I also was just watching Good Morning Football and I don't think any of the 35 "experts" picked us to go back to the Super Bowl, so it got me thinking about our own team's expectations and confidence level.

I don't even know if guys like Burrow and Chase had the confidence that we'd go to the Super Bowl last year, but how much higher is team confidence this year and how much better is the team's overall mentality?

They all saw how the line struggled all year and how we improved there, so the confidence has to be higher and having more confidence in the players around you always improves your play.

How much will is it improving the mentality of the team that we're building a practice bubble? A player's mentality will always be more positive if he knows that the team is invested in winning, so are the players seeing things like that and having it subconsciously build their confidence that the team is invested in them?

Once it's built, will the players moods be lighter and will they feel more at ease practicing in their own bubble? Will their comfort level be higher?

Will they study their playbooks and opponents harder?

How much is the team's mentality and overall confidence improved and how much will it improve play on the field?

(09-05-2022, 10:34 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: I also was just watching Good Morning Football and I don't think any of the 35 "experts" picked us to go back to the Super Bowl, so it got me thinking about our own team's expectations and confidence level.

I don't even know if guys like Burrow and Chase had the confidence that we'd go to the Super Bowl last year, but how much higher is team confidence this year and how much better is the team's overall mentality?

They all saw how the line struggled all year and how we improved there, so the confidence has to be higher and having more confidence in the players around you always improves your play.

How much will is it improving the mentality of the team that we're building a practice bubble? A player's mentality will always be more positive if he knows that the team is invested in winning, so are the players seeing things like that and having it subconsciously build their confidence that the team is invested in them?

Once it's built, will the players moods be lighter and will they feel more at ease practicing in their own bubble?  Will their comfort level be higher?

Will they study their playbooks and opponents harder?

How much is the team's mentality and overall confidence improved and how much will it improve play on the field?

I think a lot of the media noise is entertainment for the fans. Unless a team is bad, I think these guys are full of confidence and believe they are going to be a Super Bowl team. I'm sure if you went and asked a player on the Giants if they were going to win the Super Bowl, you might get a "uhhhh.....I don't know about that" but everyone on the Cincinnati squad should be saying "yes, absolutely". 

I don't know if they will study their playbooks harder. You can't really do that, I guess. I have some old NFL playbooks and they are exactly what you think they are; pages with diagrams, callouts, formations, routes etc. Once you have it, you have it. Maybe these guys will be watching more tape but if it takes some media heads not believing in them for them to watch more tape, I don't know what to think of that. These guys have all of the incentive in the world to work as hard as they can to win a Super Bowl, everything from monetarily and legacy. 

I don't think there would be much of an improvement in confidence, to be honest. This team was just a play away from winning a Super Bowl and they got better. This team should have confidence through the absolute roof. 

(09-05-2022, 10:34 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: I also was just watching Good Morning Football and I don't think any of the 35 "experts" picked us to go back to the Super Bowl, so it got me thinking about our own team's expectations and confidence level.

I don't even know if guys like Burrow and Chase had the confidence that we'd go to the Super Bowl last year, but how much higher is team confidence this year and how much better is the team's overall mentality?

They all saw how the line struggled all year and how we improved there, so the confidence has to be higher and having more confidence in the players around you always improves your play.

How much will is it improving the mentality of the team that we're building a practice bubble? A player's mentality will always be more positive if he knows that the team is invested in winning, so are the players seeing things like that and having it subconsciously build their confidence that the team is invested in them?

Once it's built, will the players moods be lighter and will they feel more at ease practicing in their own bubble?  Will their comfort level be higher?

Will they study their playbooks and opponents harder?

How much is the team's mentality and overall confidence improved and how much will it improve play on the field?

Nothing will ever reach Peak "Dalton Hog" confidence levels, but this team is damn close! Last year people thought they needed a better O line in the SB... NOPE. They were just one giant ginger dong away from Burrow to Chase on a go route. Let's hope the FO/locker room saw an upgrade this offseason!

I don't think much of any pro that doesn't think they can win a championship in any given season (baseball aside where they just boondoggle, and collect checks for 8 months). I caught Hard Knocks the other day, and Jamaal Williams was brought to tears giving a fiery speech about how they were better than their record showed last year. Maybe it's different by late November, but I'd wager every player on every team thinks they have a shot right now.

