No one wants to hear this in a full-on venting session, but here are some truths that everyone needs to remember:

Last year, Buffalo got beat badly by pitt at home in week 1 and still was seconds away from the AFC Title game.

Also last year, week 1 showed Aaron Rogers threw for 133 yards and two INTs, but still went on to win the MVP.

With that fresh in mind, maybe we could cut Joe Burrow a little slack for being indecisive and off timing knowing that he went essentially a month without going all out in the key part off camp, due to the ruptured appendix. I am not as worried about the offensive line. They ran blocked pretty well, but Joe held on to the ball way too long in pass plays.

Losing Tee Higgins early (cheap shot assholes) doesn't help either Mike Thomas showed why we all wanted someone like Pryor or Lassiter. As much as Perine proved his veteran worth (saved Burrow on one pass block big time), Thomas is just not very reliable as a route runner.

Despite all this, they STILL should have won. Three different times, they win easily if not for the injured snapper and poor blocking on an extra point.

They will rebound and they will be a contending team. Everyone hates losing to the steelers, but the Bengals are much better poised to make a run moving forward and that is the truth.

I'm not down on Joe whatsoever. Everyone deserves an egg of a game.

I'm down on ZT and this staff. This team was unprepared and he continues to bobble in game situations. I still continue to doubt his play calling and scheme. This offense has had issues since the day he was hired. He's infatuated with "explosive plays" to the point where we can't move the ball with anything other than an "explosive play". His scheme and plays take WAY too long to develop at times.

Teams are going to limit the explosive plays this year. Last year was an anomaly and he needs to figure out a more sustainable offense.

Yep, we will be fine and Pittsburgh got the win but lost two of their most important players so I guess we're probably in a least bad situation by dropping the game to them of all our division opponents. I will say it is wacky that all 3 of Burrow's opening games have been characterized by statical anomalies, fluke plays and bounces, and a buttload of botched "gimmie" FGs.

I concur, Bengals fans should take a deep breath. Yesterday's loss was disappointing but it is just one game and one loss. Let's relax and let the season unfold.

Some positives:

- Chase had a good game
- Burrow lead potential winning drives despite his bad game
- A healthy long snapper likely = a Bengals win
- The OL, I contend, got better as the game went on
- Hurst looks legit and an upgrade over CJ at TE

If we start 0-3 or 0-4, I'll jump in on the doom & gloom train.

I'm not a big "moral" victory person, but the fact that it came down to overtime is more of a testament to the Bengals then the Steelers. With a -5 turnover differential, the Bengals had no business winning this game. However, if we lose next week to a Dak-less Cowboys team, than I'll be concerned, but I'm not losing sleep over this one.

It's funny...BEFORE the game, I brought up how Pittsburgh beat Buffalo in game 1 last year...and people didn't want to hear it.

I think that there are some worries in this game. But, I also think the Steelers might have an elite defense (when Watt plays).

(09-12-2022, 09:25 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: I concur, Bengals fans should take a deep breath. Yesterday's loss was disappointing but it is just one game and one loss. Let's relax and let the season unfold.

Some positives:

- Chase had a good game
- Burrow lead potential winning drives despite his bad game
- A healthy long snapper likely = a Bengals win
- The OL, I contend, got better as the game went on
- Hurst looks legit and an upgrade over CJ at TE

If we start 0-3 or 0-4, I'll jump in on the doom & gloom train.

Definitely this. If we look decent in Dallas, then this game gets largely forgotten. The mention of Hurst is very under-valued so far too. I thought he looked very good. Wasn't great news with CJ going, but I think Hurst can be a decent upgrade.

It’s a long season but this one stings. It’s a divisional game, and within our division it could come down to tiebreakers come end of season. We upgraded o-line and we still have the sack issue. Also could have won the game with a simple XP. The game should be sealed on an XP. The snap was not bad the fact us dude came in for the block unabated, that should NEVER happen. A lot of cleaning up to do. Now we have to wait a week to see if we can clean up the mental gaffes.

(09-12-2022, 09:37 AM)TheCincinnatiKid Wrote: Definitely this. If we look decent in Dallas, then this game gets largely forgotten. The mention of Hurst is very under-valued so far too. I thought he looked very good. Wasn't great news with CJ going, but I think Hurst can be a decent upgrade.

I expect us to beat Dallas. But, IF We lose...then it's time to worry.

(09-12-2022, 09:32 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's funny...BEFORE the game, I brought up how Pittsburgh beat Buffalo in game 1 last year...and people didn't want to hear it.

I think that there are some worries in this game. But, I also think the Steelers might have an elite defense (when Watt plays).

