I think some of you are way too worried about preseason games.
I believe in Mike Zimmer for some reason. He'll get the maximum possible out of the defense, and if the running game comes around I think the Bengals win the division and 10 or 11 games.
The entire AFC North pretty much has a brutal schedule this year though, so it wouldn't shock me if the winner only gets to 9 wins.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Oh, I didn't know they switched to NCAA Div. II.Originally Posted by Degenerate39
Next Reds manager, second shooter. --Confirmed on Redszone.
The run defense was solid in large part because we were playing the Detroit Lions. They can't run on anyone.
I share your skepticism on Hall, he looks as out of his depth as anyone the Bengals have put out there since Ohalete. But the bottom line is we could have Night Train Lane and Deion Sanders and if the front seven doesn't get any pressure, we're still going to get picked apart.
John Thornton, for example, has to be one of the most worthless football players in the NFL. He may well be a great clubhouse guy--in that case, make him a coach. He gets penetration into the backfield 2-3 times a game--of course, the reason he's back there is that the offense is executing a screen pass into the zone he's just vacated. I literally have no idea why any team would pay this guy $4M a year given his production.
To be fair Hall did have a pretty good nose for the ball last year. It's like his rookie season was the mirror opposite of Josephs.
Hall got beat a lot, but caught all of his interception opportunities.
Joseph didn't get beat much, but looked like he had Ping Pong paddles for hands in his rookie year.
I think if Calvin Johnson and any NFL corner go up for a ball, Calvin Johnson's probably going to come down with it.
I'll say 9-7. Hopefully the running back by commitee thing will keep the ball moving and open up big plays for Carson and the wr's
6-10.
This team is bad. Unless Mike Zimmer can resurrect this defense, no playoffs again this year.
To me it's about both lines, which are weak. You can't win without them.
Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David
I think the OLine is one of the best (talent and depth-wise) in the NFL.
The defensive line is an embarrassment and Marvin and Mike should be ashamed of themselves for reaching for WR's when they should have shored up the DLine.
Too many early busted draft picks for it not to catch up with a team that does little to nothing every year in free agency.
Burn it down. Start from the top. The re-signing of Chris Henry should be enough for the commish to look into finding a new competent owner for this lost franchise. Marvin is not head coach material. He needs to go back to being a coordinator in a good organization. He can't handle too much on his plate at one time and his game/clock management skills are poor to say the least.
The offensive line has a ton of talent, if it can stay healthy, which was the problem last year.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
You know, as bad as the defense is, the thing that worries me most is the offense. The Bengals went 11-5 in 2005 with a pretty pathetic defense. Honestly, I feel this year's defense has just as much if not more talent than that year's defense, it's not saying much but it's good enough. The difference is in 2005 the offense was unstoppable. It seemed they could score at will and they kept that pathetic defense off the field. Since that year, however, it seems the offense struggles to simply move the chains consistently at times looking downright inept. Carson hasn't been on the same page with receivers, the running game hasn't been there, injuries have taken it's toll, and the play calling has been stale. This preseason hasn't looked much better and the injuries are a major concern on that side of the ball. If the offense can come close to the level of play they achieved in 2005, it will make the defense a lot better and give them a chance to win a lot more games...
"In our sundown perambulations of late, through the outer parts of Brooklyn, we have observed several parties of youngsters playing 'base', a certain game of ball. Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our close rooms, the game of ball is glorious"
-Walt Whitman
The offense is good enough to put us over .500, however the defense will bring us below .500.
7 wins is the most I see this club with in 2008.
For all the people who have been freaking out about the Bengals' lack of offense in the pre-season (and I can't iterate that enough--it's the pre-season), keep in mind that they have been without their starting fullback/lead blocker, one of the best in the NFL, Jeremi Johnson.
It is just the preseason, but it would be one thing if the offense was coming off of a good year last year, which it is not. The chemistry just isn't there between Carson and the receiver's, and the only reason Jeremi isn't in camp is because he was lazy and decided to come in out of shape.
I think the offense will end up being ok.... but ok isn't going to cut it in this division unless you have a great defense, which we certainly do not.
According to Chick, there's a decent chance he gets cut.
In any case to call him "one of the best" is a stretch.
IMO, Jeremi Johnson is one of the best FB in the league.
His Madden rating is consistently over 90, IIRC.
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