(11-18-2023, 02:14 PM)Nepa Wrote: I'm going to root for the Bengals to win. Draft picks are often a crap shoot. So many players slated as stars that end up relative busts, whether injury or talent, such as Zac Wilson (#2 pick), K-Jana Carter, Akili Smith, Johnny Manziel, David Klinger (6th overall!), David Pollack, Ogbuehi, John Ross (9th pick!).

Why root to lose when we never know if the draft pick will be a bust or not or the 4th place schedule (which, I think, is just a difference in 2 teams) will actually end up being teams like Houston that are much improved.

I don't want to put the team through the hell of losing game after game for draft picks. Maybe if we were talking the first pick in the draft, but we're not in competition for the 1st pick. Let the players get the joy of some victories.

The draft is not a crap shoot when comparing higher drafted players to lower ones.  It is the difference in getting a Garrett Wilson instead of Kadarius Toney.  

The 4th place schedule does matter.  This season it would be the Broncos instead of the Chiefs, Jets instead of Bills, Bears instead of Vikings.  We missed the #1 seed by a couple games and the #2 by one game or a half a game.  Every win matters.

Worrying about professional millionaires having fun makes no sense to me, they understand more than fans.

Winning meaningless games now does nothing for us in 2024.   Need to play the long game now, IMHO.

(11-18-2023, 11:23 AM)BengalsLUFC Wrote: Steelers-Well coached shite splitting the series is definitely possible.

Jags-Their offence hasn’t pulled up any trees this year.

Colts-If Hubbard is back and we can stop Taylor they are worse than us.

Vikings-Another back up qb and another team who have injury issues.

We definitely still have some winnable games left I’ll say we probably win another 2/3.

I too think we'll win 2 games more, with the potential to lose them all, but the bigger potential to win MORE than 2.

Browning is the better athlete, but I still think if we had Brandon Allen, we could win 3-4 more games, as he has the better arm, even more experience in the system and is better cerebrally than Browning. Macaroni is the same as BA, just not as experienced and older, thus not nearly as athletic, so I'd put his chances at less than 2 wins: the wildcard is Pittsburgh.

We could go 2-0 against them just as easily as we could go 0-2

What I WANT? Same as Caesar: play hard in all, lose all, get better draft position and better sched. next year.

(11-18-2023, 05:41 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: *****

What I WANT? Same as Caesar: play hard in all, lose all, get better draft position and better sched. next year.

So, you will be rooting for the Steelers to beat the Bengals? 

Who's up for betting Jake takes us to the Super bowl and our first Lombardy AND wins league MVP? With a name like Jake and a last name of one of the great machine guns of history what can possibly go wrong? 

(11-17-2023, 11:54 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: How many games should we win with a backup QB that’s got zero experience in the NFL? Based on what you’ve seen out of the defense and offense so far this season? We have 7 games left.

Considering we have one of the toughest schedules going forward, no viable QB and a questionable Oline...

0-2 with two being miracle/defensive score/special teams wins.

(11-18-2023, 02:01 PM)jason Wrote: I'll support them. The man asked a question and I gave an honest assessment. What did you see in the second half Thursday night that makes you feel differently?

I saw a backup Quarterback with little to no playing experience in the NFL, no starting reps in practice, come off the bench cold and hold up well against one of the best defenses in the league, in their house. I saw him scramble better than Burrow. I saw some pretty good downfield passes, some which were caught, some which weren't. I saw bad defense, but that has nothing to do with Burrow. It had more to do with missing Hubbard. I saw Mixon rip off some pretty good runs. I saw nothing that makes me think it's impossible for this team to win with Browning. 

It wasn't that long ago that Burrow had no NFL experience. His training camp was during covid lockdowns..   Jake already has more passing yards than Aaron Rogers this season!  

(11-18-2023, 07:33 PM)grampahol Wrote: Who's up for betting Jake takes us to the Super bowl and our first Lombardy AND wins league MVP? With a name like Jake and a last name of one of the great machine guns of history what can possibly go wrong? 

