(10-06-2021, 10:36 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: They are a year away I feel.

(10-06-2021, 09:01 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I agree; this team is going to ruin another team or two's dream before it's all over.

(10-06-2021, 10:43 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: That’s a superb assessment.  I harbor no illusions the 2021 Bengals are headed to the postseason but they’ll be a spoiler for sure.  Playing the AFC West is brutal this year because all four teams are terrific.  At present I don’t see a win against Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, or even Kansas City.

(10-06-2021, 07:53 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t quite “there” yet but they ARE getting “there.”

Where is “there,” you ask?

“There” was definitely seen in the Super Bowl seasons and even a few times in the Marvin Lewis era.  “There” is when the Bengals were legitimately favored to win, won more than they lost, and especially won convincingly over lesser teams.  Those were good times, my fellow Board members, and if Zac Taylor will get out of his own way I believe such times will resurface.

Right now every game is an unknown.  I can’t say the Bengals are heavily favored on any Sunday in 2021 but neither are they a patsy for anyone.   At this point every game appears to be a toss-up in my opinion.  For two quarters last Thursday evening the Bengals played down to the Jacksonville Jaguars which was an occasional feature of Marvin’s tenure and something we’ve seen all too often with Zac. That can’t happen again.  I’m happy the Bengals caught fire in the second half but the team can’t rely on this week after week.

When I see the Bengals curb stomp most opponents, put their boot on their necks for all 60 minutes, and blow the game open by halftime I know they will be “there” again.

(10-06-2021, 10:36 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: They are a year away I feel.

(10-06-2021, 11:02 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I agree.

This year is just for “fun” basically. We’re seeing things take shape. Next season I’m going to have some real expectations (at least a playoff win).

(10-06-2021, 11:17 PM)grampahol Wrote: It's tough to tell where they end up at season's end. Any one of the teams we face, maybe all of them can falter any way along the through this season. The Bengals might falter too, but they are definitely trending up. One thing I do like is Joe Burrow as good as he is really looks like a kid out there and he's really kicking asses. What that means, if the Bengals can keep him long term is we might just have the greatest QB of a generation or more for a very long time.. GREATEST? Maybe not, but he certainly isn't going to look like a haggard old man any time soon.

(10-06-2021, 11:30 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: The best way to keep Joe Burrow in Cincinnati is to win and inculcate a culture of excellence.  Like Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer before, Joe Burrow hadn’t been on a losing team since playing PeeWee.  Andy Dalton had the patience of Job but Carson Palmer didn’t — and I suspect Joe Burrow doesn’t like being hit, sacked, hurried, or injured any more than Carson did.  Andy was a second round pick but Joe and Carson have the #1OA “cred” to confront Mike Brown.  

I predicted when Joe Burrow was drafted he would end up with the Saints after his rookie contract was up if the Bengals weren’t winning by then.  I still stand by that.

(10-06-2021, 11:10 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: There are still some critical pieces missing here and there — dominant running back, head coach who knows how to use tight ends ...