Dolphins wanted Burrow really, really bad…

[Whatever]

(02-02-2022, 12:06 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: By tanking, I don't mean the coaching staff and players.

I mean they didn't put 100% effort into fielding the best team possible. They knew it was a 2-3 year rebuild process and treated it as such.

Look, I know this won't be a popular take. People are very reluctant to admit it. But I think it's pretty obvious teams tank, and I don't think it's an insult to say the Bengals did so. It's pretty cutting edge for the NFL at the moment.

Not as widespread as the MLB and NBA. Yet. It's getting there though.

I kind of suspected during Zac's first year that the Bengals tanked down the stretch.  I don't think they went into the season with the intention of tanking, but as losses and injuries mounted and Burrow's stock rose, I think there were conversations about it.  

Realistically, every team does it to some extent or another.  If you're eliminated from playoff contention and start playing young guys off the bench, you're technically tanking.  When we sat our starters against the Browns, that's tanking, as we deliberately didn't field the best team we could have.  It's just that in that case we tanked to try and win more games in the playoffs instead of next year.

Do I give a damn?  Nope.  The ends have obviously justified the means.  Will anyone ever be able to nail Mike Brown for it?  Doubt it.  People have been screaming that he hasn't been doing everything he can to win for 30+ years.