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My State of the Cincinnati Bengals

Did you watch Joe Burrow’s postgame news conference Sunday? Did you read his face and listen to his word choice? I did. What I saw and heard was frustration and disappointment. But most alarming, I heard resignation.

This organization was gifted Burrow. They did nothing to earn/or qualify to draft him …..other than lose.

With a gift like Joe comes a responsibility to support him, not use him.

This organization is failing him.

Consider what he’s been surrounded by since Day 1.

A head coach that will never again be hired as an NFL head coach. Anywhere. Anytime.

A GM that will never again be hired as an NFL GM. Anywhere. Anytime.

An owner that no fan base/city would ever want. Anywhere. Anytime.

In Sunday’s postgame, Joe mentioned the need for everyone to take responsibility for what’s going on.

Zac owns things. The problem is he keeps having to own things because he continues screwing things up. This team once desperately needed Zac’s culture creating ways. These days they desperately need a head coach.

And while Rome burns, the owner and GM are nowhere to be found. They never talk publicly during the season. Why? Well, it’s just not how they do things.

The GM and his band of six scouts continue to offer the coach more draft misses than hits. They’ve run out of the Top 5 draft currency for the easy picks like Burrow and JaMarr Chase.

Good players eventually get big contracts. That requires an owner's willingness to keep spending in order to keep winning. See Jessie Bates. See DJ Reader. See Tee Higgins.

It’s too late to save this season. No team that’s 0-4 at home, 3-5 overall, winners vs the Browns, Panthers and Giants, but losers to anyone good, is suddenly going to win 7 of its next 9.

Tick, tick, tick. Hear that? That’s the clock ticking on Joe’s time in Cincinnati and his career. It’s also the timer running out on fan patience and goodwill.

I see it. You see it. I think Joe is seeing it.

The organization knows it. But they got their franchise QB. They’ve left the rest up to him.

Admit it, you can’t help feeling queasy wondering if the Burrow contract, and stuff like the Ring of Honor and Ruler of the Jungle is just the equivalent of the Votto contract, bobbleheads and statues for the Reds. Shiny objects meant to pacify and distract. And that’s it.

Burrow’s having the best season of his career. He’s the top rated QB in the NFL.

The Bengals are now closer to a rebuild than the Super Bowl.

Buckle up. It’s going to get worse….and I can’t complete the thought with ‘before it gets better’

Higgins won’t be here next year. Heck, what if Ja’Marr Chase doesn’t want to be here next year?

Shame on this organization.

I see a bunch of posters being very angry at this.

(10-29-2024, 09:37 PM)Destro Wrote: I see a bunch of posters being very angry at this.

They are giving Zac grace because of the AFC championship games and Super Bowl appearance. Eventually that has to be exhausted.

Corey Dillon.........Carson Palmer.....Joe Burrow. The cycle continues.

(10-29-2024, 09:44 PM)CKwi88 Wrote: Corey Dillon.........Carson Palmer.....Joe Burrow. The cycle continues.

It's not just them. Basically nobody leaves on good terms.

And nothing that Lance said is wrong.

(10-29-2024, 09:42 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: They are giving Zac grace because of the AFC championship games and Super Bowl appearance. Eventually that has to be exhausted.

Well, it has been a whole year since we were in an AFC Championship game, so yeah, it's pretty much exhausted by many.

Lance's job is to sell clicks. He can read the room, so good job on his part. There's probably a few that believe the Bengals are the only team "gifted" a high draft pick based on their previous year's record. 

Well at least all those #9 jerseys we fans have that have QUITTER written on duct tape and pasted over the nameplate can be worn again.

(10-29-2024, 09:34 PM)Tomkat Wrote: Tick, tick, tick. Hear that? 

Did anyone else think of Dexter when reading this?  

I think too much is being made of that press conference.  Burrow simply isn't the type of QB or even human to give up on anything.  If anything, he'll be more fierce this coming week.

Also, I won't list all the things, but this organization has changed in SO many ways since getting Burrow, I can't even with the idea that we aren't supporting him.   I simply can't.

(10-29-2024, 09:42 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: They are giving Zac grace because of the AFC championship games and Super Bowl appearance. Eventually that has to be exhausted.

Yep. Rex Ryan took the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Guess what? Nobody cares, or remembers him as a particularly good HC.

It’s a what have you done for me lately type of league, and Taylor is about to miss the playoffs for two consecutive years. That’s enough to get most coaches fired. Especially when they already have a franchise QB in place.

I have no issue with any of it. It’s only going to get uglier.

Since I know this season is toast, I’m going to watch it burn.

(10-29-2024, 10:11 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: It’s a what have you done for me lately type of league

For sure, it's the nature of professional sports. I enjoyed the Super Bowl season with Taylor and Burrow, but felt disappointed in the outcome. It's Super Bowl win or bust for my fandom.

We know the historical anecdotes: QB who loses their first Super Bowl usually never wins one and the bit about a head coach and QB together too many years with no Super Bowl victory end up never winning it.

Oh well. I know the deal with the Bengals since I've been watching them a long time. Brown family does business their way and it doesn't produce consistent winning and certainly not a Super Bowl win.

