Realistic 2020 Expectations

[BengalChris]

(04-29-2020, 12:39 PM)Fullrock Wrote: I know we're all excited about the season, and rightfully so. We have a new face of the franchise, spent the most money ever in free agency to bring in quality players, and have some talent on both sides of the ball.

The question: What are your realistic expectations this season in terms of wins and losses?

This is going to be far from a normal off-season. No rookie mini-camp, no OTA's, no team mini-camp, and possibly a delayed or abbreviated training camp. I'm not sure that bodes well for a team that will have several new starters on defense, 2 or 3 new starters on the offensive line, and a rookie QB under center. It's hard to replace the physical reps that come with being on the field.

With all that said, I think a realistic goal for this team is
8-8. It's going to be tough in the division. Every team improved themselves, and if Ben returns to form (that's a big if at his age) it'll be a dog fight to win 3 division games for this team. I'll be ecstatic if they can get to 8 wins and build toward a playoff appearance in 2021. Of course, I'll gladly hope to be wrong and wish for double digit wins.

The lack of OTA's aside, anything less than 6 wins should be considered a failure for the coaching staff.

In 2018 this was a 6 win team and the team has gone out and spent a ton of money of free agents, plus had the 1st pick in every round. If this coaching staff cannot produce at least what Marvin did in his final season then we can't pin it on Mike Brown and Co for being miserly.

This roster has more talent, at least on paper, than the 2018 team had by a decent margin. So it should produce more wins one would expect and should expect.