We’re coming off 2 solid years and knock on wood a 3rd solid head after this coming season.

We see how we’ve built our team over the last 3 years and it seems like we’ve perfected the science of juggling talent and money.

Many ppl say that the 2005-2006 season was the best team we had under Marvin and i thought it would be fun to discuss why that team lost momentum next year and finished 8-8 and didn’t finish over .500 again until the 2009 season.

I looked at the 2006 transactions and we didn’t sign even one good free agent that off-season. We resigned a few of our starters but that was it.

Looking back it’s amazing how little we actually tried to win, under Marvin. It almost makes you feel bad for Marvin.

Losing Braham and Pollack in 2006 game 2, and Thurman for that entire season and beyond certainly didn't help matters. Even so, they started out 2006 3-0 after a win at Pittsburgh if I remember correctly. Then the Patriots came to Cincinnati and ran it down their throats. I think that beating lingered in their heads a bit.

(07-21-2023, 07:11 PM)ElkValleyBengal Wrote: Losing Braham and Pollack in 2006 game 2, and Thurman for that entire season and beyond certainly didn't help matters.  Even so, they started out 2006 3-0 after a win at Pittsburgh if I remember correctly.  Then the Patriots came to Cincinnati and ran it down their throats.  I think that beating lingered in their heads a bit.

Right. IIRC, that was the "We're on to Cincinnati" quote from Belichick. The Chiefs kicked the crap out of the Patriots that week and then everyone was burying the Patriots. Well, the Pats ended up kicking our asses that next game. 

Then the following week we saw the worst Roughing the Passer call in NFL history on Justin Smith that propelled the 0-4 Bucs to a win over the 3-1 Bengals. 

EDIT: Nope, that wasn't the "We're on to Cincinnati" year. 2014 was. I was way off.

(07-22-2023, 12:46 AM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: Right. IIRC, that was the "We're on to Cincinnati" quote from Belichick. The Chiefs kicked the crap out of the Patriots that week and then everyone was burying the Patriots. Well, the Pats ended up kicking our asses that next game. 

Then the following week we saw the worst Roughing the Passer call in NFL history on Justin Smith that propelled the 0-4 Bucs to a win over the 3-1 Bengals. 

EDIT: Nope, that wasn't the "We're on to Cincinnati" year. 2014 was. I was way off.

Yeah I was gonna say I did not think that was the year of "we're on to Cincinnati". 

The only thing that's sticks out to me we had 45-51 loss to the Browns or whatever that crazy score was in the game. Then our mojo seemed to go with that as it seemed like we really struggled to score pts after that. At least as well as my memory serves. 

This year to me is really gonna be how well our secondary can hold up after losing 3 pretty key pieces. I'm hopeful the offense can pick up the slack.

I know it’s the offseason but this seems like unnecessary misery dwelling. We have a legit contender right now. Why not focus on that?

(07-22-2023, 01:08 AM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: Yeah I was gonna say I did not think that was the year of "we're on to Cincinnati". 

The only thing that's sticks out to me we had 45-51 loss to the Browns or whatever that crazy score was in the game. Then our mojo seemed to go with that as it seemed like we really struggled to score pts after that. At least as well as my memory serves. 

This year to me is really gonna be how well our secondary can hold up after losing 3 pretty key pieces. I'm hopeful the offense can pick up the slack.

We're on to Cincinnati was in 2014... Similar situation. We started 3-0 I believe that year, then got dump trucked by the Patriots. They showed showed Devon Still's daughter on the jumbo tron and had our sideline crying while they stomped us.

The 2006 team couldn't stop anybody on defense. We got by the year before on an ungodly amount of turnovers. It couldn't be sustained, and that team just fell off

(07-22-2023, 01:27 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I know it’s the offseason but this seems like unnecessary misery dwelling. We have a legit contender right now. Why not focus on that?

I think with 5 more years of contention we'll finally drop the "we would've won it all if not for Kimo" (they wouldn't have), and "AB totally threw his head into Vontaze" talk. Old habits die hard, and I think a lot of us are still waiting for the other shoe to drop with this team.

(07-22-2023, 01:32 AM)jason Wrote: I think with 5 more years of contention we'll finally drop the "we would've won it all if not for Kimo" (they wouldn't have), and "AB totally threw his head into Vontaze" talk. Old habits die hard, and I think a lot of us are still waiting for the other shoe to drop with this team.

Seems silly. They’ve won 5 playoff games the last couple years ( including beating top tier teams like KC & BUF), went to a Super Bowl, and didn’t lose any real significant pieces outside of a couple safeties. Kept the whole coaching staff together, too which is unheard of when a team has this much success. Not to mention they finally addressed the OL in a real way by bringing in Cappa, Karras, and Brown.

There is really no reason to have any sense of impending dread with this team.

(07-22-2023, 01:52 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Seems silly. They’ve won 5 playoff games the last couple years ( including beating top tier teams like KC & BUF), went to a Super Bowl, and didn’t lose any real significant pieces outside of a couple safeties. Kept the whole coaching staff together, too which is unheard of when a team has this much success. Not to mention they finally addressed the OL in a real way by bringing in Cappa, Karras, and Brown.

