I really thought that when the Bengals got Burrow, Chase and Higgins that they were turning the corner as a FO.  Ring of honor, great social media hype, Mike Brown (the curse) stepping away (supposedly), etc.  

The Bengals were finally going to be a solid team for years with a FO finally coming around to the modern day NFL.

After 31 years of misery we got a SB and almost a second.  And then.................thud.  Lucy pulled the football away.........AGAIN!

Bad drafting, bad FA, no trades to help make it to the playoffs like other teams are doing; just the same ol' FO bungaling that has always been.

I am not falling for it anymore.  The FO is  an absolute disgrace.  Completely wasting Burrow, Chase and Higgins is unforgivable.  They will never change.  Katie and fam will be as bad or worse than the old man.  After all, who do you think taught her everything she knows.

Nope, I am not falling for anymore false hope and fake social media hype.  The FO did nothing to fix the problems this year to give us a chance at the playoffs.  Nothing has changed.  Nothing is going to change.  The FO is so inept they have like 4 scouts and no real GM.  Is there another NFL team that has almost no scouts and no real GM?  Of course not.  The rest of the NFL hates Mike Brown.  He is always voting against them, going against them.

Next year will be no different.  They will try to get you hyped up, excited, believing that "this" year will be different.  It won't be.  The FO has no clue nor do they care, as long as the suckers......errr.....fans keep buying merch, season tickets and luxury suites.  We will continue to watch teams like the Ravens, Steelers, Chiefs, etc excel and we will have this board to post false hope, sadness and disappointment which is inevitable with this FO.

I am done getting my hopes up, getting tricked and having the football pulled away by Lucy.  I am numb, disappointed, disgusted.  It is hopeless with this FO.  They are not changing.  They will never change.  They have Burrow, Chase, Higgins and they still won't change.  They will not trick me ever again.

Sorry if this is horribly negative.  It's the last thing I want to feel about this team with Burrow, Chase and Higgins, but I am done getting tricked by this horrible, shameful FO. It's only a matter of time until those players are also sick of it and the cycle will eventually repeat.

(11-12-2024, 09:55 AM)Mickeypoo Wrote: Sorry if this is horribly negative.

Nothing wrong with getting the ole-Bengals feels off the chest.

I'll keep falling for it as I've been a fan of this team since I was a kid in the '80s. 

 

(11-12-2024, 09:55 AM)Mickeypoo Wrote: I really thought that when the Bengals got Burrow, Chase and Higgins that they were turning the corner as a FO.  Ring of honor, great social media hype, Mike Brown (the curse) stepping away (supposedly), etc.  

The Bengals were finally going to be a solid team for years with a FO finally coming around to the modern day NFL.

After 31 years of misery we got a SB and almost a second.  And then.................thud.  Lucy pulled the football away.........AGAIN!

Bad drafting, bad FA, no trades to help make it to the playoffs like other teams are doing; just the same ol' FO bungaling that has always been.

I am not falling for it anymore.  The FO is  an absolute disgrace.  Completely wasting Burrow, Chase and Higgins is unforgivable.  They will never change.  Katie and fam will be as bad or worse than the old man.  After all, who do you think taught her everything she knows.

Nope, I am not falling for anymore false hope and fake social media hype.  The FO did nothing to fix the problems this year to give us a chance at the playoffs.  Nothing has changed.  Nothing is going to change.  the FO is so inept they have like 4 scouts and no real GM.  Is there another NFL team that has almost no scouts and no real GM?  Of course not.  The rest of the NFL hates Mike Brown.  He is always voting against them, going against them.

Next year will be no different.  They will try to get you hyped up, excited, believing that "this" year will be different.  It won't be.  The FO has no clue nor do they care, as long as the suckers......errr.....fans keep buying merch, season tickets and luxury suites.  We will continue to watch teams like the Ravens, Steelers, Chiefs, etc excel and we will have this board to post false hope, sadness and disappointment which is inevitable with this FO.

