04-20-2021, 12:44 PM
(03-30-2021, 11:27 PM)bengaloo Wrote: I'm excited. Zac has had to rebuild this entire team. Our big dogs when he took over Dalton, Green, Atkins, Dunlap, were basically done before he took over. We had covid last year, stupid injuries, 2 DLmen sitting out, Reader hurt, Waynes, Atkins, Hubbard for a while, XSF, Mixon, etc. We were signing DL off the street to fill holes. We had to play Sims because Waynes was out which hurt depth overall. Turner was starting Jordan and Johnson at G and we had Hart at RT. All of that stuff has mostly been addressed, and we got a good OL coach now.
Getting the right players and most importantly a franchise QB can make an average coach look great. We got our QB, and ZT, if he hasnt done anything else that well, he has brought in players that seem to fit his plan and has been active in FA. And now he is primed for another good draft that is deep at positions of need. With a more normal offseason and a little luck on the injury front, the Bengals may shock some folks this year. We really were in a lot of games last year despite the adversity this team faced. We even beat the Stealers on MNF.
This is ZT's make or break year. He's done a good job at trying to rebuild and bring in new guys who are good and also good leaders. If we suck again, ZT is gone. But I think we have a good chance to turn some heads. I can see a playoff run or close.
(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.
The turnaround in Cincy takes longer as the Front Office won't commit to a rebuild.
Lawson, WJIII, Dalton, Green, Eifert, Atkins, Billings, Dunlap etc should have all been flipped for picks if they weren't part of the long term plan. Instead they got a 7th round and maybe a 4th round comp for the lot.
If they'd picked up a couple of seconds and some thirds a year ago this rebuild would be over instead it is stretched out over three drafts.
(04-01-2021, 09:15 AM)bengalfreak Wrote: Really? Where's the talent coming from because it certainly isn't here now? So far they have replaced Bobby Hart with Reily Reiff, which is a great step up, no doubt. But not anywhere close enough to making this OLine even average. I will also point out that the only time Reiff has been asked to play the right side (in Detroit) he struggled. And if they end up with Jamarr Chase in the first round, this team will finish last in the AFCN again. Because any OLinemen they take in rounds two and later won't play well until at least mid season. I think they'll finish last again even if they do get Penei Sewell in the first round. The window for fixing this Oline for the 2021 season has already passed. And, as usual this front office results has been found extremely wanting.
It's unlikely Sewell will play well in the first half of the season either. He won't have played for 18 months and will be stepping up in standard.
However I don't think it is outrageous to expect the O-line to be better just from not having Redmond (played 42% of the Bengals' offensive snaps last year), Jordan (played 68%), Fred Johnson (played 46%) lining up so much. Injuries do happen but none of those should be first man off the bench at either T or G once the draft is factored in. This is also before any improvement for Reiff in for Hart (or Pollock replacing Turner). I wouldn't be expecting an All-Pro line but with even an only slightly below average line this could be a dangerous offense with Burrow, Mixon, Chase(?), Higgins and Boyd. Before Burrow went down after 9 games this O had scored 30+ points 3 times (and 27 on another) against teams who ended up going to the play-offs. The consistency wasn't there but there were flashes of what this O could become.
