It's more basic..The age of Aquarius passed us up..The 5th Dimension never liked us anyway.. 

(12-23-2023, 10:07 PM)Mer Wrote: Did anyone realize Pittsburgh's both starting safeties were both out. It was a terrible job of the coaches getting the right game plan together. That's it. It happens. It stinks, but on to KC.

But I will say if I see another WR screen out to the flat I may break my television.

That is why I feel if there were truly good coaches in Cincy with the talent they have/had the past few years, there very well may be a Lombardi trophy in Cincinnati. How many games even with Burrow does the passing game start out as a very horizontal passing game? It’s like they don’t want to use the middle of the field until they have exhausted the WR screen, the jet sweep/end around screen pass, corner fade, 5 yard out etc. 

If the NFL kept stats on lateral yards gained per pass, Cincy would dominate that category.

(12-23-2023, 10:16 PM)Synric Wrote: This is where your post loses traction. Its all about the defensive line. Outside of Trey Hendrickson and DJ Reader there has been alot of average to below average play on the DL. When those two players come off the field the defense changes drastically. The Bengals need to attack the IDL in Free Agency and in the Draft this off-season. 

This. Right. Here.

(12-23-2023, 10:07 PM)Mer Wrote: Did anyone realize Pittsburgh's both starting safeties were both out. It was a terrible job of the coaches getting the right game plan together. That's it. It happens. It stinks, but on to KC.

But I will say if I see another WR screen out to the flat I may break my television.

Well, Browning apparently wanted to see if the new safeties could catch the ball. Congratulations Jake I guess? You're saying the gameplan was for your QB to play like shit? 

(12-23-2023, 11:27 PM)Bilbo Saggins Wrote: The Steelers could've won this game with a hamster and Tom Brady playing safety. You lose in the trenches, you can't run it on 4th and inches, you allow your opponent to run it for 8 yards on first down when they're up big, your safety room doesn't matter. The Steelers lost 4 safeties and manhandled this game. Snuffed out their postseason aspirations. The Bengals can't lose 2? After using a 1st and a 3rd round pick on their replacements? L o L. The Bengals don't know how to draft trench players. That's the problem. 

Absolutely. Who's the last good lineman they drafted, Whit? Williams has been serviceable, and played a pretty good RT this year, but he was whipped all night tonight. I know it's Twatt, but damn man, almost every play? Defensive trenches were just as bad if not worse. 

(12-23-2023, 11:34 PM)007BengalsFan Wrote: The defense carried the team to the Super Bowl and AFC Championship game the last two years.  Four starters are gone from the Super Bowl defense  One of them now starts for the Pittsburgh team that completely dominated our offense today.  You can't lose talent like that and expect the defense to be as good.  This defense only has one guy to ever make a Pro Bowl.  The offense by comparison has 4.  Why isn't the offense getting the job done?

They led TOP, passing yards, and first downs. Unfortunately, they led in turnovers too. You couple those three horrible picks with terrible defense, you get a shit sammich. That was Mason ***** Rudolph man.

(12-23-2023, 11:19 PM)007BengalsFan Wrote: I think people underestimate losing Apple as well.  He was not a #1 corner but he wasn't bad.  He gave up some plays but he was better than a lot of what we see now from the Bengals corners.  You can't just claim the defense should still be as good because you drafted guys to replace the starters you let go.  We didn't go from one of the top scoring defenses to one of the worst because Lou suddenly became a bad coach.  We are a worse defense because we don't have the same talent.  Just because you use a 1st round draft pick on Dax Hill doesn't mean you have the same talent in the secondary as you did with Jessie Bates.

There will always be personnel loses from year to year. I think the simple answer is we didn't plan for the transition very well. Bates was predetermined to be let go with the drafting of Dax. But to let Apple and Bell go with him was terrible planning. We didn't want to let Dax play too much last year as a 1st rd rookie and now our plan is to have a 2nd rd guy and a 3rd rd guy start? Not a recipe for success. Your right should've kept Apple and really should've kept one or the other in Bell or Bates.

Just wait till you see what happens when they won't pay Higgins and let him walk...

(12-24-2023, 11:06 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Just wait till you see what happens when they won't pay Higgins and let him walk...

Tee is good but he’s hardly irreplaceable. WR is traditionally one of the positions the Bengals draft well at.

(12-24-2023, 01:15 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Tee is good but he’s hardly irreplaceable. WR is traditionally one of the positions the Bengals draft well at.

And with Burrow throwing, he can make a WR better,  Brady basically did that his whole career.  

(12-23-2023, 10:16 PM)Synric Wrote: This is where your post loses traction. Its all about the defensive line. Outside of Trey Hendrickson and DJ Reader there has been alot of average to below average play on the DL. When those two players come off the field the defense changes drastically. The Bengals need to attack the IDL in Free Agency and in the Draft this off-season. 