There is really no reason to have any sense of impending dread with this team.

I don't frequent the GameDay thread, but I know this much... Just wait for the first 3 and out this year. It was a long 30 years. I'm excited, and I don't dwell on the past, but some do. I know the Reds do that to me... Oh we're in first place? We'll be swept while barely getting a man in scoring position if we make the playoffs, and we'll be watching DeLa Cruz and India in Dodgers and New York uniforms down the line.

But the Reds wish they had Joe Burrow.

I love that that era is being forgotten. I don't think fans in the future will fully understand just how tough the sledding was for Marv & co. Even in the golden age of Carso, it often seemed too good to be true. You were just waiting for the next shoe to drop. I don't know if that explains the lack of success post-2006, specifically, but it was on my mind as a fan. You couldn't help it. And the league's coverage of the team reflected it too. The Bengals might have been on the up and up, but the Bungles cast a long shadow. The inferiority complex was just sooo deep then, which might have led to all the playoff woes to come.

I'm so glad we increasingly look at it through the narrow lens of talent. Because it's true- the roster was terrific. They should have been more active in FA, more popular throughout the league, and enjoyed a period of extended success. It all seems so simple now. The demons have been exorcised. And when we take that long-awaited sip from the Lombardi, it'll taste that much sweeter for it.

I’m obviously ill informed as I’m a recent fan. But I’d say Mike Brown no longer rules with an iron fist. Whether it be our legislators in Washington ( both parties) or Brown conservatism in old age can doom things. I’d expect Marvin Lewis didn’t feel any pressure and quit fighting it and became stale.

Brown’s children and grand children are very cognizant of the Bengals reputation in the community. I’m sure Mike Brown sees their happiness these days. I know from people in the organization it’s special now. I don’t know the finances but the p&l shouldn’t be a huge concern. After what the Commanders sold for they are financially secure.

Marvin was a so predictable after awhile. Injuries hurt us that year and the lack of anyone behind the starters was evident. I thought Marvin was not a good organizer especially on gameday.

(07-22-2023, 12:12 PM)sandwedge Wrote: Marvin was a so predictable after awhile. Injuries hurt us that year and the lack of anyone behind the starters was evident. I thought Marvin was not a good organizer especially on gameday.

Has that really changed? Opponents have said on multiple occasions that they know what's coming the past couple seasons.

(07-22-2023, 12:37 PM)jason Wrote: Has that really changed? Opponents have said on multiple occasions that they know what's coming the past couple seasons.

Predictability by substitution or formation happens at the college and professional level. It’s contributed to some wild imaginations. You want the scheme and formation that’s called for the right players to execute it. There’s no fooling teams at this level. Of course Perine came into block as the third down back. Of course he was the better back in short yardage. Of course his 235 pounds and ridiculous strength was better for blocking on third and long. He will do the exact same thing at Denver. Of course Drew Sample is a blocking TE. But he’s coming in when the defense knows it’s a run. If anything it sets them up for a big play when they throw to Perine.

Night and day between administration during Marvin era and now on free agent signings. Marvin wishes that he had had the current crowd running team back in his day. So does Carson. Could have made a huge difference

(07-23-2023, 02:44 PM)bengals67 Wrote: Night and day between administration during Marvin era and now on free agent signings. Marvin wishes that he had had the current crowd running team back in his day. So does Carson. Could have made a huge difference

Agree and I'm sure Dalton and Green wised the same

(07-21-2023, 07:07 PM)Housh Wrote: We’re coming off 2 solid years and knock on wood a 3rd solid head after this coming season.

We see how we’ve built our team over the last 3 years and it seems like we’ve perfected the science of juggling talent and money.

Many ppl say that the 2005-2006 season was the best team we had under Marvin and i thought it would be fun to discuss why that team lost momentum next year and finished 8-8 and didn’t finish over .500 again until the 2009 season.

I looked at the 2006 transactions and we didn’t sign even one good free agent that off-season. We resigned a few of our starters but that was it.

Looking back it’s amazing how little we actually tried to win, under Marvin. It almost makes you feel bad for Marvin.

we were absolutely devastated by injuries.

We choked the last 2 games of that season to make the playoffs. We just needed to beat either Denver or Pitt and we would have been in. We missed an XP to tie Denver (Bad snap), and then Shayne Graham missed a 30yd FG as time expired to win against Pitt, we went to OT and they scored the first play on a slant to Santonio Holmes. The special teams let us down bad.

(07-22-2023, 01:27 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I know it’s the offseason but this seems like unnecessary misery dwelling. We have a legit contender right now. Why not focus on that?

Thought the same.  Some people just love to wallow in misery.  Be happy for the team's success and we, the fans, who support the team.  How is that a bad thing?

(07-24-2023, 12:01 PM)Graphicguy Wrote: Thought the same.  Some people just love to wallow in misery.  Be happy for the team's success and we, the fans, who support the team.  How is that a bad thing?

Agree

I have very little desire to go back, again, to the ML, Palmer, off field issues of the past. And the Dalton era as well.  We've debated it ad nauseum already.