(11-09-2021, 10:34 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: This team is good enough to beat any team in the NFL and inconsistent enough to lose to any team in the NFL, so I'm going to just take the average and say they split and go 9-8.

The most likely wins are Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Denver and Cleveland, but maybe they beat LV and drop the Pittsburgh game. Maybe they beat the Chargers but drop the 49ers game. Who knows at this point. This team is basically impossible to predict because they can play so amazingly or so terribly based on seemingly no change or impetus.

Here's hoping we beat the average.

And who knows how many high draft picks the Raiders are going to have to eject for guns by the time we play them....

https://arrowheadaddict.com/2021/11/08/las-vegas-raiders-relelase-first-round-picks-2020-damon-arnette/

(11-09-2021, 10:35 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Nobody is demanding anything, but there is such a thing as being over the top with the negativity. If it's that heart breaking and frustrating for you, why even bother? I'd probably go fishing or something. 

If you think we could quit this damn team we would have been quit it. 

It's like battered women syndrom or stockholm syndrome. It certainly isn't good for your health growing up as a Cinci sports fan. But here we are.

(11-09-2021, 10:31 AM)jj22 Wrote: Good, because the less optimistic posters were like you decades ago. But fool me once on you, fool me 20+ years and....... I won't be fooled again. Or shamed for not being fooled again.

Posters like myself and other should never be shamed. We've had our hearts broken enough over the decades for posters to demand us continue to believe the unbelievable. 

That’s me.

Why can’t we, who have been crushed for 30 years (me) predict things based on history and facts? These facts are what we have seen time and time and time again. Bengals fans cannot have good things. lol.

Every time we don’t say the Bengals are spectacular, we get excoriated and labeled as negative or miserable. We are just realists. You younger fans will accept this reality soon.

We occasionally see a couple of potential good years and flashes of hope from time to time, only to get crushed … every … dang … time.

You can love the team, but accept the reality as well. I celebrate wins with no less fun than any of you homers. I just know better than to fully buy in; so I remain guarded.

(11-09-2021, 10:38 AM)jj22 Wrote: If you think we could quit this damn team we would have been quit it. 

It's like battered women syndrom or stockholm syndrome. It certainly isn't good for your health growing up as a Cinci sports fan. But here we are.

As far as Sports and Cincinnati goes, I quit watching the Reds decades ago and couldn't even tell you who is on the team anymore, and I grew up watching the Big Red Machine. I got to where it didn't bring me joy anymore after the strike. If I didn't enjoy the Bengals, good and bad, and it brought such negativity into my life, I'd be gone today. 

It don't bring negativity into my life. That's a little dramatic. I love football so I won't quit it. But I won't be overly optimistic about the Bengals until at least we see some consistent winning again.

(11-09-2021, 10:55 AM)jj22 Wrote: It don't bring negativity into my life. That's a little dramatic. I love football so I won't quit it. But I won't be overly optimistic about the Bengals until at least we see some consistent winning again.

Well, let me put it this way. You saying the Bengals will not win another game and will go 5-12 is about as ridiculous as if I said they will win out. 

Im going to say 11-6.

Lets do this!

(11-09-2021, 10:55 AM)jj22 Wrote: It don't bring negativity into my life. That's a little dramatic. I love football so I won't quit it. But I won't be overly optimistic about the Bengals until at least we see some consistent winning again.

No one's asking for you to be "overly optimistic" but would it kill you and others like you to show a LITTLE optimism? What could it hurt?

I predict 3 more wins.
49ers.
One win against the AFC West.
One more between the divisional opponents.

(11-09-2021, 10:58 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Well, let me put it this way. You saying the Bengals will not win another game and will go 5-12 is about as ridiculous as if I said they will win out. 

Yeah but wouldn't it be fun if you did predict that and it happened.

You'd be a king around here.  Well in your own mind but hey it be pretty awesome.

I say do it.  Make that crazy prediction.  I predicted 11-6.  Why cause why the f not.  Its not as ballsy as winning out but if it happens I can say I believed.  If it doesn't, ehh.  Who cares. 

(11-09-2021, 11:07 AM)motoarch Wrote: Yeah but wouldn't it be fun if you did predict that and it happened.

You'd be a king around here.  Well in your own mind but hey it be pretty awesome.

Yeah, I get the feeling that the shoe's about to drop (or whatever the saying is) whenever something good happens and even understand why, but to go so far as to just assume ALL the bad things WILL happen as incontrovertible fact I don't. Why is there such a need to claim the Bengals suck or won't win or [insert negative claim here]? Like, sure, predict the Bengals will lose a game, but to act as if it's a FACT that they will because they always have? Utter nonsense.

(11-09-2021, 10:58 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Well, let me put it this way. You saying the Bengals will not win another game and will go 5-12 is about as ridiculous as if I said they will win out. 

I don't think it would be all that ridiculous (and that is the difference between us). You think them winning out which they likely wound not do under the best circumstances (season) is equal to them ending 5-12 which we've seen multiple times over the last 30 years.

Your take is the hot take. My take of them losing out is the ho hum typical Bengals take.

A 13-4 season is a hot take for the Bengals. A 5-12 season isn't. It shouldn't be considered equally "ridiculous".

More than 3/4 of us believe we'll finish between 7-10 and 9-8. Bet if I'd ask this two weeks ago most would have had us winning 12-13 games. The volatile nature of the NFL is amazing.

(11-09-2021, 12:04 PM)jj22 Wrote: You think them winning out which they likely wound not do under the best circumstances (season) is equal to them ending 5-12 which we've seen multiple times over the last 30 years.

The Bengals have never, NEVER in their entire history including the team in the early 30s finished a season 5-12. 

9-8 but injuries to a still weak offensive line could crater us to 7-10

Back OT

Me thinks we win 2 more

7-10 will be the final.

(11-09-2021, 12:09 PM)PhilHos Wrote: The Bengals have never, NEVER in their entire history including the team in the early 30s finished a season 5-12. 

lol....   ^^^^ he's right you know

(11-08-2021, 11:01 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: Sun, Nov 21 @ Las Vegas - W
Sun, Nov 28 vs Pittsburgh - L
Sun, Dec 5 vs Los Angeles Chargers - L
Sun, Dec 12 vs San Francisco - W
Sun, Dec 19 @ Denver - W
Sun, Dec 26 vs Baltimore - L
Sun, Jan 2 vs Kansas City - L
Sun, Jan 9 @ Cleveland - W

Looks like 9-8 for me. Likely not enough for the playoffs, but might be this year of all years as the standings are really tight and a lot of teams in contention.

It isn't playoffs or bust this year though. We'd all have taken 9-8 at the beginning of the year.

(11-09-2021, 10:31 AM)jj22 Wrote: Good, because the less optimistic posters were like you decades ago. But fool me once on you, fool me 20+ years and....... I won't be fooled again. Or shamed for not being fooled again.

Posters like myself and other should never be shamed. We've had our hearts broken enough over the decades for posters to demand us continue to believe the unbelievable. 

I've been a fan since 1978.

I'm not angry, i just think you're weak minded. 

(11-09-2021, 02:37 PM)TheCincinnatiKid Wrote: It isn't playoffs or bust this year though. We'd all have taken 9-8 at the beginning of the year.

True, however, most of us, don't want to tread the waters of mediocrity like we did during the Marvin Lewis era. If Zac is the one to take us to the Promised Land, he needs to show that to us THIS season. Otherwise, he needs to be replaced and and most likely the coordinators with him.