(09-01-2017, 09:40 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: TLDR version:

(09-01-2017, 01:57 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I look at it this way...we have about a probably somewhere in the 12-16th range roster in the NFL if we ranked all teams. That's not good enough for a championship. It may be good enough for a Wildcard...

But...can the coaching make the roster better or worse? I don't think it will significantly improve the talent. If it makes the talent worse...7-9. If it allows the talent to stay it its current level - 9-7 or 10-6 and Wild Card.

(09-01-2017, 01:57 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I look at it this way...we have about a probably somewhere in the 12-16th range roster in the NFL if we ranked all teams. That's not good enough for a championship. It may be good enough for a Wildcard...

But...can the coaching make the roster better or worse? I don't think it will significantly improve the talent. If it makes the talent worse...7-9. If it allows the talent to stay it its current level - 9-7 or 10-6 and Wild Card.

(09-01-2017, 04:49 AM)kevin Wrote: Some of these injuries and suspensions may not be a bad thing.  I may be wrong, but isn't there an injured reserve thing where you can keep extra players. If so, it may help on cuts on a few players who looked good preseason. We do get these injured players back because there are no season ending injuries. I heard Minter say this is the best group of linebackers he's been with. He says the team is loaded at LB in great young talent. If so, we may be surprised in our LB's. The team did draft quicker, faster, younger on D. It would be great to see players flying to the ball old Paul Brown way. We were getting old at LB and a step too slow getting to plays last year.  With Atkins and Dunlap on D Line as Super Stars and some good vets and good new talent our D Line could be best in Bengals 50 year history. If Minter is right about loaded at LB that makes our front 7 tough. I think we have a good secondary and resigning Kirkpatrick should help. Besides Jones and Dennard and WJ3 top picks we also had a CB we added last year that looked like a great pick-up. If he is still on team, that helps. Some good safeties.  Bengals could have a Super Bowl type Defense. Those vanilla packages in preseason hide how they can really get after teams.  Our 5 straight play-off seasons unheard of in Bengals History were mostly because we had the best defense in Bengals History. I'm old and have seen all 50 years. Still, I thought our LB's could be better and if our LB's are best Minter has been on a team with, they can be great. Adding young, quick and fast on D a good thing. Speed is what you need. Tony Dungy made awful Tampa Bay a power with quick and fast D. Then taking over Indy he said team had Peyton Manning but losing because D too old and slow. He brought in young, quick and fast resulting in Super Bowl. Bengals have been adding young, quick and fast also. This has the makings of a fast Tony Dungy D that led to Tampa and Indy Super Bowls. Defense starts up front and many teams would love to have Atkins and Dunlap.  On offense we have Dalton to Green which has been awesome combination. I think we are deep at WR and RB.  I look for Ross, Hill, Bernard to be healthy soon and you add in Mixon, Lafell, Boyd, Core, Eifert and others, Bengals could be loaded on offense.  The O Line looked OK to me in preseason. The guy replacing Zeitler looks pretty good, and that is huge. Looks better than Andre Smith brought back. Smith gives our O Line great depth being a Bengals first rounder now back with these other top picks. I know O Line is rebuilt but we might be surprised in the improvement with each game marching to play-offs.  Huber solid and it looks like they have addressed complete collapse of Nugent.

Bengals started 8-0 year before last and Dalton was set for AFC MVP of Year before injury.  Team addressed last years fall off and this team could be back to form after one off season. AJ Green saying he and Dalton want that Super Bowl Ring.  Fans knock the coaching but we have went play-offs in 6 of the last 8 seasons. A huge improvement over THE BUNGLES who never went play-offs. Dalton, Green, Atkins, Dunlap provide LEADERSHIP often lacking from 1991 to 2010.  Solid Veteran TEAM LEADERS. Talent is not enough. You need some ALL MADDEN team leaders to win in play-offs.  As talented as Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco was, John Madden and many Hall of Famers said he lacked leadership and should have taken on team captain role. Even New England coach said he would add Chad only if he stopped his clowning around because New England is Super Bowl motivated.  I'm not denying he had talent, but John Madden said he should have became less ME and more TEAM LEADER.  I see this flaw in Odell Beckham for all his talent.  AJ Green is a Super Bowl type. When he scores he acts like it's not his first time. Green seems to have MADDEN leadership.  Super Bowl Leadership.  Green a huge reason for 5 straight play-offs for a franchise that had only went back to back play-offs in 1981 and 1982.  A franchise more use to losing than winning. Many of the Bengals 50 Year History I would like to forget. If the Bengals can go Super Bowl this decade, then fans of 2011 to 2020 are seeing the best decade in this teams history. One GREAT YEAR makes this a dynasty decade of which a 50 year fan like me has never seen. I want that, and we are like Cubs fans in that after all the losing, Bengals Fans more than others deserve a Super Bowl dynasty decade.  5 straight play-offs and decade ending in Super Bowl would be THE GLORY YEARS of Bengals History.   Good Vets and top young players, a great mixture for success.  BRING IT HOME. DO IT.  I love hearing AJ Green say stats are for old age retired and he wants a Super Bowl Ring. THAT IS LEADERSHIP. Hitch your wagon to a star. Dalton is reaching the age Ken Anderson went from rookie to MVP Vet as I saw it all kick in for him, as if the game became easy to him.  The reason my picture is THE SUPER BOWL TROPHY. I think Bengals Fans should taste winning it all finally. It would help wipe away decades of THE BUNGLES.  Remember that Denver finally had an era of winning with John Elway, but still considered losers until winning Super Bowl last years of decade made it a Glory Decade. Their success because they also added good young RB and other young talent to put them over the top with vets like Elway. Dalton is no Elway, but I've always felt he is a winner like Bart Starr. Not a Unitas or an Elway, but you can go far with a Bart Starr or a Len Dawson and I think Dalton can be that and like Ken Anderson, Dalton as a Vet his game all there, as the game becomes easier to him. Dalton showed signs of this in 8-0 start. I consider him a Bart Starr type of great brain of the game and coach like field General and a winner and the best is yet to come  .....GO BENGALS  

(09-02-2017, 02:46 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I'd say our best case scenario for this team would be a playoff win. We're not winning a Super Bowl.

Most likely we'll win about 7 years with a string of wins at the end of the year to give fans hope for next year.