"Confidence" is one of those vague characteristics that is hard to measure.  Everyone wants our players to be more "confident", but then if they fall flat we complain that they were "overconfident".  Also I have noticed that a Bengal player can do something that makes the fans call him  "confident" but when a player from another team acts the exact same way he is called "cocky".


My theory is that "confidence" plays a major role with rookies and other young players in the league.  They have to learn that they belong before they feel comfortable.  With veterans I don't think it matters that much. 

(09-05-2022, 11:32 AM)fredtoast Wrote: "Confidence" is one of those vague characteristics that is hard to measure.

Everyone wants our players to be more "confident", but then if they fall flat we complain that they were "overconfident".  

Also I have noticed that Bengal players are called "confident" but when a player from another team acts the exact same way he is called "cocky".

Clever

(09-05-2022, 10:34 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: I also was just watching Good Morning Football and I don't think any of the 35 "experts" picked us to go back to the Super Bowl, so it got me thinking about our own team's expectations and confidence level.

I don't even know if guys like Burrow and Chase had the confidence that we'd go to the Super Bowl last year, but how much higher is team confidence this year and how much better is the team's overall mentality?

They all saw how the line struggled all year and how we improved there, so the confidence has to be higher and having more confidence in the players around you always improves your play.

How much will is it improving the mentality of the team that we're building a practice bubble? A player's mentality will always be more positive if he knows that the team is invested in winning, so are the players seeing things like that and having it subconsciously build their confidence that the team is invested in them?

Once it's built, will the players moods be lighter and will they feel more at ease practicing in their own bubble? Will their comfort level be higher?

Will they study their playbooks and opponents harder?

How much is the team's mentality and overall confidence improved and how much will it improve play on the field?

I think Burrow & Chase never had a confidence problem. Part of the turnaround was the focus of bringing in players from winning cultures. The NFL outside world don’t get the Bengals. They think they just were a fluke ( thank you Fredtoast) and just went on a roll. You don’t win all those close games late w/o a ton of confidence. Winning clutch games has to be accompanied with confidence. Frankly over confidence may be our nemesis this year more than the lack there of.

I don’t think the new indoor is a factor. I think practicing outside in January worked for us.

With Joey B under center, every one of the guys on this team knows "magic can happen", he's got that "IT" factor that can't be measured as a statistic. It rubs off as guys want to play "Harder" for him to let him do his thing.

It's kinda splitting hairs but I think team chemistry is important. Are they willing to sacrifice being "the guy" all the time to make the team better, get more wins.

And I believe they have that much more now than in many seasons past.

(09-05-2022, 11:46 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I think Burrow & Chase never had a confidence problem. Part of the turnaround was the focus of bringing in players from winning cultures. The NFL outside world don’t get the Bengals. They think they just were a fluke ( thank you Fredtoast) and just went on a roll. You don’t win all those close games late w/o a ton of confidence. Winning clutch games has to be accompanied with confidence. Frankly over confidence may be our nemesis this year more than the lack there of.

I don’t think the new indoor is a factor. I think practicing outside in January worked for us.

Burrow and Chase never had a confidence problem and bringing in players from other winning teams could be a good thing but we've brought in players that won Super Bowls back in the Palmer era and it didn't see like it rubbed off as much. We might have been cocky and had bright personalities with people like Chad but I don't think it was ever a mentality of "we're going to win every game because we can't be beat."

I think the part about Chad and that crowd was that they were cocky and outspoken but this team doesn't need to voice those opinions or be that outspoken because we're that confident that we just let our play do the talking.

It's supposed to rain here Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so it's not just about the cold because we'll have to bus to UC's bubble, as opposed to just showing up to work downtown and having it be our home.

(09-05-2022, 12:10 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: With Joey B under center, every one of the guys on this team knows "magic can happen", he's got that "IT" factor that can't be measured as a statistic. It rubs off as guys want to play "Harder" for him to let him do his thing.

I agree and that's what I mean by the confidence because every player in the NFL is confident but this is more than just individual confidence because every player is confident about the team and the players around them, which subconsciously has to have them playing harder.

