I see 9 wins tops, with a shot at 10

[icehole3]

after a superb off season, I'll give them 9 wins top, we may and I mean may be able to sneak a win versus the Steelers, with a lot of luck (health to all the key players) we can get 10 wins and a wild card, one wild card will come out of our division I think, the other will come out of Indy's division. we've got a chance to win every game except 1 of the Pittsburgh games, @Min, @SD, @NYJ, I figure we'll blow a couple of more wins, we always get cocky after a big win so when that happens, thats a game we'll lose, and Im always gonna give Marvin a loss because of poor game management. So Im going with 9 wins tops and a shot at 10 wins.

[HoosierCat]

I see 16 wins, with a shot at 19.

[ArmyBengal]

The thing I'm looking at is, even if I think we will win 9 games this season (which is possible), I don't think it's going to be enough with the Steelers having the 4th easiest and the Ravens having the 5th easiest schedule based on last years opponents. Hard to envision the defending Super Bowl champs NOT repeating at a minimum the Division title (at least) when they only got better and made improvements. I honestly think the Steelers have to be odds on favorites to win it again this year to start and I dont see 9 wins getting us anywhere.

I better not say that though or some might suggest we start losing from the get go to attain a better draft pick !!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

I don't see diddly s**t until after pre-season. That always opens my eyes.

[ArmyBengal]

I don't see diddly s**t until after pre-season. That always opens my eyes.

The Lions went 4-0 in preseason last year...

[Pidge]

If we go .500 or above then that's a fantastic first step in hopefully turning this team around into a serious challenger. I just want to see an improvement, and that shouldn't be too hard.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I don't see diddly s**t until after pre-season. That always opens my eyes.

The Lions went 4-0 in preseason last year...

True Mark. But remember one of those pre-season victories for Detroit came against Cincinnati. The Lions won easily 27-10. For me, that game alone forebode bad things ahead for the Bengals, and it came to pass. That's why always I reserve prognostication until I see what we really have to work with. Losing games that badly to teams like Detroit, pre-season or otherwise, never instills hope in me.

[whizzo]

for now, i think .500 seems a reasonable estimate. preseason will hopefully tell us more.

[BengalszoneBilly]

preseason will hopefully tell us more.

Trust me...it will, but I will concede I expect an improvement on both sides of the ball, and not just because of the draft. My true hope lies within the coaching staff.

[kingwilly]

THE

PRESEASON

MEANS

NOTHING

realtive to the probable outcome of the regular season.

thinking otherwise is downright stupid.

[ArmyBengal]

I like the preseason for the reason of getting to see the youngsters get some playing time they may not see the rest of the season.

That and the fact it brings an end to the miserable offseason !!!

[gregstephens]

You are all wrong on this preseason issue. It isn't the games that mean jack. It's training camp. I always go to the intersquad game at training camp. Last year, I came back here and told you we were in trouble with Perry and the running game. I didn't foresee all the problems on the line because obviously our own defense wasn't going to run over Up-chuck like a tank, but I did see problems with the offense, even with Palmer, jelling. They never appeared to be on the same page in the intersquad. They looked like that all season, even before Carson went down. To me, that feeling in the intersquad says a lot.

[ArmyBengal]

I can't wait to retire and get back there for all that stuff that I can take the little guy to.

Back on topic though, this team "appears" to have the chance to win at least 9 games and maybe more with some luck. All I know is, it should be fun to watch the coaches work with this team of youngsters and veterans. That's a nice change of pace !!!

[Ickey44]

THE

PRESEASON

MEANS

NOTHING

realtive to the probable outcome of the regular season.

thinking otherwise is downright stupid.

It doesn't mean nothing. Many of us were able to tell from the preseason last year that our beloved team was gonna suck last year while people like you said there was nothing to worry about because it's the preseason. You don't think that Carson's broken nose last preseason meant "nothing", do you?

[gregstephens]

THE

PRESEASON

MEANS

NOTHING

realtive to the probable outcome of the regular season.

thinking otherwise is downright stupid.

You don't think that Carson's broken nose last preseason meant "nothing", do you?

I do believe that was pretty much the 'oh crap' moment of the preseason, actually. The entire team never recovered from that.

[ArmyBengal]

I'm pretty sure it was Carson's "Oh crap" moment as well, just from a different perspective !!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

THE

PRESEASON

MEANS

NOTHING

realtive to the probable outcome of the regular season.

thinking otherwise is downright stupid.

You don't think that Carson's broken nose last preseason meant "nothing", do you?

I do believe that was pretty much the 'oh crap' moment of the preseason, actually. The entire team never recovered from that.

It seems willy did without any effects. Myself...I remember the ramifications.

Of course the games mean nothing. How the players perform tells volumes, and last season there was nothing to tell.

[WhosTombrady?]

Don't roll over us just yet Pu.sy cats. I like how you always think you will get 2 wins out of us every year. I can't wait to bust your noggin this year, and throw your ass in the back of the division where you belong.

