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Fay: The Bengals have a chance to be better than many believe

Posted at 11:15 AM, Sep 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-09 11:15:56-04

CINCINNATI -- Call me naive. Call me stupid. Call me a homer. Call me whatever you like. But I think the Bengals can be decent this year. Not great. Not 12-4 or 11-5, but I could seen them going 10-6 and making the playoffs. 

Most experts disagree, but most of experts are guys like me. They type or talk for a living. The experts I look to are the bookies. Las Vegas has the win total line at 8.5 for the Bengals. Only five AFC teams are higher. Six teams make the playoffs. 

So they’ve got a shot, according to folks whose livelihood depends on predicting such things. 

There are obviously some large questions that have to be answered. Mostly this: Can offensive tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher keep quarterback Andy Dalton upright and healthy? 

If they can, this offense can be very good. Joe Mixon looks like he’ll supplant Jeremy Hill as the lead running back before long. A.J. Green is A.J. Green. Tyler Eifert is one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the NFL -- I know another big question is whether he can stay healthy. Giovani Bernard is healthy and adds a third-down option.

The wide receiver corps has been upgraded with John Ross and Josh Malone. Tyler Boyd, Cody Core and Alex Erickson are year older and theoretically better. 

The fact Trey Hopkins beat out Andre Smith at right guard is a good thing. 

Dalton isn’t flashy or on many people’s elite list, but he is 56-35-2 and made the playoffs his first five years in the league. He can win with a good supporting cast. Last year, he didn’t have that. Green and Eifert both missed significant time. And Dalton was sacked 41 times -- more than the previous two years combined. 

So, again, Ogbuehi and Fisher have to be at least serviceable for the offense to work.

With tackle Andrew Whitworth gone, Dalton’s bigger test might be how well he leads. Whitworth was the sage veteran in the locker room. That’s an important role, especially when things go bad.

“I wouldn’t say it’s been one guy that has filled that role; I feel like it’s been multiple guys,” Dalton said. “That’s one thing Marvin (Lewis) has touched on. We’ve had several guys step up to fill these roles. A.J. has done a great job, with the way he goes about handling himself leading this offense and this group. Clint Boling has done another good job, as a guy who has played in a lot of games. It’s fun to see our draft class, the 2011 draft class, be some of the guys who have taken over this team and this offense. I wouldn’t say there has been one guy who has filled that role, but we’ve had several guys work their way into this leadership position.”

I think there are fewer questions in defense -- once Vontaze Burfict and Adam Jones return from suspension. Jones only being out for one game helps. Linebacker Vinnie Rey has always done a nice job when called upon. He’s not Burfict, but I’d rather have him in there than Rey Maualuga. 

The defense will unquestionably be faster and more athletic upfront. Chris Smith, obtained in the trade with Jacksonville, and rookies Carl Lawson, Jordan Willis and Jordan Evans provide a major infusion to the defense. 

Lawson wore out all-Pro tackle Trent Williams of Washington in the third preseason game. Willis tied for the lead in the NFL in sacks in the preseason. Evans has been the surprise of camp -- a sixth-rounder who led the team in solo tackles.

Darqueze Dennard and William Jackson have to prove they are solid NFL corners. With Jones out for the Ravens on Sunday, they’ll be tested early. 

The Bengals looked old and slow on defense at times last year. The young guys should correct that. And youthful enthusiasm is always a good thing. 

“I do think we addressed the things that coming into the offseason we felt were pertinent and important that we got done as we entered into the 2017 season,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “You’ve got to feel good about it. Most importantly, the guys that we've tapped have gone out there and performed. We can sit back and think about it, but they've got to go out and do it and obviously they've evidenced that to everybody."

John Fay is a freelance sports columnist; this column represents his opinion. Contact him at johnfayman@aol.com