Enemy Lines

An opposing scout's view

"You can't underestimate the impact of a coaching and philosophy change. Carolina won games last year because of John Fox's presence and his demands. The same thing will happen here with Marvin Lewis....

The only thing I can't figure out is why they let their best defensive player go—and got nothing for him. If they had put the franchise tag on [free agent] Takeo Spikes, they could have worked a trade and gotten something for him. To think that Kevin Hardy is going to be a good replacement for Spikes, with Hardy's injury history, is ridiculous....

I like the potential of Justin Smith as a pass rusher, and the John Thornton acquisition was one of the most underrated moves of the off-season. He's strong against the run and the pass....

The secondary is weak, and it won't be fixed by Tory James. He's poor in man coverage....

On offense the Bengals have two excellent players: Corey Dillon, who could play for me any day, and Chad Johnson, a bona fide Number I receiver. He's got a big mouth, but he produces. He's sneaky fast....

Jon Kitna [messes up] just enough to get you beat....

The line looks leaky to me, but I love Eric Steinbach. He'll be a solid guard for 10 years."