[BFritz]

Just like to hear people's opinions on them for this season.

I think they'll be one of the top 5 teams in the league. Their offense is probly a top 3 offense in the league. When Palmer had a down season last season, he was still a top 5 to 10 QB. Everybody knows Rudi's an animal, he'll have another great year. At receiver, yes, they'll be hurting the first 8 without Henry because he can stretch the field so much and be so dangerous, but Housh and Chad are a nasty combo, and if you put anyone in the slot, they can look amazing because Housh and Chad draw so much attention off the slot. Fill-in could be Tab Perry- very solid, Reggie McNeal- not as solid, or Antonio Chatman- not too shabby. Chris Perry could also fill in and play slot receiver and be very dangerous. They finally have a defense that could be ranked anywhere from 12th to 15th, which is up from the past few years when it's been high 20s, low 30s. Defense is the last piece, our offense keeps producing and the d stops some people, we blow teams out. Deep into the playoffs.

Opinions? Objections?

[More Cowbell]

I think I've said so on an earlier thread, but I see the Bengals going 12-4 and winning the AFC North this year. I'm not sure how far they'll advance in the playoffs, it will all depend on how long they keep home-field advantage and who they play each round, so I won't go that far yet.

[Scotty doesn't know]

I think I've said so on an earlier thread, but I see the Bengals going 12-4 and winning the AFC North this year. I'm not sure how far they'll advance in the playoffs, it will all depend on how long they keep home-field advantage and who they play each round, so I won't go that far yet.

I see a 13-3 season. It very well could be 12-4 like you said but I tend to think that we will get lucky this season. There are only two games that I think we should not win. I think we will have 1 more bad game which gives them a 13-3 record. Of course I have debated on here before that it could be between 14-2 and 11-5. But fact still remains, we should win the AFC North this year like you said.
WHO DEY!!!!

[More Cowbell]

I see a loss to New England, splits with Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and a fourth loss to either San Fran or Seattle, both of which are on the road. They could be 13-3, however, if they get both those west coast games, or if they sweep Baltimore (which might happen).

[Scotty doesn't know]

I see a loss to New England, splits with Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and a fourth loss to either San Fran or Seattle, both of which are on the road. They could be 13-3, however, if they get both those west coast games, or if they sweep Baltimore (which might happen).

I agree....I think you and me have discussed this on here before.. anyways, I see a sweep of Baltimore or the Steelers. Once upon a time (a few weeks ago) I thought that the team would be the steelers but the more and more I think about it, you guys are right, it would more than likely be Baltimore. So I still stick with a loss to New England, Seattle, and one to the Steelers.

[Grand Slam]

i feel that the loss of henry will hurt but it will give ky fans a chance to see former wildcat glenn holt a lot more

[BFritz]

I cut my original thread short with barely mentioning the defense because I was tired.

The defensive line still worries me. We have Justin Smith at one DE, and probably Robert Geathers at the other, which neither impress me all that much, but Smith could be real solid. Defensive tackle, in my opinion, will be a very weak position for us with the starters probably being Domata Peko and John Thorton. The linebacking core looks to be able to fill for the D-line though, with Landon Johnson, Ahmad Brooks, and Rashad Jeanty (Jeanty's not great, but not bad either) all back, Ed Hartwell and Earl Everett also being able to be a solid presence, and then it's yet to be seen, but hopefully Thurmann can get back to his dominant form. I think that Deltha (but maybe Ratliff) and Leon (but could be Deltha or Ratliff, or Joseph with someone else playing the slot, maybe even Hall) should start at corners, with Joseph covering the slot and being the nickel back. Madieu Williams and Dexter Jackson could both be solid plays at the safeties, and who knows what Ndukwe and Marvin White will be able to do.

All that of course depends on the defenses they run and who they decide they want to play where.

I think the defense has the ability to be in the top 12 to 15 defenses in the league, and with the offense being as powerful as it will be, it only spells going deep in the playoffs.

Time to sit back and :popcorn:

[TidesHoss32]

If Cincy can play AVERAGE defense this season, look out.....I still think Pittsburgh will bounce back after an off year and challenge for the division title. I think it will come down to Cincy and Pittsburgh..I think Baltimore will have problems scoring on anyone, even with the addition of McGahee..The division is in Cincy's hands, but I hope my Steelers will have something to say about it

[BFritz]

If Cincy can play AVERAGE defense this season, look out.....I still think Pittsburgh will bounce back after an off year and challenge for the division title. I think it will come down to Cincy and Pittsburgh..I think Baltimore will have problems scoring on anyone, even with the addition of McGahee..The division is in Cincy's hands, but I hope my Steelers will have something to say about it

I think that their defense will be above average, especially with all the different things that they can do with the personel I listed. Their front four does worry me a bit, but I think they have a solid group of backers that will be able to make up for that. Like we both said, if they can just play average defense then look out because the past few years the defense might as well have not even showed up, and they still made runs at the division. Now, we're looking BIGGER:rockon: It'll be good to have civil conversations with you about the rivalry.

