(10-30-2024, 04:30 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Of course.


For those that want to tune in every week with the hope that they'll make it, that's their choice.
Others may have already checked out and may decide not to tune in unless/until the team makes the playoffs, which is also ok. That's their choice.

Right now, the Bengals are 9th in seeding, 1.5 games behind the Chargers for 7th.
The Chargers game in a couple weeks will be hugely important on tiebreakers.
Broncos will be another big game for tiebreakers.
Losing 2 of the next 3 will pretty much seal it.

Absolutely agree on all points. I'll watch regardless, because I'm a football fan in general, I just might not be happy about it ....

(10-30-2024, 04:22 PM)WychesWarrior Wrote: Vrabel would definitely do better in this division....but what about post season? I'm not sure. I think the AFC North needs to move into 21st century football myself. Until last year, the Bengals were the only team out of the division to make much noise in the postseason for the last ten or so years. Pitt has been 3/7, Baltimore 3/9, Cleveland 1/2, and Cincinnati 5/4. Zac, of course, is 5/2 over that stretch. 

If we go by postseason, he's the best coach in the division, lmao. Truth is, Cincinnati is ahead of the curve for the first time since Sam Wyche in its division. The rest wanna play smash mouth and beat the shit out of each other during the season. They show up to the playoffs wounded, and even when healthy, can't keep pace with high powered offenses. Except for Cincy .....

You have to actually GET to the playoffs to make any noise though. And if we continue to be absolutely terrible inside the division that will always be an uphill battle. Trust me, I wish we were in pretty much any other division the way we’re built lol.

As far as the rest of them not doing much in the playoffs in a while it might sound like an oversimplification but just look at the QB situations. The Steelers were trotting Ben out there into his late 30’s then had Mason Rudolph last year. Lamar seems to choke every January like clockwork. Cleveland should have never moved on from Baker as he’s won playoff games for both them and Tampa at this point. But they’re the Browns so ***** up at QB is what they do.

But I get it, 5-2 is 5-2. It’s going to buy Zac a hell of a long leash with this ownership. At the very least he needs to make some major changes like giving up play calling or firing Lou if they keep trending in the wrong direction.

(10-29-2024, 09:34 PM)Tomkat Wrote: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Bc3x9T54taBvci4m/

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.

Could not agree more. 

As long as Taylor, Lou, Duke, and Mike are in charge, we won't win anything. 

I stopped watching forca couple eeeks and my Sunday's improved. I watched last week and do not feel the need to do so again. 

(10-30-2024, 05:18 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Could not agree more. 

As long as Taylor, Lou, Duke, and Mike are in charge, we won't win anything. 

I stopped watching forca couple eeeks and my Sunday's improved. I watched last week and do not feel the need to do so again. 

i dont think it's getting any better once the blackburns take over, unfortunately 

(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.

Yup.

The Eagles WON a Super Bowl with Doug Pederson and he only lasted 3 more years before they moved on and went to another SB with their new HC 2 years in.

Meanwhile their old HC Doug Pederson is leader of a mess that's gotten worse every year in Jacksonville. Now they're 2-6 and selling at the deadline.

zac Taylor would coach nowhere after this, we won't see any before and after record.

(10-30-2024, 05:42 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Yup.

The Eagles WON a Super Bowl with Doug Pederson and he only lasted 3 more years before they moved on and went to another SB with their new HC 2 years in.

Meanwhile their old HC Doug Pederson is leader of a mess that's gotten worse every year in Jacksonville. Now they're 2-6 and selling at the deadline.

All true. Speaking of coaches I see you have Mike Vrabel in your sig. Is that your pick for our next HC or DC?

You guys do know that Vrabel won’t be able to control Duke and Mike’s lack of drafting skills, right?

(10-30-2024, 06:42 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: You guys do know that Vrabel won’t be able to control Duke and Mike’s lack of drafting skills, right?

Tobin needs to go and we need to add a legit GM that better have control. Zac has a lot more control than Marv had I am sure of it.

(10-30-2024, 06:45 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Tobin needs to go and we need to add a legit GM that better have control. Zac has a lot more control than Marv had I am sure of it.

Tobin ain’t leaving. We just have to pray they invest more into the scouting department

(10-30-2024, 06:38 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: All true. Speaking of coaches I see you have Mike Vrabel in your sig. Is that your pick for our next HC or DC?

HC. We need toughness in our organization, it's gotta start at the top, and Zac sure as hell is not going to do it.

Tired of getting manhandled by our division in the run game and all the talk about "we gotta take what they give us" and other passive phrases where the other teams get to dictate our gameplans to us. He took the Titans to the AFCC with Ryan Tannehill who I think we can all agree is worse than Joe Burrow.

(10-30-2024, 04:34 PM)Wyche Wrote: Absolutely agree on all points. I'll watch regardless, because I'm a football fan in general, I just might not be happy about it ....

I used to watch a game in about every time slot every week years ago - TNF, all 3 Sunday time slots, and MNF.
That was also back when I was in 5 fantasy football leagues, 1 of which had some $$ on the line.

Nowadays, I pretty much only watch the Bengals games and will only watch until I get the sense they no longer have a shot at the playoffs.
They aren't quite there yet, so I'm still watching. I'm just not going in too confident of a win for these games other than playing the likes of the Panthers, Raiders, and Browns.
Pessimistically, I see 3 more wins on the season (LV, CLE, TEN).
Optimistically, I see maybe 5-6 more wins.

