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Comparing The Bengals This Year To The Eagles Last Year Makes Zero Sense

CINCINNATI - AUGUST 20:  Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball during the NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on August 20 2010 in Cincinnati Ohio.  (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI - AUGUST 20: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball during the NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on August 20 2010 in Cincinnati Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Evan Silva recently opined that the Bengals have been the "NFL's most overrated team this offseason." The truth of it is that we're not exactly sure or aware how he came up with this. Sure the Bengals had a great draft, which Rotoworld's own Chris Wessling points out. Beyond that what have the Bengals actually done to warrant any conclusion of being overrated? They weren't very active in free agency, at least when it comes to signing the bigger names available.

Additionally the national media routinely refers to the Bengals as one of the team's that made the playoffs last year that will fail to return this year. And there are lists upon lists of Bengals players being overrated (Jermaine Gresham) or taking a step back this year (Andy Dalton). If anything there's a sense of the Bengals being more underrated than overrated.

Furthermore Silva's comparison with the Eagles last year is such a stretch, that it tears the fabric of the space-time continuum. The Eagles had one of the most talked about quarterbacks in Michael Vick, signed Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Evan Mathis, acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie through a trade with Arizona. Generally speaking the national media tabbed the Eagles as one of the most likely preseason Super Bowl teams. They were routinely the most discussed last year, even when they were heading into the final quarter of the regular season with a disastrous 4-8 record.

This comparison simply lacks any reasonable sense. We hope that Silva isn't referring to fan's expectations this year, because that would be insane for someone to take the fan's pulse as a determination of which team is overrated and underrated. If we did that then most teams in the NFL would be overrated.