It appears 2 of DraftSeasons finest have a large disagreement on what to expect from AJ Green in his Sophomore season. Below are each sides thoughts on why they are so strong on their opinions. I have my own thoughts but i’ll keep them hidden deep in my soul. Through one week Green managed to put up 5 catches for 70 yards against a very solid defense, so it is safe to say he is off to a pretty good start. But i’ll let you judge for yourself.
Lupagus > Pro Green
There is no reason to believe AJ Green won’t put up pants droppingly good numbers once again this year. He is the most physically gifted wide receiver to come out of college since Calvin Johnson. He has freakish ball skills, runs great routes, and can fly. Sure teams have another year to game plan for him, but he also has another year in the Bengals system and offensive cooridnator Jay Gruden can find new ways to utilize Green’s immense talent. His QB Andy Dalton should also improve in year two, as he should be much more comfortable reading defenses, and understanding coverages. The Bengals also have added Ben Jarvis Green Ellis at running back and drafted a mauling guard in Kevin Zeitler, so teams will have to respect the running game and may not be able to afford to constantly double team Green.
There is no denying that great things are ahead for the Cincinnati Bengals sophomore receiver A.J. Green, but I don’t think he will be a statistical phenom again this year. Now that defenses have had time to watch his tape and analyze how the Bengals utilize him, they will have custom game plans for him like they do with Mike Wallace or Torrey Smith. I expect him to get a lot more two high-safety defensive looks to make sure he doesn’t beat the defense deep as consistently again.
Statistically, there is no worst situation to be in (as far as divisional opponents go) than to be the number one receiver on the Bengals. The Steelers (1st), Browns (2nd), and Ravens (6th) are all top-10 defenses defending the pass. Now that A.J. Green has broken out there may be a slight dip in these numbers, but that change will come from taking advantage of the double teams Greengets, not from challenging defenses that double cover him.
In the end, the reason I expect a disappointing statistical season from Green, is because I think there is a big difference between being a great receiver and being a productive receiver. Any team would be lucky to have A.J. Green on their team, but more so because of his ability to take the top off of the defense and the coverage he will demand.
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