(08-23-2022, 06:14 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Not sure the TE will factor into the offense more this year or not and suspect it will be about the same or less.

In the interview somebody posted a few weeks ago with Chase, Higgins, and Boyd they seemed to have a goal to be the first NFL WR trio to get 1,000 plus yards each.

(08-24-2022, 12:53 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I think Hayden Hurst will help big time in the Red Zone.

Taylor has already been praising him there, big difference at TE from last year. Much quicker in and out of his breaks than Uzo
and a crisper route runner will help the Offense big time. Scoring TD's is what matters when getting into the RZ and we sucked 
at this last season. Not that it was all Uzo's fault but it wasn't like he was good in the RZ either. 

Blocking is where we might miss Uzo as Hurst isn't as good of a blocker.

(08-24-2022, 12:53 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I think Hayden Hurst will help big time in the Red Zone.

Taylor has already been praising him there, big difference at TE from last year. Much quicker in and out of his breaks than Uzo
and a crisper route runner will help the Offense big time. Scoring TD's is what matters when getting into the RZ and we sucked 
at this last season. Not that it was all Uzo's fault but it wasn't like he was good in the RZ either. 

Blocking is where we might miss Uzo as Hurst isn't as good of a blocker.

(08-23-2022, 12:13 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: I just received an email from Draft Sharks and it has Vegas setting our offense at about 16th for average points per game for the season.

It has us at 23.3 points per game, which Buffalo is in the at the top with only 27 ppg, so it's not that big of a jump.

You might need to be a member to view (I tried to copy and paste), but here's the list.

1. Bills
2. Chiefs
3. Bucs (it makes me feel good because that means Brady will have a big year and I drafted him in a fantasy league, which the run on QBs started right after my pick, so there was like 8 QBs taken before I could get Brady).

I'd bet that we finish better than 16th and I think we'll easily be top ten.

We scored 27.1 last season (which was 7th), and we've improved our offensive line, so how are we projected that low?

(08-24-2022, 12:56 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Agree and have got nothing against Hurst at all and believe he is just what the Bengals needed at the right price. 

(08-24-2022, 12:59 PM)Go Cards Wrote: It's still my opinion that CJ's biggest mistake was trying to become the leader on a team that is clearly led by Joe Burrow. 

(08-24-2022, 01:29 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Feel the same, think Hurst will resurrect his career here and have a very good year scoring TD's for us.

Something we needed drastically from the TE position especially in the RZ.


Eh, we needed a rah rah guy. Burrow isn't that much of a rah rah guy. He is a quiet leader.

Might actually need some player to step up and be this for us this year, I think this might be missed same as Uzo's blocking.

(08-24-2022, 01:40 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Disagree with the rah rah guy being missed but his blocking will be missed, yet hopefully covered by a better OL.  

CJ's words sounded hollow to me and Burrow had to correct him at least once and maybe twice. 

Know he did when CJ said the Bengals would be embracing the underdog role and Joe was quick to point out that the Bengals belonged and expected to win and did not think of themselves as underdogs at all. 

Then it went from "why not us" to "it is us". 

Joe is our leader, the fans may need a rah rah guy but the players imo have their leader already in Joe Cool. 

(08-23-2022, 01:44 AM)fredtoast Wrote: This makes no sense at all.

We make big upgrades to the O-line and replace Uzo with Hayden Hurst which is a wash. Yet we are projected to drop by 3.8 points per game which is 30th in the league.

Do we play a lot of great defenses this year?

(08-23-2022, 02:05 AM)Frank Booth Wrote: If he’s a wash then why mention it?

And you’re gonna see how much of a “wash” it is when Uzomah puts up <350 yards while Hurst puts up 500+

(08-28-2022, 11:25 AM)samhain Wrote: Yeah, I don't want to crap on CJ, but I think Hurst is going to be a big boost form a purely offensive standpoint. 

(08-28-2022, 02:10 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: What other standpoint could there be?!



I agree though because, like I've said, he's too athletic for backers to cover and safeties will be too busy trying to double Chase and keep someone back to cover Boyd and Higgins on the other side, all while trying to keep a safety in the box to stop Mixon!

Hurst is also great at finding holes in the zone and up the seam!

(08-24-2022, 12:53 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I think Hayden Hurst will help big time in the Red Zone.

Scoring TD's is what matters when getting into the RZ and we sucked at this last season. Not that it was all Uzo's fault but it wasn't like he was good in the RZ either. 

(08-28-2022, 04:03 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Last year CJ's catch percentage in the Red Zone (55.6%) was higher than Higgins (37.5%) and Chase (53.3%) and not far behind Boyd (63.6%).

CJ's catch percentage last season was almost identical to has career number (55.9%).  And his career number is higher than Hurst's (50%).  They both have 9 career TD catches in the red zone. 

Don't know why anyone would claim CJ was not good in the red zone.

(08-28-2022, 11:17 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: From Paul Dehner of The Athletic:
We are not allowed to report specific personnel packages or schemes from these practices. Video was shut down completely once the two teams started going against each other. There was good reason for that. Both sides opened up the playbook to see how their new wrinkles look in action without fear of putting it out on tape for the entire league to see.

As for what I can say, the Bengals put on display the type of unpredictability expected of their dangerous skill position players. I wrote this year to expect to see more usage of Ja’Marr Chase in the slot and many other spots on the field and let’s just say on every play I was noting where every player was lined up and I had to work to figure out where they were going.

Expect significant unpredictability from the Bengals passing game as it evolves this year, if the joint practices were any indication. Much of that will be built to take advantage of the anticipated shells and soft coverages designed to keep the lid on a team with 12 plays of 50-plus yards last year.

(08-28-2022, 04:03 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Last year CJ's catch percentage in the Red Zone (55.6%) was higher than Higgins (37.5%) and Chase (53.3%) and not far behind Boyd (63.6%).

CJ's catch percentage last season was almost identical to has career number (55.9%).  And his career number is higher than Hurst's (50%).  They both have 9 career TD catches in the red zone. 

Don't know why anyone would claim CJ was not good in the red zone.