Does anyone else feel that something is missing this year... not ONLY with the Bengals but the NFL in General? If this has been posted sorry, but something feels a miss this year. We are mid way through the season and the ignition fire is lack luster. Does anyone else feel this.

Is it due to the commericals
All the Flags/Penalties
Protesting
Rule Changes
Peyton Manning being gone? I am just saying something is missing I personally Think...
or something else?

Let me hear what you guys/gals are thinking!

I know whats missing!!  Wins

(11-07-2016, 12:24 PM)Marlon23 Wrote: Does anyone else feel that something is missing this year... not ONLY with the Bengals but the NFL in General?  If this has been posted sorry, but something feels a miss this year.  We are mid way through the season and the ignition fire is lack luster.  Does anyone else feel this.

Is it due to the commericals
All the Flags/Penalties
Protesting
Rule Changes
Peyton Manning being gone?   I am just saying something is missing I personally Think...
or something else?  

Let me hear what you guys/gals are thinking!

The problem is with Marlon23.

Personally I think the resurgence of the Cowboys and Raiders is exciting and new.  Plus a HUGE crop of young QBs in their first and second year looking good.

I don't see any zip or fire missing.

(11-07-2016, 12:24 PM)Marlon23 Wrote: Does anyone else feel that something is missing this year... not ONLY with the Bengals but the NFL in General?  If this has been posted sorry, but something feels a miss this year.  We are mid way through the season and the ignition fire is lack luster.  Does anyone else feel this.

Is it due to the commericals
All the Flags/Penalties
Protesting
Rule Changes
Peyton Manning being gone?   I am just saying something is missing I personally Think...
or something else?  

Let me hear what you guys/gals are thinking!

I enjoy college and pro ball.  Most years I lean toward the NFL, but this year, I am definitely enjoying the college season more.   With the exception of last night's game, the prime time games have been lackluster matchups.  Some of that might change with the Sunday flex times coming up.  For the most part on Thursdays and Mondays, I have the game on in the background, but don't really care to get too involved. 

Honestly, I think I might also still be carrying a bit of hang-over after last years' playoff loss. 

(11-07-2016, 12:26 PM)GodFather Wrote: I know whats missing!!  Wins

That could have something to do with it!!  

(11-07-2016, 01:28 PM)fredtoast Wrote: The problem is with Marlon23.

Personally I think the resurgence of the Cowboys and Raiders is exciting and new.  Plus a HUGE crop of young QBs in their first and second year looking good.

I don't see any zip or fire missing.

lol  Fred you are like a Grumpy old Polar Bear.

I do like the Cowboys...  at the moment but not if they put Tony Romo back in.  Maybe it is a transitioning of an Era!  From people like Favre, Peyton Manning..  etc.. I don't know but maybe need to give the new players some time to establish their names.  


TOOL Blows.

(11-07-2016, 12:24 PM)Marlon23 Wrote: Does anyone else feel that something is missing this year... not ONLY with the Bengals but the NFL in General?  If this has been posted sorry, but something feels a miss this year.  We are mid way through the season and the ignition fire is lack luster.  Does anyone else feel this.

Is it due to the commericals
All the Flags/Penalties
Protesting
Rule Changes
Peyton Manning being gone?   I am just saying something is missing I personally Think...
or something else?  

Let me hear what you guys/gals are thinking!

It's none of the above. 

What's missing is a pep. 

(11-07-2016, 04:10 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: It's none of the above. 

What's missing is a pep. 

LOL!!

(11-07-2016, 12:24 PM)Marlon23 Wrote: Does anyone else feel that something is missing this year... not ONLY with the Bengals but the NFL in General?  If this has been posted sorry, but something feels a miss this year.  We are mid way through the season and the ignition fire is lack luster.  Does anyone else feel this.

Is it due to the commericals
All the Flags/Penalties
Protesting
Rule Changes
Peyton Manning being gone?   I am just saying something is missing I personally Think...
or something else?  

Let me hear what you guys/gals are thinking!