I am done getting my hopes up, getting tricked and having the football pulled away by Lucy.  I am numb, disappointed, disgusted.  It is hopeless with this FO.  They are not changing.  They will never change.  They have Burrow, Chase, Higgins and they still won't change.  They will not trick me ever again.

Sorry if this is horribly negative.  It's the last thing I want to feel about this team with Burrow, Chase and Higgins, but I am done getting tricked by this horrible, shameful FO. It's only a matter of time until those players are also sick of it and the cycle will eventually repeat.

1) this team can play with any team in the league..we have been hit with injuries ..on both sides of the ball.. most fans dont completely agree with coaches and management regarding a plethora of matters...we ***** and complain..thats football... Belechick was pretty damn bad his first 5 years as a coach 2) I can tell that you are passionate and that great..but balance your life ..its just a football team and both at the NFL and college levels there are many great teams and games to watch..3) you have no idea as to how well  Mike Brown is liked or disliked by other owners ..Have a great day

Definitely agree as far as the front office/owners/management side of what you have written. It's hard to watch other teams make trade-deadline pickups to address weaknesses, while the Bengals sit pat; or fail to sign Chase long-term when he will only be more expensive next year; or invest more into their scouting/drafting department.

I understand Cincinnati is a small-market team, and the main revenue stream for the owners (whereas other owners have their billions from non-NFL business). But  it doesn't make it hurt any less when we watch Pittsburgh at the trade deadline pick up Mike Williams for a 5th round pick and the Ravens get Tre'Davious White for a 7th and Diontae Johnson for a 5th (getting back a 6th), while the Bengals just seem to focus on keeping their late picks and their money.

I still have hope for this season, and I personally like Zac Taylor as head coach, but it does seem like swimming upstream with this front office.

(11-12-2024, 11:00 AM)Nepa Wrote: Definitely agree as far as the front office/owners/management side of what you have written. It's hard to watch other teams make trade-deadline pickups to address weaknesses, while the Bengals sit pat; or fail to sign Chase long-term when he will only be more expensive next year; or invest more into their scouting/drafting department.

I understand Cincinnati is a small-market team, and the main revenue stream for the owners (whereas other owners have their billions from non-NFL business). But  it doesn't make it hurt any less when we watch Pittsburgh at the trade deadline pick up Mike Williams for a 5th round pick and the Ravens get Tre'Davious White for a 7th and Diontae Johnson for a 5th (getting back a 6th), while the Bengals just seem to focus on keeping their late picks and their money.

I still have hope for this season, and I personally like Zac Taylor as head coach, but it does seem like swimming upstream with this front office.

Agree with everything you wrote except I now have zero hope for this season.  Watching other teams make improvements while we do nothing is painful.

(11-12-2024, 09:55 AM)Mickeypoo Wrote: I really thought that when the Bengals got Burrow, Chase and Higgins that they were turning the corner as a FO.  Ring of honor, great social media hype, Mike Brown (the curse) stepping away (supposedly), etc.  

The Bengals were finally going to be a solid team for years with a FO finally coming around to the modern day NFL.

After 31 years of misery we got a SB and almost a second.  And then.................thud.  Lucy pulled the football away.........AGAIN!

Bad drafting, bad FA, no trades to help make it to the playoffs like other teams are doing; just the same ol' FO bungaling that has always been.

I am not falling for it anymore.  The FO is  an absolute disgrace.  Completely wasting Burrow, Chase and Higgins is unforgivable.  They will never change.  Katie and fam will be as bad or worse than the old man.  After all, who do you think taught her everything she knows.

Nope, I am not falling for anymore false hope and fake social media hype.  The FO did nothing to fix the problems this year to give us a chance at the playoffs.  Nothing has changed.  Nothing is going to change.  the FO is so inept they have like 4 scouts and no real GM.  Is there another NFL team that has almost no scouts and no real GM?  Of course not.  The rest of the NFL hates Mike Brown.  He is always voting against them, going against them.

