(08-30-2020, 10:32 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: On Star 64 right now. I remember this game like yesterday. Honestly, probably one of the top 3 games I've ever been to at PBS.

Anyway, I'm looking at this roster and it's astonishing the amount of talent we lost between 2016 and now. Peko, Whitworth, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Zeitler, Pac Man, Brandon Tate, Rey Malaluga, George Iloka, Tyler Eiffert, Jeremy Hill, Michael Johnson, and more that I'm probably missing.

It's just insane to me the amount of good players and roster turnover this team has had in 4 years. Some guys were getting washed up and released, other guys were lost to free agency.

I always kind of wondered what went wrong from us being really good (like in 2016) to being really bad (like last year) and it's as simple as just losing a butt load of talent and not replacing or retaining them over the years.

Anywho, I found it interesting. 2016 was good times...

(08-30-2020, 10:39 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: What is cool for us fans is that game gave us a glimpse of what we could be and it needed to be evaluated by the new young
coach. I didn't expect Taylor to just come out right out the gate and win in Seattle, and yet we almost did. Blew my mind.

Was a great game, the only great game we played last year for the most part.

We now have Taylor's team so we can judge him fairly.

I know I keep saying this but it is true.

(08-30-2020, 10:41 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: You're talking about the game from last year. I'm talking about the game from 2016. Marvin Lewis was head coach. 

(08-30-2020, 10:43 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Well then I don't give a shit Weezy....

(08-30-2020, 10:57 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: 2015*

(08-30-2020, 11:18 PM)J24 Wrote: Poor roster building losing Zeitler plus Whitworth killed us. Too much money on Johnson, Pac Man, Iloka, and  Vincent Rey killed us as well.

(08-31-2020, 02:43 AM)samhain Wrote: Losing those two WRs plus Eifert rarely being available wasn't awesome, either.  They always seem to have trouble replacing 2nd wrs.  They never replaced TJ as a complement to Chad with any really success, and it took a few seasons to get another running mate for AJ when Boyd came into his own.  

The Whitworth/Zeitler defections might not have stung so badly if they'd been successful selecting their replacements.  Ogbuehi and Fisher will always symbolize the beginning of the end for the Dalton/Green era here.  They were both crushing blows to any hopes they had of maintain success after 2015.

(08-30-2020, 10:32 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: On Star 64 right now. I remember this game like yesterday. Honestly, probably one of the top 3 games I've ever been to at PBS.

Anyway, I'm looking at this roster and it's astonishing the amount of talent we lost between 2016 and now. Peko, Whitworth, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Zeitler, Pac Man, Brandon Tate, Rey Malaluga, George Iloka, Tyler Eiffert, Jeremy Hill, Michael Johnson, and more that I'm probably missing.

It's just insane to me the amount of good players and roster turnover this team has had in 4 years. Some guys were getting washed up and released, other guys were lost to free agency.

I always kind of wondered what went wrong from us being really good (like in 2016) to being really bad (like last year) and it's as simple as just losing a butt load of talent and not replacing or retaining them over the years.

Anywho, I found it interesting. 2016 was good times...

(08-31-2020, 08:39 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Nailed both points...The rushing attack was never the same after that, either.  

If you look at that WR corps, it had the right amount of experience.  Wasn't relying on any rookies.  Ditto 2020.  AJ, Boyd, and Ross will make a solid starting 3, and you have quality depth in Tate, Higgins, Erickson, and Thomas.

The offensive line isn't quite as proven, with the biggest question mark being at LT.  Sure, he has impressed at camp, but Jonah Williams hasn't played a snap against NFL linemen and he will face Bosa and Garrett right away.  

The center position was the weakness of the 2015 offensive line, with Russell Bodine in year 2.   I would consider Hopkins an upgrade there

The guard play was very solid with Boling and Zeitler.  Again, a bit of an unknown with XSF, but I feel pretty good about Michael Jordan in year 2.

Andre Smith was playing solid RT, and we can hope that a similar light goes on in Bobby Hart. 

FWIW, I think losing Peko in the middle of the defensive front in 2017 was a blow as well.  Haven't been nearly as good at stopping the run.  Here's to DJ Reader being a massive upgrade over last year.