(03-20-2019, 08:23 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Why would they do that?  I mean, it's going to be one heck of a letdown to the Texans' fans the next time Watson goes down, and they roll out AJ McCarron..

(03-21-2019, 09:10 AM)Daddy-O Wrote: Sorry but I just don't see FA as a make or break plan.  Outside of the LA Rams, history doesn't really reflect any significant impact to winning for teams that make big free agent signings.

People need to remember this was a 4-1 team before the injuries derailed the season.  Some may say injuries happen to every team, and that is true.  But the Bengals lost very key cogs in the wheel (Brown in week 1, Glascow in week 3, Eifert in week 4, Kroft in week 5, Lawson went down, Green went down, Dalton down, Vigil missed what seemed like couple months, the list goes on).  Ross, although not very productive, missed time.  All of these starters were critical.  We essentially just played with too many back-ups.  A couple of players out for a couple of weeks no biggie but you just can't overcome the number of quality players that went to the IR.

We should be better at LG.  Hopefully we'll draft a stud LB, pick up a TE and some additional lineman in the draft.

Who knows what kind of coach ZT will be.  I'm sure he'll need to learn the ins and outs and there will probably be some growing pains. Worst case he ought to be able to manage the clock better from day 1 and hold players accountable for their actions.

(03-22-2019, 02:02 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Problem is that 5 sixth round picks are not wort anything when trying to trade up.

Plus 6th round picks are like lottery tickets.  You don't buy 6 because you think you will win 6 times.  You keep 5 6th round picks because it increases you chances of winning with one of them.

(03-23-2019, 09:34 AM)t3r3e3 Wrote: People also forget the schedule got tougher after September.  4-1 came on the backs of a weaker portion of the schedule.  The good teams stomped the Bengals.  Last year’s team without the injuries was likely 8-8 at best.

(03-23-2019, 09:43 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Dang, can you give me the winning Powerball numbers for tonight?

(03-23-2019, 08:28 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: It is a steady, solid performance all year but hardly worth what he is commanding.  He just seemed to play with more urgency the last quarter of the season.  Remember, he played next to Aaron Donald and got a lot of one on one matchups.  And he wants something like 13 million a year?  

(03-23-2019, 04:43 PM)t3r3e3 Wrote: I don’t see why that’s surprising.  Going into the season the line sucked, and the LB corps sucked.  Everyone knew this including the opponents.  At the end of the season, the conclusion was that the o-line and linebackers indeed sucked.  It’s hard to beat quality teams when you can’t block and can’t cover backs and TE’s.  Quality teams trashed the Bengals last year.

(03-23-2019, 05:04 PM)SladeX Wrote: Get Suh and run a 46. Then you don't need the LB, lol.

(03-23-2019, 09:34 AM)t3r3e3 Wrote: People also forget the schedule got tougher after September.  4-1 came on the backs of a weaker portion of the schedule.  The good teams stomped the Bengals.  Last year’s team without the injuries was likely 8-8 at best. 

(03-23-2019, 06:22 PM)Brownshoe Wrote: I'm actually happy about this offseason. Yeah, it wasnt perfect but that's stupid to expect perfection. I will be pretty hyped if we draft White or Taylor. I cant wait for the draft. This team has a lot of potential, but can easily crumble. It's pretty exciting to me.

(03-23-2019, 04:55 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: You like to make a lot of assumptions, I get that.  However, at the onset of the season, Preston Brown looked great, and nobody had a clue that Burfict would come out looking like the Cowardly Lion..   What Terryl Austin was trying to do with the secondary playing Zone just wasn't working, but the DL looked very effective until Lawson was lost. 

It's also funny how that line that sucked, looked perfectly adequate, when all of the offense was healthy.  They were 4-1, and damn close to beating the Steelers and being 5-1.

I'm not making any excuses, just giving a more accurate accounting that a simple "they sucked" and "they also sucked".  Without all of the injuries, I see last year's Bengals as a 10 win team.  Evidently Coach Taylor sees the same thing, as he gushes about the offensive talent the Bengals have.

(03-23-2019, 08:06 PM)t3r3e3 Wrote: Going into the season the Bengals had arguably the worst coverage linebackers in the entire NFL.  Brown and Burfict, the two best linebackers on the roster, are/were liabilities in coverage. The rest of the LB corps was populated by plodders and middling athletes, save for Jefferson and Evans.  

The NFL is a passing league.  The Bengals LB unit hasn’t been able to cover anyone for the past 7-8 seasons.  The LB corps was a glaring weakness going into 2018, and odds were, just like the line, they were going to be bad.  None of these “assumptions” should surprise anyone who watches the team.

It’s hard to be a ten win team when you can’t hold up at the point of attack and get gashed by RB’s/TE’s and slot WR’s over the middle.  Given the team’s 3rd place schedule, 7-9 to 8-8 is a pretty accurate representation of the team’s chances in 2018.  Unless the line and LB corps is fixed in 2019, 7-9 to 8-8 will again be the most probable outcome.  I hope they win ‘em all, but I don’t see a legitimate Playoff team unless the C/right side of line and LB corps are significantly improved.  So far they haven’t done much to move the needle on either.

(03-23-2019, 07:01 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: What exactly made you 'pretty happy'?

We you like man I hope the Bengals struggle to find a DC and then end up with Lou A! The Giants were amazing!

Or were you like: 'Man I hope we don't lose Bobby Hart! He needs a healthy contract.'

Or were you like: 'Man we need to sign a Guard who was in and out of the starting lineup for poor play for 3 years, who looked decent last year...but his pass protection was worse than Redmonds!'

Or were you like: 'Wow! We need to sign Kerry Wynn!'

Or were you like: 'Man, we need Dennard and his 3 ints over 5 years! We could have a secondary with 3 CB's who average a low amount of interceptions a year!'

Or were you like: 'Man I hope we keep Preston Brown and don't address LB otherwise!'

(03-23-2019, 05:32 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Are you sure that you know what you're talking about?  The 46 defense wasn't even named after the alignment of the LBs and DBs, it was named after Bears Safety Doug Plank, who wore number 46.  Plank was such a hard hitter that they moved him up with the LBs, just 5 yds. off the ball.  The Bears ran that defense with 4-3 personnel in the game.

(03-22-2019, 08:00 PM)HuDey Wrote: We need this on both sides of the ball. Part of the reason I want to blow this roster up is because I don’t see much of it. Will a new coaching staff be the cure? I have my doubts but we will find out soon enough.

(03-24-2019, 01:15 AM)Brownshoe Wrote: No, I was like "I know the Bengals and they rarely make splash plays in FA. I'm happy that Marvin Lewis is out of here and now we have a bunch of new faces. I'm happy that we are adding in depth in key positions because our depth is horrible. I'm happy because this team can get new life and a big part of the team wasnt bad last year we just had a few glaring issues that can be addressed in the draft and better playcalling"