I’m excited for next season...

[*SHRacerX*]

(03-31-2021, 06:42 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Heck, many great coaches have turned around dead franchises in one season.

3 years is a long term rebuild by NFL standards.

Completely agree with this, but my counter would be that the Bengals didn't really go all in on a rebuild.  Not until this year. 

They stuck with AJ Green and gave him $18 million via the franchise tag.  A team doing a real rebuild would have tried to get something for him the year prior.  

They also stuck with Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins.  Same thing.  Should have tried to get something for them the year prior.  

They held out hope (poor strategy) that John Ross and some young players on the offensive line would be good with Burrow.  Wrong again.

This year, it seems, they took another step in FA and they REALLY cleaned out the last of the "old guard".  Some on here said no one liked ZT and they all prefer Marvin.  Maybe that is true on the "old guard" players, but I don't see that on the team overall.  I think this time they really made some key changes and although one could argue that the talent loss was greater than the talent influx, the guys they got fit their scheme.  WJIII was a man corner.  They clearly want guys that are more adept for zone.  They also added a high-motor productive DE to replace the one-year wonder in Lawson.  

I have no idea what kind of player WJIII was in the locker room, but his "parting shots" don't bode well.  Looking at a young stud like Jessie Bates and how Vonn Bell started to adapt to the role the Bengals were asking him to play here shows me that the coaches have an idea of what they want and how they are going to build it.


I am the eternal optimist.  Most of you know that already.  Here are a few of the things that have me so excited about this upcoming season:

Look what Joe Burrow did in his second year at LSU.  

Joe Mixon will be healthy, involved as a receiver more, and likely have a later round RB to push him along with Perine. 

I believe adding Ja'Marr Chase will give the Bengals one of the best WR corps in the NFL and will be the missing piece on the offense.

The offensive line will be massively improved vs. a year ago and will be a top 10 unit in the league.  

The defensive side of the trench will be much better than a year ago with a healthy Reader, depth at DT and DE, and the young LBs take the next step.

Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell in year two together.


My biggest issues are still on the defense.  I like a lot of the moves they have made, but they will need one more FA to help with the pass rush (really hoping it is Kerrigan) or they will likely have to use the 2nd round pick on a DE.  We all know we want that pick for the offensive line, so I am really holding out hope for one more pass rusher to join the fold.  I have my reservations about Anarumo, but when I see the progression of players like Bates and Bell I find at least some optimism.