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[cincygrad]

Well what do YOU think they will do this season is the real question? We always welcome insider knowledge to the discussion.

I think it's early to make a prediction because I'm worried about misinformation about injuries..... The Bengals aren't exactly up front about which guys are actually going to be healthy heading into camp. My biggest concerns are the loss of Eifert (I'm not optimistic that he'll be himself even if he is back early) and the three game suspension to Burfict (though they did fine without him to begin the season last year). I have minor concerns about the receivers, but I think Jones and Sanu were overrated. I am not at all concerned about the OC - He's been Dalton's coach since he's been in the league..... And they're still basically running Gruden's base offense.

If the Steelers are healthy, they should be the favorite. They have a more favorable schedule, have the Bengals number when it counts and are potentially the best offense in the league. I don't understand why I'm supposed to expect major improvements from the Ravens. They have struggled to develop (healthy) receivers and until they can stop the pass consistently they can't win consistently.

 

[Oldschool739]

I never cared for Hensley when he covered the Steelers a few years back. I really like the newer guy, Jeremy Fowler. He writes great material.

I'm interested to see how Dalton fairs with a newer group of WR's... LaFell & the young guy Boyd. Should give Dalton an opportunity to prove his worth. I think Bmore is back into contention ~9 wins.

It won't matter what Dalton does, Marvin will find a way to lose if they make the playoffs....They just don't have the same breed of dog in them as Pitts and Bmore....And didn't they lose a couple receivers to FA ?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I think it's early to make a prediction because I'm worried about misinformation about injuries..... The Bengals aren't exactly up front about which guys are actually going to be healthy heading into camp. My biggest concerns are the loss of Eifert (I'm not optimistic that he'll be himself even if he is back early) and the three game suspension to Burfict (though they did fine without him to begin the season last year). I have minor concerns about the receivers, but I think Jones and Sanu were overrated. I am not at all concerned about the OC - He's been Dalton's coach since he's been in the league..... And they're still basically running Gruden's base offense.

If the Steelers are healthy, they should be the favorite. They have a more favorable schedule, have the Bengals number when it counts and are potentially the best offense in the league. I don't understand why I'm supposed to expect major improvements from the Ravens. They have struggled to develop (healthy) receivers and until they can stop the pass consistently they can't win consistently.

Cincy... Definitely difficult to predict this early. But its always interesting to see how fans are feeling about things. We always base our predictions off the assumption that the team is 100% healthy and remains that way. Makes it easier to weed out the "what ifs" when discussing these things. I knew the new OC was "in house" but thats interesting that it was Dalton's QB coach. That should definitely smooth over the transition. Does Dalton call many plays in huddle on his own? If so then even better for Cincy. What are the early words on Boyd? Being a Pitts kid I am looking forward to seeing how he does at this level.

BAL... I think the major difference with the team is they are healthy now. With all of the starters they lost last season I think it was pretty much assumed that they wouldn't accomplish much. Now that they have Flacco back, that should improve their offense immensely. I think their ceiling is being in the wild card mix, but realistically I think they need another season to rebuild.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

It won't matter what Dalton does, Marvin will find a way to lose if they make the playoffs....They just don't have the same breed of dog in them as Pitts and Bmore....And didn't they lose a couple receivers to FA ?

Yea they lost Marvin Jones to Detroit, and Mohammed Sanu to Atlanta. Both were UFA's. I can agree with @cincygrad that they are a little overrated. Not sure how they landed the contracts they did, but good for them. I don't think the Bengals will miss them though. LaFell & Boyd will be just as good, depending on Boyd's development and how quickly he transitions as a rookie.

 

[cincygrad]

Yea they lost Marvin Jones to Detroit, and Mohammed Sanu to Atlanta. Both were UFA's. I can agree with @cincygrad that they are a little overrated. Not sure how they landed the contracts they did, but good for them. I don't think the Bengals will miss them though. LaFell & Boyd will be just as good, depending on Boyd's development and how quickly he transitions as a rookie.

I should mention that Jones is hard to judge given his injury history. He's a playmaker, but if you really look at his production it has been very spotty and it's all dependent upon him being healthy (which isn't a given for him).

Sanu was never as good as I thought he could be. He has a lot of special talent, but he's not near worth the amount ATL gave him.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I should mention that Jones is hard to judge given his injury history. He's a playmaker, but if you really look at his production it has been very spotty and it's all dependent upon him being healthy (which isn't a given for him).