Next year will be no different.  They will try to get you hyped up, excited, believing that "this" year will be different.  It won't be.  The FO has no clue nor do they care, as long as the suckers......errr.....fans keep buying merch, season tickets and luxury suites.  We will continue to watch teams like the Ravens, Steelers, Chiefs, etc excel and we will have this board to post false hope, sadness and disappointment which is inevitable with this FO.

I am done getting my hopes up, getting tricked and having the football pulled away by Lucy.  I am numb, disappointed, disgusted.  It is hopeless with this FO.  They are not changing.  They will never change.  They have Burrow, Chase, Higgins and they still won't change.  They will not trick me ever again.

Sorry if this is horribly negative.  It's the last thing I want to feel about this team with Burrow, Chase and Higgins, but I am done getting tricked by this horrible, shameful FO. It's only a matter of time until those players are also sick of it and the cycle will eventually repeat.

Don't know what to tell you... I mean, there are other teams to cheer for or there's women's tennis.  This front office and current group of players has had more success than just about any other team the Bengals have ever fielded. Five years, 2 AFCN titles, and AFC Championship, 2 AFCCGs and a Super Bowl. Probably would have had more playoff wins last year had Burrow not gotten hurt instead of just missing the playoffs while finishing the season with a backup Quarterback. To me, this is just a snapshot of today's "I want everything and I want it now" mentality. The last few years have absolutely spoiled the Bengals fanbase that just 6 years ago was simply begging for a playoff win before they die. And now people are cutting out on them. Teams will have up and down years. This one is not going the way we'd all like, but they are still fighting for a spot. Just about any other team in the league not named the Chiefs would trade our last 5 years for theirs in a heartbeat. Get a grip.

(11-12-2024, 11:54 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Don't know what to tell you... I mean, there are other teams to cheer for or there's women's tennis.  This front office and current group of players has had more success than just about any other team the Bengals have ever fielded. Five years, 2 AFCN titles, and AFC Championship, 2 AFCCGs and a Super Bowl. Probably would have had more playoff wins last year had Burrow not gotten hurt instead of just missing the playoffs while finishing the season with a backup Quarterback. To me, this is just a snapshot of today's "I want everything and I want it now" mentality. The last few years have absolutely spoiled the Bengals fanbase that just 6 years ago was simply begging for a playoff win before they die. And now people are cutting out on them. Teams will have up and down years. This one is not going the way we'd all like, but they are still fighting for a spot. Just about any other team in the league not named the Chiefs would trade our last 5 years for theirs in a heartbeat. Get a grip.

The goal is a championship not a participation trophy, you enjoy the playoff losses (just being there) while other people don't. The "I want everything and I want it now" narrative is hilarious when we've never won a Super Bowl. Compare our fan base to Baltimore or Pitt, last week Balt fans booed when our offense was humming, they don't settle for mediocrity. You have a problem with people complaining about their team, I have a problem with that. You are trying to tell people how to be a fan. I don't know what you expected this year record wise, but I expected 13 wins this year and we're not going to make the playoffs. I swear there's a few posters on here that remind me of DennyG from the old boards.

(11-12-2024, 12:32 PM)PCB Bengal Fan Wrote: The goal is a championship not a participation trophy, you enjoy the playoff losses (just being there) while other people don't. The "I want everything and I want it now" narrative is hilarious when we've never won a Super Bowl. Compare our fan base to Baltimore or Pitt, last week Balt fans booed when our offense was humming, they don't settle for mediocrity. You have a problem with people complaining about their team, I have a problem with that. You are trying to tell people how to be a fan. I don't know what you expected this year record wise, but I expected 13 wins this year and we're not going to make the playoffs. I swear there's a few posters on here that remind me of DennyG from the old boards.

I don't enjoy playoff losses, and I'm not telling anyone how they have to be a fan. "We've never won a Super Bowl" has nothing to go with the current coaches and players, most of which are only in their 6th year for coaches and less than that for most players. So, you expected 13 wins and didn't get it. That's sports, and that's life. And throwing up classless Batimore fans does not bolster your position. The reality is that this team has had a pretty good run over the last 6 years, so much so that you're ready to walk because they didn't win 13 games. 

I agree with some of what you said, but you really can't go down the whole "same old Bengals" when it comes to free agency.

