(09-02-2021, 07:41 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Never really pay attention to my own sig..



May this season start off well so we can resume being critical of little things, like not going for it on 4th down and not using a RB enough.

And jumping offsides, 12 men on the field and illegal procedures

(09-02-2021, 08:04 PM)Bengalitis Wrote: I think the moms already got their brand new cars... 

Did Chase drop by and drop his off?  Damn, sorry...that wasn't very positive. 

(09-02-2021, 08:49 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Did Chase drop by and drop his off?  Damn, sorry...that wasn't very positive. 

That's okay Nately.  It just slipped out.  I'm sure you'll catch it next time.

(09-02-2021, 09:05 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: That's okay Nately.  It just slipped out.  I'm sure you'll catch it next time.

We've got to drop the Chase negativity. And while we are at it, we should just let opportunities for easy jokes about Sewell to blow right by us. 

(09-02-2021, 08:29 PM)Big_Ern Wrote: And jumping offsides, 12 men on the field and illegal procedures

Ah yes, the other usual suspects. Oh, and the holding on 2nd and 4 after a run for a 1st down that turns it into 2nd and 14.

(09-02-2021, 08:49 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Did Chase drop by and drop his off?  Damn, sorry...that wasn't very positive. 

Not positive but well played Sir, well played indeed.

(09-02-2021, 07:54 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Let's all just hope that Chase and Sewell both have fun and make their mothers proud. 

Good call, Andy. 

(09-02-2021, 01:33 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Marvin always said it usually takes a WR three years to adjust to the league. Boyd took a couple, Higgins did it in one. Once again, I am sure Chase will be fine and will take defenses apart this year.

Actually, for skill positions rookie starters drafted high, it's about 8 games now.

What you see in the first half vs the second half of the season will likely be 2 different players and that momentum usually carries over into Year 2. 

High draft picks aren't being given the time they need to adjust like they used to. WR's used to break out in their 3rd year, but now, if they haven't broke out in year 2, they are labeled a "bust" and sadly some of our fans are doing that before a player even gets into a game that counts!

I find all of this pre-season crap silly, like Burrow mental issues and Chase's drops. Let them play and let's see what we have once the games count.

Burrow has been playing since he was a kid, once the games count, he will forget all about that leg and go right back to being Burrow. Same with Chase, once the juices start flowing, he will get it going. Right now, you have to understand he is learning to run routes perfectly and being consistently in the right spot at the same time every time so that Burrow can anticipate correctly. I'd rather he worry about those things now, than catching the dang ball, get that route running instinctive, we know he CAN catch. Sheesh

(09-02-2021, 01:33 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Marvin always said it usually takes a WR three years to adjust to the league. Boyd took a couple, Higgins did it in one. Once again, I am sure Chase will be fine and will take defenses apart this year.

(09-02-2021, 01:36 PM)jj22 Wrote: But did our last top 5 pick at wideout take 3 years? It's a difficult argument when you guys keep pointing to 2nd rounders.

I don't know about three years, but, like ALL rookies, they usually don't set the league in fire their first season.  There have been 83 WRS taken in the first round since 2000 and only 7 of them had 1000 yard seasons as rookies.

But if you look at the list most of the good receivers were not total busts as rookies.  Instead they had decent seasons (500-800 yds) and got better with experience.

Bsed on the fact that we already have Higgins and Boyd I don't expect Chase to put up really big numbers his first season.  AJ Green was a really good WR from day one, but he probably would not have had 1000 yards as a rookie if he was playing with guys like  Higgins and Boyd instead of Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell.

Would 500-800 yards be good enough for Chase? Put this thread to rest? Not sure about the 500 but close to 800 yards given like Fred said Higgins and Boyd should be sufficient. Asking for a Justin Jefferson or even Higgins rookie year numbers may not be realistic. I mean hopefully it isn't because it will mean Burrow is throwing it 40 time a game, and let's hope he isn't this year coming off of injury.

(09-03-2021, 11:26 AM)jj22 Wrote: Would 500-800 yards be good enough for Chase? 

Hard to say.  If the passing game is efficient overall then I would say yes.  But by "efficient" I do not mean putting up big yardage numbers just because we throw the ball a lot.

