How Soon Will They Make Plays?

[GreenCornBengal]

Just curious how soon you think these following players will start making an impact.



Chris Carter -- We've seen what he can do, and the coaches have too. He made the roster, but how long will it be before we see him rushing the passer? Do they already have a plan to bring him in on 3rd down rush situations or are they slowly working him in? Will we see him week 1?

PJD -- We all want him out there, but how long does it take to crack the lineup? If no one gets hurt, will we see PJD halfway through the season? Or, will he pull a Dennard and ride the bench the entire season after a promising preseason?

Greg Little -- We all get a little excited when Little touches the field. He has that Dez Bryant body, and flashes when he does make plays. How soon does he make an impact? Will his precense be similar to the one he had last year (seen one play, gone the rest of the game), or will he contribute on a weekly basis?

Fisher -- A lot of people keyed him in as the first rookie to make an impact this year. After a discerning preseason, how soon will he get on the field? He may come in for some jumbo packages, but will he do anything else?

Kroft -- We really haven't seen much from the guy. Will he make plays when they are needed most? Or will he fumble and bumble his way to Gresham status. Is he a one catch a game TE or a 4 catch a game TE? Is he going to be bailing Dalton out? How often will we run 2 TE sets knowing that he is the number 2 TE?

Alford -- Will Hue Jackson have packages for Alford or will he stay mainly a practice player due to his lack of experience. He didn't do much to impress the coaches, which doesn't bode well for his impact in games, but maybe I'm wrong. How long until we see Alford make a noteworthy play?



Those are the 6 new guys I can think of who could possibly make an impact sooner than later. If you have others please bring them up, as I may have forgotten someone.

 

[RoyleRedlegs]

Dawson before the bye.
Carter will impact vs Oakland, their OTs suck.
Fisher hopefully only on the GL as a 6th blocker/eligible OT
Greg Little, maybe never god willing.
Kroft, week 1. TE#2
Alford - not until he shows better routes/hands.

[McC]

(09-08-2015, 10:57 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Dawson before the bye.
Carter will impact vs Oakland, their OTs suck.
Fisher hopefully only on the GL as a 6th blocker/eligible OT
Greg Little, maybe never god willing.
Kroft, week 1. TE#2
Alford - not until he shows better routes/hands.

If Little has indeed found his concentration, he could be a nice weapon.  Big question will be if they trust him enough to throw to him.  Also, how many passes are there going to be to go around?  If he's the 4th WR, that won't give him many chances.  Maybe the end around with him.

I think it's possible Hewitt catches more balls than the TE2.  How often do we throw to the second TE?  Doesn't seem like very often.  This guy is mainly a blocker, isn't he?

As to Alford, if you can't find a way to make him a weapon, you should at least be able to use him as a decoy.

[McC]

(09-08-2015, 10:57 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Dawson before the bye.
Carter will impact vs Oakland, their OTs suck.
Fisher hopefully only on the GL as a 6th blocker/eligible OT
Greg Little, maybe never god willing.
Kroft, week 1. TE#2
Alford - not until he shows better routes/hands.

With Dawson, I feel like once he gets on the field, they will not be able to get him off. And LB's always go down, sometimes in bunches, so...

[EatonFan]

(09-08-2015, 10:42 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: Just curious how soon you think these following players will start making an impact.



Chris Carter -- We've seen what he can do, and the coaches have too. He made the roster, but how long will it be before we see him rushing the passer? Do they already have a plan to bring him in on 3rd down rush situations or are they slowly working him in? Will we see him week 1?

PJD -- We all want him out there, but how long does it take to crack the lineup? If no one gets hurt, will we see PJD halfway through the season? Or, will he pull a Dennard and ride the bench the entire season after a promising preseason?

Greg Little -- We all get a little excited when Little touches the field. He has that Dez Bryant body, and flashes when he does make plays. How soon does he make an impact? Will his precense be similar to the one he had last year (seen one play, gone the rest of the game), or will he contribute on a weekly basis?

Fisher -- A lot of people keyed him in as the first rookie to make an impact this year. After a discerning preseason, how soon will he get on the field? He may come in for some jumbo packages, but will he do anything else?

Kroft -- We really haven't seen much from the guy. Will he make plays when they are needed most? Or will he fumble and bumble his way to Gresham status. Is he a one catch a game TE or a 4 catch a game TE? Is he going to be bailing Dalton out? How often will we run 2 TE sets knowing that he is the number 2 TE?

Alford -- Will Hue Jackson have packages for Alford or will he stay mainly a practice player due to his lack of experience. He didn't do much to impress the coaches, which doesn't bode well for his impact in games, but maybe I'm wrong. How long until we see Alford make a noteworthy play?



