(01-25-2023, 01:15 AM)pdub2005 Wrote: This^

If Eli was a Brown, Raven, or Steeler we would be flaming the hell out of him. Hell, he's a Bengal and we have done that to him throughout a lot of his time here. He is a lot better player than he gets credit for, but man he is definitely obnoxious. 

Confident and enjoying life.

(01-24-2023, 04:43 PM)Destro Wrote: He needs to stop all this social media garbage, anyway. Like a bunch of high school kids arguing over neighborhoods they didn't build or own. Getting in twitter beefs when he has been meme material for years is why it comes off even worse.

As the only defensive starter I don't like, he continues to be high on my "upgrade immediately" list.

Awuzie, Hilton, Britt and Apple would be a great group to run with next year injuries happen you got to be deep at this spot. Hard to upgrade a guy that got you to a Superbowl and now a chance at another.

To think that the heart hands emoji is a shot at Hamlin requires some Olympian level mental gymnastics. "Oh ItS bEeN hAmLiN's ThInG". Sure, except Baby D.Va has been doing it since 2016, and teens and tweens have been doing it since I was in high school.

As to the rest - who cares. Dude is a grown ass man tweeting his way out of a fat pay day; let him **** around and find out. If the talking heads and internet take umbrance with it, that's their problem.

(01-25-2023, 08:18 AM)BigPapaKain Wrote: To think that the heart hands emoji is a shot at Hamlin requires some Olympian level mental gymnastics. "Oh ItS bEeN hAmLiN's ThInG". Sure, except Baby D.Va has been doing it since 2016, and teens and tweens have been doing it since I was in high school.

As to the rest - who cares. Dude is a grown ass man tweeting his way out of a fat pay day; let him **** around and find out. If the talking heads and internet take umbrance with it, that's their problem.

Sure its not originally Hamlin's thing, but the timing is interesting. Evaluating intent is always going to be situational. We just played the bills, Hamlin was making that emoji with his hands during the game, and Eli uses it in a tweet in which he is trolling the Bills. It doesn't seem to be much of a stretch that Eli was referencing Hamlin, but I am not gonna pretend to know exactly what Eli's intent was. However, I would hardly call that mental gymnastics. Even if Eli wasn't referencing Hamlin at all, its pretty easy to mistake that he was. I mean, his obvious goal here is to troll the Bills, so why wouldn't people think that is a Hamlin reference? Context is kind of important. If you are a bartender and someone holds up two fingers, do you assume they want two of something? Or do you think they are flashing the 'peace sign'? Also, believe it or not, not everyone knows Overwatch characters lol.

Honestly, I agree with you, let Eli lower his price tag by acting a fool online. I wouldn't mind us getting him at a discount again.

(01-24-2023, 10:19 PM)GAWhoDey Wrote: This is such a soft take.

Who cares if we have a positive image with other teams or fan bases? Stop telling pro athletes when they should talk and what they should say. Eli doesn’t need our permission, and frankly, I find it hilarious when he’s getting a rise out of everyone.

I can’t believe how charmin soft some of our fans are. The positive image of the team, LMAO. This is football, people talk trash. Maybe golf or tennis or chess is more your speed, Op?

I’m of the same mindset


If i were the coach i would only speak with Apple about his shit if he started playing like shit. If he’s backing it up and not providing ammo for guys right before the game I’m fine.


Talkin trash after games is a bit messed up but y’all gotta remember the whole league tee’d off on Apple when he lost. So he’s just pissed

(01-25-2023, 11:58 AM)Housh Wrote: I’m of the same mindset


If i were the coach i would only speak with Apple about his shit if he started playing like shit. If he’s backing it up and not providing ammo for guys right before the game I’m fine.


Talkin trash after games is a bit messed up but y’all gotta remember the whole league tee’d off on Apple when he lost. So he’s just pissed

Pissed off or not, I think Eli just thrives like this. He's been a talker since he got here, but like you said, at least he isn't providing regular bulletin board material before games. Until then, I might think he's annoying, but I can put up with a mouthy corner if he's gonna play like he has been.