[More Cowbell]

The defensive line still worries me. We have Justin Smith at one DE, and probably Robert Geathers at the other, which neither impress me all that much, but Smith could be real solid. Defensive tackle, in my opinion, will be a very weak position for us with the starters probably being Domata Peko and John Thorton. The linebacking core looks to be able to fill for the D-line though, with Landon Johnson, Ahmad Brooks, and Rashad Jeanty (Jeanty's not great, but not bad either) all back, Ed Hartwell and Earl Everett also being able to be a solid presence, and then it's yet to be seen, but hopefully Thurmann can get back to his dominant form. I think that Deltha (but maybe Ratliff) and Leon (but could be Deltha or Ratliff, or Joseph with someone else playing the slot, maybe even Hall) should start at corners, with Joseph covering the slot and being the nickel back. Madieu Williams and Dexter Jackson could both be solid plays at the safeties, and who knows what Ndukwe and Marvin White will be able to do.

I agree with you on most of that, but I have to disagree with your assessment of the corners. I believe that the one guy that will definitely start (assuming he's healthy) is Joseph, who is the best CB on the team, in my opinion. As for the other spot, best case scenario is for O'Neal to get his act together and start, which will allow Hall to be brought along slowly in the nickel spot (just like Joseph last year). Then if he is doing well by the middle of the year, he may beat out O'Neal if he is still not giving his best effort. Ratliff then provides excellent depth, maybe the best 4th corner in the league.

I do agree with the rest of the post, although I think Marvin White will take over from Dexter Jackson next year, if not sometime this season.

[BFritz]

I agree with you on most of that, but I have to disagree with your assessment of the corners. I believe that the one guy that will definitely start (assuming he's healthy) is Joseph, who is the best CB on the team, in my opinion. As for the other spot, best case scenario is for O'Neal to get his act together and start, which will allow Hall to be brought along slowly in the nickel spot (just like Joseph last year). Then if he is doing well by the middle of the year, he may beat out O'Neal if he is still not giving his best effort. Ratliff then provides excellent depth, maybe the best 4th corner in the league.

I do agree with the rest of the post, although I think Marvin White will take over from Dexter Jackson next year, if not sometime this season.

You're probly right, and I agree that Joseph's the best corner, but Hall's an incredible cover corner, and I'm not sure how he'd do playing the nickel. You could say put Deltha there, but, to me, Deltha's not a guy that can play nickel or help at all on the run. Joseph's already played there and wasn't too shabby, so that was my reasoning there.

I do agree with you on White though. I think his strong point would be helping with the run, but I do believe he'd also be an improvement in pass coverage

[More Cowbell]

You're probly right, and I agree that Joseph's the best corner, but Hall's an incredible cover corner, and I'm not sure how he'd do playing the nickel. You could say put Deltha there, but, to me, Deltha's not a guy that can play nickel or help at all on the run. Joseph's already played there and wasn't too shabby, so that was my reasoning there.

I do agree with you on White though. I think his strong point would be helping with the run, but I do believe he'd also be an improvement in pass coverage

OK, I see your point about Joseph being the best nickel man, but generally the nickel guy only plays on passing downs, and I can't see them letting a talent like Joseph sit that much. As the best corner, I say he starts, and whoever wins between O'Neal and Hall gets the other spot. If the loser doesn't want to play nickel, I'm sure Ratliff would be happy for the playing time.

I'm not sure how well White will help in pass coverage, most of the stuff I read about him was about how well he tackled in run support. Still, he can't be any worse than Jackson, who isn't all that great in coverage either. Really, though, I'm excited to see White absolutely blast some RB that manages to break through into the secondary!

[Scotty doesn't know]

Tides! Just curious, how do you see the Bengals record for the up coming season? Be extremely truthful buddy.

