Check out the latest edition of Talkin' Bengals where we break down the Pro Bowl, Randy Bullick, Marvin Lewis contract extension, the moral compass of the NFL, and some great Roast it or Boast it topics including the entirnal debate of Goldstar or Skyline. We also figure out if two Houles are better than one as Nick's older brother joins the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV7vlTQiGHk
Monday, January 30, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Talkin' Bengals Episode 2
Talkin' Bengals Episode 2: We discuss replacement Pro Bowlers, Chad Johnson as a kicking solution, Super Bowls picks and more!
Monday, January 16, 2017
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Talkin' Bengals: Final Thoughts on the Bengals 2016 Season
Talkin' Bengals: Final Thoughts on the Bengals 2016 Season: The 2016 season is now in the rear view, thank God. For Bengals fans this season was painful to live through after five straight play...
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Final Thoughts on the Bengals 2016 Season
The 2016 season is now in the rear view, thank God. For Bengals fans this season was painful to live through after five straight playoff appearances. In this final thoughts article it would be easy to focus only on where the Bengals fell short. Instead let’s take a holistic approach and identify what Cincinnati should sustain and improve in order to make 2017 a better campaign.
Wide Receivers- Sustain
While
this angle may come as a shock to many its hard not to feel positive about
Cincinnati’s wide outs going into the offseason. The absence of AJ Green and
Tyler Eifert forced Andy Dalton to became familiar with new targets. Brandon Lafell was the most popular target
for Dalton in Green’s absence, compiling 64 catches, 862 yards, and 6
touchdowns.
Though
impressive Lafell’s campaign was not the most promising aspect for the Bengals
receiving core moving forward. Near the
end of the season the increasing role of Tyler Boyd and Cody Core allowed
Dalton to gain confidence in them. A
look at the stat sheet doesn’t show anything spectacular for either wide out,
but their increased repetitions will pay dividends next season.
Making
a bold prediction for next season, Cody Core will be the Bengals number two receiver
with Tyler Boyd still occupying the slot.
This move may not happen right off the bat, but by midseason Core will
have become an explosive threat in the Bengals offense. The battle for the number two receiver
positon will fuel both Core and Boyd to play better which means great things
for the Bengals.
Offensive Line- Improve
This
area of improvement should be obvious to everyone. The Bengals O-line was banged up and
disappointing all season long. Their
terrible play allowed Andy Dalton to be sacked 41 times during 2016. Aside from the sacks, Dalton was pressured
nearly every time he dropped back in the pocket.
If the
Bengals are to improve in 2017 they need to sure up their O-line. One of the biggest questions is what to do
with sunk cost that is Cedric Ogbuehi.
His contract is not up until after the 2019 season and there is likely
little interest in him on the trade market.
Perhaps the Bengals may shift him
to a guard position. That shift would
make sense considering Cincinnati is likely to re-sign left tackle Andrew Whitworth
and lose guard Kevin Zeitler. Regardless
of what moves are made the Bengals must improve their struggling O-line.
Dalton-Green- Sustain
The
season may have been disappointing but the Bengals headlining stars shined in
2016. Andy Dalton was able to amass his
second highest passing yard total and second lowest interception total in
2016. The yardage numbers were extremely
impressive considering that AJ Green and Tyler Eifert missed a substantial
amount of time.
The
biggest disappointment for Dalton this year was that he only threw for 18
touchdowns which was career low. Much of
this could be attributed to the absence of Green and Eifert. Green was having a career year and in 10
games had 66 receptions for 964 yards and 4 touchdowns. Green vowed to return in 2016 but was shut
down for the season by ownership.
If the
Bengals want to have any success in 2017 they need Dalton and Green to
perform. The most important part of their
performance is for them to stay healthy and play an entire season. If both Andy Dalton and AJ Green can improve
on their impressive resumes Cincinnati should bounce back in 2017.
Defense- Improve
It was
too hard to pin point a single flaw in the Bengals defense so therefore the
whole group needs to improve. First the
aging defensive line struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Atkins and Dunlap took a step back this
season which caused a ripple effect throughout the rest of the defense.
The
line backers were nonexistent outside of Vontaze Burfict and Vincent Rey. Carlos Dansby was not player that he used to
be and contributed little to the defensive effort. Speaking of little production, Rey Maualuga
had only 27 tackles in 2016 and needs desperately to be released. Cincinnati needs to find a strong supporting
cast for Burfict and Rey going into the 2017 season.
Perhaps
the most disappointing part of the Bengals defense was the secondary. The loss of Reggie Nelson seemed to destroy
what had been a productive secondary. In
addition to the loss of Nelson the lack of production from Adam Jones left a
lot of pressure on the unreliable Dre Kirkpatrick. Cincinnati must step up in all defensive
aspects if they are to be successful next season.
Conclusion
In a nutshell the Bengals must find
a way to improve their defense and offensive line while expanding the role of
their young receivers and empowering their stars to perform even better. Though 2016 was the most dreadful season thus
far in the Dalton-Green area, there is some promise for the future. If the Bengals follow through on the topics
discussed in this article 2017 may indeed be a bounce back season.
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