Now that the sting from the disastrous playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers is six months gone, it's time to take a look at my beloved Bungals outlook for 2014.
The reasons for optimism:
1. Despite losing Anthony Collins and Michael Johnson to the Buccaneers via free agency, the Bengals still have a TON of talent on the roster. That is one reason they didn't have to delve much into free agency at all. Six consecutive drafts have yielded one of the most talented teams in the league. In fact, the Bengals have four players who are among the most talented at their respective positions: Vontaze Burfict at linebacker, AJ Green at wide receiver, Geno Atkins at defensive tackle, and Carlos Dunlap at defensive end. Add to that Pro Bowl veterans Andy Dalton, Andrew Witworth, and Jermaine Gresham, as well as young, emerging players like Gio Bernard, Tyler Eifert, Kevin Zeitler, Marqus Hunt, Darqueze Dennard, Jeremy Hill, Russel Bodine, and Marvin Jones and the Bengals have a squad that can line up against anyone and be competitive.
2. Hue Jackson. Since former offensive coordinator Jay Gruden left to be the head coach of the Washington Redskins, the talk has been about Jackson taking over as offensive coordinator. Truth be told, if he hadn't been the head coach of the Raiders back in 2011, the Bengals very well would have hired Hue as their offensive coordinator as opposed to the relatively unknown Jay Gruden. Jackson will bring a toughness to the offense that it sorely needs. Had Gruden tried to run the ball more consistently in the second half of the playoff loss to the Chargers, the Bengals could have won. Jackson's offense will make Andy Dalton better. He won't ask Dalton to be Brees or Manning, as Gruden seemed to try and do. Instead, Jackson will expect Dalton to be Flacco or Wilson, which means manage the game and make plays when you need to. Jackson's personality will infect this entire team. If you watched last year's Hard Knocks, it was hard for you not to fall for Jackson's charisma.
3. The Bengals defense. Yes, losing Mike Zimmer to become the head coach of the Vikings is a huge blow. But his former line backer coach, Paul Guenther, will fill in nicely for Zimmer. In fact, Guenther would have been either Zimmer's or Gruden's top choice for their defensive coordinator had the Bengals not offered him the job. There is just too much talent on defense for the Bengals to fall too far. They might not rank third overall in defense as they did last year, but they should certainly remain a top ten unit.
What I think will happen . . . Well, the Bengals have improved every year since 2011, going first 9-7, then 10-6, to last year's 11-5. Is 12-4 likely this year.
I wish.
But I think 10-6 is more likely. Maybe that's good enough for a second consecutive division title, maybe it's not. I just hope they win (finally) a playoff game.
What I'm most excited for -
1. Jeremy Hill. The big running back taken in the second round out of LSU should be an excellent compliment to Gio Bernard. These two should give the Bengals their best backfield since the late '80's when they had James Brooks and Ickey Woods.
2. The emergence of Marvin Jones and Mohammad Sanu. Jones was a revelation last year, making numerous big plays. Sanu seemed to take a step back. But without a slot receiver, look for Sanu to make a living in the slot.
3. The defensive line. Dunlap can wreak havoc. Marqus Hunt is very talented as well. Wallace Gillberry was tied for the team lead in sacks last year with 7.5. Geno Atkins is recovering from ACL surgery, but once he comes back, let's hope the is back to clogging the middle and getting after the quarterback. There is a ton of talent here.
So let's hope for 10-6 and if all the chips fall right, maybe, just maybe 12-4 and a second division title.
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