(09-05-2022, 10:34 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: I also was just watching Good Morning Football and I don't think any of the 35 "experts" picked us to go back to the Super Bowl, so it got me thinking about our own team's expectations and confidence level.

I don't even know if guys like Burrow and Chase had the confidence that we'd go to the Super Bowl last year, but how much higher is team confidence this year and how much better is the team's overall mentality?

They all saw how the line struggled all year and how we improved there, so the confidence has to be higher and having more confidence in the players around you always improves your play.

How much will is it improving the mentality of the team that we're building a practice bubble? A player's mentality will always be more positive if he knows that the team is invested in winning, so are the players seeing things like that and having it subconsciously build their confidence that the team is invested in them?

Once it's built, will the players moods be lighter and will they feel more at ease practicing in their own bubble?  Will their comfort level be higher?

Will they study their playbooks and opponents harder?

How much is the team's mentality and overall confidence improved and how much will it improve play on the field?

Just my opinion, Brad, but I don't think the practice facility has anything to do with it at all.  As far as how much harder they study, I think last year's squad worked extremely hard to be prepared.   Zac has a locker room full of guys that take this seriously and put in the time both on and off the field.

What COULD impact the mentality or confidence is a number of things:

1.) Coaching.  I wanted to hurt (kill is a strong word) Lou Anarumo after the Jets game last year.  Mike White going off for over 400 yards passing made me want to vomit.  However, by year's end, Lou had figured out his guys, how to best use them, and was a large part of why this team ended up in the Super Bowl.  Ditto the play calling by Zac.  You might dismiss it as protecting Burrow, but once he found his stride as a playcaller and was able to adjust to his pathetic line, he did quite well.  This year should be better.  

2.) History.  They did it.  They competed and beat most any team.  Year two with Burrow showed massive progression in his ability to read and make decisions quickly.  Good thing, since he didn't often have much time.  

3.) Growth-  Ja'Marr in year two, Burrow and Tee in year 3.  A better offensive line.  Almost the entire team is back and there are a few interesting new pieces like Dax Hill.  They know what their weaknesses were last year:  offensive line and pass rush.  Outside of Hendrickson and, occasionally, Hubbard, they lacked real outside pass rush.  Ossai, Gunter, and possibly even ADG might change that quite a bit.  I still have high hopes for Khalid, but he needs to stay healthy. 

4.) Consistency-  Same HC, OC, DC, and STC.  One of (I think) four teams in the entire NFL with that consistency.  

5.) HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE!!!  WIth 60,000 people at a preseason game, I can't wait to see what it looks like opening day!

(09-05-2022, 10:34 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: I also was just watching Good Morning Football and I don't think any of the 35 "experts" picked us to go back to the Super Bowl....

I think they had the same predictions last year. What happened?

(09-05-2022, 02:48 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Burrow and Chase never had a confidence problem and bringing in players from other winning teams could be a good thing but we've brought in players that won Super Bowls back in the Palmer era and it didn't see like it rubbed off as much. We might have been cocky and had bright personalities with people like Chad but I don't think it was ever a mentality of "we're going to win every game because we can't be beat."

I think the part about Chad and that crowd was that they were cocky and outspoken but this team doesn't need to voice those opinions or be that outspoken because we're that confident that we just let our play do the talking.

It's supposed to rain here Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so it's not just about the cold because we'll have to bus to UC's bubble, as opposed to just showing up to work downtown and having it be our home.


I agree and that's what I mean by the confidence because every player in the NFL is confident but this is more than just individual confidence because every player is confident about the team and the players around them, which subconsciously has to have them playing harder.

Well it raining and having to go to the bearcats indoor is a hassle. That’s a separate issue from confidence. However is it really much of an issue for the players or organization? I don’t know the process but do they bus over from the stadium?

As far as confidence I think this team by making the Super Bowl has conquered the transformation to having the confidence in beating anybody.

(09-05-2022, 02:40 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: It's kinda splitting hairs but I think team chemistry is important. Are they willing to sacrifice being "the guy" all the time to make the team better, get more wins.

And I believe they have that much more now than in many seasons past.

