Bengals Pre-Season Preview Week 1

Football is finally approaching. It seems like we’d been stuck in a post-apocalyptic lockout world forever. Luckily the lockout ended and football is right on schedule.
This week the Bengals have their first pre-season game of the year in Detroit. This game should be interesting on a lot of levels and should show how vulnerable the Bengals are at different positions.

What to watch on Offense:

Offensive Line-  The Lions have one of the scariest young defensive lines assembled with Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. With both of those young DT’s being such impact makers it’s hard to not cringe just a little bit. Seeing how the Bengals fair against this group will give a sense of what type of protection to expect this season. Pay close attention to who is getting the most reps from the “young guys” Clint Boling, Reggie Stephens, Otis Hudson &  Max Jean-Gilles. In this game, the more reps may be reflective of if they think they can turn into a starter.

Quarterback- Obvious I know, but pay close attention to the future and see how Dalton progresses in the game. Bruce Gradkowski vs Jordan Palmer will be interesting as well to see who wins the #2 spot (my money’s on Bruce).  And if Dalton doesn’t produce expect Bruce to get his shot at the #1 spot.

Receiver- Time to see if the WR corps of the future is the real deal. The Bengals used the 4th pick of the draft on Green, it’s going to be hard to swallow if he doesn’t show the fan base a little something early on. The #2 and #4 WR is still open. Simpson is seen to be the favorite for good reason, but some question his football IQ. The #4 spot is wide open between Andre Caldwell, Ryan Whalen, Quan Cosby and the rest of the new guys.  When looking at the list of who’s on the roster, Caldwell who becomes a ghosts for lengths of the season,  Whalen a 6th round pick rookie, Cosby a veteran UDFA  PR, and a group of UDFA’s.

Those positions should prove to be the most interesting to watch on offense. With the young group, it can give the fans a lot to watch instead of how many of us groan saying “It’s just pre-season”.

Come back tomorrow and the day after for what to watch on Defense and Special Teams.