(01-25-2023, 01:51 AM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: Not if we can keep signing him for good deals for us too. 
He's kinda catch-22'ing himself. Some teams won't want him because of his mouthiness. Others won't care either so why should we care? 
These guys pick on each other on-off the field.

Can anyone name the last team of choir boys that won the SuperBowl?

The ultimate point is the headache ain’t worth what he brings. The Bengals don’t have much choice this year due to depth concerns. Once they have more depth it’s really no different than Vanderjat, Kluwe, and many others
running their yaps. Dudes who aren’t elite are eminently replaceable when they stir up too much shit, especially when it’s just petty trolling. I don’t mind confidence bordering on cockiness, but Eli is just a troll, and that’s pretty common knowledge across the league. Peruse player’s Twitter accounts and player podcast interviews and they all say the same thing.

I know it seems like the front office and coaching staff are letting Eli Apple do his thing, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Eli Apple will not be a bengal next year. There's a difference between trash, talking and trolling from the confidence that Joe burrow shows. In addition, feeling disrespected by the league and letting the league know this like Zach, Taylor and Joe has shown as way different than what Eli Apple is doing.

(01-24-2023, 11:05 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: I actually agree even though Im defending apple. He really is a baffoon. But I think he's decent and cheap, so he's been a positive for the bengals this year

if he played like Awuzie, less people would mind his twitter troll behavior. 

He's a clown, but I dont completely mind. 

Eli has played well enough that the Bengals have a chance to go to their second straight Super Bowl with him as a starter. If he was such a liability, teams would target him more often. This narrative that he’s not a good enough player to talk trash is moronic. I expect opposing fans to hate him, I think that’s what he’s going for. Bengals fans talking shit about him is baffling.

(01-25-2023, 12:14 PM)t3r3e3 Wrote: The ultimate point is the headache ain’t worth what he brings. The Bengals don’t have much choice this year due to depth concerns. Once they have more depth it’s really no different than Vanderjat, Kluwe, and many others
running their yaps. Dudes who aren’t elite are eminently replaceable when they stir up too much shit, especially when it’s just petty trolling. I don’t mind confidence bordering on cockiness, but Eli is just a troll, and that’s pretty common knowledge across the league. Peruse player’s Twitter accounts and player podcast interviews and they all say the same thing.

Wrong. He’s filled in as a starter for two years now and this defense has been stellar against some elite QBs in that time frame. So what, he talks a little trash on social media? Is that really a big deal? His teammates seem to love him. No way in hell do you let him go if you can keep him on a relatively cheap deal.

(01-25-2023, 12:47 PM)GAWhoDey Wrote: Wrong. He’s filled in as a starter for two years now and this defense has been stellar against some elite QBs in that time frame. So what, he talks a little trash on social media? Is that really a big deal? His teammates seem to love him. No way in hell do you let him go if you can keep him on a relatively cheap deal.

some bengals fans are easily influenced by outside perspective. If they took a step back, looked at the situation, and used whatever brain power they have, they'd see that they're wildly overreacting to a nothing burger

Y'all loved when burfict took head shots but fall apart when Eli tweets.

Talk about snowflakes.

(01-25-2023, 01:39 PM)motoarch Wrote: Y'all loved when burfict took head shots but fall apart when Eli tweets.

Talk about snowflakes.

Yeah, it's interesting. People were willing to overlook Burfict's dirty play because he was good. People will even make excuses for him and yearn for him to be back on the team. However, because Eli isn't as good of a player that Burfict was, people love to jump all over him even though he is just tweeting and not out hurting people or racking up personal fouls. 

Goes back to the famous "If Jeffrey Dahmer ran a 4.2, we'd say he had an eating disorder" quote. 

(01-25-2023, 01:45 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: Yeah, it's interesting. People were willing to overlook Burfict's dirty play because he was good. People will even make excuses for him and yearn for him to be back on the team. However, because Eli isn't as good of a player that Burfict was, people love to jump all over him even though he is just tweeting and not out hurting people or racking up personal fouls. 

