What's the Call on Wins?

[bengalskyspy]

After watching tonight's game live in person, I cannot give this team more than 8 wins. Apparently Las Vegas agrees, with an over/under of 8.5. Carson is not sharp. The line is damaged goods. Chad has his head up his a$$ with two straight games with false starts. Defense is still a sieve in the secondary. I can barely fined one thing to be optimistic about. The only player to flash this preseasn is Chris Freekin' Henry! The Saints played with noticeably more speed and pop on both sides of the ball. What is going on? Dare I say it... has Marvin Lewis lost this team? I have officially hit the panic button.

[Bobcat Bengal]

yeah, you have.....that said.....calm down and take each week as it comes.

I refuse to make snap judgements on what little we have seen....

[duus]

Concerned? Yes. Panic? No.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

If they look this way after week one, yes, panic.

There seems to be some Reds-esque clinging on to vets who are just average, and not rotating younger guys in and making some more bold decisions, with how they use their personnel.

Guys like Henderson, Fanene, Rucker, Curtis Brown, and Rowe need to be taken more seriously. I would like to see Hartwell moved inside and let Brooks earn his way into a role somehow - for such an imposing guy, he's soft, quiet, and looks clueless. Enough already.

I sure as hell hope they look for another speedy RB who can help them outside of Watson. Q should be a PS player kept around in case Rudi goes down.

Still not impressed with Dexter Jackson in coverage anywhere on the field.

Leon Hall held up well tonight though.

There just isn't a substitute for Henry and they'll have to suffer through that 1st half without him. Perry is not even close in terms of route running and catching the ball. He's valuable but like Watson, can only do certain things well from scrimmage. You can only hope he works as hard as TJ though over time, and breaks out.

[Stripes]

10 or more. My view has changed very little, if at all.

[Kazkal]

I call 10-6 at worst but I really do think we can go 12-4.

[ArmyBengal]

What the F*CK is wrong with you guys ?? Seriously, I understand about the injuries and maybe some bad plays here and there, but this is still the preseason. This is where you want to make these types of mistakes and try to better yourself for the regular season. We have guys on the field I've never heard of but more importantly, they won't be there come the regular season either. TAKE A BREATH ALREADY !!! 10+ wins still isn't out of the scope of possibility at this time...

WHODEY !!!

[combatbengal]

I agree, the off has to get into their groove and it's better to screw up now then in preseason. I seen on another post that the Colts only won one preseason game last year and became world champs. Tab Perry needs to stay after practice and put in some more work! The DB's need to do the same!

[HoosierCat]

I'll reserve judgement for another couple weeks but yeah, right now I'm leaning toward 7 to 9 wins. Given the way the sked is front-loaded with tough games, how banged up the team already is, and the loss of Henry for the first 8, we could get off to another fugly start. Think 2-6 or 3-5 over the first half. By the second half we start getting some guys back (Henry, Chris Perry), the sked lets up, and take, say 6 out of 8.

[membengal]

I've been saying 10-6 (plus or minus one on either side), and I will stick with that.

But the front loaded difficulty of the schedule has worried me ever since it came out, and the injuries along with Henry's suspension certainly add to the unease.

Significant games to win in the first four? The opener against the Ravens and the following week up in Cleveland.

[NYBengalfan]

I dont care if they never win another preseason game again. The preseason is for getting the rust off and that alone. Doesn't bother me at all. 11-5 and division champs.

[BengalByTheBay]

I didn't play in the original season prediction, but I thought this one would be more reflective. I sort-of answered it on my own at 10-6 before (which equates to 10 or more here) and I don't see a whole lot to change that. 9-7 wouldn't shock me. I don't really think 8-8, but there is so much to happen that can't be predicted right now that it seems pretty random to think you really know. That's kind of how I am looking at these preseason games so far. I mean, look at the Saints -- they looked like crap against the Squeels and now everybody's overreacting to this game. They were a good team then too and, since this is their 3rd PS game, maybe they wanted to win it more. Not giving excuses -- there were some big lapses on the Bengals part -- but I do think lots of guys cruise through PS who will be very good during the season and lots of guys who will suck, or be gone, play their a@@ off during PS. Does it make you feel good to win -- yeah. But it doesn't mean too much except to fans who are just excited to see their team play and putting way too much intensity into what they see.

BTW - did anybody else think that CP was particularly inaccurate when throwing to Perry? That sideline route was a little underthrown, but the one that could've been a TD was pretty much uncatchable. I do think there's something to the years of continuity CP has had with TJ and ocho and the optimistic side of me says that Perry looks like he's getting open, but he's not getting great balls to catch yet. Oh yeah, and Doug Johnson's throws don't count (please God...don't make them count).

[711chad]

y r u all so concerned with the preaseason...there's a preseason for a reason...calm down, wait to we play atlanta mark ma word we gonna show yall

[HoosierCat]

One thing to remember, if you're looking for silver linings in yesterday's loss, is that at least the Bengals won't face many potent offenses like NO's in the regular season. The Bengals only have 3 games (two vs. Pitt and one against the Rams) in which they'll be pitted against a team that ranked in the top 10 in offense last season. (Though we also drew No. 11, NE.)

Contrast that with last season when the Bengals had 5 games versus top 10 offenses (Pitt x2, NO, Indy and SD) plus tilts against Nos. 11 and 12, NE and Atlanta. Bengals were 2-5 in those games, and 6-3 against everyone else.