I still don't think they're that amazing. I think the Bengals rust and complete lack of preparation and execution made them look much much better than they actually are. 

Much like how last year Burrow threw 3 INT and got sacked 5 times by the Bears... but the Bears finished with the 22nd ranked scoring defense and allowed the highest QB Rating in the league.

If you shit your pants on your own volition, it doesn't mean that you got the shit kicked out of you. 

(09-12-2022, 09:19 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: No one wants to hear this in a full-on venting session, but here are some truths that everyone needs to remember:

Last year, Buffalo got beat badly by pitt at home in week 1 and still was seconds away from the AFC Title game.

Also last year, week 1 showed Aaron Rogers threw for 133 yards and two INTs, but still went on to win the MVP.

With that fresh in mind, maybe we could cut Joe Burrow a little slack for being indecisive and off timing knowing that he went essentially a month without going all out in the key part off camp, due to the ruptured appendix.  I am not as worried about the offensive line.  They ran blocked pretty well, but Joe held on to the ball way too long in pass plays.

Losing Tee Higgins early (cheap shot assholes) doesn't help either Mike Thomas showed why we all wanted someone like Pryor or Lassiter.  As much as Perine proved his veteran worth (saved Burrow on one pass block big time), Thomas is just not very reliable as a route runner.  

Despite all this, they STILL should have won.  Three different times, they win easily if not for the injured snapper and poor blocking on an extra point.

They will rebound and they will be a contending team.  Everyone hates losing to the steelers, but the Bengals are much better poised to make a run moving forward and that is the truth.

I agree with all these points. The loss hurt a lot because scoring at the last possible second was just so thrilling that it was a huge downer to miss the extra point and then the FG, from our most reliable unit. Add in that it was the rival Steelers. But, to a man, the attitude of the players to the loss was encouraging. A lot of caring, but not the finger pointing over the loss. A team of quality individuals. 

Agreed that some just need to take a breath and move on from yesterday's debacle.

Really, did anyone actually think that an 80% brand new OL, that had gotten zero reps together in preseason was just going to come out and dominate one of the most formidable defensive fronts in the league?

Same with Joe Burrow, did you think that he was just going to come in cold, off a recent surgery with complications in the recovery process, and light it up like postseason form?

Sure, Zac learned some valuable coaching lessons yesterday, like to be prepared in case of backup long snapper, when is the time to challenge a play, and that Pryor should have made the 53, but there is still much good to take from that loss.

The defense played lights out, for the most part. The rushing game looked pretty good against a really stout front. Despite all of the blunders, the offense still played well enough to have us in position to win the game, at two points yesterday. At no point did I see any "quit" from any member of the Bengals. Same team, just unfortunate events put them in bad positions yesterday.

Onto Dallas, who has their own crisis with their franchise QB out for thumb surgery.

(09-12-2022, 09:19 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: No one wants to hear this in a full-on venting session, but here are some truths that everyone needs to remember:

Last year, Buffalo got beat badly by pitt at home in week 1 and still was seconds away from the AFC Title game.

Also last year, week 1 showed Aaron Rogers threw for 133 yards and two INTs, but still went on to win the MVP.

With that fresh in mind, maybe we could cut Joe Burrow a little slack for being indecisive and off timing knowing that he went essentially a month without going all out in the key part off camp, due to the ruptured appendix. I am not as worried about the offensive line. They ran blocked pretty well, but Joe held on to the ball way too long in pass plays.

Losing Tee Higgins early (cheap shot assholes) doesn't help either Mike Thomas showed why we all wanted someone like Pryor or Lassiter. As much as Perine proved his veteran worth (saved Burrow on one pass block big time), Thomas is just not very reliable as a route runner.

Despite all this, they STILL should have won. Three different times, they win easily if not for the injured snapper and poor blocking on an extra point.

They will rebound and they will be a contending team. Everyone hates losing to the steelers, but the Bengals are much better poised to make a run moving forward and that is the truth.

Joe Burrow was not himself in that game.The surgery he had wasn’t your average,ordinary,appendectomy.He suffered a ruptured appendix,and that can be very serious.He still doesn’t have all the weight back.He looked slower in the pocket as opposed to the last half of the season last year,in which I believe he was 100%.But,he’ll be fine moving forward,and this team is going to be very competitive once they put it all together.

(09-12-2022, 09:23 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I'm not down on Joe whatsoever. Everyone deserves an egg of a game.