Goes back to the famous "If Jeffrey Dahmer ran a 4.2, we'd say he had an eating disorder" quote. 

You're correct.

The funny thing is one of these guys has been clutch in the playoffs and help the team beat Tennessee and made a key goal line stop to ignite a come from behind win to beat KC and get us to the Superbowl.

The other knocked out AB and help put the Steelers in field goal range causing us to lose a playoff game that was all but one.

(01-25-2023, 05:46 AM)BengalsBong Wrote: Hard to upgrade a guy that got you to a Superbowl and now a chance at another.

He did WHAT? 
I think Burrow, Chase, Tee, Boyd, Mixon, Uzomah, Hubbard, Hendrickson, Wilson, Hilton, Bates, Bell, McPherson and Pratt have a better argument of "got" anyone anywhere. Apple was on the team, yeah. Just bring back Fred Johnson and Isiah Prince since that is what matters.

And Apple was trash in the Super Bowl. Game sealing sucked.

(01-25-2023, 02:37 PM)Destro Wrote: He did WHAT? 
I think Burrow, Chase, Tee, Boyd, Mixon, Uzomah, Hubbard, Hendrickson, Wilson, Hilton, Bates, Bell, McPherson and Pratt have a better argument of "got" anyone anywhere. Apple was on the team, yeah. Just bring back Fred Johnson and Isiah Prince since that is what matters.

And Apple was trash in the Super Bowl. Game sealing sucked.

Ask any corner to guard Cooper Kupp 1 on 1 while the offense is on the opponent's 1 yard line. Kupp is catching the ball 9/10 times

you're getting mad that a decent corner lost to what was the best receiver in the game in 2021

reign the emotions in, big fella

Calling all Eli Apple haters: Please use the hashtag #LoveToHateEliApple and we’ll donate $5,000 to the Salvation Army in Cincinnati…First 5,000 tweets with that hashtag. Make your hate count. Put that Eli Apple hate to great use and help families needing housing and care??

— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) January 24, 2023

(01-25-2023, 03:07 PM)pally Wrote:

Calling all Eli Apple haters: Please use the hashtag #LoveToHateEliApple and we’ll donate $5,000 to the Salvation Army in Cincinnati…First 5,000 tweets with that hashtag. Make your hate count. Put that Eli Apple hate to great use and help families needing housing and care??

— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) January 24, 2023

Yeah, I saw this and Eli & his mom are getting roasted for this too.  Stuff like taking from Damar's charity

Twitter is wild

Twitter is full of softies I swear. Taking from Damar's charity? Name one other person who got 9 million dollars out of having a cardiac arrest.

I like what his mom is doing - put all that hate to good use.

(01-25-2023, 02:42 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: Ask any corner to guard Cooper Kupp 1 on 1 while the offense is on the opponent's 1 yard line. Kupp is catching the ball 9/10 times

you're getting mad that a decent corner lost to what was the best receiver in the game in 2021

reign the emotions in, big fella

I'm not getting mad. Just stating facts. You have some man crush on the biggest joke in the NFL 11 months ago who has a mouth who doesn't match talent. The "best receiver in the game" got his bones off of Apple in that game, no one else.
https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2022/2/17/22939174/eli-apple-jokes-nfl-ravens-chiefs-super-bowl-cooper-kupp

Meanwhile, his mouth to play ratio is national news.
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-cincinnati-bengals-eli-apple-does-his-play-back-up-the-talk

Players around the league, even at his same position, are killing him in the media. Most turn thing I read: "Apple gets burned online only half as much as he does on the field."

Yet some claim it is Bengals hate. Joe got swagger. Mixon will talk stuff on the field and online. Chase is no shrinking violet. They can talk the talk, because they can walk the walk. Apple does as a corny try-hard, and those kinds of people get no respect. 

The "Leave Eli alone" stuff is sad. Hit dogs holler, I guess.