[ArmyBengal]

Don't roll over us just yet Pu.sy cats. I like how you always think you will get 2 wins out of us every year. I can't wait to bust your noggin this year, and throw your ass in the back of the division where you belong.

Nice jab, but the Browns will be lucky to win 5 this year the way they are going. It's at a point where it's not fun to bust on them. Seriously there are so many things going wrong with the Browns, you have to be expecting a horrendous year and certainly a last place finish.

[WhosTombrady?]

s**t with Romeo it was like walking right into hell with the #1 Demon guiding us.

Mangini is ass spanking this team (which is what we deperately needed) which will help in the long run.

You have another RAC w/o a clue. At least you will have a new coach within the next 2 years.

Sorry to hijack but you will go 6-11.

[Ickey44]

Don't roll over us just yet Pu.sy cats. I like how you always think you will get 2 wins out of us every year. I can't wait to bust your noggin this year, and throw your ass in the back of the division where you belong.

Dude, I'm not predicting anything right now, but I don't see what there is to be excited about as a Browns fan. You lost Winslow. Edwards might get traded. Your new coach is an idiot. Your quarterback situation is unsettled. Stallworth killed someone drunk driving a couple of months ago. Aside from the draft, did you guys even make any additions to the team?

[kingwilly]

THE

PRESEASON

MEANS

NOTHING

realtive to the probable outcome of the regular season.

thinking otherwise is downright stupid.

You don't think that Carson's broken nose last preseason meant "nothing", do you?

I do believe that was pretty much the 'oh crap' moment of the preseason, actually. The entire team never recovered from that.

It seems willy did without any effects. Myself...I remember the ramifications.

Of course the games mean nothing. How the players perform tells volumes, and last season there was nothing to tell.

Carson's broken nose, at that point, was a freak injury.

I do subscribe to the idea that the camp means more than the games. And nothing in the camp indicated Carson's nose was more that a fleeting weird hit.

Many folks suspected the running game may falter, especially when rumblings of Perry's lack of burst became louder. However, from the limited game time he saw in preseason, it was hard to tell. Again, supporting the iea that the games mean little, though the camp means much.

One wild-card that we will never be able to predict is the potential injuries. No one could hae seen the level of injuries this team has seen since 05. Certainly not this bengal fan.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Carson's broken nose, at that point, was a freak injury.

Which was caused by a freakin' horrible offensive line! They couldn't reliably run block nor protect the QB in the pocket. That's exactly why we drafted an OL at #1 this year. We learned, and hopefully this next pre-season will show some results, otherwise we remain f**ked.

[combatbengal]

Greg, I have to agree with you on that one! I took my family to the camp and we sat there all day watching practice. TJ didn't partisipate in practice, Chad wasn't really doing anything. It was like they were just going through the motions. No disapline, no pride. I told my wife on the way home that we were in for a very long season, and that I didn't see many wins coming our way.

We had a great off season, great draft too. But if we don't get it rolling in training camp, we won't go anywhere. The coaches have to step it up, get a hold of the team and push these players. They have to come up with better game plans, better clock management, and be prepared to change the coarse of action at half time if the plan isn't working.

You are all wrong on this preseason issue. It isn't the games that mean jack. It's training camp. I always go to the intersquad game at training camp. Last year, I came back here and told you we were in trouble with Perry and the running game. I didn't foresee all the problems on the line because obviously our own defense wasn't going to run over Up-chuck like a tank, but I did see problems with the offense, even with Palmer, jelling. They never appeared to be on the same page in the intersquad. They looked like that all season, even before Carson went down. To me, that feeling in the intersquad says a lot.

[Bearcat1975]

Carson's broken nose, at that point, was a freak injury.

Which was caused by a freakin' horrible offensive line! They couldn't reliably run block nor protect the QB in the pocket. That's exactly why we drafted an OL at #1 this year. We learned, and hopefully this next pre-season will show some results, otherwise we remain f**ked.

Exactly.

Now, whether or not the Bengals had any real options to upgrade the oline outside of the NFL draft can be debated.

But what cannot be debated are the facts: Outside of the draft, the Bengals did nothing to upgrade the oline, and they are actually minus 2 starters.

This line, as few would argue, was absolutely terrible last season and nearly got Carson killed. The Bengals are working with the same line, minus 2 starters, plus 2 rookies.

So knowing what we know now, there seems to be two potential scenarios:

1. The rooks come in and are world shakers from the first game to the last.

2. The rooks, along with the rest of the line, struggle.

If people want to do the blind rah-rah that is fine. Such is the plight of a Bengals Fan. But if we are talking objective predictions? This oline is the big elephant in the room this offseason, just like it was the big elephant in the room last offseason.

Once again, there is a glaring issue, and the Bengals just throw rookies at the problem and hope for the best. Frustrating. Predictable, but frustrating.