06-27-2015, 03:11 PM
Coley Harvey's mailbag 6/27/15
Welcome back to another installment of the Cincinnati Bengals mailbag.
This weekend, we'll explore a variety of Bengals-related topics raised by readers like you, but the general theme of the mailbags revolves around how good can the Bengals actually be in 2015? Let's delve into that with our first question:
@ColeyHarvey If they can stay relatively healthy, does this years offense have a chance to be better, overall, than the 2013 version?
— BengalsMessageBoard (@TheBengalsBoard) June 26, 2015
@ColeyHarvey. To the folks at the new Bengals Message Board, thanks for the question. First, I must say, the "if" is a big qualifier. Obviously, every team comes into each new season believing "if" it can stay healthy it has a chance to truly be great. In Cincinnati's case, I really do believe that some measure of greatness can be achieved assuming at least near-complete health this season.
Injuries derailed many of the Bengals' hopes in 2014, with receivers A.J. Green and Marvin Jones, tight ends Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham, offensive linemen Andre Smith and Kevin Zeitler, and running back Giovani Bernard missing significant chunks of the season. Had the Bengals been able to get a couple games back where those players weren't injured, they might have won an extra regular-season game, and perhaps they would have had a better shot in the playoff game at Indianapolis. Because of the qualifier "if," it's hard to guess about the unknown. But here's the thing: On paper, the Bengals are poised to be every bit as good as the 2013 team. That year's offense ranked 10th. Last year's was 15th. The Bengals certainly will be more improved this season.
For starters, it's Year 2 under offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. They also expect to have weapons in the passing game they didn't have, and they better understand how to rotate running backs Jeremy Hill and Bernard. What the Bengals' offense didn't have in 2013 was a true bell-cow rusher. Hill will be that. Where the 2013 and 2015 offenses will differ is in the way that they play. Two years ago, Cincinnati had a pass-heavy system that put a lot of pressure on quarterback Andy Dalton's shoulders. This season, the Bengals will use Hill and Bernard to pace the offense.
Welcome back to another installment of the Cincinnati Bengals mailbag.
This weekend, we'll explore a variety of Bengals-related topics raised by readers like you, but the general theme of the mailbags revolves around how good can the Bengals actually be in 2015? Let's delve into that with our first question:
@ColeyHarvey If they can stay relatively healthy, does this years offense have a chance to be better, overall, than the 2013 version?
— BengalsMessageBoard (@TheBengalsBoard) June 26, 2015
@ColeyHarvey. To the folks at the new Bengals Message Board, thanks for the question. First, I must say, the "if" is a big qualifier. Obviously, every team comes into each new season believing "if" it can stay healthy it has a chance to truly be great. In Cincinnati's case, I really do believe that some measure of greatness can be achieved assuming at least near-complete health this season.
Injuries derailed many of the Bengals' hopes in 2014, with receivers A.J. Green and Marvin Jones, tight ends Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham, offensive linemen Andre Smith and Kevin Zeitler, and running back Giovani Bernard missing significant chunks of the season. Had the Bengals been able to get a couple games back where those players weren't injured, they might have won an extra regular-season game, and perhaps they would have had a better shot in the playoff game at Indianapolis. Because of the qualifier "if," it's hard to guess about the unknown. But here's the thing: On paper, the Bengals are poised to be every bit as good as the 2013 team. That year's offense ranked 10th. Last year's was 15th. The Bengals certainly will be more improved this season.
For starters, it's Year 2 under offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. They also expect to have weapons in the passing game they didn't have, and they better understand how to rotate running backs Jeremy Hill and Bernard. What the Bengals' offense didn't have in 2013 was a true bell-cow rusher. Hill will be that. Where the 2013 and 2015 offenses will differ is in the way that they play. Two years ago, Cincinnati had a pass-heavy system that put a lot of pressure on quarterback Andy Dalton's shoulders. This season, the Bengals will use Hill and Bernard to pace the offense.