Sanu was never as good as I thought he could be. He has a lot of special talent, but he's not near worth the amount ATL gave him.

The best thing they have going for them is that they are young. But sometimes when a young guy gets paid the way they are, production drops off. Its a gamble. A scary gamble given the investment on a player with an injury history.

Speaking of... I'm a little concerned about the Steelers handing Le'Veon Bell a substantial contract when he has yet to prove he can stay healthy for a full season (including post-season). 2014 was close until he got injured in the last game of the year against Cincy. There's no question that he's talented, but is he really worth the top-end contract at the RB position considering his injury history? I'd much rather give him a back-loaded contract with incentives to safeguard themselves from carrying a huge cap-hit on a player that may not always be healthy.

 

[Oldschool739]

Yea they lost Marvin Jones to Detroit, and Mohammed Sanu to Atlanta. Both were UFA's. I can agree with @cincygrad that they are a little overrated. Not sure how they landed the contracts they did, but good for them. I don't think the Bengals will miss them though. LaFell & Boyd will be just as good, depending on Boyd's development and how quickly he transitions as a rookie.

That's as big an "if" as the Ravens have....You aren't aware in your analysis that we have Correa and Kaufusi, 2 young pass rushers that figure to be an intrical part of this yrs game....
Also Jimmy Smith will be back healthy along with Wright and the new kid Young....
Watson is money in the red zone and a leader, Maxx and Pitta or Gilmore along with Watson pose a strong TE position...
Wallace has been looking great, and with Perriman expected to be ready for TC and the new kid Moore, we have plenty of speed that we lacked last yr....
And Smitty is a big play waiting to happen everytime he lines up, along with a solid Run game with Allen, Forsette, and Dixon.....
Sured up the blind side for Joe, so I think we have very good reason to expect a good yr and be back in the playoffs....

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

That's as big an "if" as the Ravens have....You aren't aware in your analysis that we have Correa and Kaufusi, 2 young pass rushers that figure to be an intrical part of this yrs game....
Also Jimmy Smith will be back healthy along with Wright and the new kid Young....
Watson is money in the red zone and a leader, Maxx and Pitta or Gilmore along with Watson pose a strong TE position...
Wallace has been looking great, and with Perriman expected to be ready for TC and the new kid Moore, we have plenty of speed that we lacked last yr....
And Smitty is a big play waiting to happen everytime he lines up, along with a solid Run game with Allen, Forsette, and Dixon.....
Sured up the blind side for Joe, so I think we have very good reason to expect a good yr and be back in the playoffs....

Edge rushers... @ATL96Steeler touched on the youngsters and a possible platoon type rotation. Should be interesting to see. I think Correa has a better shot at making an instant impact. He's got a lot of talent. Not very familiar with Kaufusi though. ATL also mentioned Webb moving to Safety huh? That's news to me.

TE's... The TE position is crowded, so Ozzie has given Harbaugh plenty to work with in terms of finding the right starters. My money is on Gilmore & Watson. Haven't heard much about Williams' development so I'm assuming its been fairly slow.

Wallace... Just when you start to get the "warm & fuzzies" on this guy, he will disappoint you. He may not have had a downfield offense in Minnesota, but he did in Miami and he didn't produce much. He's a decent contributor when looking at his stats. Hate how selfish he can be though. Hopefully they don't run him between the hashes because he's got stones for hands. If Wallace still has the speed he used to, or close to it, then Smitty and/or Aiken should have a field day underneath when Wallace takes the safeties off the top.

Perriman... Should be ready for TC? I thought he just had a partial ACL tear? Must have missed some new info about that because I thought his entire '16 campaign was in jeopardy.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I think it's early to make a prediction because I'm worried about misinformation about injuries..... The Bengals aren't exactly up front about which guys are actually going to be healthy heading into camp. My biggest concerns are the loss of Eifert (I'm not optimistic that he'll be himself even if he is back early) and the three game suspension to Burfict (though they did fine without him to begin the season last year). I have minor concerns about the receivers, but I think Jones and Sanu were overrated. I am not at all concerned about the OC - He's been Dalton's coach since he's been in the league..... And they're still basically running Gruden's base offense.

