2020 and Beyond Optimistic Look

[BengalChris]

(01-16-2020, 06:06 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I am an optimist but I normally hate predictions prior to draft and FA period. I have read thread after thread knocking our FO (a lot deserved), but it is the same group that assembled a team getting to the playoffs 5 years in a row (no easy feat).

So here we go in 2020:

We draft Burrow and trade AD for a 3rd and a 5th round pick.
We re-sign AJ Green to a 3 year deal.
Jonah Williams plays like a 1st round pick in his first official year shoring up our OL.
The Bengals add a very good LB in FA (using Dalton money)

Bengals improve to 9-7 and are in running for playoffs in 2020.

By 2021, Bengals are back in the playoff hunt every year for the rest of the decade as Burrow becomes the next Peyton Manning.

ZT ends up being a great hire.

There it is, an entire post of positives (this will drive the naysayers crazy)

Thoughts?

A LOT has to go right for all that to happen. Please don't give Williams the "he's still a rookie" moniker. He's a second year player who needs to show up.

And, as others have mentioned, the Bengals need to do a better job with the draft. 2019 was a pretty bad draft year.

I hope they get their shit together, but there's no visible evidence that shows that they will. Since when did Mike Brown drop his Model Model philosophy?

 

[Luvnit2]

(01-17-2020, 03:24 AM)BengalChris Wrote: A LOT has to go right for all that to happen. Please don't give Williams the "he's still a rookie" moniker. He's a second year player who needs to show up.

And, as others have mentioned, the Bengals need to do a better job with the draft. 2019 was a pretty bad draft year.

I hope they get their shit together, but there's no visible evidence that shows that they will. Since when did Mike Brown drop his Model Model philosophy?

 

You are correct, but as I do each off season I choose to be optimistic. It is the one time we as fans are guaranteed to be tied for first place (no games played).

Besides, a long time to start f the season, I would rather be happy and in dream mode. Once season starts if it goes south, I can then get negative.

[*Go Cards*]

(01-16-2020, 08:25 PM)bengals1969 Wrote: Things started downhill when Zimmer and Gruden left.  This is where I expect the Bengals to blow it.  Taking Burrows at this point is a no brainer. I could do that.  They are as likely to pick the wrong guys picks 2-7 as I would if I ran their draft and that's a problem.

Exactly, been saying this for years

[*Go Cards*]

(01-17-2020, 11:30 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: You are correct, but as I do each off season I choose to be optimistic. It is the one time I am guaranteed to be tied for first place (no games played).

Besides, a long time to start f the season, I would rather be happy and in dream mode. Once season starts if it goes south, I can then get negative.

Agree with this 100% 

[Luvnit2]

(01-17-2020, 12:15 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Agree with this 100% 

We will have all the time we need to rant if things go south after they go south.

Why live in misery now, why worry? Worry never solved one problem, but creates major health and mental issues.

Don't worry, be happy. 

[corpjet]

(01-16-2020, 08:06 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I don't think you can blame Billy Price on Tobin. We needed a center, BP was the best out there if I remember correctly. As for Ross? Yikes, he was a highly questionable pick when we took him and I think he got caught up in Bengal politics and his own immaturity. This year he started out hot, then injury took him out (again). Cedric is a no brainer but Sample might still be a good pic when properly utilized (probably will never prove he was worth a 2nd rd pick). I don't know a helluva lot about Fisher other than the heart issue and he was really not more than a backup - but definitely needed something more from a 2nd rounder.

All-in-all however, your pretty spot on with success early and not so great since. 

Did we need one??  Trey Hopkins was on the roster at the time, who missed the boat on evaluating his talent?

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(01-17-2020, 12:11 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Exactly, been saying this for years

We had the best regular season in franchise history, 2 years after they left.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-17-2020, 03:21 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: We will have all the time we need to rant if things go south after they go south.

Why live in misery now, why worry? Worry never solved one problem, but creates major health and mental issues.

Don't worry, be happy. 

Feel the same, it is time to be positive. We can all be negative when/if the shit hits the fan.

I will be excited for FA and the Drafting of Burrow and OL, LB's and weapons that is, until or if they screw it up and we won't 
really know if they screwed it up until we start playing real games.

[fredtoast]

(01-28-2020, 03:36 PM)corpjet Wrote: Did we need one??  Trey Hopkins was on the roster at the time, who missed the boat on evaluating his talent?

No one missed the boat.  He did not look good.

Not a single person here was saying Hopkins was the answer.  So kind of hard to start complaining about the Bengals missing something.

[HarleyDog]

(01-28-2020, 03:36 PM)corpjet Wrote: Did we need one??  Trey Hopkins was on the roster at the time, who missed the boat on evaluating his talent?