This team was built through free agency and the team spent money doing it. They really need to get the Chase thing figured out and done so they can have a good offseason.

Reader, Trey, Cappa, Karras, Orlando Brown, Hilton, Von Bell..... those guys were all free agent signings.

As for drafting, that's a direct result of the amount of time and resources that the team puts into it. it's the one thing I would really love to see brought up to the modern era.

(11-12-2024, 02:38 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: I agree with some of what you said, but you really can't go down the whole "same old Bengals" when it comes to free agency.

This team was built through free agency and the team spent money doing it.  They really need to get the Chase thing figured out and done so they can have a good offseason.

Reader, Trey, Cappa, Karras, Orlando Brown, Hilton, Von Bell..... those guys were all free agent signings.  

As for drafting, that's a direct result of the amount of time and resources that the team puts into it.  it's the one thing I would really love to see brought up to the modern era.

Yes and start by hiring a real GM

(11-12-2024, 02:17 PM)Sled21 Wrote: I don't enjoy playoff losses, and I'm not telling anyone how they have to be a fan. "We've never won a Super Bowl" has nothing to go with the current coaches and players, most of which are only in their 6th year for coaches and less than that for most players. So, you expected 13 wins and didn't get it. That's sports, and that's life. And throwing up classless Batimore fans does not bolster your position. The reality is that this team has had a pretty good run over the last 6 years, so much so that you're ready to walk because they didn't win 13 games. 

Been a fan since 1980, I've had Sunday Ticket since 1997. And you think I'm gonna walk because we did'nt win 13 games? I don't care what run we had & how recent it was, we haven't won it all.........period. I guess you're happy with a playoff win. I was in 21, now it's Super Bowl or bust with Joe. His standard not mine. Mediocrity makes you happy, not me. 21 should be the standard not I'm happy for another 31 years.

(11-12-2024, 04:02 PM)PCB Bengal Fan Wrote: Been a fan since 1980, I've had Sunday Ticket since 1997. And you think I'm gonna walk because we did'nt win 13 games? I don't care what run we had & how recent it was, we haven't won it all.........period. I guess you're happy with a playoff win. I was in 21, now it's Super Bowl or bust with Joe. His standard not mine. Mediocrity makes you happy, not me. 21 should be the standard not I'm happy for another 31 years.

I've been a fan since 68. You're the one that said you were done and were giving up hope. I'm not satisfied with playoff wins and want a Super Bowl as badly as anyone. I just realize how hard that is in a league built on parity. We are better off now than we have been at any point in Bengals history. So for me, now is not the time to give up just because the season did not produce 13 wins.

We will know more after this Chargers game and if we make a run. If we don't do this, there will need to be changes namely on Defense.

Also, a new GM needs to be brought in regardless IMO. More scouts etc.

It also would not surprise me if we went on a run and won every game from here on out. Zac has a good record later in seasons with Joe
Burrow at the helm and even with him not. Lou has done well in the past even if I am really disappointed in his Defense this year. I will no
longer be falling for Lou Anarumo if this Defense doesn't get much better, that is all I can say. The FO with the Blackburns has done much
better than in the past at all the things mentioned. We will see if it continues. I don't think they are going to give up on Burrow after all
they have done.

Pay Ja'Marr Chase who just broke a 61 year old record against the Ravens in 2 games and we have 2 great players to build our Bengals
around is all I know and most any other fan of any other team would love to have this.

(11-12-2024, 04:41 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: We will know more after this Chargers game and if we make a run. If we don't do this, there will need to be changes namely on Defense.

Also, a new GM needs to be brought in regardless IMO. More scouts etc.

It also would not surprise me if we went on a run and won every game from here on out. Zac has a good record later in seasons with Joe
Burrow at the helm and even with him not. Lou has done well in the past even if I am really disappointed in his Defense this year. I will no
longer be falling for Lou Anarumo if this Defense doesn't get much better, that is all I can say. The FO with the Blackburns has done much
better than in the past at all the things mentioned. We will see if it continues. I don't think they are going to give up on Burrow after all
they have done.

