Let's talk football...
The major point of emphasis for the Bengals this season has to begin with the offensive line. They need to get a push on running plays and pass protect better. Face it, the Bengals last year were one dimensional. TOTAL YARDS RUSHING for 2012... 309 (average of 28 yards per game or 1.2 yards per carry)! Wow! The O-line just has to step up this year, create a seam and let the running backs do their thing. They have to move the sticks and give the defense a break. The offensive line often takes the criticism for sacks. Well, if I read the stats correctly, last year, the Bengals gave up 66. That's 6 per game and 358 yards in losses.
Let's talk defense for a minute... Do you realize that considering both 3rd and 4th down conversions, the Bengals were only converting on about 31% for first downs while the defense was allowing almost 37%. Sadly, I would guess that overall, the opposition were more successful on converting on first and second down because overall, they had 31 fewer third down attempts than did the Bengals. Trust me, I'm not coming down on the defense. Nope. I am coming down on the offense for not coverting and giving the defense a rest. The time of possession is heavily favored by the opponents. Thus, the defense is out of gas early.
To me, it all begins with the O-line. Several years ago, the Idaho Vandals won 6 or 7 games with a poor defense. The reason, they moved the sticks on offense. Their O-line was the best that they've had for years and since then, their O-line isn't even a shadow of their O-line of two or three years ago. The O-line steps up and pushes, the running backs get their crease and who knows what could happen for the Bengals.
That's my observation. Believe me, I am a positive minded person. But, to me it's clear where the Bengals need to be improve in order to have a successful year. Discussion...