No doubt, it is so inconsistent. BJ Hill flashes a lot, but other than him and Trey there is no pass rush and we have had so much trouble 
in stopping the run this year even with DJ Reader. Bad angles by the Linebackers as well have been a huge problem and we saw it once 
again yesterday with both Logan and Pratt. Dax Hill had the first terrible play but overall he wasn't terrible.

Youth and Lou's game plan along with tackling have been poor this year, but the DL needs get better stopping the run, clogging up the
middle and get better in pass rushing situations besides Trey.

(12-24-2023, 11:06 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Just wait till you see what happens when they won't pay Higgins and let him walk...

I would say not paying Reader and letting him walk would be my bigger concern after this season. We need a run stopping NT.

T'vondre Sweat please...

Vonn Bell with a DPI on third down. PFF says he's having his worst year since leaving New Orleans.

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) December 24, 2023

(12-24-2023, 04:03 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote:

Vonn Bell with a DPI on third down. PFF says he's having his worst year since leaving New Orleans.

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) December 24, 2023

Maybe they'll cut him.

(12-23-2023, 09:50 PM)Housh Wrote: We have Bates and Bell and we probably have a top 10

Just watched BATES get his SIXTH interception. The announcers gave his overall contract dollars and said, "Money well spent."

(12-23-2023, 09:50 PM)Housh Wrote: Last year we gave up only 20ppg, Falcons 23 ppg.


This year the only team worst than us is the Commanders

Last year we were 6th in the league in points allowed.

Falcons so far are the 10th best D in the league in regards to yards allkwed



He went over there and changed the makeup of their D immediately



Someone in Cincy doesn’t know football










It’s all about Bates and Bell


Those are the only positions that had wholesale changes. Same exact d line, same linebackers, and only lost Eli Apple at CB.


It’s not a hard drawn out explanation. It’s easy.


We have Bates and Bell and we probably have a top 10
D again.

This decision has turned out to be the dumbest shit we’ve done transaction wise since Zac got here

Lol, geez.

Bates had 1 interception in his 4th season, along with 3 pass breakups, Dax had more of both in his first 8 games.  Bates never had more than 3 INTs until last year when he had 4.  The revisionist history that Bates was a great ballhawk we let walk is crazy.  He also led the team in missed tackles.  He also gave up both TDs in the AFCCG.  Bates is a good player, but we would be stupid to pay a safety 16M per with this roster.

This amateur take that Bates was a combination of Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu is so amateur. 

The dline and LB play have been much worse than the safeties after Battle replaced Scott.   

(12-24-2023, 12:35 AM)J24 Wrote: I don't think Bells loss is that big but losing Bates is one of the dumbest decisions this Front Office has ever made. There are some subtle differences besides that though.

1 ) Pratt went from a 2 down player to a 3 down player. He isn't made for that role!

2.) The loss of Eli Apple combined with Auwzie becoming bad overnight. CB1 has taken a huge hit!

I disagree, paying Bates 16M per is extremely dumb with our roster, in my opinion.

Not only did he lay down on us pouting, he regularly led the team with missed tackles.  He was NEVER a ballhawk.  He gave up both TDs in the AFCCG.

He is a good player, and this year a very good player.  But he NEVER gave us this production.  The same ones touting we should have kept Bates wanted him gone when he didnt want to play hard and wanted too much money

(12-24-2023, 02:50 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I would say not paying Reader and letting him walk would be my bigger concern after this season. We need a run stopping NT.

T'vondre Sweat please...

Reader might not be ready by spring training next season.

(12-24-2023, 05:56 PM)casear2727 Wrote: I disagree, paying Bates 16M per is extremely dumb with our roster, in my opinion.

Not only did he lay down on us pouting, he regularly led the team with missed tackles.  He was NEVER a ballhawk.  He gave up both TDs in the AFCCG.

He is a good player, and this year a very good player.  But he NEVER gave us this production.  The same ones touting we should have kept Bates wanted him gone when he didnt want to play hard and wanted too much money

Were ranked 30th on D and the guy we left went to another team and made them top 10

I get some ppl like to be devils advocate on here but when your takes totally neglect reality i can’t rock with that

(12-24-2023, 05:48 PM)casear2727 Wrote: Lol, geez.

Bates had 1 interception in his 4th season, along with 3 pass breakups, Dax had more of both in his first 8 games.  Bates never had more than 3 INTs until last year when he had 4.  The revisionist history that Bates was a great ballhawk we let walk is crazy.  He also led the team in missed tackles.  He also gave up both TDs in the AFCCG.  Bates is a good player, but we would be stupid to pay a safety 16M per with this roster.

This amateur take that Bates was a combination of Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu is so amateur. 

The dline and LB play have been much worse than the safeties after Battle replaced Scott.   

I’ll cashapp you 6748839 dollars if you screenshot where the he’ll i said
This