Pay Ja'Marr Chase who just broke a 61 year old record against the Ravens in 2 games and we have 2 great players to build our Bengals
around is all I know and most any other fan of any other team would love to have this.

This was the point of my rant and why I am so disheartened.  I don't believe the FO is ever going to change; which means we will be stuck with the same dysfunction for maybe.....ever.  The Brown/Blackburn family is not going to bring in some proven GM to run the org.  THEY run the org.  THEY are the kings/queens.  THEY are not going to bring in someone to rule over them.  

Occasionally the players can override the FO ineptitude with insane talent, like 21 and 22, but the FO does not know how to sustain success.  

What are we at now?  2 seasons of real success over the last 35?  And now we are already 2 years removed from those 2 years of success and here we are praying for a miracle, a single win every game now to maybe, but very unlikely, make the playoffs.  

The FO is the root cause of the problems and it will never be fixed.  They will never fire/demote themselves nor will they ever bring in an outsider to rule over them as GM.

(11-12-2024, 05:44 PM)Mickeypoo Wrote: This was the point of my rant and why I am so disheartened.  I don't believe the FO is ever going to change; which means we will be stuck with the same dysfunction for maybe.....ever.  The Brown/Blackburn family is not going to bring in some proven GM to run the org.  THEY run the org.  THEY are the kings/queens.  THEY are not going to bring in someone to rule over them.  

Occasionally the players can override the FO ineptitude with insane talent, like 21 and 22, but the FO does not know how to sustain success.  

What are we at now?  2 seasons of real success over the last 35?  And now we are already 2 years removed from those 2 years of success and here we are praying for a miracle, a single win every game now to maybe, but very unlikely, make the playoffs.  

The FO is the root cause of the problems and it will never be fixed.  They will never fire/demote themselves nor will they ever bring in an outsider to rule over them as GM.

Where did Duke Tobin come from in the first place? They wouldn't of brought him in if they wanted to rule and do everything themselves.

Joe Burrow is here and in his prime, now is the time to make the changes so we can win it all with him. Honestly believe the Blackburns feel
the same. You think they want to waste Joe Burrow's career after they just paid him top 5 QB money? I don't?

We've had enough time now with this coaching staff and scouting department that I have confidence in what positions they will likely have more success with vs not.

Players they suck at drafting/developing - trenches
Players they are at least somewhat ok with - offensive weapons

Until there's new blood brought in for the coaching staff and/or scouting department, I won't have confidence in their ability to properly address the trenches.
*NOTE - That won't stop me from going heavy in the draft on trenches, even though I know they suck with them lol

(11-12-2024, 05:59 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Where did Duke Tobin come from in the first place? They wouldn't of brought him in if they wanted to rule and do everything themselves.

Joe Burrow is here and in his prime, now is the time to make the changes so we can win it all with him. Honestly believe the Blackburns feel
the same. You think they want to waste Joe Burrow's career after they just paid him top 5 QB money? I don't?

Dude has been Director of Player Personnel for the Bengals since before he turned 30 years old.

Looking back at his prior history, he played a couple seasons of Arena Football in his mid-20's then became Bengals director of player personnel just a few years later.
I don't believe he had any scouting or NFL job prior to this though, at least not what I can find.
His father, Bill, had been a director of player personnel and GM from the late 80's to early 2000's.
I would imagine that's where Duke learned from.

(11-12-2024, 05:59 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Where did Duke Tobin come from in the first place? They wouldn't of brought him in if they wanted to rule and do everything themselves.

Joe Burrow is here and in his prime, now is the time to make the changes so we can win it all with him. Honestly believe the Blackburns feel
the same. You think they want to waste Joe Burrow's career after they just paid him top 5 QB money? I don't?

