Next game will be the 16th start for Joe Burrow, and hence sort of the "end of his first season". So, where does he sit right now so to speak?

On the good side, he has leadership skills and is football smart and has toughness. He has excellent accuracy when on and enough arm power to get the job done - he can make the throws. He also has some mobility.

On the bad side. His decision making is not where it needs to be yet - this is probably the single biggest "needs to improve". He is still holding the ball too long at times (but it is getting a little better). His pocket awareness is getting better but needs to improve, and he needs not to just immobile in the pocket so much.

For a #1OA franchise QB completing Year One this is probably close to normal - yes I REALLY wish he was developing faster but he is also being hampered to some extent by Zac's weird schemes and bad play designs. He has things to improve on and we have to hope he is receiving the kind of QB coaching a 1OA merits.

Is... this a thing? I'm pretty sure it's not.

Otherwise Patrick Mahomes' "first year end" had him at 48 passing TDs and winning an MVP. I don't think time pauses just because you're not playing, and you don't stop getting better just because you're not playing.

Play calling isn’t helping him as well.With better Offensive play calling,we would be 5-0 now,instead of 3-2.

After 15 games, i expected better in the end from Burrow.. we can say all we want about playing calling blocking etc.. but in the end Burrow as #1 overall pick needs to close out games better like today.. plain and simple..

It comes down to offensive design. Bengals were up against a beat up defense but struggled to move th ball. Packers were beat up on offensive line and defense but moves the ball just as well as the Bengals.


The offensive coaching needs to check themselves. If the Bengals want to keep Zac they need to fire Brian Callahan with a solid arguement to firing both.

We have not attacked the middle of the field downfield much at all this year. Today we attempted 0 passes between the hash marks beyond 10 yards down field. That is not good, it limits a lot of explosive plays if you won’t attack MOFO.

I think he could throw the ball away a bit more. Early this year he said he saw some opportunities of running the ball before the pocket collapses, I think that's what he's been doing lately. He's a young kid and I hope he makes adjustments, I'd like to see us throw the ball away sometimes instead of taking sacks (even though he has limited time to make that decision sometimes).

I would like to know why Boyd wasn't targeted much today, I like Chase but it seems Burrow is targeting him a ton. The one pick, Chase could have prevented I think (but I said this about AJ and Andy too, AJ was bad at breaking up many of Andy's picks lol). The play in OT where Chase made an all-pro catch, we had a 'free" first down across the middle crossing route, nobody guarding him.

I think he's making the expected rookie-ish mistakes that we also expect him to not make in a couple years. I don't think many if any of us would question him like the Browns questioned Mayfield for a long time (and maybe still do).

(10-10-2021, 07:22 PM)Synric Wrote: It comes down to offensive design. Bengals were up against a beat up defense but struggled to move th ball. Packers were beat up on offensive line and defense but moves the ball just as well as the Bengals.


The offensive coaching needs to check themselves. If the Bengals want to keep Zac they need to fire Brian Callahan with a solid arguement to firing both.

(10-10-2021, 07:24 PM)Au165 Wrote: We have not attacked the middle of the field downfield much at all this year. Today we attempted 0 passes between the hash marks beyond 10 yards down field. That is not good, it limits a lot of explosive plays if you won’t attack MOFO.

These guys know what they are talkin' about.

(10-10-2021, 07:22 PM)Synric Wrote: It comes down to offensive design. Bengals were up against a beat up defense but struggled to move th ball. Packers were beat up on offensive line and defense but moves the ball just as well as the Bengals.


The offensive coaching needs to check themselves. If the Bengals want to keep Zac they need to fire Brian Callahan with a solid arguement to firing both.

I disagree in the end,, it comes down to decision making.. being at the game.. Burrow just did not finish when it was in his hands.. he wants empty.. fine but he got to get it done.. WRs actually balled today ... they made some plays and catches today that really we should have finished better

(10-10-2021, 07:22 PM)Synric Wrote: It comes down to offensive design. Bengals were up against a beat up defense but struggled to move th ball. Packers were beat up on offensive line and defense but moves the ball just as well as the Bengals.


The offensive coaching needs to check themselves. If the Bengals want to keep Zac they need to fire Brian Callahan with a solid arguement to firing both.

This.

They need a legitimate offensive coordinator who is capable of creative play design and effective game planning. With all the talent this team has on offense, Zac and Brian haven't been able to scheme well in the first halves of games and it's made things a lot tougher than it should be. 

(10-10-2021, 07:32 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: I disagree in the end,, it comes down to decision making.. being at the game.. Burrow just did not finish when it was in his hands.. he wants empty.. fine but he got to get it done.. WRs actually balled today ... they made some plays and catches today that really we should have finished better

The first half offensive approach so far this season has just been bad. They currently rank 28th in 1st half scoring.

(10-10-2021, 07:39 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: The first half offensive approach so far this season has just been bad. They currently rank 28th in 1st half scoring.

yep.. Burrow has not got it done for sure in 1st half.. thank god for our Defense they have kept us in games 1st half

(10-10-2021, 07:42 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: yep.. Burrow has not got it done for sure in 1st half.. thank god for our Defense they have kept us in games 1st half

You don't think it has anything to do with the offensive game plan? 

17 games in a season now.

(10-10-2021, 07:45 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: You don't think it has anything to do with the offensive game plan? 

Yeah. When you have Burrow/Chase/Higgins/Boyd/Mixon, and you can only get 22.8 points per game, there's some serious problems.

Taylor is (and always has been) a huge problem on this team.

(10-10-2021, 07:45 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: You don't think it has anything to do with the offensive game plan? 

So you dont think it has to do  with Burrow play in 1st half?

(10-10-2021, 07:45 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: You don't think it has anything to do with the offensive game plan? 

That "enough of this bullshit. Time for me to take over." comment on the mic'd up from Burrow's 2nd half of the jags game had a hilarious comment, someone said "he's probably referring to listening to zac's playcalling" lol

He has the mentality and leadership but he has to be accurate and make good decisions because like it or not he does not have that plus arm strength. I have been disappointed in some of his decisions and pocket awareness this year. Today he did some good things but also made some terrible mistakes.

Still early in his career but it looks like he is only the second best QB in his draft class. I hate the Chargers but Herbert is looking awesome again today and has outplayed Burrow up to this point in their careers. He also has that arm that can make up for mistakes he might make with decisions.

(10-10-2021, 08:10 PM)Clark W Griswold Wrote: He has the mentality and leadership but he has to be accurate and make good decisions because like it or not he does not have that plus arm strength. I have been disappointed in some of his decisions and pocket awareness this year.  Today he did some good things but also made some terrible mistakes.

Still early in his career but it looks like he is only the second best QB in his draft class. I hate the Chargers but Herbert is looking awesome again today and has outplayed Burrow up to this point in their careers.  He also has that arm that can make up for mistakes he might make with decisions.

Yeah, Herbert really hit the ground running and he's already on his 2nd HC in his short tenure.  The first QB off the board always has the curse of being compared to every other QB in his class plus "a buncha picks they coulda had if they traded down and took him." Heavy is the head that holds the crown, and all that.

(10-10-2021, 08:12 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Yeah, Herbert really  has been the best QB out of 2020  draft Burrow as #1 pick out of 2020 draft has been good.. but Herbert has been a monster as 3rd QB drafted  in 2020...