Bengals Befuddle Everyone

Which way will they go this year?
By "Shawn Cortez"

Off-Season 2106 (Cincinnati, OH) - The Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the hardest USAFL franchises to figure out. Their plans seem to change every season and take some new direction, ultimately ending in a disappointing result, whether it be losing in the playoffs or coming up with a sub par regular season record.

GM James Barr has been very vocal about how he does not believe in the rebuilding process. A few seasons ago the Bengals reupped with youth and this year they have reupped with veteran leadership on a DL that could sorely use some.

Dale Sappington returns home to finish his career a Bengal and along with him comes Coleman Sites. Both are extraordinary defensive players and should provide a boost to yet another change that the Bengals have made in recent times. The switch to a 3-4 scheme was made when Sappington was traded last year and remains in place due to the lack of experience in the DL and an abundance of above average LB’s.

Another recent change is the move to the K-Gun offense that has been made so successful by the Chiefs in recent seasons. The Bengals really didn’t have any identity on the offensive side of the ball and GM Barr decided it was time to take things in a different direction.

“We hired Brady who was a great wideout for us many years ago. The first thing he did when he showed up was take inventory of the offense and made the suggestion to go with the K-Gun. He has confidence in our little used but veteran quarterbacks and feels that we have the personnel to pull this off.”

The Bengals haven’t had a dominant back since the retirement of Darren Brace, however Trevor Gash who was a waiver wire claim, has shown some impressive talent and was able put up good numbers last year. The Chiefs have shown that the K-Gun is not a pass only offense and does afford the opportunity for big numbers from the HB position.

“I wasn’t too happy when I heard about this change, but Coach Brady has assured me that I am still going to get my touches and that this scheme should open up the field for me.”

The players seem to really be buying in to the new approach and fans are jumping back on the Bengals bandwagon.

“I think that we have, at the very least, shown our fans that we are constantly trying to improve. Some seasons are of course better than others, but we make every attempt to get better every year. Teams like the Bills make it very hard to succeed on a consistent basis. When you have to play the Bills and the Patriots twice every year, well that always presents a problem. Then you have the Ravens who have been very consistent as well since their championship season.”

The Bengals upgraded their offensive line with the addition of two mega stars in Reed and Spencer. With two young OL waiting in the wings, the offensive side of the ball should improve steadily for the next coming years. The DL seems to always be a patchwork quilt type of project, but that is what comes with the territory in the USAFL.

“D-line is of the utmost demand in this league. You draft a young kid who turns out and if you can’t get a franchise tag on him, you better have a big pocket book come free agent time. These guys pretty much change the face of every game. If you have a dominant defensive line you can dictate how the game goes and make your offense look even that much better.”

One player that is flying under the radar, but has received a lot of attention from Coach Brady is young QB Calvin Baldinger. Coach Brady has nothing but good things to say about this kid.

“He is one smart cookie. Right now we are working on his discipline but this kid has all the tools. He has shown signs of some elusiveness that many scouts didn’t talk about at draft time. He’s getting stronger and in two years he is going to see a lot of playing time for this squad, and he will perform. I’m sure of it.”

The Bengals have 26 players that have 6 years of EXP or more and plan to pick up 8 more rookies in the waiver claims. That will give them a very unique collection of youth and veteran leadership on the same team.

Will this newest move pan out for the Bengals? Will they be able to topple the likes of New England, Buffalo and Baltimore? Only time will tell, but fans in Ohio are optimistic, and even if they don’t win, it will sure be fun to watch.

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