[TidesHoss32]

Truthfully, I see either them or Pittsburgh going 11-5 or 10-6. If they win the division, they'll go 11-5, and Pittsburgh 10-6, and if Pittsburgh wins it theyll be 11-5 and Cincy 10-6. I think Cincy is good enough to be a 12 win team, possibly 13, however, Ill stick to my guns that JUST playing in the AFC alone, every team in the AFC North will absolutely beat the hell out of each other, and by the end of the year, it'll take its toll on any team. If Cincy was playing in the NFC, I wouldnt blink at predicting a 13-3 record, but I'm telling you bro, the AFC is flat wicked. There isnt a team in the conference to look past. Even Cleveland will be much much improved. But I dont see a very dominant team in the conference, no 14 or 15 game winners. Everybody has this love affair with Baltimore, and every single pro football publication that Ive seen (7 or 8) has the same order, Baltimore 1, Cincy 2, Pittsburgh 3, and Cleveland 4th. I just dont see it. Baltimore will be a decent team, thats going to rely on its defense 70% of the time to bail them out of games, and although I like McNair, if he gets injured, out goes Baltimore's chance of winning the division. I see it like this, and these are my honest picks.
Pittsburgh 11-5
Cincy 10-6
Baltimore 8-8
Cleveland 6-10
with Cincy getting the wild card, and doing some damage in the playoffs. I wont mind one darn bit if it ends up like it did in 2005, with Cincy winning the division, and us winning the superbowl, lol..but thats what I see anyways. Cincy will be a very dangerous team. Especially if like I said, if they can just play average defense, they'll be flat scary. I hate to admit that, I really do. It pains my soul to say good things about Cincy, but its great for the rivalry. But Its going to be a fun year nonetheless.

Tides! Just curious, how do you see the Bengals record for the up coming season? Be extremely truthful buddy.

[Playboy5]

So soft TH32, So soft. I don't even know who you are anymore?

[Scotty doesn't know]

Truthfully, I see either them or Pittsburgh going 11-5 or 10-6. If they win the division, they'll go 11-5, and Pittsburgh 10-6, and if Pittsburgh wins it theyll be 11-5 and Cincy 10-6. I think Cincy is good enough to be a 12 win team, possibly 13, however, Ill stick to my guns that JUST playing in the AFC alone, every team in the AFC North will absolutely beat the hell out of each other, and by the end of the year, it'll take its toll on any team. If Cincy was playing in the NFC, I wouldnt blink at predicting a 13-3 record, but I'm telling you bro, the AFC is flat wicked. There isnt a team in the conference to look past. Even Cleveland will be much much improved. But I dont see a very dominant team in the conference, no 14 or 15 game winners. Everybody has this love affair with Baltimore, and every single pro football publication that Ive seen (7 or 8) has the same order, Baltimore 1, Cincy 2, Pittsburgh 3, and Cleveland 4th. I just dont see it. Baltimore will be a decent team, thats going to rely on its defense 70% of the time to bail them out of games, and although I like McNair, if he gets injured, out goes Baltimore's chance of winning the division. I see it like this, and these are my honest picks.
Pittsburgh 11-5
Cincy 10-6
Baltimore 8-8
Cleveland 6-10
with Cincy getting the wild card, and doing some damage in the playoffs. I wont mind one darn bit if it ends up like it did in 2005, with Cincy winning the division, and us winning the superbowl, lol..but thats what I see anyways. Cincy will be a very dangerous team. Especially if like I said, if they can just play average defense, they'll be flat scary. I hate to admit that, I really do. It pains my soul to say good things about Cincy, but its great for the rivalry. But Its going to be a fun year nonetheless.

Could not agree more! I respect that you not only support your team but have the informationto back up your claim. :thumpsup:

[TidesHoss32]

yeah..too bad Washington's not in Pittsburgh's division, that would be two easy wins for us

So soft TH32, So soft. I don't even know who you are anymore?

[BFritz]

Truthfully, I see either them or Pittsburgh going 11-5 or 10-6. If they win the division, they'll go 11-5, and Pittsburgh 10-6, and if Pittsburgh wins it theyll be 11-5 and Cincy 10-6. I think Cincy is good enough to be a 12 win team, possibly 13, however, Ill stick to my guns that JUST playing in the AFC alone, every team in the AFC North will absolutely beat the hell out of each other, and by the end of the year, it'll take its toll on any team. If Cincy was playing in the NFC, I wouldnt blink at predicting a 13-3 record, but I'm telling you bro, the AFC is flat wicked. There isnt a team in the conference to look past. Even Cleveland will be much much improved. But I dont see a very dominant team in the conference, no 14 or 15 game winners. Everybody has this love affair with Baltimore, and every single pro football publication that Ive seen (7 or 8) has the same order, Baltimore 1, Cincy 2, Pittsburgh 3, and Cleveland 4th. I just dont see it. Baltimore will be a decent team, thats going to rely on its defense 70% of the time to bail them out of games, and although I like McNair, if he gets injured, out goes Baltimore's chance of winning the division. I see it like this, and these are my honest picks.
Pittsburgh 11-5
Cincy 10-6
Baltimore 8-8
Cleveland 6-10
with Cincy getting the wild card, and doing some damage in the playoffs. I wont mind one darn bit if it ends up like it did in 2005, with Cincy winning the division, and us winning the superbowl, lol..but thats what I see anyways. Cincy will be a very dangerous team. Especially if like I said, if they can just play average defense, they'll be flat scary. I hate to admit that, I really do. It pains my soul to say good things about Cincy, but its great for the rivalry. But Its going to be a fun year nonetheless.