The earliest I've ever stopped watching a season was 2019. The last game I watched that year was Game 4 against PIT where they got walloped 3-27 and started the season 0-4.
In 2020, I stopped trying to watch after Burrow went down in the WAS game and the team ended up 2-7-1.

(10-30-2024, 05:18 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Could not agree more. 

As long as Taylor, Lou, Duke, and Mike are in charge, we won't win anything. 

I stopped watching forca couple eeeks and my Sunday's improved. I watched last week and do not feel the need to do so again. 

except the AFC North..AFC conference Championship and who knows if Burrow had not been injured last year

(10-30-2024, 10:33 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Eventually, but how many teams would kill to have an AFC Championship, 2 AFCCGs, a Super Bowl and two division titles in 5 years? 
One year that is not going well and everyone wants to jump ship. (I'm not counting last year when he got hurt)

I wholeheartedly agree..thank you for common sense and rational thinking

(10-30-2024, 01:35 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: i've said this before, but why re-sign pratt and davis-gaither when neither of them are game changers? Those are 2 guys you can draft to replace. A guy like Bates you just cant replace. Hell, all Reader needed was a 1 year prove it deal. I just dont get it. 

Game changers cost money. 

(10-30-2024, 01:13 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Typically, I might tend to agree with your sentiments. However with how the wheels came off in the second half on Sunday, it left the Bengals 0-4 in front of the home crowd this year. A year in which they were picked by many to be dominating the Conference, rather than playing sub .500 football. How many in the stadium in the past few seasons do you think are attending for the first time in years, or perhaps even for their first ever attended Bengals game? 

Tickets and a day at the ball park is a serious financial hit for working class families. How many more of these absolute stinker games do you think that it will take to send the blue collar fans back to their living rooms? If the Bengals front office doesn't get their collective head out of their hind end, they'll be watching home games with visiting teams' fans dominating the atmosphere, again...

we are season ticket holders and are just as mad as you..there is something amiss this year and some changes will have to be made..But we are lucky to have an NFL team..In my opinion ..and as much as I like and defend Zac Taylor..unless he turns this season around and the team shows some grit..changes might have to be made at the head coach level  1) he simply did not have this team ready to play at the beginning of the season...again  2) Zac and whomever else that is responsible for assembling this current team has failed..we simply are not physically tough..it shows..3) he does not make  the necessary mid game adjustments as you alluded to.......but that  being said I love football..Detroit is a blast to watch...and we have a real interesting college  and expanded college playoff field this year..have a great evening

(10-30-2024, 01:00 PM)Southpaw Frerotte Wrote: I'm old enough to remember when the entire core was going to take below market contracts in order to stick together lol.  

It's not exactly breaking news that the Browns are cheap.  The true irony in it though is, instead of just paying the piper at the first chance, they continue to kick the can down the road and between draft capital and below level replacements, end up paying more in the end then they would have originally.  This already has applied to Jesse Bates and DJ Reader and will happen again with Higgins and Chase.  Truly mind-boggling level of ineptitude from this front office.

This is why the FO should turn their ire to Tobin. Tobin’s screwed up the plan by not being able to draft the players to replace these stars. That’s why they  keep kicking the can. Hoping, wishing and praying the draft pick meant to replace  a star steps up. They haven’t. 

That’s not the fault of the coaches. Zac’s recent enough playoff success proves he can coach. It’s not just the teams (Bills) that you can say wet the beds in the playoffs. It’s coaches too. And 5-2 rather folks like it or not buys time. It could be worse. If winning a SB is really the goal. 

Zac’s the one that still has the power if he’d wield it. And he should. If the plan is to pay certain positions and rely on the draft to develop replacements then you have to draft good. Tobin is the fall guy. He should be. And Zac if he had any pull should remember he is the best they are probably going to get at HC, and he needs to threaten to quit! If only a power play to restructure the scouting department. 

Who else can force it if not Zac at this point? 

(10-30-2024, 06:42 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: You guys do know that Vrabel won’t be able to control Duke and Mike’s lack of drafting skills, right?

Agreed, not too many individuals who would become the Bengals head coach would be able to exert influence over Brown, and Duke as the guy building the roster.

Coming here to attempt to resurrect Andy Dalton and un-bust John Ross under the cloud of Mike Brown wasn't exactly the type of situation that was going to lure a top tier HC here. We should have kept Marvin one more year and then used the #1 pick and the reality that we were about to draft Burrow as a means to entice better candidates to come here.

Of course you may be wondering if another year with Marvin screws up our reality of being the worst team in the league and this getting the chance to draft Burrow in the first place. Would you toss those dice?

(10-30-2024, 08:28 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Coming here to attempt to resurrect Andy Dalton and un-bust John Ross under the cloud of Mike Brown wasn't exactly the type of situation that was going to lure a top tier HC here. We should have kept Marvin one more year and then used the #1 pick and the reality that we were about to draft Burrow as a means to entice better candidates to come here.

Of course you may be wondering if another year with Marvin screws up our reality of being the worst team in the league and this getting the chance to draft Burrow in the first place. Would you toss those dice?

No shade to Burrow but 2020 QB class would have still left us with options at QB. 

But it was time for Marvin to go.