If the Steelers are healthy, they should be the favorite. They have a more favorable schedule, have the Bengals number when it counts and are potentially the best offense in the league. I don't understand why I'm supposed to expect major improvements from the Ravens. They have struggled to develop (healthy) receivers and until they can stop the pass consistently they can't win consistently.

Of course, any time before camp is early for predictions...but we NFL heads have a month and change before that so you spitball a little...all in fun.

The OC...I think you said it best, they're still running variations of what Gruden installed...smart by Lewis to basically promote from within and it speaks to the consistency of the team over the last several years...you tweak instead of overall....Steelers did the same thing from Lebeau to Butler.

There's nothing new under the sun, we all know all teams essentially run the same plays for the most part. What made Jackson better imo is the sense and feel for what plays to call, and when.

 

[Oldschool739]

Edge rushers... @ATL96Steeler touched on the youngsters and a possible platoon type rotation. Should be interesting to see. I think Correa has a better shot at making an instant impact. He's got a lot of talent. Not very familiar with Kaufusi though. ATL also mentioned Webb moving to Safety huh? That's news to me.

TE's... The TE position is crowded, so Ozzie has given Harbaugh plenty to work with in terms of finding the right starters. My money is on Gilmore & Watson. Haven't heard much about Williams' development so I'm assuming its been fairly slow.

Wallace... Just when you start to get the "warm & fuzzies" on this guy, he will disappoint you. He may not have had a downfield offense in Minnesota, but he did in Miami and he didn't produce much. He's a decent contributor when looking at his stats. Hate how selfish he can be though. Hopefully they don't run him between the hashes because he's got stones for hands. If Wallace still has the speed he used to, or close to it, then Smitty and/or Aiken should have a field day underneath when Wallace takes the safeties off the top.

Perriman... Should be ready for TC? I thought he just had a partial ACL tear? Must have missed some new info about that because I thought his entire '16 campaign was in jeopardy.

Webby began the transition towards the end of last season and has secured the position for this yr....

Maxx Williams got quite a bit of play last yr and proved to be a big strong guy with exceptional hands and good YAC....He'll be much better this yr according to local reports....

I was not high on Wallace when we signed him but Watson says that he is an excellent route runner, very fast and has great hands....Wallace says he is a better player now then when at Pitts, not quite as fast but better over all....And I read somewhere that he had good stats at Miami even with a developmental QB and no O identity....
Vikes were another story !!!

Perriman's injury was not as serious as first believed and he got stem cell shots and therapy, is expected to be ready between TC an pre season....

Get your goggles ready, those 2 games could be bloody !!!!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Webby began the transition towards the end of last season and has secured the position for this yr....

Maxx Williams got quite a bit of play last yr and proved to be a big strong guy with exceptional hands and good YAC....He'll be much better this yr according to local reports....

I was not high on Wallace when we signed him but Watson says that he is an excellent route runner, very fast and has great hands....Wallace says he is a better player now then when at Pitts, not quite as fast but better over all....And I read somewhere that he had good stats at Miami even with a developmental QB and no O identity....
Vikes were another story !!!

Perriman's injury was not as serious as first believed and he got stem cell shots and therapy, is expected to be ready between TC an pre season....

Get your goggles ready, those 2 games could be bloody !!!!

Wallace... Glad to hear he has confidence in himself, but I'm not buyin it. I'll wait to see it before I believe it

Perriman... Good news. We may finally get to see what he brings to the table.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

That's as big an "if" as the Ravens have....You aren't aware in your analysis that we have Correa and Kaufusi, 2 young pass rushers that figure to be an intrical part of this yrs game....
Also Jimmy Smith will be back healthy along with Wright and the new kid Young....
Watson is money in the red zone and a leader, Maxx and Pitta or Gilmore along with Watson pose a strong TE position...
Wallace has been looking great, and with Perriman expected to be ready for TC and the new kid Moore, we have plenty of speed that we lacked last yr....
And Smitty is a big play waiting to happen everytime he lines up, along with a solid Run game with Allen, Forsette, and Dixon.....
Sured up the blind side for Joe, so I think we have very good reason to expect a good yr and be back in the playoffs....

Oldschool, I think the reality for the Ravens...this is not going to be a jump right back into a 10-11 win type team next year imo... Unless somebody gets hurt in camp or a rookie just takes a position, they're probably going to work the young kids into the OFC and DEF instead of just dropping them off in the deep end of the pool. We shall see. Even as a DIV foe, I wish Perriman the best, hate to see a young talent stall out due to injury before he even gets started.

