07-17-2017, 11:03 AM
This has been just about every JN poster's biggest concern heading in to the 2017 season.
I will try to pour you a cup of optimism: Yes, the Bengals are "loaded" at many other positions this year. That was not the case last year. Our starting RB doesn't pass protect well, isn't a big receiving threat out of the backfield, and he doesn't seem to have the same burst as he did early in his career. Combine that with a M*A*S*H unit of WRs and TEs last year, and you have a predictable offense with minimal ability to threaten defenses over the top. The Bengals offensive line wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. It was the combination of all the things I just listed that allowed defenses to have an extra defender in the box to stuff the running game and force passing situations that left the offensive line in difficult circumstances.
Dalton didn't have receivers that could separate quickly and was subsequently forced to hold on the ball too long. The offensive line would get the brunt of the blame for the majority of the poor outcomes, but it wasn't just them. The combination of injuries leading to a dearth of weapons, the predictable nature of the offense, and the lack of a running game all contributed to their issues.
The Bengals have seen a lot of improvements in the strength of their two early drafted tackles, Ced and Fish. Fisher has supposedly put on 30 lbs from where he was at the end of the season last year. Put that 310lbs next to Andre's 320 lbs and the right side might be able to pound you for a first down in short yardage situations for a change. Ced will finally have a full offseason and OTAs to learn his craft. That is no small difference for him, as in 2009 when the Bengals had a lot of turnover on the offensive line, they came out with their best rushing attack in ages and they swept the division.
Mixon is a huge upgrade over Hill. People will say "how do you know? he hasn't done it in the NFL?" and that would be true, but I know he is not the one-dimensional Hill, and some went so far as to call him the best receiving RB in the draft (although I find that hard to believe with McCaffery).
The weapons like Ross and Malone, along with Core, and stretch teams vertically in ways the Bengals have not been able to execute since the days of Chris Henry. That will take pressure off Green as well as open up underneath options for Boyd, Lafell, and the TEs.
The line is a key for their success, but I think there are lots of reasons to believe that they will be able to get the job done.
I will try to pour you a cup of optimism: Yes, the Bengals are "loaded" at many other positions this year. That was not the case last year. Our starting RB doesn't pass protect well, isn't a big receiving threat out of the backfield, and he doesn't seem to have the same burst as he did early in his career. Combine that with a M*A*S*H unit of WRs and TEs last year, and you have a predictable offense with minimal ability to threaten defenses over the top. The Bengals offensive line wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. It was the combination of all the things I just listed that allowed defenses to have an extra defender in the box to stuff the running game and force passing situations that left the offensive line in difficult circumstances.
Dalton didn't have receivers that could separate quickly and was subsequently forced to hold on the ball too long. The offensive line would get the brunt of the blame for the majority of the poor outcomes, but it wasn't just them. The combination of injuries leading to a dearth of weapons, the predictable nature of the offense, and the lack of a running game all contributed to their issues.
The Bengals have seen a lot of improvements in the strength of their two early drafted tackles, Ced and Fish. Fisher has supposedly put on 30 lbs from where he was at the end of the season last year. Put that 310lbs next to Andre's 320 lbs and the right side might be able to pound you for a first down in short yardage situations for a change. Ced will finally have a full offseason and OTAs to learn his craft. That is no small difference for him, as in 2009 when the Bengals had a lot of turnover on the offensive line, they came out with their best rushing attack in ages and they swept the division.
Mixon is a huge upgrade over Hill. People will say "how do you know? he hasn't done it in the NFL?" and that would be true, but I know he is not the one-dimensional Hill, and some went so far as to call him the best receiving RB in the draft (although I find that hard to believe with McCaffery).
The weapons like Ross and Malone, along with Core, and stretch teams vertically in ways the Bengals have not been able to execute since the days of Chris Henry. That will take pressure off Green as well as open up underneath options for Boyd, Lafell, and the TEs.
The line is a key for their success, but I think there are lots of reasons to believe that they will be able to get the job done.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