His dad worked for and was friends with Brown. I think that's a sticking point for some. He assembled the rosters that saw Teryl Austin look like he was the worst DC in the league. This same DC is doing just fine in Pittsburgh. Someone in the building deserves a lot of credit for recent FA acquisitions like Hendrickson, Hilton, Awuzie, Reader, Kappa, etc. When that pace of signing impact free agents proved unsustainable, it became apparent that some of these recent drafts have not been good. Who should be held to account for that? And how? When I hear things like how media people have "seen the big board" before draft night, or we have guys like Dave Lapham predicting the first round selection every other year, or how the Bengals have the fewest scouts, or how Bengals scouts "talk to other teams's scouts" in order to build a consensus, I do wonder at the overall level of professionalism when it comes to drafting. None of that sounds like what an elite franchise would do. Then you have overall macro-strategy in regard to how rosters are assembled. You have guys like Andy Reid who have always focused on the trenches. Then you have what I'll call the Duke Tobin approach to team building. He will draft corners that fit different schemes. He will put a premium on skill position players. He will actively seek out Mixon/Burton types. He wants good offensive tackles, but seems content to field centers/guards who torpedo the effectiveness of the OL as a unit. The macro-philosophy seems very off from the top down. 

(11-12-2024, 05:59 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Where did Duke Tobin come from in the first place? They wouldn't of brought him in if they wanted to rule and do everything themselves.

Joe Burrow is here and in his prime, now is the time to make the changes so we can win it all with him. Honestly believe the Blackburns feel
the same. You think they want to waste Joe Burrow's career after they just paid him top 5 QB money? I don't?

I think Tobin is a very loyal family friend they can trust.  Mike Brown is the GM.  

I completely agree.  It has been time to make changes since Burrow got here.  They have changed nothing.  Of course I don't think they WANT to waste his career.  I believe they run things the way they always have and HOPE they do not waste Burrow, Chase careers.  I don't think they know how to do anything different/better because they are in a small minority family echo chamber.

I believe the Brown/Blackburn families are probably very nice people from what I have heard.  I don't think they sit in their offices trying to do things that hurt the team or make the team worse.  I do believe they are very stubborn and have an inner circle of only family members who are only willing to change so much.  As an example, why not do something as simple as get your scouting/analytics dept up to what a modern NFL franchise would look like.  No control issues.  Just trying to make things better.  They do nothing.  

Do you think they would bring in a GM and take that title from Mike Brown?  No way.  When he finally passes they will probably just give that title to Tobin and nothing will change.  That is the whole problem.  They are not willing to change.

Look what just happened with Chase.  They just cost themselves millions and hurt the team by doing so.  He is worth so much more now.   

I don't know man.  I just don't believe we have any real shot as long as the FO keeps operating the same way.  We got lucky one year and almost a second.  We are trending down, not up.

I wasn't always down on the Bengals like this.  Even through the 90's and 2000's I would root for them and watch every game.  I think the reason I am so down is that after decades of embarrassment and failure I truly believed that the awful losing seasons were over.  We had 2 awesome, exciting seasons.  Much reason for hope.  The future looked bright.  And now here we are.  No playoffs last year.  I know Burrow was hurt.  And now this year.  4-6 praying for a miracle.  

What do you think the FO is going to do different between now and next season to turn things around?  Some coaching changes?  Hire an actual, proven GM?  Better scouting dept so maybe our draft is better?

Mickey you have summed things up pretty well. What will the FO do from now and next season? Nothing. They continue to think their way is the only way and it is obviously not. 55 years and counting and no SB wins. 0-3 in the big game. They refuse to accept and see how the league is now with these mega guaranteed contracts and simply refuse to play that game. They always, always sign the wholesale players cheaper that are past their prime hoping to see pro bowl results and it never works. Below average O line, no run game weak D line, below average secondary and no pass rush other than Trey. The only thing they have in their favor is Burrow and Chase, at times Higgins and a very predictable offensive game plan. Once in a while they seem to mix in some surprise plays  but it's pass happy or bust. Any running back behind this O line always looks like they can't find a hole because there is no hole.

This team needs lots of changes from the FO personal on down. Look at all the different coaches, players, trainers, whoever else have worked here over the decades without a SB win and the only variable that remains the same is the...Front Office, and to me that seems to be the biggest problem.