With the amount of respect that you've been giving Cinci, I thought for sure that you'd pick us winning the division! No lost love, though, and, as always, I respect your opinion.

Baltimore's defense is good, but they don't worry me because their offense, in my opinion, won't be good at all, and that's even assuming that McNair doesn't die of old age before the season ends.

OK, I see your point about Joseph being the best nickel man, but generally the nickel guy only plays on passing downs, and I can't see them letting a talent like Joseph sit that much. As the best corner, I say he starts, and whoever wins between O'Neal and Hall gets the other spot. If the loser doesn't want to play nickel, I'm sure Ratliff would be happy for the playing time.

I'm not sure how well White will help in pass coverage, most of the stuff I read about him was about how well he tackled in run support. Still, he can't be any worse than Jackson, who isn't all that great in coverage either. Really, though, I'm excited to see White absolutely blast some RB that manages to break through into the secondary!

Yeah, I see your point, I was thinking only about passing downs, and wasn't even considering anything else. Maybe it would be good to start Joseph and Hall opposite each other, and then maybe bring in Deltha on passing downs and move Joseph to nickel back on those downs. Last year, I disagreed with them playing the 3-4 because I didn't think that they had the linebacking talent, but this year I believe they'll have more than enough talent to run the 3-4, and I think that it will be an advantage as the backers are better than the D-line.

White will be an animal, and if they start Joseph and Hall, I wouldn't be afraid to leave either of them out on single coverage on most receivers in the NFL and have White playing up near the line and more run help than pass coverage. Good idea, I love bouncing these ideas off other Bengals fans!!!!!!!!

[More Cowbell]

TidesHoss, I appreciate your opinion, and I couldn't agree with you more that the Ravens are definitely overrated. If you had to pick a team in the NFL that will fall off the most from last season's win total, it would be them. I agree, they will finish about 8-8, easily in 3rd place in the division.

However, I must respectfully disagree with the way you arranged the top 2 teams.

I see Cincy finishing 12-4, with Pittsburgh finishing 11-5, 1 game behind. Both teams will make the playoffs, though.

[More Cowbell]

Yeah, I see your point, I was thinking only about passing downs, and wasn't even considering anything else. Maybe it would be good to start Joseph and Hall opposite each other, and then maybe bring in Deltha on passing downs and move Joseph to nickel back on those downs. Last year, I disagreed with them playing the 3-4 because I didn't think that they had the linebacking talent, but this year I believe they'll have more than enough talent to run the 3-4, and I think that it will be an advantage as the backers are better than the D-line.

White will be an animal, and if they start Joseph and Hall, I wouldn't be afraid to leave either of them out on single coverage on most receivers in the NFL and have White playing up near the line and more run help than pass coverage. Good idea, I love bouncing these ideas off other Bengals fans!!!!!!!!

I would agree completely with that type of plan, just so Joseph stays on the field! I thought he played very well last year, and if he has learned to catch those interceptions instead of muffing them, he could quickly become one of the top corners in the league.

[Scotty doesn't know]

I would agree completely with that type of plan, just so Joseph stays on the field! I thought he played very well last year, and if he has learned to catch those interceptions instead of muffing them, he could quickly become one of the top corners in the league.

What a true statement! I wonder how many interceptions he could have had last year?

[More Cowbell]

What a true statement! I wonder how many interceptions he could have had last year?

Too many. To be perfectly frank, his missed interceptions probably cost us a couple games last year. Although, in his defense, he was in the right position to make the pick, which is more than a lot of corners would've been able to say.

[Scotty doesn't know]

Too many. To be perfectly frank, his missed interceptions probably cost us a couple games last year. Although, in his defense, he was in the right position to make the pick, which is more than a lot of corners would've been able to say.

Yeah, that is also true. I wonder if he has work on his hands any in the offseason? He already had the speed and vision, he just needs those hands to bear hug the ball.

[More Cowbell]

Yeah, that is also true. I wonder if he has work on his hands any in the offseason? He already had the speed and vision, he just needs those hands to bear hug the ball.

If he wasn't working on catching the ball in the offseason, then someone needs to hit him upside the head! LOL