I'm excited to see what the Bengals can do this season. Antonio Bryant is too. According to Zac Jackson of FoxSportsOhio.com, he expects big things from himself and from the Bengals this season.
"I chose the Bengals because of the interest they had in me and what was already here," Bryant said. "You see Carson, you see Chad, you see (a 1,200-yard) back (Cedric Benson) and now you see me. That's the base formula.
"It's a great opportunity for me to come plug into the situation. I'm just a part of it. Chad being here, that's great. I don't need to be the man. I'm here to make plays. We're going to make plays and we're going to help the younger guys out. When everybody starts clicking, that's how you win championships."
Bryant has the talent to be a number one receiver for a lot of teams. Having Chad and Bryant basically means that the Bengals have two number one's. This might be the best receiving corps since Chad and Houshmandzadeh were the number one and number two.
Jackson wrote:
He's listed at 6-foot-1, 205, and might be bigger than that. He's quick and savvy enough to get open underneath coverages and too strong for many defensive backs to handle in one-on-one situations. There are many reasons Palmer has been spending extra time helping Bryant get acclimated with his new surroundings and offensive scheme.
Chad is constantly double teamed on passing routes. If there isn't a guy on the other side of the field that can attract some attention (cough Coles cough), then the whole passing game suffers. Of course it suffers even more if the quarterback has a hurt thumb and can't utilize the play action and your two tight ends catch like they have ping pong paddles for hands but those problems have been fixed too.
Carson is impressed with what he's seen out of Bryant so far.
"He's picking up the offense very well," Palmer said. "He creates mismatches with his size and speed and catches the ball effortlessly. I'm very pleased with what I've seen."
I can picture it now. Chad having to be doubled every once in a while because, let's face it, he's just awesome. Bryant on the other side, being doubled every once in a while because of his size and speed. Then you have Gresham causing problems in the middle for all of the linebackers who he's faster than and safeties who he's bigger than. Finally Jordan Shipley or Andre Caldwell burning whoever is left in coverage. Add that to Benson making the defensive lineman and linebackers sorry they didn't stay in college to become high school teachers and you have a recipe for wins. A lot of wins. It's going to be a great year.