[jjakq27]

9-7.

Too many things seem out of sync right now. I know they are probably running everything in vanilla but I think the defense still has some weaknesses and all of the injuries are a serious concern.

[bengalskyspy]

I dont care if they never win another preseason game again. The preseason is for getting the rust off and that alone. Doesn't bother me at all. 11-5 and division champs.

I dont care if they win any preseason games, but I do care how they play, and there is no denying the first teamers are playing poorly, too many injuries, etc. The Saints did not need the EXCUSE of "its just a preseason game."

Any prediction beyond 8-8 is pure homerism and makes you as bombastic as a Steeler fan.

[BengalByTheBay]

I dont care if they never win another preseason game again. The preseason is for getting the rust off and that alone. Doesn't bother me at all. 11-5 and division champs.

I dont care if they win any preseason games, but I do care how they play, and there is no denying the first teamers are playing poorly, too many injuries, etc. The Saints did not need the EXCUSE of "its just a preseason game."

Any prediction beyond 8-8 is pure homerism and makes you as bombastic as a Steeler fan.

Ridiculous -- there's every reason to believe that a record better than 8-8 is possible and basing your entire universe of information on the first two preseason games makes you as effeminate as a Browns fan.

[walzav29]

I'm starting to wonder about the decision to sign Willie and Levi if they are that beat up. I'm starting to wonder if Brown and Lewis are on the same page.

[Stripes]

Preseason 2005, Game Two:

Eagles 27 Bengals 3

Bengals regular season performance:

11-5, AFC North Champions, 3rd seed in the conference

[jjakq27]

Preseason 2005, Game Two:

Eagles 27 Bengals 3

Bengals regular season performance:

11-5, AFC North Champions, 3rd seed in the conference

I remember that game. It was pretty dismal. In fact I think it was a lot worse than last night. Good analogy T. Hopefully they will be ready next Monday night and get themselves straight for the season opener.

[Stripes]

I remember that game. It was pretty dismal. In fact I think it was a lot worse than last night.

Hard to forget... Terrell Owens made sure of it on the first play.

[BengalChamps]

I am definately getting desperate. I picked 7 wins because we are not better than last year.

Why?

1. Oline is worse than last year. Willie maybe done. No continuity.How many games will Levi miss? How much shuffling of positions will occur when/if one or both return?

2. I cant stand Cheech's offield actions, but you cant deny his speed and the fear factor he brings to opposing defenses. But he is gone for 8 games. And all i hear about is how great Brazell is. Where is the speed!! He hasnt shown it yet. WRs are worse than last year.

3. TEs? Oh thats right. We still dont have any that scare defenses. No speed.

4. RBs? Rudi is the MAN! But we need a speed back too. REally too bad about Irons. When will Chris Perry return?? How long does it take for a bone to heal?? Does he work out? Does he rehab? Who knows. And where is the world is Jeremy Johnson? He is making ALOT of money to eat his way off the team. THERE IS NO SPEED HERE.

5. QBs? Carson is the best chance we have to remain respectable. He is awesome but needs more weapons than Chad and TJ.

I just dont see how this O will score more points than last year. Especially if the D cant get off the field.

6. Dline is the same as last year. Ocassional pressure on the QB but usually with blitz help. Best chance for improvement is Fanane.

7. LBs. Brooks has the body but not the brains or aggression. He looked like a huge puppy dog out there. This group looks good on paper but not the aggresive intimidation that Raven and Steeler LBs seem to have.

8. DBs look better to me. I would like to see more cockiness and aggression.

Guys, sorry for the pesimism. But I've felt enough blind homerism in past seasons. In trying to look objectively, I just dont see improvement.

[ArmyBengal]

Are you guys even looking at the same schedule ?? How do we lose 9 of these games ?? Now, I question the defense as much as the next guy, but I just don't see it !!!

WHODEY !!!

Baltimore

at Cleveland

at Seattle

New England

Bye

at Kansas City

New York Jets

Pittsburgh

at Buffalo

at Baltimore

Arizona

Tennessee

at Pittsburgh

St. Louis

at San Francisco

at Cleveland

Miami

[BengalszoneBilly]

Wow...10 or more is the run away favorite. I hope you guys are right of course, but right now I just can't see anything better than 8.

[ArmyBengal]

Ok, lets say for the sake of argument that we lose both games to Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, that's 4. We lose to Seattle and New England, that's 6. Between 2 with Cleveland, the Chiefs, the Jets, the Bills, the Cardinals, the Titans, the Rams, the 49er's, and the Dolphins, where do you honestly think we are losing 3 more ?? That's "IF" we lose all those others I mentioned to begin with (Which I don't see happening)... If you honestly believe we are going to get swept by the Steelers and Ravens, we have bigger concerns !!! I think the outlook proposed by some of you guys is a little on the, uncalled for, bleak side of things. Maybe I'm an optimist in all of this, but this was certainly not the attitude held by the majority of you when the schedule was released. I know things have taken a few changes, but so much so that we went from a possible 11-5 to a 7-9 record ?? I'm sorry, I just can't agree with that. I will be more than happy to come back and say how wrong I was, but I would prefer to remain hopeful as opposed to thinking who we will take with the first pick of the draft next year...

WHODEY !!!