I'm down on ZT and this staff. This team was unprepared and he continues to bobble in game situations. I still continue to doubt his play calling and scheme. This offense has had issues since the day he was hired. He's infatuated with "explosive plays" to the point where we can't move the ball with anything other than an "explosive play". His scheme and plays take WAY too long to develop at times.

Teams are going to limit the explosive plays this year. Last year was an anomaly and he needs to figure out a more sustainable offense.

I don't know how much of this I put on ZT and company.  NO coaching staff can overcome 5 turnovers.  I think their biggest mistake was not coming out and trying to pound the ball with an extra TE to get the offensive line playing to their strength and set up play action.  When I saw them open in empty, I was like...ugh.  Sack.  Then pick six.  Hardly a great start.

I think they needed to protect Joe with more short route options (or maybe tell him to take the check down earlier) and the time left on the clock for the punt at the end was just a brain fart.  

They are the better team, and now they are the healthier team (God, I hope we have Higgins back for next week...).  I think a far bigger challenge for the division will be the Browns and the Ravens. 

(09-12-2022, 10:46 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Agreed that some just need to take a breath and move on from yesterday's debacle.  

Really, did anyone actually think that an 80% brand new OL, that had gotten zero reps together in preseason was just going to come out and dominate one of the most formidable defensive fronts in the league?  

Same with Joe Burrow, did you think that he was just going to come in cold, off a recent surgery with complications in the recovery process, and light it up like postseason form?

Sure, Zac learned some valuable coaching lessons yesterday, like to be prepared in case of backup long snapper, when is the time to challenge a play, and that Pryor should have made the 53, but there is still much good to take from that loss.

The defense played lights out, for the most part.  The rushing game looked pretty good against a really stout front.  Despite all of the blunders, the offense still played well enough to have us in position to win the game, at two points yesterday. At no point did I see any "quit" from any member of the Bengals.  Same team, just unfortunate events put them in bad positions yesterday.

Onto Dallas, who has their own crisis with their franchise QB out for thumb surgery.

If Tee Higgins is not available next week, I want Lassiter starting over Thomas.  He is a waste of space out there.  

(09-12-2022, 09:40 AM)thompson19osu Wrote: It’s a long season but this one stings. It’s a divisional game, and within our division it could come down to tiebreakers come end of season. We upgraded o-line and we still have the sack issue. Also could have won the game with a simple XP. The game should be sealed on an XP. The snap was not bad the fact us dude came in for the block unabated, that should NEVER happen. A lot of cleaning up to do. Now we have to wait a week to see if we can clean up the mental gaffes.

I think anyone on Darrin Simmons special teams units will have a very rough week of practice..  

(09-12-2022, 09:43 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I expect us to beat Dallas. But, IF We lose...then it's time to worry.

Paul Dehner Jr. on the "Hear That Podcast Growlin" show, brought up the WEIRDEST lost on week 1 ever.  It was the Denver game where the Bengals scored late to take a 1 point lead on Denver.  Kyle Orton threw a 25 yard out on 4th down with only about 20 seconds left in the game from their own 20, which Leon Hall batted in the air, and the ball landed right in the hands of Brandon Stokley who ran 50 yards for a winning TD. 

The stadium went silent.  They weren't mad.  They were just stunned.  

The Bengals went on to win the next three and win the AFC North.  

(09-12-2022, 12:49 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: I think they needed to protect Joe with more short route options (or maybe tell him to take the check down earlier) and the time left on the clock for the punt at the end was just a brain fart.  

100000000% this. It's astounding to me that we watch Joe Burrow get sacked a million times, and yet there seems to be zero adaptability to getting the ball out quicker. Said it at the Super Bowl, with their line destroying ours, why in the heck aren't we trying quicker-to-run plays. You won't stop everything, but it's obscene how many 5+ sack games we give up. 

Tee Higgins absence can't be overstated.
That allowed them to roll coverage over
To Chase. The Steelers ok, make Michael Thomas
Beat us. On that 1st and 10 deep throw
To Thomas, Higgins probably catches that.
Then Thomas drops a ball right in his
Hands in the end zone. Higgins catches that too.

(09-12-2022, 01:08 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: Paul Dehner Jr. on the "Hear That Podcast Growlin" show, brought up the WEIRDEST lost on week 1 ever.  It was the Denver game where the Bengals scored late to take a 1 point lead on Denver.  Kyle Orton threw a 25 yard out on 4th down with only about 20 seconds left in the game from their own 20, which Leon Hall batted in the air, and the ball landed right in the hands of Brandon Stokley who ran 50 yards for a winning TD. 

The stadium went silent.  They weren't mad.  They were just stunned.  

The Bengals went on to win the next three and win the AFC North.  

I watched that game on TV.