05-09-2021, 02:21 PM
(05-07-2021, 07:10 PM)DesertBengal Wrote: My long winded opinion on the 2021 offseason so far.
Free Agency:
I like some of the additions we made, even though I don’t we improved much with some of the moves. The addition of Henrickson cancels out the loss of Lawson. The addition of Awuzie and Hilton cancel the loss out the loss of WJ3 and M. Alexander. I would have liked the FO to make a stronger push for a starting caliber experienced guard like Feiler or Zeitler. Not landing one of those 2 put extra pressure on the draft, especially since we’re still sitting on a lot of cap space. Overpaying a little to land one of those 2 guards would have been financially possible. I still have my fingers crossed for a free agent veteran LB and WR.
Draft:
I’m happy with the Chase selection and like the value of the trade back in the 2nd round. I understand the Carmen has positional versatility, but given the gaping hole at Guard, I think it would have been better to get a player that is a pure guard of a player IOL experience and can be plug and play on the interior o-line without the added uncertainty of having a player transition from tackle to guard. The draft was solid for building the trenches and getting a kicker that can hopefully be with the team for the next decade.
Especially given the 2 extra 4th round picks I would have liked to see the Bengals double dip at WR. Chase is great, but the depth behind Boyd, Higgins and Chase could be improved.
Pressure on Frank Pollack:
The entire fanbase was ecstatic to have turner ousted and replaced with Frank Pollack. I think Frank pollack has a great deal of pressure on him. There was already the expectation that he improves what we got out of our existing OL talent on the roster, while simultaneously transitioning them to a wide-zone blocking scheme.
Then in the draft he got 3 OL prospects that all need some form of development – transitioning Carmen from T to G and hopefully getting him ready to start on day one and developing D’Ante Smith and Trey Hill. The verdict on the Chase Vs. Sewell debate and the overall grade for this draft hinges on improvements in the O-line, which relies on Carmen becoming an average guard in an offseason and the development of Smith into a tackle.
That is a lot of pressure and expectations on Frank Pollack. I hope he is up to it. But also, are we fans expecting too much from him…
Unleash the Offense:
We will finally get to see Zach unleash his 3 WR set offense and see what how good it really is. In 2019, AJ was unexpectedly out for the whole season and ZT had to roll with Boyd, Ross, Tate and Erickson. Then in 2020, ZT had Boyd, Higgins and the ghost of AJ Green (along with a terrible o-line). So, we are yet to see the full potential of Zac Taylor’s offense.
I for one, am extremely excited to see the offense unleashed now that he has the pieces in place to properly run it.
Coaching:
Zac should rightfully be on the hot seat this season. But given the relationship with Burrow, value in keeping the offensive scheme consistent, and the rebuilding on offense that has needed to happen since he took over, I’m ok with him being kept around for this season.
However, I think Lou should have been shown the door. He doesn’t seem to be able to get the most out of his players, his system seems ineffective and leading players into the wrong place at times, and he doesn’t seem like he is able to connect and build relationships with the players. The last bit is of course speculation on my part, but over his 2 years here, he ineffectively communicated roster changes leading to disgruntled players. There hasn’t been defensive free agents of ours that have seemed keen to come back and continue to play for him. And I haven’t seen any of the defensive players ever speak out publicly in support of him or say anything positive.
Since we are stuck with him for at least this season, I sincerely hope that he can improve the defense. He has been given a lot of pieces in free agency and the draft over the past couple years to fit his “system”, now anything less than a big step forward would be disappointing to me.
Excitement:
I'm damn excited for the upcoming season and seeing how everything unfolds. September can't get here fast enough.
Great post. I largely concur with everything you said. I was really enthused for last season and that went splat, so not quite as pumped this year. I have little faith in ZT or Lou at this point.
