04-27-2017, 04:49 PM
(04-27-2017, 04:09 PM)Wyche Wrote: EXACTLY.
There seems to be an all-or-nothing mentality on the board too. Like people divide themselves into thinking the Bengals Management is horrible or great. Because admitting that maybe there is some room for improvement from the team that you spend hours and hours watching is just unthinkable. It's easier to just break it down into Horrible or Great.
The real truth lies somewhere in the middle. We had about 2 GREAT drafts in a row coupled with 2 more good ones. Then, we have about 4 below average to bad drafts.
We were the young up-and-coming team for part of these playoff runs which was exciting...but at some point we peaked and started losing A LOT of players through attrition.
You don't just keep getting better on a linear scale from year-to-year. You have to draft well and supplement your losses.
By not signing Tier 1, 2, and 3 free agents...and relying almost exclusively on the draft...these past 4 subpar drafts have really hurt the Bengals on field product going forward.
Is there hope? Yes. If guys like Jackson and Billings turn into great Pro's. If guys like Dennard finally starts playing well. If a guy like Paul Dawson comes out of nowhere to be great. If we draft 2-3 Pro Bowl players this year.
