Marvin Jones, Andre Smith, and Vontaz Burcfict. We had two new coordinators and our two best defensive players from 2013 didn't regain there elite form there previous injury. With all of that being said we still found away to make the playoffs and were one fumble away from winning a division title. #1 were getting back all those guys this season, #2 we did not have to change coordinators this season, and #3 I wouldn't count on Leon coming back to previous form but I do think Geno will be Geno again. I think this team has the ability to win the super bowl and not just a playoff game.

Why am I optimistic about the Bengals this year?


I just have a feeling that by keeping the OL together, and receiving targets coming back healthy, this Bengal Offense is going to put some serious points on the scoreboard this season. With a dominating OL, one of the better RB duos in the league, and an array of large receiving targets, all Andy will have to do is not trip over his own feet in order for this team not to average 31+ points per game.

I also see the Defense regaining some of the swagger that they had, prior to last season. Yes, I am still concerned about the Burfict injury situation, but I really like the addition of Paul Dawson and AJ Hawk at LB. The front 4 should be as good as they were, leading up to when Geno Atkins was injured. I feel like Geno will really want to show that he has made a full recovery. With Atkins crashing the middle of the pocket, I see Dunlap and Michael Johnson getting a lot of sacks funneled their way. The secondary, likely not on anyone's top 5 list at this point, I feel will look like the Seahawks of two years ago, by season's end. I see the secondary being able to take advantage of plenty of rushed/poorly thrown balls, due to the pressure the front 4 will be bringing.

The key to this season will be dominance on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We have the personnel capable of doing the job. All that is left is for Andy to finally assume command, and win a couple of big games.

(05-23-2015, 02:29 PM)J24 Wrote: I am confident in this team because its a good football team. Last season we lost Michael Johnson, Tyler Eifert, Marvin Jones, Andre Smith, and Vontaz Burcfict.  We had two new coordinators and our two best defensive players from 2013 didn't regain there elite form there previous injury.  With all of that being said we still found away to make the playoffs and were one fumble away from winning a division title.  #1 were getting back all those guys this season, #2 we did not have to change coordinators this season, and #3 I wouldn't count on Leon coming back to previous form but I do think Geno will be Geno again.  I think this team has the ability to win the super bowl and not just a playoff game.

(05-23-2015, 02:32 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Why am I optimistic about the Bengals this year?


I just have a feeling that by keeping the OL together, and receiving targets coming back healthy, this Bengal Offense is going to put some serious points on the scoreboard this season. With a dominating OL, one of the better RB duos in the league, and an array of large receiving targets, all Andy will have to do is not trip over his own feet in order for this team not to average 31+ points per game.

I also see the Defense regaining some of the swagger that they had, prior to last season. Yes, I am still concerned about the Burfict injury situation, but I really like the addition of Paul Dawson and AJ Hawk at LB. The front 4 should be as good as they were, leading up to when Geno Atkins was injured. I feel like Geno will really want to show that he has made a full recovery. With Atkins crashing the middle of the pocket, I see Dunlap and Michael Johnson getting a lot of sacks funneled their way. The secondary, likely not on anyone's top 5 list at this point, I feel will look like the Seahawks of two years ago, by season's end. I see the secondary being able to take advantage of plenty of rushed/poorly thrown balls, due to the pressure the front 4 will be bringing.

The key to this season will be dominance on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We have the personnel capable of doing the job. All that is left is for Andy to finally assume command, and win a couple of big games.

Man, you guys are making me feel more confident. Thanks.