(08-16-2020, 02:31 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: We have vastly different definitions of ok.

6 sacks (tied for 2nd most given up among all G in the NFL) and 6 penalties in just 58.6% of the offensive snaps.

PFF grade (if you put any stock into that) of 43.7 is outright atrocious.

Not saying he can't get better and turn out to be a good player. I'm just saying he was nowhere near ok last year.

Rookie guard playing next to no name LTs paired with immobile QB play while also fighting through injury.. There were a lot of factors acting against the guy and I felt he played ‘ok’ given the circumstances. I think he’s going to make a huge leap this year.

Auden Tate

With the crowded WR room he’s been overlooked by Green, Boyd, Higgins, and even Ross. I don’t think he’s going to post monster numbers or anything like that bc there’s only so much to go around but i think he’ll still be a vital part of our offense and be a bigger red zone threat then ever before.

(08-16-2020, 04:43 PM)TSwigZ Wrote: Auden Tate

With the crowded WR room he’s been overlooked by Green, Boyd, Higgins, and even Ross. I don’t think he’s going to post monster numbers or anything like that bc there’s only so much to go around but i think he’ll still be a vital part of our offense and be a bigger red zone threat then ever before.

Than ever before for him, or ever before for the Bengals?

Because he only has 1 career TD so that's not a hard goal for him. For the Bengals, I am not sure anyone is topping Eifert's 2015 redzone performance of 12 catches on 15 targets for 11 TDs in 13 games. That'll probably stand for quite awhile.

All that aside, it does seem like Tate is primed for a decent role this year. Ross in LA, Higgins with a hamstring (who knows if that'll nag as they do), AJ not having played in what feels like an eternity. If everything goes right then he will indeed be forgotten (which should mean good things for the Bengals) but he'll likely have to step up at some point this season.

Granted I still think he'd be best off adding another 15-20 pounds of muscle, working on his blocking, and going to a receiving TE role.

I'll go Germaine Pratt.

With all the new LBs brought in this offseason, I don't see many talking about Pratt growing into an every-down LB.
He started 9 games last season and had 76 tackles, 50 of which were solo.
With a full season under his belt and (hopefully) better against both the run and pass, he could be a force.
Some people may forget that back in college, not only was he fast but he was also good against the run.

Germaine Pratt is going off this season!

Mine is Drew Sample. I just think with all this talk about Burrows weapons, AJ, Boyd, Ross Higgins etc.. We forget about Sample. He's gonna be huge this year, both in the run and passing game...

(08-16-2020, 11:56 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Every year, I think of some player that isn't getting much hype and is somewhat of a forgotten guy.  For me, that player is Gio Bernard.  Just two years ago, he played all 16 games, and averaged 4.4 ypc for 458 yards with two TDs, and also averaged 9 ypr and 389 yards receiving with two TDs.

That is 847 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs.  This was after the Shazier concussion.  

I think using Gio more as an active receiver in a pattern (instead of staying home to block on 3rd downs...) will finally use more of his potential.  

Everyone loves Gio the person, but we have somewhat forgotten about Gio the player.  Maybe this is the rationale for the mustache?  Maybe no one will see him coming.  

That is my "forgotten guy".  Who is yours?

Gio's a great choice. He's short like Clyde E-H. You can't help but think Burrow's going to love throwing to him and Mixon. They're both excleent receivers. And they'll love having a QB who can throw a damn screen pass.

My forgotten guy is Dunlap. He and Hubbard are both going to benefit from the Reader and Daniels signings. Between the two of them, they might get 20-25 sacks this year. 

Not "forgotten" but someone I expect to see jump his play level is WJIII.

Better play from the LB's, mixed with better D-line play and hopefully a better looking offense should make his life easier and allow him to play more natural and get back to being a shut down type of corner we all hoped he would be.

Im going to go with Darius Philips may make Trae Waynes a cap casualty next season.

Makenzie Alexander- with all the talk about Wayne's, Bell, and Bynes in free agency. This guy has been overlooked since he signed here.
He hasn't missed a tackle in like two seasons, he is a good Blitzer with 4 sacks in 2018, good run stoper with 7 TFLs in 2018, and  he plays arguably the most important position in the secondary at Nickel.
He had a 78.1 PFF Rating in 2018 and a 65.7 won last season! So past two seasons that's a 71.9 rating. 

(08-16-2020, 09:26 PM)J24 Wrote: Makenzie Alexander- with all the talk about Wayne's, Bell, and Bynes in free agency. This guy has been overlooked since he signed here.
He hasn't missed a tackle in like two seasons, he is a good Blitzer with 4 sacks in 2018, good run stoper with 7 TFLs in 2018, and  he plays arguably the most important position in the secondary at Nickel.
He had a 78.1 PFF Rating in 2018 and a 65.7 won last season! So past two seasons that's a 71.9 rating. 

I absolutely loved Mak coming out of Clemson. Hope you're right. 

Mine have all been taken at this point, so I'm going to go ahead and throw out Brandon Wilson.

He's not just a good kick returner, he's a darn good gunner on ST as well. Guys that can back up a position and excel on ST are worth something now.

Bates.  He had a sophomore slump on a down year for the whole team.  I wouldn't be shocked if he came roaring back and showed off some of the ball hawk, single high S skills that we got a taste of during his rookie season.  

(08-16-2020, 01:58 PM)Synric Wrote: CJ Uzomah could have a big year with Joe Burrow. I have barely seen him mentioned this offseason.

Good choice.  We all want Sample to show, but CJ has steadily improved since getting more and more playing time.  

(08-17-2020, 01:41 AM)Bilbo Saggins Wrote: Bates.  He had a sophomore slump on a down year for the whole team.  I wouldn't be shocked if he came roaring back and showed off some of the ball hawk, single high S skills that we got a taste of during his rookie season.  

Another good one.  Bates, for some reason, reminds me of Tyler Boyd, but on defense.  Both second round picks.  Both slumped the sophomore year.  Let's hope, like Boyd, he rebounds in 2020.  

There was an interview on Bengals Booth Podcast I listened to yesterday with Winston Rose, our CB that signed a 2 year deal on New Year's Eve after winning the Grey Cup in the CFL.

9 INTs last year is nothing to sneeze at "in any league" as ZT said. He had 5 INTs the year before. With Waynes' injury, I could see him pushing for more playing time with Darius Phillips.

Coming out of New Mexico State, he ran a 4.38 in his forty, with a 36" vertical, and 10'3" broad jump.

He measures 6' tall and 180 lbs and has a 6'4" wingspan.

My son is almost the same size and when he plays different sports, he looks like he is all arms (his wingspan is actually 6'5") and it really helped him grab some INTs as a DB. This is yet another example of quality depth that has been assembled behind the starters.

Another vote for Tate.

Andy Dalton. I haven’t thought about him since the Draft.

(08-17-2020, 02:01 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote:

NFL issued random drug test incoming lol