Those are the 6 new guys I can think of who could possibly make an impact sooner than later. If you have others please bring them up, as I may have forgotten someone.

 

Carter will be in on week 1.  I also think if he has success he'll get more and more snaps.  I really think we have something with him.  At least I'm hopeful about a pass rush.  I think he'll be at first a situational pass rusher.  I don't think we'll see him a lot on rush downs.  2nd and 3rds and long.

Dawson will get mixed in.  He's a gamer and his instincts will get even faster as he gets more snaps.

Little always will be inconsistent.  He'll make a few plays but he's not dependable.  He can beat average CBs an average amount of time.  Beyond that, I wouldn't count on him much.

Fisher concerns me.  He has to get better.  He'll be used sparingly in packages where he can work on different blocking a la Roland.  I hope his ceiling is high, but just as I'm hopeful on Carter I am not so on Fisher.

Kroft is going to be solid.  Nothing flashy.  He's there as a safety valve and blocker.  If he becomes more, that would be awesome.

Alford just needs to work on route running and concentration.  He's got the tools, but I doubt we'll see much of him at all until he starts showing the coaches some consistency.

[EatonFan]

I know he isn't "new" per se, but I'm dying to see what Eifert can do.

[GreenCornBengal]

(09-09-2015, 12:29 AM)EatonFan Wrote: I know he isn't "new" per se, but I'm dying to see what Eifert can do.

Ya it seems he should get 60+ yards a game easily but it will be interesting to see what actually happens. Gresham had the potential to be a stud TE and amounted to average, and while I have great faith in Eiferts ability I will have to see it in a few games to fully believe it. He showed a ton his rookie year, but he wasn't covered as a TE1. Will be fun to watch.

[*bfine32*]

(09-08-2015, 10:57 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Greg Little, maybe never god willing.

No doubt. We can only hope he doesn't make any plays.

[BengalChris]

Chris Carter -- A week one contributor if the coaches don't get in the way. This should continue for the rest of the season.

PJD -- With Burfict out for at least 6 weeks, Dawson should be have an impact week one.

Greg Little -- With AJ, Jones, Sanu and Eifert all healthy, I don't see Little getting many targets. Burkhead could steal snaps from him as receiver. If we lose a WR, then his role will increase.

Fisher -- Frankly I believe Winston will be the first OL off the bench and I believe Fisher will have the fewest snaps of these six before making a penalty. You read it here first.

Kroft -- Run blocking in 2TE sets will be his biggest contribution this year. Not so many targets in the passing game unless Eifert gets injured.

Alford -- 2016 If we get behind we might run a package or two with him, but expect Hue to seek safety by targeting his best guys. If we are ahead, we'll run the ball more and might use Alford if we are well ahead, wouldn't really be a impactful.

[RoyleRedlegs]

(09-09-2015, 12:37 AM)bfine32 Wrote: No doubt. We can only hope he doesn't make any plays.

He's the fourth WR
I hope he never has to see the field. If he does, it means AJ, Sanu or Jones is hurt or not playing for some reason.

You would prefer that?

Or is this just typical bfine bfine'ing? 

[RoyleRedlegs]

(09-08-2015, 11:36 PM)McC Wrote: If Little has indeed found his concentration, he could be a nice weapon.  Big question will be if they trust him enough to throw to him.  Also, how many passes are there going to be to go around?  If he's the 4th WR, that won't give him many chances.  Maybe the end around with him.

I think it's possible Hewitt catches more balls than the TE2.  How often do we throw to the second TE?  Doesn't seem like very often.  This guy is mainly a blocker, isn't he?

As to Alford, if you can't find a way to make him a weapon, you should at least be able to use him as a decoy.

I think he's the 4th WR at best (Burkhead might get more reps and be the WR 4)
He's at best going to be the 7th or 8th option behind:
AJ Green
Marvin Jones
Mohamed Sanu
Tyler Eifert
Gio Bernard
Jeremy Hill
Rex Burkhead

Then down here it's Kroft and Little. 

I don't even know if he'll be active. He might be the oddman out. 

The only way he sees the field for more than a handful of snaps is if there is an injury...which is bad

[*PhilHos*]

(09-09-2015, 01:55 AM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: He's the fourth WR
I hope he never has to see the field. If he does, it means AJ, Sanu or Jones is hurt or not playing for some reason.

You would prefer that?

Or is this just typical bfine bfine'ing? 

Ummm, you do realize that sometimes the Bengals use a 4 or 5 WR set on offense, right?

[*SHRacerX*]

(09-08-2015, 10:42 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: Just curious how soon you think these following players will start making an impact.



