(11-11-2015, 05:58 PM)Bengal Dude Wrote: If there is nothing to gain, then rest the starters. If the coaching staff is so worried about the team becoming "tight" with a two week layoff, then let the starters play a series or two, like preseason, and be done with it. A 16-0 season sounds nice, but not if it comes with the risk of losing a starter or two to injury.

since the 16 game season started how many have finishe d16-0? just the patriots right?

(11-11-2015, 07:17 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: since the 16 game season started how many have finishe d16-0?  just the patriots right?

 
Yep. Just the Pats.

People may forget some past superbowl winners but they would never forget an undefeated team. Boys worked all season for it, you dont think they would want it? You may limit their minutes, but you let them take care of what they have been working for.

If home field is locked up I'd treat it like a preseason game. I'd give the starters some work to keep them sharp but you wouldn't see any thing other than backups in the second half.

It would be too tightragic to lose any key guys in the second half of a game that means nothing in the grand scheme. Perfect season be damned, I would be furious if we lost geno or Dalton or someone like that in the third quarter of a game that did not affect playoff seeding.

I say you play to win for several reasons...

First, if we are 15-0, then we simply don't know how this team will bounce back from a loss, and the team has allowed losses to multiply in recent years. I would honestly feel more comfortable sitting at 14-1 or 13-2 and having had them come back and wreck a team after a loss than not knowing, when it comes to sitting players. If we don't know how the team will react without momentum, then I think you have to keep your momentum going.

Second, we've heard numerous players talk about the "One game at a time" mantra that's working wonders for them, right now. Resting the starters and looking ahead to the playoffs deviates from that, and I don't think that's a good thing that close to the playoffs.

Third, I think the players would have earned at history, and it would suck to.jerk it away from them. Who knows, maybe that extra carrot of cementing their legacy as the undisputed greatest team in NFL history is what they need to get over the hump. Giving up on perfection is the organization telling guys to lower their goals, which I don't think is a good thing.

Finally, from a pure business standpoint, it's a home game, and the fans are paying to watch their team play, and buying tickets in advance to possibly see the team do something historic. Sitting the starters is kind of a ripoff to those people.

(11-11-2015, 08:00 PM)Savagehenry54 Wrote: If home field is locked up I'd treat it like a preseason game.  I'd give the starters some work to keep them sharp but you wouldn't see any thing other than backups in the second half.

It would be too tightragic to lose any key guys in the second half of a game that means nothing in the grand scheme.  Perfect season be damned, I would be furious if we lost geno or Dalton or someone like that in the third quarter of a game that did not affect playoff seeding.

I agree with this, but sometimes things work out wrong. Remember the beating the Chiefs gave us in wk 17 in 05? They sat the starters to keep them healthy only to have Palmer and Henry go down almost as soon as they saw the field in the playoffs.

The Colts had a chance at perfection a few years ago and they rested starters instead. All the players were pissed and they wound up losing early in the playoffs.

Play every game.

(11-11-2015, 05:48 AM)psychdoctor Wrote: If the Bengals are fortunate and go 15-0, do you rest starters in game 16 or play to win for an undefeated season?

No. Stay normal, stay in your groove.

(11-11-2015, 10:51 AM)Wyche Wrote: Flashback?

Once I started, I couldn't stop....

I would love it if we rest our starters and STILL went 16-0 because that means we beat the ratbirds.

My concern about resting players is this: ML does not have a good track record of getting the team prepared after one week rest, let alone two weeks. 

A chance for a perfect regular season would go along way to creating a different perception of the franchise.  A chance for 19-0 would be historic for players, coaches, the Brown family, and even the city of Cincinnati.

I hope the team can go 15-0 and us fans can revisit this discussion. 

Go for 16-0. Make history. Aim for 19-0. Be the best team of all time.

You don't pass opportunities like that. The Patriots went 15-0 and played their starters to go 16-0. Didn't seem to effect them in the divisional round.

Make. History.

Resting starters seems to always backfire on teams. It's good to keep sharp by playing. Especially if we get a first round bye! Which I assume we would have at 15-0 going for 16-0.

(11-11-2015, 08:36 PM)jason Wrote: I agree with this, but sometimes things work out wrong. Remember the beating the Chiefs gave us in wk 17 in 05? They sat the starters to keep them healthy only to have Palmer and Henry go down almost as soon as they saw the field in the playoffs.

That's the thing, if you get that close how far do you push your luck when your playoff seeding isn't affected?  An catastrophic injury could hAppen at any time.

So for this hypothetical, I think the key is toeing the line between getting them the game reps they need to stay sharp but not playing them too long in an unneeded game.

If the colts really did pout their way to a divisional round loss cuz they were salty about not going for perfection then they were an immature idiotic team.  I don't think these Bengals have that problem.

The 85 bears are generally viewed as a more dominant team than the undefeated dolphins.  Hell, that team is even scorned somewhat with their mercury morris' always popping a bottle and so giddy every year when the last undefeated goes down....

If a devastating injury happened in the first half, i would be viewed as unfortunate.  People would identify with the need to get your starters game reps to stay sharp heading into the playoffs.  If we lost Dalton or aj in the second half of a game like that it would be universally seen as egregiously stupid that they were even on the field.  I would be a asolutely effin furious.

(11-12-2015, 10:53 AM)Savagehenry54 Wrote: That's the thing, if you get that close how far do you push your luck when your playoff seeding isn't affected?  An catastrophic injury could hAppen at any time.

So for this hypothetical, I think the key is toeing the line between getting them the game reps they need to stay sharp but not playing them too long in an unneeded game.

If the colts really did pout their way to a divisional round loss cuz they were salty about not going for perfection then they were an immature idiotic team.  I don't think these Bengals have that problem.

The 85 bears are generally viewed as a more dominant team than the undefeated dolphins.  Hell, that team is even scorned somewhat with their mercury morris' always popping a bottle and so giddy every year when the last undefeated goes down....

If a devastating injury happened in the first half, i would be viewed as unfortunate.  People would identify with the need to get your starters game reps to stay sharp heading into the playoffs.  If we lost Dalton or aj in the second half of a game like that it would be universally seen as egregiously stupid that they were even on the field.  I would be a asolutely effin furious.

with the way the patriots have been playing we will be fighting for seeding up till week 17

Also if we go 15-0 or better... What will we be accused of Cheating at?

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got the ring.

(11-11-2015, 05:48 AM)psychdoctor Wrote: If the Bengals are fortunate and go 15-0, do you rest starters in game 16 or play to win for an undefeated season?

For Paul Brown there's only one answer to that question.