I saw a post on Isiah Simmons earlier saying how good he’s played for Arizona and how he’s the rare mix of athleticism and IQ and it made me wonder what Bengals player would’ve been insane if they had elite IQ OR elite athleticism?


I have a lot of names but Taylor Mays keeps coming to mind. Taylor Mays with elite football IQ could’ve been a football god.


Any more?

I’m only 30 so my choices are only from ppl i saw play in my lifetime

Jerome Simpson was an insane athlete. If elite football IQ means putting it all together then look out.

Lol this makes me think of that LB from Texas that was just dumb as rocks. I can’t remember his name… he had all the ability in the world but clearly couldn’t keep pace with any sort of mental part of the game.

TJ Houshmandzadeh plus speed = G.O.A.T.

Artrell Hawkins plus awareness = Hall Of Fame

Chad Johnson plus humility = entire career in Cincinnati

Better heads
Vintage Burfict
O'Dell Thurman
Taylor Mays
Dan Wilkinson

More athleticism
Reggie Kelly
Dhani Jones
Chris Crocker
TJ Houshmandzadeh

(11-13-2021, 03:03 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Better heads
Vintage Burfict
O'Dell Thurman
Taylor Mays
Dan Wilkinson

More athleticism
Reggie Kelly
Dhani Jones
Chris Crocker
TJ Houshmandzadeh

Odell had the chance to be an all-time great. His instincts were amazing but still so raw. Outside of Chris Henry and maybe Stanley Wilson, Odell's waste of a promising Bengal career is the saddest that I've seen. He was like a heat seeking missile against the run. It's a shame he couldn't keep his head on straight long enough to have Zimmer get him under his wing. THAT'S where I start getting sad about the whole thing. That could have been a magical combo.

Ryan Fitzpatrick with elite athleticism since he was already smart as hell as a Harvard grad. If his body could keep up with his brain, watch out. (Honorable mention to Housh, but QBs are key.)

Akili Smith with elite football IQ. (Honorable mention to Taylor Mays. I honestly thought that he was going to be great.)

IQ is meaningless IMO. Over my years I've meet a LOT of people with high IQs. They got great grades and even some had great paying jobs, but they were just dumber than as a wet turd getting picked up with a vacuum cleaner brush.. They could rattle off math problems, recall history and even know all the grammar rules, but turn right around and marry to a fem fatal or some grossly obese partner with no life insurance.. Really stupid stuff in their personal lives.. A lot go to prison..My niece was one.. She was book smart as a whip, pretty when she was young and now rotting away in a Texas prison in her 50's all because she had to hang with meth heads most of her adult life...

(11-13-2021, 11:52 AM)grampahol Wrote: IQ is meaningless IMO. Over my years I've meet a LOT of people with high IQs. They got great grades and even some had great paying jobs, but they were just dumber than as a wet turd getting picked up with a vacuum cleaner brush.. They could rattle off math problems, recall history and even know all the grammar rules, but turn right around and marry to a fem fatal or some grossly obese partner with no life insurance.. Really stupid stuff in their personal lives.. A lot go to prison..My niece was one.. She was book smart as a whip, pretty when she was young and now rotting away in a Texas prison in her 50's all because she had to hang with meth heads most of her adult life...

I think "football IQ" is the implied IQ, but I might be wrong. That's how I took the question at least.

Ryan Finley

(11-13-2021, 11:52 AM)grampahol Wrote: IQ is meaningless IMO. Over my years I've meet a LOT of people with high IQs. They got great grades and even some had great paying jobs, but they were just dumber than as a wet turd getting picked up with a vacuum cleaner brush.. They could rattle off math problems, recall history and even know all the grammar rules, but turn right around and marry to a fem fatal or some grossly obese partner with no life insurance.. Really stupid stuff in their personal lives.. A lot go to prison..My niece was one.. She was book smart as a whip, pretty when she was young and now rotting away in a Texas prison in her 50's all because she had to hang with meth heads most of her adult life...

Think you misunderstood the assignment...

(11-13-2021, 07:09 AM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: Odell had the chance to be an all-time great. His instincts were amazing but still so raw. Outside of Chris Henry and maybe Stanley Wilson, Odell's waste of a promising Bengal career is the saddest that I've seen. He was like a heat seeking missile against the run. It's a shame he couldn't keep his head on straight long enough to have Zimmer get him under his wing. THAT'S where I start getting sad about the whole thing. That could have been a magical combo.

Agree.  Wish I could find some of his Bengal highlight reel on YouTube but there isn't one. Imagine if we had prime Odell and prime Burfict for a good few years...back in Odell's era before they put all the new hitting rules in place. There would've been body counts every game 

(11-13-2021, 07:09 AM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: Odell had the chance to be an all-time great. His instincts were amazing but still so raw. Outside of Chris Henry and maybe Stanley Wilson, Odell's waste of a promising Bengal career is the saddest that I've seen. He was like a heat seeking missile against the run. It's a shame he couldn't keep his head on straight long enough to have Zimmer get him under his wing. THAT'S where I start getting sad about the whole thing. That could have been a magical combo.

Odell and Pollack are no lie my biggest what if.

No way those guys healthy don’t light the league on fire

(11-13-2021, 01:30 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: I think "football IQ" is the implied IQ, but I might be wrong. That's how I took the question at least.

Yeah it’s football IQ

Put a better head on Andre Smith and you'd have something

(11-13-2021, 10:43 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Ryan Fitzpatrick with elite athleticism since he was already smart as hell as a Harvard grad. If his body could keep up with his brain, watch out. (Honorable mention to Housh, but QBs are key.)

Akili Smith with elite football IQ. (Honorable mention to Taylor Mays. I honestly thought that he was going to be great.)

Akili for sure, he might have been good with even average IQ.

Leon Hall with more speed would've been something else...

(11-13-2021, 07:09 AM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: Odell had the chance to be an all-time great. His instincts were amazing but still so raw. Outside of Chris Henry and maybe Stanley Wilson, Odell's waste of a promising Bengal career is the saddest that I've seen. He was like a heat seeking missile against the run. It's a shame he couldn't keep his head on straight long enough to have Zimmer get him under his wing. THAT'S where I start getting sad about the whole thing. That could have been a magical combo.

I guess I'd never thought of that. It seems like it was longer, but Mike Zimmer hit the scene only 2 seasons removed from Thurman's lone active season.

(11-13-2021, 10:35 PM)jason Wrote: Leon Hall with more speed would've been something else...

Leon had 4.42 speed

(11-13-2021, 11:34 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Leon had 4.42 speed

Didnt translate to the field at all