(10-29-2024, 09:58 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Well, it has been a whole year since we were in an AFC Championship game, so yeah, it's pretty much exhausted by many.

Lance's job is to sell clicks. He can read the room, so good job on his part. There's probably a few that believe the Bengals are the only team "gifted" a high draft pick based on their previous year's record. 

(10-29-2024, 10:11 PM)RunKijanaRun Wrote: I have no issue with any of it. It’s only going to get uglier.

Since I know this season is toast, I’m going to watch it burn.

As constructed, we'll catch lightning in a bottle every 3-4 years and make the playoffs...then go back to mediocrity. 

The thing is, we haven't bottomed out yet. Lose Tee, Trey, and/or Chase and we will.

(10-29-2024, 10:11 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Yep. Rex Ryan took the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Guess what? Nobody cares, or remembers him as a particularly good HC.

It’s a what have you done for me lately type of league, and Taylor is about to miss the playoffs for two consecutive years. That’s enough to get most coaches fired. Especially when they already have a franchise QB in place.

Doug Pederson actually has a ring with his starter, Carson Wentz, on the sidelines as, Nick Foles wins the MVP. Eagles  eventually ran him up out of town. 

(10-29-2024, 10:11 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Yep. Rex Ryan took the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games. Guess what? Nobody cares, or remembers him as a particularly good HC.

It’s a what have you done for me lately type of league, and Taylor is about to miss the playoffs for two consecutive years. That’s enough to get most coaches fired. Especially when they already have a franchise QB in place.

Good thing we didn't do that after his first 2-years like many wanted. 

No. I didn't take "especially" into consideration.

(10-29-2024, 11:24 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Good thing we didn't do that after his first 2-years like many wanted. 

No. I didn't take "especially" into consideration.

Yeah, good thing. We can forever cherish that Lamar Hunt Trophy that no other coach would have been able win with that QB and that roster.

(10-30-2024, 12:18 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Yeah, good thing. We can forever cherish that Lamar Hunt Trophy that no other coach would have been able win with that QB and that roster.

I agree, Only 3 teams have won it since 2016 and we're one of them. But all other AFC Teams have been hampered by not having the on-field talent we have. 

All these other teams' Head Coaches were handicapped, simply because we had better onfield talent:


Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets 
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers

(10-30-2024, 12:31 AM)bfine32 Wrote: I agree, Only 3 teams have won it since 2016 and we're one of them. But all other AFC Teams have been hampered by not having the on-field talent we have. 

All these other teams' Head Coaches were handicapped, simply because we had better onfield talent:


Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets 
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers

Every single team on that list except the three in bold would trade their QB’s for Joe Burrow in a heartbeat. And in Baltimore’s case John Harbaugh has already won a Super Bowl. Probably would have more than one by now if his MVP QB didn’t turn into Andy Dalton every January.

The Bills have underachieved in the playoffs, and I’m sure deep down many of their fans have to wonder if McDermott is really the guy to win it all for them. Especially after 13 seconds.

At the end of the day Zac Taylor sucked into landing both Burrow and Chase, and then proceeded to ride the two of them, an opportunistic defense, and a kicker who went 19/19 in the playoffs to a Super Bowl. Cool. It was super fun. But that was 3 seasons ago now which in NFL years is an eternity. The fact is he’s a sub 500 coach who never has his team ready to start the season, and is about to miss the playoffs for a 2nd straight year (despite having a 4th place schedule). Probably looking at another last place finish too now that Cleveland isn’t hampered with Watson anymore.

The big tell to me is if they let Tee walk


ATP Chase, Burrow, and Tee are the offense. You told us not to worry about Tee cause we needed to spend the money elsewhere but we had 2 all pro level guys in house and didn’t even sign them



I’m pretty sure we closed our own SB window by being cheap


And when we let Tee walk for free i honestly don’t think we have a roster anyone would want to come to without Burrow Chase and Tee. Those are your centerpieces.

Also if Tee leaves then we’ll all be crying for a WR cause Chase is just gonna get triple teammed every play

So we may be in crazy spot where we gotta sign Tee just to keep Chase too cause if I’m Chase I’m not resigning with this dumbass team just to get triple teammed. I’ll go to Baltimore for 25M per and win a SB

(10-30-2024, 04:41 AM)Housh Wrote: The big tell to me is if they let Tee walk


ATP Chase, Burrow, and Tee are the offense. You told us not to worry about Tee cause we needed to spend the money elsewhere but we had 2 all pro level guys in house and didn’t even sign them



I’m pretty sure we closed our own SB window by being cheap


And when we let Tee walk for free i honestly don’t think we have a roster anyone would want to come to without Burrow Chase and Tee. Those are your centerpieces.

Also if Tee leaves then we’ll all be crying for a WR cause Chase is just gonna get triple teammed every play

So we may be in crazy spot where we gotta sign Tee just to keep Chase too cause if I’m Chase I’m not resigning with this dumbass team just to get triple teammed. I’ll go to Baltimore for 25M per and win a SB

Chase would never go to a team that’s going to offer $25M app.