Height Weight : 210 Age : 29 : 6-4: 210: 29

Born : 7/31/1988 Ridgeville, SC

College : Georgia

Experience : 8th season

High School : Summerville HS [SC]









The Perception:

With AJ Green entering his eighth NFL season and producing at levels that rival the best in the game, it’s unbelievable he doesn’t garner more national attention like his counterparts from say Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New York. Perhaps it’s the easy going soft spoken nature of Green that doesn’t attract the attention as he’d prefer to let his game speak for itself rather than create unnecessary drama onto his team. While some believe Green should be more vocal given the caliber of player he is, we find no fault in supporting an all-star talent simply generating numbers consistently while avoiding the pitfalls of being dragged into situations not conducive to a positive atmosphere.





ADF has been a giant supporter of AJ Green going back to his days with the Georgia Bulldogs which saw highlight-reel receptions on a consistent basis. As Green enters the final years of prime ability (29 years old) the overall perception is already showing downtrends amidst the masses due to lower than expected results over the last two seasons. While ADF still subscribes to the perception that AJ is an elite level talent, there are viable explanations to quash the observation that Green is trending in the wrong direction and won’t enjoy a bounce back campaign with the Bengals. On the positive trend, Green has stayed relatively healthy over his seven completed seasons missing only ten games, six of which came in 2016 hence the lower productivity that year in part removing the argument that he’s lost a step. Adding to that, last season was quite the disaster for the Bengals overall as the entire offense looked anemic as patch made solutions and uneven play calling lead to their demise. Even still, AJ Green managed to generate great numbers in the process yet lower than his career average, nothing to get overly concerned about.





Upon completion of the 2017 season, the Bengals were rumored to be moving in another direction at the head coaching position, but remained on course retaining long tenured bench boss Marvin Lewis in hopes that continuity could right the ship quicker then starting from scratch. With Lewis secure to again lead the charge, the choice to keep appointed offensive coordinator and former quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor in charge of play calling duties could be another positive in system familiarity to get this offense back on track. Stability in this case could bode well for Green and Dalton to again find that magical connection we’ve witnessed in the past specifically from the 2012, 2013, and 2015 seasons. Either way, the expectations and perceptions should continue to remain high on Green preforming at peak levels in 2018 displacing the naysayers who suggest the potential beginning of the inevitable decline is underway.









The Reality:

To face facts of reality and understanding what led to the uneven performance over the course of the 2016 & 2017 seasons, you don’t have to look beyond a deficient offensive line. Andy Dalton in the past has proven he can make plays, many of which have been geared to his favorite target (AJ Green), but showed his greatest struggles last season running for his life ultimately being sacked 39 times and 80 over the past two campaigns. With no establishment of a solid running attack due in part to those inadequacies on that offensive line, the limitations were felt as Green saw his lowest reception total in his career for 16 games played, the correlation is quite apparent in our eyes.





Furthermore, when examining the talent (or lack thereof) that lines up on the other side of Green; you begin to also notice trends that don’t complement in a supporting manner as opposing defenses key in on AJ with double teams quite frequently. While we believe Green can manage any situation and take over a contest on any given day, the success was far greater with players like Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones anchoring the opposite side drawing coverage allowing for superior play calling and execution. ADF isn’t suggesting the current receivers on the roster couldn’t take the next step in their progression becoming higher caliber players; it’s just simple fact that it hasn’t transpired on the field thus far which has become a hindrance on Green forcing him to drive the offensive production.





ADF is a firm believer in stability and familiarity in offensive systems which allows for better execution for the unit as a whole. Having Bill Lazor return should provide some ounce of relief to Andy Dalton and company, to build from where they left off last season. Over the last five games of the 2017 season, there was a distinct push to get Green more involved but the execution wasn’t always there. Without a question in our mind, Green will find his stride once again reasserting the fact that he is indeed one of the best receivers in the game.





The Outlook:

AJ Green in our eyes still possesses elite level skill that will translate back on the field as the Bengals look to improve on last season’s tallies. The supporting cast for the Bengals offense looks good on paper but must find a way to prove it on the field. Tyler Boyd and John Ross need to find their stride while improving their craft to create those mismatches that should leave Green in more single coverages. Joe Mixon should continue to improve as well being the feature back this season, creating sustainable play action situations allowing for bigger plays down field to AJ. A team is as strong as their weakest link so any improvements production wise will only help the season outlook for AJ Green.