No doubt winning in playoffs and making the Super Bowl should have increased that team chemistry but maintaining it at a high level is hard, the 89 Super Bowl team seemed to be the tightest group (defense/offense) that I can remember but they were not able to maintain it.  

Green/Dalton/Atkins era has a strong core and rarely lost games they were favored but never seemed to move up to the level we expected. 


This team especially with the structure of contracts over the next couple years makes it look like they can add more to that team chemistry and avoid though loses when they are favored over the next couple years

(09-05-2022, 03:28 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Well it raining and having to go to the bearcats indoor is a hassle. That’s a separate issue from confidence. However is it really much of an issue for the players or organization? I don’t know the process but do they bus over from the stadium?

As far as confidence I think this team by making the Super Bowl has conquered the transformation to having the confidence in beating anybody.

Pretty sure they bus over from the stadium. 

I just think that it helps players know that the organization is invested in them and and makes them want to play that much harder.

There's a difference between playing your hardest because you're a professional and playing your hardest because you want to play hard for the organization so you'll have more years of playing with them.

(09-05-2022, 03:36 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Pretty sure they bus over from the stadium. 

I just think that it helps players know that the organization is invested in them and and makes them want to play that much harder.

There's a difference between playing your hardest because you're a professional and playing your hardest because you want to play hard for the organization so you'll have more years of playing with them.

I decided a long time ago when I discussed a star player playing for a HOF college coach known for being one of the top motivators and his locker room speeches. He said I played 4 years and don’t remember 1. They were all the same I paid zero attention. Then I heard the Manning’s on their MNF show talk about it. What us fans think do or don’t motivate players we vastly overrate.

(09-05-2022, 12:10 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote:  It rubs off as guys want to play "Harder" for him to let him do his thing.

I know there is no hope for me when I feel uncomfortable seeing "rubs off" and "harder" in the same sentence when discussing Joe Burrow. 

(09-05-2022, 03:31 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: No doubt winning in playoffs and making the Super Bowl should have increased that team chemistry but maintaining it at a high level is hard, the 89 Super Bowl team seemed to be the tightest group (defense/offense) that I can remember but they were not able to maintain it.  

Green/Dalton/Atkins era has a strong core and rarely lost games they were favored but never seemed to move up to the level we expected. 


This team especially with the structure of contracts over the next couple years makes it look like they can add more to that team chemistry and avoid though loses when they are favored over the next couple years

That '89 season was one of the craziest seasons i've ever experienced. 

They started off strong going 4-1, then somehow went 1-4 losing back to back home games against mediocre teams, before alternating W and L the rest of the way. Losing late at home to the Seahawks was a crippling defeat as the 'hawks weren't a very good team then. Then came the Christmas night loss to the Vikings. Penalties and turnovers abound and they just missed the playoffs. 

Losing Ickey in game #2 didn't help at all. They only went 5-3 at home that year after going 8-0 the year before and they lost 4 out of their last 5 road games. They had 4 games where they scored over 40 pts, including 56 and 61 against the Bucs and Oilers respectively, but they scored only 14 or less 5 times. 

Wacky wacky frustrating season. 

(09-05-2022, 03:36 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Pretty sure they bus over from the stadium. 

I just think that it helps players know that the organization is invested in them and and makes them want to play that much harder.

There's a difference between playing your hardest because you're a professional and playing your hardest because you want to play hard for the organization so you'll have more years of playing with them.

I don't believe that's true with grown, professional athletes. The opposite is true though. If the org is/was like the Bengals of the '90s, guys gripe and complain and maybe don't give full effort, other than to avoid injury, but i don't believe they "play harder" because of amenities and practice facilities. 

(09-05-2022, 04:50 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: What us fans think do or don’t motivate players we vastly overrate.

And that is what makes great coaches.

I was never impressed with coaches who screamed and yelled all the time.  I was raised admiring my dad's ability to keep his cool when he was upset or in a bad situation.  To me screaming is a sign of a loss of control.  Emotion taking over.  And I am sure I was not the only player like that.

The really great coaches know how to motivate ALL of their players.  They scream and yell at the players who need that.  And they find other buttons to push for other players.