07-18-2016, 01:43 PM
(07-14-2016, 11:51 AM)fredtoast Wrote: These are issues that people can argue one way or another, but the fact is none of us know for sure.
1. Will Ogbuehi be better than Andre Smith?...I feel pretty good about this one. For a couple of seasons Smith was one of the best right tackles in the league, but his play had declined.
2. Was Dalton's '15 season a fluke?...Very few people want to admit it, but NFL history is full of decent QBs who had one great year. I would not be surprised at all if Dalton's numbers drop, but I still him posting at least a solid mid-90's passer rating if his receivers stay healthy. And this brings me to...
3. Can Eifert stay healthy?...Again, few people want to admit it, but Eifert has missed games every single year he has been in the league, and he is injured again. They already say he is questionable for opening day, but the question is more about how long it will take him to get back to 100%? We really need Eifert to be in top form because...
4. Can we find a legit WR other than Green?...I like LaFell's NFL resume (just one year removed from a 74 catch, 937 yard season), but the fact is we got him for a very cheap price. For some reason other NFL teams did not see a lot of value in him. I also like Tyler Boyd, but more often than not second round WRs do NOT have big impacts their rookie season. We could have 2 very good WRs other than Green or they could both be ineffective this year.
5. Can Shawn Williams make up for the loss of Nelson?...Nelson was one of my favorite Bengals. I hated to see him go. But every good team reaches the point where they have to start letting some higher paid players leave. Shawn has shown some flashes, but we don't know if he will be consistent as a starter. Chinedum Ndukwe and Vincent Rey became good players in the eyes of many fans based on one or two good games. Lets hope Shawn is not like them.
6. Can Jeremy Hill return to his rookie form?...I am not going to predict Hill will average over five yards a carry again or have a bunch of 150 yard games, but I think he will be much better than he was in '16 (794 yds, 3.6 avg).
7. (from Bonesaw) Can Zampese equal the success and innovation Hue brought to the offense?...I have faith in Zampese because he has worked with a lot of great offensive minds during his NFL career e.g. Sean Peyton, Mike McCarthy, Mike Martz, Ernie Zampese, and Bob Bratkowski. But he is really a true question mark as a coordinator.
Overall I think our defense will be just as good as last year. On offense I think we will run the ball better (Hill plays better and Ogbuehi is upgrade), but I predict a drop in the passing game. If Eifert stays healthy the play of our #2 WR is not as crucial, but I do not have a ton of confidence in our WR corps or the durability of Eifert.
1. Maybe not right out of the gate, but I wouldn't rule it out.
2. I saw some growth in Dalton last year, but I still have concerns. I think this season will go a long way towards answering those questions one way or the other.
3. Short answer, no.....But I hope so.
4. Boyd will out produce Lafell , and with that said, I don't expect the rookie to make a major impact.
5. I think he can make us forget about Reggie eventually, but probably not this year.
6. He will be better than last year. How much better is difficult to guess.
7. It will be hard to replace Hue's presence ...I think the O struggles under Zamp.