Nick Foles 2.0.

The 4th place schedule matters... the top 10 pick matters.

I'm rooting for the Bengals every Sunday but I'm not going to be the least bit upset if they don't win another game.

I'll point to the Steelers who have been a treadmill team for quite a while now. You think the Steelers wouldn't of been better off tanking one of those years for a franchise QB? We are lucky their coach is so good that he constantly has them as a non-contender but not fireable.

Mark my words..Someday the Browning 50 caliber machine gun will someday be renamed the Jake #6.. 

(11-18-2023, 07:23 PM)Nepa Wrote: So, you will be rooting for the Steelers to beat the Bengals? 

Never!

(11-18-2023, 09:23 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Never!

But you "want" us to lose to them..

(11-18-2023, 10:49 PM)bfine32 Wrote: But you "want" us to lose to them..

I think maybe he hopes we keep them from getting a high draft pick. Play spoilers of sorts!

I think we get two, maximum 4. We will be playing 5 games against backup QBs. Vikings, Colts, Browns, and 2 Steelers games. In all honesty though, I’ll reserve my judgement until I see a full game with Browning. I wasn’t too discouraged with Browning. He’s enough of an unknown to have some small hope for some wins.

(11-19-2023, 12:37 AM)Rubekahn29 Wrote: I think we get two, maximum 4. We will be playing 5 games against backup QBs. Vikings, Colts, Browns, and 2 Steelers games. In all honesty though, I’ll reserve my judgement until I see a full game with Browning. I wasn’t too discouraged with Browning. He’s enough of an unknown to have some small hope for some wins.

Steeler's QB isn't a back up; he just plays like one. 

(11-19-2023, 12:41 AM)bfine32 Wrote: Steeler's QB isn't a back up; he just plays like one. 

Oh. He fooled me.

If our defense was closer to what it was the past 2 years i could see us pulling off more upsets, but it’s hard too when your defense is statistically bottom 3 in most major categories.

I’m just interested in the narrative either way. We’ve been told for the past two years that Burrow is carried by his weapons. Time to test that theory.

(11-18-2023, 10:49 PM)bfine32 Wrote: But you "want" us to lose to them..

Head and heart Sitch.

The practical part of me wants to lose out, but the emotional part wants to beat the Stoolers.

Caught between, can't decide which side.

(11-18-2023, 01:50 PM)Sled21 Wrote: So, if by some chance they win enough to get into the playoffs, how many of the "Burrow is carrying Zac" posters will say they were wrong? I predict.... none.

ZT's record without Burrow speaks for itself.  I will say that I do not view the quest to dig himself out of that hole is not an impossible one...though he may have to stick around in the NFL long after Burrow retires to have enough chances to get back to .500 sans Burrow.

If he wins 0 to 2 of these games though, the notion that Burrow is doing most of the work is going to get more traction.


Overall, as I've said the last time we lost Burrow for the year we got Chase and then went to the SB, so maybe that happens again. Or maybe we surprise people and make the playoffs and who knows.  I don't really have a preference.  This franchise has already had a zillion high picks, let's see a team that can succeed without Burrow, because god knows outside of 1 and dones it's been an unimpressive few decades without him.

Do not think the Bengals lose all of them.

Saying 2-4 wins. Jake is an ok backup and should have had the job last season, yet obviously no Joe Burrow. Plus do not see Chase, Tee, Reader, or Mixon who are all potentially playing for upcoming contracts tanking.

Hope to win them all though, yet doubt it and saying they end 7-10 or 8-9.

Right now there are 14 teams with worse records than the Bengals not counting 5 teams tied that we may have tiebreaker on. 6 of those teams should pass the Bengals if Bengals lose out and the teams that need to win a couple do win a couple. Putting them at the best 8th draft pick with everything going perfectly on both sides.

If season ended today guessing the Bengals would draft around 17th so should draft somewhere between 8th and 17th. . Don't see the Bengals losing out and envision a 10-12 draft pick.