(01-10-2022, 03:09 PM)Nepanyrush Wrote: Impressive. I had a feeling that the poster you were responding to had been presenting statistics selectively gathered to support his argument, and was wondering if someone would make the effort to research more thoroughly. 

(01-09-2022, 02:26 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: You absolutely haven’t listened to NUMEROUS player comments and specifically Uzomah stating that players used to not hang out together. Do some research.

(01-10-2022, 07:43 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I tried to google it and can't find anything like that.

Got a link?

BTW funny you mention CJ because when I searched for "Bengals hanging out together" I found this comment from 2017.  .  .   The trio of Jake Kumerow, C.J Uzomah, and Ryan Hewitt were standing off to the side hanging out together as people milled about. Early on in the night, the players had taken over the couches and were all hanging out together, in ways that we as fans don’t normally get to see.

Quote:Spain sees a big difference in the offensive line this year and attributes part of that to his push to do more bonding as a group outside of work.

When Spain arrived last year, he was surprised to find the guys weren’t really hanging out once they left Paul Brown Stadium for the day. He understood COVID-19 might have impacted that, but he thought players could have at least met for dinner at each other’s houses. He said he asked center Trey Hopkins why he wouldn’t want to do more of those things, and this year, Hopkins agreed it was a good idea.

“It started from then,” Spain said. “It started clicking ever since. I’m like, how am I supposed to trust you and can’t even hang outside of football? I understand it’s work, but what we do outside of work, it’s a bond.”


“It was a big difference from last year. We hang out and do O-Line dinners and talk about stuff. We all have been the same family wise, so we can all play on the field together. I know that Trey, Jonah (Williams), they’ll have my back. If there’s something in the B gap, they’ll be right there for me. It’s chemistry.”
Spain said the linemen go to dinner every Thursday and they each get to take a turn picking the restaurant and picking up the tab. Right tackle Riley Reiff was the first to choose and picked Jeff Ruby’s. Spain took the group to Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse.
This week it was Fred Johnson’s turn. The players inform the restaurant a week in advance that they will be coming – linemen aren’t easy groups to feed.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he can see a difference in the offensive line chemistry and the correlation to the unit’s improved performances this season.
“All the great lines I have been around have been that way,” Taylor said. “They spend a lot of time with each other. They have the weekly dinners. There is a culture within the culture there in that O-line room. It’s something I have been around my whole life, Frank has done a great job with that. I hear it firsthand because I share a wall with that room, so I hear it over the course of the week whether I like it or not. We’ve always had good leadership in there. That’s one of the things Riley has done a great job kind of coming in and pushing over the top. You had good veterans, Xavier, Q, Trey Hopkins and Jonah is in his third year now he’s really playing ball. You get that 10-plus year vet like Riley who is in there and pushes the whole thing right along piggybacking off what some of the other guys had already been establishing. We have a lot of young, impressionable rookies, too, we had to bring in the mix. They were right there and you could kind of form them the direction you think it needs to go from a culture standpoint. I have been really proud of how that room has evolved over the course of the season and it does show with some of the synergy they have in that room.”

(01-11-2022, 12:26 PM)Sled21 Wrote: There was an article on the home page referencing Quentin Spain talking about how the o-line did not hang out together or eat together or any of that stuff. He got the group to go out to weekly dinners. They don't have an archive, so search for it yourself if you want. 

On edit: Here's a link to basically the same article.

Chemistry key for improving Bengals’ offensive line (springfieldnewssun.com)

(01-11-2022, 12:36 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Guess Spain had to do it because the coaches weren't. 

I know when Whit was here the O-line met regularly outside PBS.  Don't know if that ended when whit left or when Marvin left.

(01-11-2022, 12:37 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Coaches can't do it. They have to bring in players who want to do it. They did.

(01-10-2022, 01:03 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I guess the problem is that we have a different definition of "very well"

Lou has one of the best defenses that money can buy.  Here are players Bengals have signed for him.

Hendrickson..$15 million per year
Reader...........$13 million 
Hubbard........$10 million
Awuzie..........$ 7 million
Ogunjobi.......$ 6.2 million
Hilton............$ 6 million
Bell...............$ 6 million

And here are the results

Points allowed.....17th
Yards allowed......18th
Yds/play...............21st
3rd down%.........22nd


So what exactly has Lou done "very well"?

(01-11-2022, 05:21 PM)bfine32 Wrote: You paint the picture that it was talent/money in only. We lost some talent/money as well:

Carl Lawson.......$15 Mil per year
William Jackson......$14 Mil per year
Carlos Dunlap......$13 Mil per year
Mackensie Alexander......$4 Mil
Geno Atkins..........$5.2 Mil dead
Andrew Billings......$3.5 Mil
Nick Vigil.........$2.4 Mil

(01-11-2022, 05:23 PM)Sled21 Wrote: He's going to do anything he can to crap on any accomplishment Zac and Lou have. 

(01-11-2022, 05:21 PM)bfine32 Wrote: You paint the picture that it was talent/money in only. We lost some talent/money as well:

Carl Lawson.......$15 Mil per year
William Jackson......$14 Mil per year
Carlos Dunlap......$13 Mil per year
Mackensie Alexander......$4 Mil
Geno Atkins..........$5.2 Mil dead
Andrew Billings......$3.5 Mil
Nick Vigil.........$2.4 Mil

(01-12-2022, 03:45 PM)fredtoast Wrote: You are right.

Just think of how good our pass rush would have been with Dunlap (8.5 sacks, 14 QB hits, and 7 PD in just 481 snaps)  Instead we played Cam Sample, Wyatt Rey, and Khalid Kareem 639 snaps and just got 2.5 sacks, 9 QB hits, and 0 PDs.

(01-12-2022, 05:09 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Dunlap refused to play within this defense. That's why we played Cam Sample, Wyatt Ray and Khalid Kareem.

(01-12-2022, 05:09 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Dunlap refused to play within this defense. That's why we played Cam Sample, Wyatt Ray and Khalid Kareem.

(01-12-2022, 05:10 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Exactly and Ossai will be a big addition next year

(01-12-2022, 05:32 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Thank you for reminding us we potentially have one hell of an NFL pass rusher next season. If what he did in college holds up at the pro level, we'll be happy.

(01-12-2022, 05:09 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Dunlap refused to play within this defense. That's why we played Cam Sample, Wyatt Ray and Khalid Kareem.

(01-13-2022, 12:49 PM)fredtoast Wrote: When did Dunlop get the authority to establish the depth chart? I did not hear about that.

(01-13-2022, 12:56 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Who’s Dunlop?