06-15-2020, 10:39 AM
I am feeling very optimistic also. We made a lot of great moves this off season. But things are not as rosey as some people claim.
First let me state the positivies so the guys wearing blinders won't accuse me of just being contrary.
-We got the best college QB prospect to come out in a long time. He is not as perfect as some here think, but QB is the most important position on the team and we were damn lucky to get Burrow.
-We have a couple of players that could be very good who missed all of last season with injury (Green, Williams). Every team has players coming back from injury, but few who could be that good who missed the entire 2019 season.
-We made some very good signings in free agency (Reader, Bell).
-The first 8 games of last season our defense and rush offense were not just bad. They were on pace to be among the worst in mordern NFL history. The coaches made some key adjustments and over the las 8 games we had a top ten rush offense and a defense that was close to average. So while we still just won 2 games I feel we are not as bad as some of the full season numbers seem to indicate because we were not as bad as we looked over the first 8 games.
Now on to some moves that I have some concerns about.
-Su'a-Filo was cut by the Titans in 2018 and has been a back up ever since. The starter we released (Miller) got paid more in free agency than we gave Xavier. He is supposed to be a better "scheme fit", so he may be an upgrade, but I have to see it first.
-Josh Bynes is a career back up who could not even make an NFL roster out of training camp last year. Only two times in his career has he ever got more than a one year contract, and he has been cut both times in the second year. People claim he will be a good "veteran presence", but I hope it is from the bench. Others drool over his PFF ratings, but the fact that Vigil got paid 40% more than Bynes in free agency gives you a good idea of what the NFL thinks of PFF ratings.
-We grossly over paid for Trae Waynes. Right now Bengal fans are so thriulled that we spent a lot of money on free agency that they won't complain about anyone we signed. But the fact is that a lot of big free agent signings don't work out. I don't think Waynes is an upgrade over Kirkpatyrick in coverage. He will still improve the defense if he can stay healthy and tackle better, but we should not pay $14 million a year for a CB with tackling skills.
First let me state the positivies so the guys wearing blinders won't accuse me of just being contrary.
-We got the best college QB prospect to come out in a long time. He is not as perfect as some here think, but QB is the most important position on the team and we were damn lucky to get Burrow.
-We have a couple of players that could be very good who missed all of last season with injury (Green, Williams). Every team has players coming back from injury, but few who could be that good who missed the entire 2019 season.
-We made some very good signings in free agency (Reader, Bell).
-The first 8 games of last season our defense and rush offense were not just bad. They were on pace to be among the worst in mordern NFL history. The coaches made some key adjustments and over the las 8 games we had a top ten rush offense and a defense that was close to average. So while we still just won 2 games I feel we are not as bad as some of the full season numbers seem to indicate because we were not as bad as we looked over the first 8 games.
Now on to some moves that I have some concerns about.
-Su'a-Filo was cut by the Titans in 2018 and has been a back up ever since. The starter we released (Miller) got paid more in free agency than we gave Xavier. He is supposed to be a better "scheme fit", so he may be an upgrade, but I have to see it first.
-Josh Bynes is a career back up who could not even make an NFL roster out of training camp last year. Only two times in his career has he ever got more than a one year contract, and he has been cut both times in the second year. People claim he will be a good "veteran presence", but I hope it is from the bench. Others drool over his PFF ratings, but the fact that Vigil got paid 40% more than Bynes in free agency gives you a good idea of what the NFL thinks of PFF ratings.
-We grossly over paid for Trae Waynes. Right now Bengal fans are so thriulled that we spent a lot of money on free agency that they won't complain about anyone we signed. But the fact is that a lot of big free agent signings don't work out. I don't think Waynes is an upgrade over Kirkpatyrick in coverage. He will still improve the defense if he can stay healthy and tackle better, but we should not pay $14 million a year for a CB with tackling skills.