Chris Carter -- We've seen what he can do, and the coaches have too. He made the roster, but how long will it be before we see him rushing the passer? Do they already have a plan to bring him in on 3rd down rush situations or are they slowly working him in? Will we see him week 1?

PJD -- We all want him out there, but how long does it take to crack the lineup? If no one gets hurt, will we see PJD halfway through the season? Or, will he pull a Dennard and ride the bench the entire season after a promising preseason?

Greg Little -- We all get a little excited when Little touches the field. He has that Dez Bryant body, and flashes when he does make plays. How soon does he make an impact? Will his precense be similar to the one he had last year (seen one play, gone the rest of the game), or will he contribute on a weekly basis?

Fisher -- A lot of people keyed him in as the first rookie to make an impact this year. After a discerning preseason, how soon will he get on the field? He may come in for some jumbo packages, but will he do anything else?

Kroft -- We really haven't seen much from the guy. Will he make plays when they are needed most? Or will he fumble and bumble his way to Gresham status. Is he a one catch a game TE or a 4 catch a game TE? Is he going to be bailing Dalton out? How often will we run 2 TE sets knowing that he is the number 2 TE?

Alford -- Will Hue Jackson have packages for Alford or will he stay mainly a practice player due to his lack of experience. He didn't do much to impress the coaches, which doesn't bode well for his impact in games, but maybe I'm wrong. How long until we see Alford make a noteworthy play?



Those are the 6 new guys I can think of who could possibly make an impact sooner than later. If you have others please bring them up, as I may have forgotten someone.

 

The pessimist in me that has been a fan of this team since its inception remembers Marvin's habit of sitting rookies over dud veterans, but the optimist in me realizes that lately there have been some high-impact rookies on this team:  Hewitt and Burfict weren't even draft picks and both saw a LOT of action as rookies.  Bodine started all 16 games.  So, to respond to the OPs original question:

Carter:  Right away.  They need him getting game experience against #1s and playing with our #1s.  I think his excellent use of his hands and his motor pay dividends right away, and I am a big fan of the rotation to get more out of each player.

PJD- Hopefully not, as this would indicate an injury or really poor play by a starter.  With Burfict projected back at week 6, it would take a huge failure or injury to see the field as a starting LB.  If I had to bet, however, I would guess that he will be fighting to take Lamur's spot in the nickel packages.  Instincts are the big difference between those two. 

Greg Little-  Hope he never sees the field.  He did improve and played well in the preseason, but he is purely a depth player.  Hope he is never activated.

Fisher-  He will have to improve a TON in the practices, because what I saw in limited action in the preseason showed the guy was a huge liability.  Hopefully, they can coach this guy up all year and get something out of him next year.  As it sits right now, there is no way this guy replaces Andre Smith.

Kroft-  I was sure his season was over after that shot he took against the Colts.  He will definitely get some action this year, but blocking will be his primary assignment.  They will give him a few targets to keep defenses honest, and I think he could end the season with close to 30 receptions....not too far of Eifert's rookie season.  Remember, Hue's offense loves the TE, and he only had Gresh and Eifert on the field together for a very short amount of time in Eifert's rookie season.  I have high hopes for Kroft to become a solid #2 TE. 

Alford-  The wildcard.  Do you take Marvin Jones, Sanu, or even AJ off the field to give him a snap?  Unbelievably, I say yes.  Keep Jones fresh and spell him with Alford running the "X" position and let him burn a 9 route and help stretch the defense to open things up for AJ, the TEs, and the slot guys underneath.  And the occasional misdirection (I think teams will be so focused on stopping Hill that these have a great chance of success) will allow him to show his speed against LBs that are in the game to stuff the run.  Having seen Alford's ability to track a deep ball as well, I wouldn't be opposed to giving him some deep balls (that sounded funny).  Can you imagine him lined up inside of AJ on the same side of the field, having them cross as AJ runs a crossing route while Alford burns downfield?  I would think a lot of attention would be paid to AJ in such scenarios.  As a matter of fact, if Hill is in the backfield, and Marvin runs an out pattern on the other side of the field, I might just run this the first offensive play of the game and see if Alford can get a blown coverage. 

[Luvnit2]

(09-08-2015, 10:42 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: Just curious how soon you think these following players will start making an impact.



Chris Carter -- We've seen what he can do, and the coaches have too. He made the roster, but how long will it be before we see him rushing the passer? Do they already have a plan to bring him in on 3rd down rush situations or are they slowly working him in? Will we see him week 1?

PJD -- We all want him out there, but how long does it take to crack the lineup? If no one gets hurt, will we see PJD halfway through the season? Or, will he pull a Dennard and ride the bench the entire season after a promising preseason?

