The Bengals had a Top 10 defense in 2009 before falling apart last season as a team. I don't actually know what to expect from them defensively this year. It's certainly unfair to just assume they'll be a bottom feeder on that side of the ball, even with Joseph departing.
You can be pissed about it but he is a project and we all knew that the minute he got drafted. People do want him cut, read the thread a little bit.
For a second there, I thought you were talking about Chad Henne. With you being a Phin fan and all...
I think the people who wanted him cut before the second game were a distinct minority. More common, if you were fair about it, was the sentiment Ducasse is behind schedule for where he was picked. Imo he still is, despite looking better. After all, the hope is he will fill in at RT, backing up LT. Second game he played guard alongside the best player on the line, returning after missing the first game. I am not saying Mangold made all the difference, but between moving to RG and Mangold being there, you can't wholly discount those factors. But... we will know more with each game we see Ducasse, and ftr I and most other skeptics did not say he should have been cut without seeing more.
I wonder how many people who want Ducasse cut or think he should be much better than he is also wanted the same from D'Brick a few years back. Relax people. From the moment he was drafted we knew he was a project player. Can we give Rex & crew, especially Callahan a chance to mold the kid? Yes, I'd love to see more from him right now as well. I'd also like to see Powell rush for 1,000, and Wilkerson & Ellis team up for 18 sacks. But I'll settle for solid seasons from everyone where they all contribute to us winning the Lombardi. And I'll trust the coaching staff for this team to know better than me.
I'd gamble that the numbers are similar to the number of people that were screaming that Gholston was a bust for not showing any progress. I'd also wager that the people shaming the board for hating on Ducasse are the same people who were shaming the board for hating on Gholston and Brick both. Some people have patience in spades, and are willing to wait years to see anything, whether it shows up or not. Many others don't. I'm giving Ducasse his due, but I'm not going to wait very long for this guy to progress before I start getting annoyed, because Super Bowl runs don't cater to slow developing players. Either this guy has it, or we need to find someone that does, because in a year like this, the offensive tackle position is too important to keep putting band-aids on until a project player develops.
After watching our starters play on Sunday night and the struggles we had running the ball, I wonder how much of that was attributable to either substandard play from our O-line as a whole or the proficiency of the Bengal's D-line in stuffing our ground game. Of course, some might be inclined to suggest the fault lay with LT but it seemed to me like he had nowhere to run on most plays.
Bengals have some good players on D... especially vs the run (Peko comes to mind). Also remember the last 2 years we had Moore & Woody at RG and RT... that's one heck of a duo to run behind. HOpefully Moore is 100% for week 1 and Hunter shows everyone he's earned his new starting gig.
I agree. If it were a simple manner of always being right being patient or impatient, a reflexive approach in the indicated direction would be useful. But there as many who fail when given the time as who make it. The other point is the one you make, which is if this team is going to make an SB run, having a bench that relies on Ducasse as the first tackle on either side is, to put it mildly, risky.
I'm far from saying cut VD, (how unfortunate) and to be fair, I didn't get to watch the bungles game, but at times he just looks totally confused and ends up not blocking anyone. I've never played O line, but have been around enough coaching sessions to know the one fundamental, if the guy your meant to block isn't there, just hit any of the others, he just doesn't get it. My one question with VD is....will he ever be a football player?
Mangold is the Center on the football team and G is a position where Vlad has been projected to play since he was drafted. It makes sense that Vlad's performance has improved w/Mangold in the lineup - Mangold in the game helps everybody play better. So what is your point? His performance at RG when Mangold is in the game doesn't count? LOL. Many Many lunatics were in here moronically advocating cutting this guy after 1 preseason game. If you were not that stupid - good for you . :smile:
That is Frankly a pretty stupid question. He is a pro football player who despite some of the lunatics in here - has actually progressed nicely at OL and is making good plays on the field and he is a former college all american despite only having played organized football for a year or two in high school. So yes he is obviously a football player and he just played a good game - but of course x% of the nuts on this board think that a 2d yr OL must play like Anthony Munoz in the first preseason game or he should he immediately cut. The idiocy of this type ignorance is hilarious and insane that literally any serious football fan would even give such a stupid idea any support at all.
Like any other pick, the guy was a gamble. They accepted time and effort for physical attributes. If he had skills coming out of college how wonderful would that be? That's right, not very wonderful because we wouldn't have gotten him and he'd just be another tough guy on a different team. Still, I'm sure that everyone wanted to see him be a semi-serviceable backup by year 2 whether they thought he could be or not realistically. At the moment it's not clear he'll be that. Normally not that big a deal but we're on a mission the next couple years and every current hindrance can cost everything. It's still early to make any long term judgment about the guy, but people are right to be concerned about his potential impacts this year. Hopefully we'll stay healthy and it won't be an issue.
No, he hasn't progressed well, not at all, hence my comment about him possibly not being a football player. Many players make the Pro's and then do nothing, and from what I've seen from him , it doesn't look good. Thankfully we have one of the best coaches in Callahan. Last week he didn't have a clue what to do and looked every bit the high school player that you point out, hes far from NFL calibre right now, but with such a huge frame it sometimes masks his inabilities. I'm on the fence with VD, if he can grasp what to do, we could have a good player, but he needs to learn, and I'm not sure how much patience he'll get.
1. DuCasse had yet another false start penalty in today's practice. His progress might be steady, but it sure is slow. 2. I was on the borderline with Gholston pick, and wasn't crying about his lack of production during the Mangini era. It was the year 3 (Year 2 in Rex era) when I thought to myself "I had it with this bust of a kid." You see, I don't like to harp on people when I don't have enough body of work to make my decision. (See: Brian "Cutey" Schottenheimer.) 3. I'm not on the 'Can the kid' bandwagon yet. I actually want to see what Callahan can do with the kid. My patience for this kid is running low these days though. If he is the still the project that he is now by next season, maybe I will jump on to "Send the kid packing" movement as well.
I seem to remember this reaction from folks that wanted D'Brick bounced a few years back. Just imagine where we'd be if the FO/CS thought the same way...
Know that, D'Brick was a starter from day 1. He had his ups and downs, but by year 3, he was a very solid starter. I don't know if you can say that with DuCasse.
Vlad has been crap but like most of us know he's a project and i think he's a year away. although there hasn't been much progression some might worry.