I have a lot of respect for Harbaugh so I wouldn't be shocked if the Ravens do get back to the playoffs, but as someone that watches all of the DIV foes, I'm not sure if I would expect it this year.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Webby began the transition towards the end of last season and has secured the position for this yr....

Maxx Williams got quite a bit of play last yr and proved to be a big strong guy with exceptional hands and good YAC....He'll be much better this yr according to local reports....

I was not high on Wallace when we signed him but Watson says that he is an excellent route runner, very fast and has great hands....Wallace says he is a better player now then when at Pitts, not quite as fast but better over all....And I read somewhere that he had good stats at Miami even with a developmental QB and no O identity....
Vikes were another story !!!

Perriman's injury was not as serious as first believed and he got stem cell shots and therapy, is expected to be ready between TC an pre season....

Get your goggles ready, those 2 games could be bloody !!!!

Wallace is trying to re-establish himself before it's all over...we know Joe likes to and will throw deep so he'll have his opportunities. His value imo is still clearing the underneath routes...if he goes over 50 catches it's a bonus.

As always...I'm just hoping for a split.

 

[Oldschool739]

Oldschool, I think the reality for the Ravens...this is not going to be a jump right back into a 10-11 win type team next year imo... Unless somebody gets hurt in camp or a rookie just takes a position, they're probably going to work the young kids into the OFC and DEF instead of just dropping them off in the deep end of the pool. We shall see. Even as a DIV foe, I wish Perriman the best, hate to see a young talent stall out due to injury before he even gets started.

I have a lot of respect for Harbaugh so I wouldn't be shocked if the Ravens do get back to the playoffs, but as someone that watches all of the DIV foes, I'm not sure if I would expect it this year.

Fair enough, but as you well know, you let us in the playoffs, Flacco's flip switch goes on and the sky is the limit....
I'm not concerned about the O at all and I like the additions on D, my only reservation is Dean Pees, I just hope Harbs demands that he keep the D aggressive and put the bend but don't break in a bottle and throw it in the ocean somewhere....

 

[cincygrad]

Of course, any time before camp is early for predictions...but we NFL heads have a month and change before that so you spitball a little...all in fun.

The OC...I think you said it best, they're still running variations of what Gruden installed...smart by Lewis to basically promote from within and it speaks to the consistency of the team over the last several years...you tweak instead of overall....Steelers did the same thing from Lebeau to Butler.

There's nothing new under the sun, we all know all teams essentially run the same plays for the most part. What made Jackson better imo is the sense and feel for what plays to call, and when.

I think Hue is underrated for getting every ounce of talent out of his players. There are probably plenty of guys that had career years in his offense. I think he is overrated as a play caller - I (and probably others) thought he got way too cute with things in the redzone and it sometimes seemed like he played to the headlines with the trick plays. I think the current Bengals offense has all the talent they need to score points. They have a good line, good backs, some interesting options in the passing game, and a game changer in AJ Green. I think Dalton/Zampese will be fine.

The story of the Bengals is going to be the same as it always is..... Marvin beats the teams he should. The Bengals don't get upset all that often..... But, they also don't win in big spots enough. They changed that at the beginning of last year, but fell flat when given a chance to do it at the end. Losing in AZ, Denver and then in the playoffs against Pittsburgh really stung. They had their chances and still couldn't get it right. Until they prove they can get it right, they'll continue to be the 'yeah but' team.

 

[cincygrad]

That's as big an "if" as the Ravens have....You aren't aware in your analysis that we have Correa and Kaufusi, 2 young pass rushers that figure to be an intrical part of this yrs game....
Also Jimmy Smith will be back healthy along with Wright and the new kid Young....
Watson is money in the red zone and a leader, Maxx and Pitta or Gilmore along with Watson pose a strong TE position...
Wallace has been looking great, and with Perriman expected to be ready for TC and the new kid Moore, we have plenty of speed that we lacked last yr....
And Smitty is a big play waiting to happen everytime he lines up, along with a solid Run game with Allen, Forsette, and Dixon.....
Sured up the blind side for Joe, so I think we have very good reason to expect a good yr and be back in the playoffs....

A second round and third round pass rusher are going to make a big impact? Tell me the 2nd and 3rd rounders that have recently made a big impact in the pass rush?