The flags inconsistencies is pretty bad. I was watching Mike & Mike this morning and they were talking about Cam Newton's non-call helmet hits. And my first thought was "if that was Brady, Goodell would have stormed the field, slapped an official and taken a pick from the Rams."

That, and life in general, has cut back on my watching of other teams.

Personally, I prefer watching the defense. Get into the backfield, tackle for a loss, make an interception. The only thing more enjoyable than that is watching a runner break off 50+ yards. And it seems like with the calls, there's less of both of that. Or maybe the parity is so good that we end up with this game where defenses have to play soft and give up 3-4 yards, and offenses have to have to try to play more conservative. Whatever it is, not seeing as much of that is having me catching up on reading while the games are on.

Its just the midseason grind right now. Once the playoffs get closer and games start to mean more so to speak, then the excitement will pick up like it does every year. I think one difference as Bengals fans is it has been an anti-exciting season so far, even if they are still very much in the race for the North.

One thing though is the NFL needs to figure out a way to have better officiating going forward. At this point with so many bad calls or non-calls, I am almost in favor of coaches using their red flag on penalties called or not called if they choose to.

It's because of the presidential election. It's pulling eyeballs away from games and draining the life force out of everything.

I can only speak for myself, but yeah something is missing. For me it is the belief that the Bengals are on an upward trajectory. Guys are getting older, the message is getting stale, the "great drafting" is failing at replenishing the team.

(11-07-2016, 04:26 PM)Benton Wrote: The flags inconsistencies is pretty bad. I was watching Mike & Mike this morning and they were talking about Cam Newton's non-call helmet hits. And my first thought was "if that was Brady, Goodell would have stormed the field, slapped an official and taken a pick from the Rams."

That, and life in general, has cut back on my watching of other teams.

Personally, I prefer watching the defense. Get into the backfield, tackle for a loss, make an interception. The only thing more enjoyable than that is watching a runner break off 50+ yards. And it seems like with the calls, there's less of both of that. Or maybe the parity is so good that we end up with this game where defenses have to play soft and give up 3-4 yards, and offenses have to have to try to play more conservative. Whatever it is, not seeing as much of that is having me catching up on reading while the games are on.

My biggest issue with the league is the bias.  It is clear and it is blatant.  Look no further than the holds in week 2, and the general BS officiating all season long.  I lost a lot of interest in baseball years ago when a few umpires decided they were bigger than baseball and created their own strike zones.  

My problem with the games is that so many seem to be a contest of who can avoid blowing it.  No one takes chances.  No one stretches the field.  No one blitzes.  Obviously, I'm exaggerating, but so many games are so boring vanilla.  I didn't watch a single game yesterday for the first time in a long time and I don't feel like I missed a thing.  

I agree with an earlier poster that it is good for the NFL that Oakland (Vegas?) and Dallas being good helps the league.  Despite that, it seems like the rest of the league is hovering around .500, unless your name is New England.  Call it parity but there is a lot of bad play going on out there.  Watching our own Bengals when the defense is on the field is an exercise in avoiding spontaneous vomiting.  And I love this team...can't imagine how nauseating it is to watch for casual fans.

Take away the fantasy geeks and gamblers, and the number of people watching the NFL for the game action is probably pretty miniscule.

(11-07-2016, 08:15 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: It's because of the presidential election.  It's pulling eyeballs away from games and draining the life force out of everything.

This is a possibility..  for sure..  Did not think about this..

They've neutered 55.

Speaking of the Raiders, Reggie Nelson looked great at the end of the game again last night. Also they have an RB how can jump cut in a way that looks like he teleported to the left of the entire Broncos D. And if that weren't enough to fill me with envy, I love the FIRE of Penn calling out the playcalling:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/5bmmr2/raiders_ran_same_run_play_10_times_in_a_row/

Bengals are so obsessed with being unpredictable that they'll never do the same simple thing that works repeatedly.

I miss competition. The league looks like a two-horse race so far.

I feel as though the rapid decline of the defense has taken some of the pizazz out of the game for me, but haven't noticed similar sentiment with non-Bengal fans.  The league seems as popular as ever with most people who I talk to.