Also need to look at 

Chases efficiency instead of just yardage.  His catch percentage may be low if he is targeted mostly on deeper downfield routes, but if that is the case he needs a high yards per reception and some tds.  I won't be satisfied he Chase gets just 700 yards on 100+ targets.

(09-03-2021, 11:26 AM)jj22 Wrote: Would 500-800 yards be good enough for Chase? Put this thread to rest? Not sure about the 500 but close to 800 yards given like Fred said Higgins and Boyd should be sufficient. Asking for a Justin Jefferson or even Higgins rookie year numbers may not be realistic. I mean hopefully it isn't because it will mean Burrow is throwing it 40 time a game, and let's hope he isn't this year coming off of injury.

I heard all offseason that Chase was better than Jefferson, but now we have to taper expectations?

I'm not saying we shouldn't be reasonable (we should). I'm just saying this goes to show that some weren't being reasonable a few months ago. That said, yeah I'd be fine with an 800 yard season mixed with some electric plays here and there.

(09-02-2021, 01:33 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Marvin always said it usually takes a WR three years to adjust to the league. Boyd took a couple, Higgins did it in one. Once again, I am sure Chase will be fine and will take defenses apart this year.

Marvin likely said that back when WRs could actually be hit, going over the middle was dangerous, and CBs could be physical with them.

Rules have changed. NFL has changed.

I have been thinking on this for awhile. There is definitely some effect from opting out his senior year. Both he and Sewell opted out....and both he and Sewell are having terrible preseasons. I can't think of any other drafted players who opted out, but if anyone else can, how did those players do in preseason? Im betting average to below average regardless of what round they were drafted in. I think it will simply take Chase longer to get back to where he was. Be patient with him.

(09-04-2021, 05:22 PM)Beaker Wrote: I have been thinking on this for awhile. There is definitely some effect from opting out his senior year. Both he and Sewell opted out....and both he and Sewell are having terrible preseasons. I can't think of any other drafted players who opted out, but if anyone else can, how did those players do in preseason? Im betting average to below average regardless of what round they were drafted in. I think it will simply take Chase longer to get back to where he was. Be patient with him.

The T from Northwestern, Rashawn Slater, off the top of my head.


Reports are he's doing pretty well for the Chargers. 

(09-04-2021, 05:22 PM)Beaker Wrote: I have been thinking on this for awhile. There is definitely some effect from opting out his senior year. Both he and Sewell opted out....and both he and Sewell are having terrible preseasons. I can't think of any other drafted players who opted out, but if anyone else can, how did those players do in preseason? Im betting average to below average regardless of what round they were drafted in. I think it will simply take Chase longer to get back to where he was. Be patient with him.

Wasn't there senior year. They were both 19 last time they played. Parsons and Slater also skipped 2020 and by all reports are having great preseasons. Chase will be fine. Sports Illustrated still thinks he'll lead the. Bengals in receiving with over 1300 yards. 

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/gm-report/jamarr-chase-projected-to-have-monster-season-according-to-latest-projections

(09-04-2021, 05:32 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: The T from Northwestern, Rashawn Slater, off the top of my head.


Reports are he's doing pretty well for the Chargers. 

Rousseau too... Right?

Quote:Ja'Marr Chase may have dropped the last four straight passes that have come his way in a game, but after Monday's practice that began the prep for Sunday's opener against the Vikings (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Channel 19) at Paul Brown Stadium, he calmly caught every question the Cincy media fired at him as if they were one of the 5,000 tennis balls he's caught this summer.

Exhibit A is the bubble screen he dropped in last Sunday's preseason finale against Miami.

"I would just say it's a lack of concentration. That's all it was," Chase said. "If you look back at it, I jumped in the air when the ball got to me. My eyes weren't concentrating on the ball. I didn't keep still, so that makes my eye adjustment for the ball move around and now my eyes get lazy where the balls coming in from."
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, one of the surest catches in Bengals history with the fourth-most of all time on 507, says Chase is going to be just fine.

"Just relax and play and don't think about it. He says he's not. But he is. Human nature," said Houshmandzadeh, who trains college receivers for the pros. "Just work on getting open and creating separation. The rest will come. You know you're going to catch the ball."

Chase offered no excuses. But he admits he hasn't been able to get into sync during a preseason he has run all of 18 plays and just three with quarterback Joe Burrow.