Jimmy Smith hasn't been healthy in two seasons, but now he will be? Tavon Young is a 4th rounder. If he's on the field, the Ravens are hurting.

Pitta is probably done..... Williams is a solid pro.

If the Ravens turn around is based on these additions (and guys getting healthy), I think it has to be wishful thinking.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I think Hue is underrated for getting every ounce of talent out of his players. There are probably plenty of guys that had career years in his offense. I think he is overrated as a play caller - I (and probably others) thought he got way too cute with things in the redzone and it sometimes seemed like he played to the headlines with the trick plays. I think the current Bengals offense has all the talent they need to score points. They have a good line, good backs, some interesting options in the passing game, and a game changer in AJ Green. I think Dalton/Zampese will be fine.

The story of the Bengals is going to be the same as it always is..... Marvin beats the teams he should. The Bengals don't get upset all that often..... But, they also don't win in big spots enough. They changed that at the beginning of last year, but fell flat when given a chance to do it at the end. Losing in AZ, Denver and then in the playoffs against Pittsburgh really stung. They had their chances and still couldn't get it right. Until they prove they can get it right, they'll continue to be the 'yeah but' team.

Good post...I agree as well. The PIT playoff win was a hot potatoe gift...Steelers were just the last team holding it.

If there is a difference this year...for the 1st time in a while, Dalton's 3rd and 4th options (Assuming Green and Eifert are 1 & 2) in the passing game are new, there's always a feeling out process when the games are real. A lot of us thought Wheaton would step right in and easily replicate what Sanders did as the WR2...not really. FWIW...I think Boyd will be a strong #2 eventually. Bernard might get a few more targets as well.

I think it's going to take a few games into the season for Dalton to have a comfort level with the new toys. Secondly, the DIV winner schedule places CIN on the road in against some tougher teams this yr...LY AZ and DEN were the stoutest tests...this yr each one of those games will be a grind I think.

In the end, the Bengals should be in the playoff mix again, but dbl digit wins will be a harder task.

 

[Oldschool739]

A second round and third round pass rusher are going to make a big impact? Tell me the 2nd and 3rd rounders that have recently made a big impact in the pass rush?

Jimmy Smith hasn't been healthy in two seasons, but now he will be? Tavon Young is a 4th rounder. If he's on the field, the Ravens are hurting.

Pitta is probably done..... Williams is a solid pro.

If the Ravens turn around is based on these additions (and guys getting healthy), I think it has to be wishful thinking.

The Ravens have a history of finding talent on the D side late or even undrafted that become starters...Bart Scott, Jared Johnson 4th rnd, Adalius Thomas 6th rnd, Paul Kruger 2nd rnd, Arthur Jones 5th rnd, Pernell McPhee 5th rnd and on and on....I hope you aren't that naive as to count on the rnd of draft as the main factor of success or failure in this league, you might want to do a little research and studying to correct that fallacy....
There are as many early round busts as there are late round successes....

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I should mention that Jones is hard to judge given his injury history. He's a playmaker, but if you really look at his production it has been very spotty and it's all dependent upon him being healthy (which isn't a given for him).

Sanu was never as good as I thought he could be. He has a lot of special talent, but he's not near worth the amount ATL gave him.

You typically over pay in FA, and I thought ATL over paid for Sanu, but the deal is really $14mil.

From afar, every team seems to have a guy that looks great coming off the bus, but never really produces...both Gresham and Sanu fit that for me in CIN.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

The Ravens have a history of finding talent on the D side late or even undrafted that become starters...Bart Scott, Jared Johnson 4th rnd, Adalius Thomas 6th rnd, Paul Kruger 2nd rnd, Arthur Jones 5th rnd, Pernell McPhee 5th rnd and on and on....I hope you aren't that naive as to count on the rnd of draft as the main factor of success or failure in this league, you might want to do a little research and studying to correct that fallacy....
There are as many early round busts as there are late round successes....

I've always viewed Ozzie as one of the top 3 or 4 in the league, but admittedly I kinda scratched my head on Correa...if he's going to play OLB in this DIV at <250 lbs...better have a lot of dawg in him to hold the edge in run support...they use use him as a spot duty pass rusher early, or when they go hybrid 4 man DL, he will play outside.

@cincygrad...I think the other Boise kid that went to DAL LY had an impact...8 sacks as a rookie and he went 2nd round, but I also see he was popped for PEDs...lol, had a little extra help maybe.