Greg Little -- We all get a little excited when Little touches the field. He has that Dez Bryant body, and flashes when he does make plays. How soon does he make an impact? Will his precense be similar to the one he had last year (seen one play, gone the rest of the game), or will he contribute on a weekly basis?

Fisher -- A lot of people keyed him in as the first rookie to make an impact this year. After a discerning preseason, how soon will he get on the field? He may come in for some jumbo packages, but will he do anything else?

Kroft -- We really haven't seen much from the guy. Will he make plays when they are needed most? Or will he fumble and bumble his way to Gresham status. Is he a one catch a game TE or a 4 catch a game TE? Is he going to be bailing Dalton out? How often will we run 2 TE sets knowing that he is the number 2 TE?

Alford -- Will Hue Jackson have packages for Alford or will he stay mainly a practice player due to his lack of experience. He didn't do much to impress the coaches, which doesn't bode well for his impact in games, but maybe I'm wrong. How long until we see Alford make a noteworthy play?



Those are the 6 new guys I can think of who could possibly make an impact sooner than later. If you have others please bring them up, as I may have forgotten someone.

 

I say many of the guys listed may be inactive early for many games if no injuries:

I say I hope not, but I could see Carter inactive early if MJ is active

Fisher - lots of work needed
Dawson - I think he is a possibility because of special teams also (but Carter is also a good special teams player so toss up on which is active on game day)
Uzomah - least likely as he is a project
Alford - it is possible they have special packages for him so possible or another who may be inactive
Little - I could see him making the quickest impact

But my #1 is Kroft as he will be the one who gets the most opportunity starting week #1

[CJD]

Chris Carter -- He'll contribute from week 1 on. He won't play a whole lot of snaps, but on 2nd and long and 3rd down you bet he'll be in there.

PJD -- I don't expect Dawson to see much play unless Vinny or Hawk gets injured, unfortunately. He deserves the playing time, but our team won't give it to him, unless they've drastically changed their strategy from last year.

Greg Little -- He may be active. I could see him spelling Green on occasion and seeing time in 4 or 5 wide sets. But he probably won't be very key to any strategy.

Fisher -- He'll be either the 6th OL on heavy run plays or he will be inactive. Either way, not much impact unless there's an injury.

Kroft -- He'll see regular play as the 2nd TE, but I don't think he'll put up very big numbers this year. He may have a few good games and a few good clutch catches, but our offense doesn't use the TE2 very often as a receiving target.

Alford -- Each game either he or Tate will be inactive. Early in the season, I don't see Alford ever being active. As the season wears on, he may take over Tate's spot and get a few games under his belt.

[Stormborn]

(09-09-2015, 07:22 AM)PhilHos Wrote: Ummm, you do realize that sometimes the Bengals use a 4 or 5 WR set on offense, right?

Why would you not line up Eifert in slot then? Or Burkhead?

[*bengalfan74*]

Carter and Kroft are the two most likely to be in there first. Dawson may end up being in there a little later on depending on how our LB positions pan out.

[M.W.]

Cris Carter this Sunday, Dawson by week 3.

The rest it is very hard to say. I do think Little can be a factor if used, kinda reminds me of T.O. running a slant route.

[grampahol]

Something I'll never get is hoping certain players never play. Little, while I'm not a big fan could conceivably have a great season and catch 12 TDs .I don't expect it to happen and doubt it will, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth if it does. He may be inconsistent, but the same can be said of AJ and Sanu and MJ sat an entire season and healed up. Personally I hope everyone on the roster has a breakout season including the players everyone loves to hate.

[djs7685]

(09-09-2015, 11:53 AM)grampahol Wrote: Something I'll never get is hoping certain players never play.  Little,  while I'm not a big fan could conceivably have a great season and catch 12 TDs .I don't expect it to happen and doubt it will, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth if it does. He may be inconsistent, but the same can be said of AJ and Sanu and MJ sat an entire season and healed up.   Personally I hope everyone on the roster has a breakout season including the players everyone loves to hate.

I think you're just taking what people are saying the wrong way.

Nobody is saying "I hope Greg Little doesn't play because I hope he is terrible". Nobody hates Greg Little. People don't want to see him play because some combination of that meaning our other guys are likely injured and/or they don't find Little to be a very good WR.

I don't think Domata Peko is a good NT, but I don't hate him and I hope he lights it up this year. I don't think Margus Hunt is a good DE, but I don't hate him and I hope he lights it up this year as well.

People need to comprehend this kind of stuff before going on and on about people wishing our guys to fail or whatever the narrative is exactly.