"I didn't really get into a good rhythm with myself and actually play football," Chase said. "I just had a few times to go out there and learn the fundamentals of the offense. That's how I felt when I was out there playing. I feel like once I get into this game and actually play a longer time I'll do more of myself."
Houshmandzadeh couldn't agree more.

"As the fifth pick in the draft, he's going to get, what? Six to eight targets in a regular-season game," Houshmandzadeh said. "If you drop a ball, you get to come back the next play. At least you get into a rhythm and you've got a full game to play. He's not getting that in the preseason. He'll have more chances to get more catches and think positively instead of having negative thoughts. When you're anxious, you don't have your hands in the right position. Relax. Just play, man."

No excuses from Chase, but there are differences from the LSU days with Burrow. For one thing, he hasn't played since those days and next Sunday marks more than 600 days since he caught a ball in a real game, the 2019 national title game when Burrow found him nine times for 221 yards.


"I don't want to blame it on me sitting on my butt the whole year, but it probably had something to do with it, of course," Chase said. "There's a bigger ball adjustment, so I don't want to make excuses but I've just got to be a pro and make the catch."

Literally, it's not the same ball Burrow threw to him for two touchdowns on Jan. 13, 2020 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.


"The ball is different because it is bigger," Chase said. "It doesn't have the white stripes on the side so you can't see the ball coming from the tip point so you actually have to look for the strings on the ball at the top, which is hard to see because whole ball is brown and you have the six strings that are white. But for the most part, just have to get used to it and find out what I am comfortable with catching."

It's not like the guy isn't putting in the reps. Because he stays after practice to catch footballs from the Jugs machine, it may be a tossup on if he's caught more footballs than tennis balls during the preseason. And he says it is 5,000 tennis balls. A coach stands behind him in the weight room, throws the tennis ball off the wall and Chase reacts.



"I do at least 40 a day," said Chase, who was putting in some 500 tennis balls' days after the three drops in Washington. "The tennis balls are for eye concentration, hand-eye coordination."


Chase then pointed to a feeble scribe in the media gathering.


"If I were to throw a tennis ball right now and throw it low, what's the first thing you're going to do?" Chase asked.


When the scribe asked weakly, "Bend down?" Chase said, "Exactly. That comes with concentration of getting low and hand-eye coordination going down and watching the ball. That's something I've been working on.

"I catch it with two, but I catch it with one hand sometimes."

Pro Football Focus counted Chase's 2019 drops on just one hand. Chase says his slump has nothing to with either hand.


"My drops come from me not looking the ball in. By looking the ball in I'm talking about high-pointing it and watching it and as soon as it hit you looking away," Chase said. "Me running before the catch. Me doing stuff like that and dropping it. I did that a couple times."

Houshmandzadeh has one thing in common with Chase. They both have caught balls from Burrow on the practice field and here's another reason Houshmandzadeh thinks Chase will be OK.

"Joe throws a real catchable ball," Houshmandzadeh said. "He'll be fine."

Do we start a new Chase thread? It's up to you guys. Someone else can start one, but for now. I'll bump one more time to add, I do applaud Chase's honesty and open approach to the discussion on his drops. He has the mindset to get it fixed.

Bengals great T.J. Houshmandzadeh believes Ja'Marr Chase will succeed in his rookie season

(09-07-2021, 09:47 AM)jj22 Wrote: Do we start a new Chase thread? It's up to you guys. Someone else can start one, but for now. I'll bump one more time to add, I do applaud Chase's honesty and open approach to the discussion on his drops. He has the mindset to get it fixed.

Bengals great T.J. Houshmandzadeh believes Ja'Marr Chase will succeed in his rookie season

Why is he looking for the strings to identify the top of the ball?  That's what is probably messing him up

(09-07-2021, 04:24 PM)Big_Ern Wrote: Why is he looking for the strings to identify the top of the ball?  That's what is probably messing him up

Yeah, I didn't get that either.

(09-07-2021, 04:28 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Yeah, I didn't get that either.

I think he's saying the ball just kinda blends in with the background and he used the white stripes of the college ball to spot it. Now he has to use the laces, which are obviously much smaller and not on both sides of the ball.

Essentially, it looks like we drafted Mr. Magoo to play WR. We are doomed if we don't get this guy some strong contacts.