Very good point. Maybe he just wasn't lighting it up in practice. Who knows?

[Jason_NC]

(01-16-2020, 06:26 PM)corpjet Wrote: Duke Tobin had some good drafts but recently he/they have missed the boat.....and honestly should be gone........too many misses as of late......for a team that lives and dies by the draft we can't afford early round misses....

Look at Billy Price, John Ross, Cedric O, Drew Sample, Fisher........these pics hurt us.....bad.......

I'm not confident in his/their later round selections of evaluating talent anymore

The jury is still out on Sample. TEs usually take a couple of years to begin with and he got hurt.

[Luvnit2]

(01-28-2020, 05:02 PM)Jason_NC Wrote:
The jury is still out on Sample. TEs usually take a couple of years to begin with and he got hurt.

Agree

We all need to temper our expectations for rookies, huge transition from college to pro

[BengalChris]

(01-28-2020, 05:02 PM)Jason_NC Wrote: The jury is still out on Sample. TEs usually take a couple of years to begin with and he got hurt.

That's the same thing people said about Ross and Ogbuehi and Price. They've all turned out to be duds. Ross' lone wonder game wasn't enough to move him out of the bust category.

1st and 2nd round picks need to contribute in their rookie seasons. Sample's 5 catches for 30 yards in 9 games is pretty pathetic for a 2nd round pick. Though it was better than Ross' rookie season.

 

[Jason_NC]

(01-28-2020, 11:51 PM)BengalChris Wrote: That's the same thing people said about Ross and Ogbuehi and Price. They've all turned out to be duds. Ross' lone wonder game wasn't enough to move him out of the bust category.

1st and 2nd round picks need to contribute in their rookie seasons. Sample's 5 catches for 30 yards in 9 games is pretty pathetic for a 2nd round pick. Though it was better than Ross' rookie season.

 

So anyone who doesn’t play well as a rookie is automatically a bust?

[*Go Cards*]

(01-28-2020, 03:42 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: We had the best regular season in franchise history, 2 years after they left.

Believe Bengals still had bulk of Zim and Gruden's  draftees left as well.

Just my belief that Zim and Gruden were the brains behind the Bengals string of solid picks. 

Hope you are right though and the boat rights itself once again.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-29-2020, 12:19 PM)Jason_NC Wrote: So anyone who doesn’t play well as a rookie is automatically a bust?

According to lots on here, yes. Especially if they didn't like the pick in the first place.

Sample can still be a very solid pick. He can block and catch, he was just a little overwhelmed as a rookie as are most.

At the time I liked the Sample pick even if I thought it was a round or two early. 

He didn't play as well as I thought he would as a rookie but that certainly doesn't mean he is a bust.

(01-29-2020, 01:10 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Believe Bengals still had bulk of Zim and Gruden's  draftees left as well.

Just my belief that Zim and Gruden were the brains behind the Bengals string of solid picks. 

Hope you are right though and the boat rights itself once again.

Believe the same, I don't find it to be a coincidence we drafted very well when these two were here.

Once they left the wheels fell off drafting wise for the most part.

Like I said in another thread, if we are a team that relies solely on the Draft pretty much we better damn sure be great at it.

[grampahol]

(01-17-2020, 01:20 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: No thanks. This needs to be Joe’s team, and there are guys in that locker room that have played with Andy a long time.

As for the money Mike will not have a choice with the cap going up. He’s going to have to do some spending. Even if he extends Mixon and AJ.

He'll extend BW Webb for 10 years @ 15M per.. Fans everywhere rejoice as long as they're not bengals fans..

[BengalChris]

(01-29-2020, 12:19 PM)Jason_NC Wrote: So anyone who doesn’t play well as a rookie is automatically a bust?

That's not what I said.

Sample is off to a bad start and people are making excuses for him. My point is that history shows that combination has not turned out well.

 

[ezekiel23]

Joe Burrow is of course the main reason to be optimistic for the 2020 season.This is a quarterback driven league.They need to sign AJ Green to help him out.That would be a nice way to start anyway.Unlike most,I also believe we will have a solid O line next year.

[Luvnit2]

(01-29-2020, 10:20 PM)BengalChris Wrote: That's not what I said.

Sample is off to a bad start and people are making excuses for him. My point is that history shows that combination has not turned out well.

 

Sample was drafted as a blocking TE, yet you only evaluate and dump pm him for receiving. Ge also got hurt early in game 9 and missed 7 games. Do rookies get better each game with experience or worse?

My point being you may be jumping the gun calling a rookie who played just over half the season a bust. Seems a bit rushed and harsh,