1. Health: this is the #1 for every team.. very few teams overcome major injuries
2. Offensive weapons: We need to click with our weapons and be able to work their talents into our play calling
3. Offensive line: We don;t need to be great, as long as 1/2 happen.. our weapons will take some pressure off of the line
4. Linebackers: need improvement here
5. Schedule: A strong start is key... and to survive three straight road games

Thinking about keys, they need to stop by a lock shop.and get some spare keys made just in case they lose the main key..
Oh wait..that never happens..

(07-01-2017, 03:47 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: That's what I'm talking about.  The best way to seize control of the game is to end the half strong, and begin the second half strong. 

No doubt brother, if we just tried to grab the bull by the horns sometimes it could make all the difference.

We are the only team i know of that never does this, we just take a knee and act happy about it.

(06-28-2017, 09:54 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Yeah, but the first time he gets sacked, there will be an NFL documentary about his near-death experience and his heroic rise just to make it back to the sidelines....surely to be followed with raves about his "warrior" mentality on how he took the field the next series.

Post game, Benderella would mope about how the officials let him get tackled with low hits, and how the Bengals defensive players were being mean and tried to hit him in the pee-pee.

Before the next game, where the Bengals ultimately end Big Jen and his band of assbags for the next 20 years, he would make references to how he is a "soldier" and he will always "go to battle" with the guys on his team, when the only real battle Pig Ben will be facing after his career is pants that have an expandable waistline.  

You forgot to add the part where Joey Porter sneaks on the field and pulls a "Tonya Harding" on Burfict, which results in the media praising the Steelers for playing such hard nosed football and the league suspending Burfict for the season because he looked at Porter wrong.

(07-06-2017, 12:24 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: No doubt brother, if we just tried to grab the bull by the horns sometimes it could make all the difference.

We are the only team i know of that never does this, we just take a knee and act happy about it.

Sure, taking a knee on your own 6 yd line, with 0.25 seconds to go, might be the safest option.  But playing "safe" all the time just makes for complacency, allowing the opponent to be the aggressor.

(07-06-2017, 07:35 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Sure, taking a knee on your own 6 yd line, with 0.25 seconds to go, might be the safest option.  But playing "safe" all the time just makes for complacency, allowing the opponent to be the aggressor.

Agreed,

I can't remember now if it was early last season ? possibly the season before last ? But we were either on a bye week or playing in prime time. Anyways I was half watching a 1PM game, I'm thinking it was Jacksonville vs. Tennessee, not totally sure.

One team was up like 27-3, right in there somewhere ? Big lead - controlling the game. The losing team was forced to punt with like a minute left before halftime. The team with the big lead got the ball back at like their own 30. And I remember I was so dumb struck when they came out attacking down the field ! I remember saying Marvin would have run the clock out there for sure. The drive stalled and they settled for a FG, 30-3 or thereabouts at HT.

Checking back later the final score was like 33 -27 or something ? Point being Marvin just will not ever play like that, and it hurts bad in today's NFL.

(07-06-2017, 07:35 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Sure, taking a knee on your own 6 yd line, with 0.25 seconds to go, might be the safest option.  But playing "safe" all the time just makes for complacency, allowing the opponent to be the aggressor.

Absolute dead on. One of the best quotes I've seen on here, short but very accurate. Rep point for you.

(07-06-2017, 12:24 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: No doubt brother, if we just tried to grab the bull by the horns sometimes it could make all the difference.

We are the only team i know of that never does this, we just take a knee and act happy about it.

This is the same coach that would take a knee when the other team would jump offsides!  That's all you need to know about Marv's marbles.  

(07-06-2017, 07:35 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Sure, taking a knee on your own 6 yd line, with 0.25 seconds to go, might be the safest option.  But playing "safe" all the time just makes for complacency, allowing the opponent to be the aggressor.

Yep, exactly what i meant to say, you just said it better Sunset.

(07-06-2017, 09:47 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Agreed,

I can't remember now if it was early last season ? possibly the season before last ? But we were either on a bye week or playing in prime time. Anyways I was half watching a 1PM game, I'm thinking it was Jacksonville vs. Tennessee, not totally sure.

One team was up like 27-3, right in there somewhere ? Big lead - controlling the game. The losing team was forced to punt with like a minute left before halftime. The team with the big lead got the ball back at like their own 30. And I remember I was so dumb struck when they came out attacking down the field ! I remember saying Marvin would have run the clock out there for sure. The drive stalled and they settled for a FG, 30-3 or thereabouts at HT.

Checking back later the final score was like 33 -27 or something ? Point being Marvin just will not ever play like that, and it hurts bad in today's NFL.

It never happens, even if we have the ball at the 45 or midfield, we still will take the knee.

(07-07-2017, 08:51 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: This is the same coach that would take a knee when the other team would jump offsides!  That's all you need to know about Marv's marbles.  

Imagine how many more points we would score if we took those shots down the field...

Especially with John Ross. There is hardly anything to lose when the other team jumps off sides, except a TD for us.

(07-08-2017, 08:46 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Imagine how many more points we would score if we took those shots down the field...

Especially with John Ross. There is hardly anything to lose when the other team jumps off sides, except a TD for us.

I still can't believe we did that...only team in the NFL.  I bet Andy would love to have a few plays with his hard count.  I remember sports science saying he had one of the best "pitches" for a QB that allows his voice to carry and be heard in the snaps.  To me, this is like that old saying "the devil is in the details".  Why not work on this?  Why not use it to slow a pass rush?  Why not use it to try and catch a team offsides?  And get the aforementioned free play...

Is it that time yet?

(07-09-2017, 08:58 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I still can't believe we did that...only team in the NFL.  I bet Andy would love to have a few plays with his hard count.  I remember sports science saying he had one of the best "pitches" for a QB that allows his voice to carry and be heard in the snaps.  To me, this is like that old saying "the devil is in the details".  Why not work on this?  Why not use it to slow a pass rush?  Why not use it to try and catch a team offsides?  And get the aforementioned free play...

Another one of my gripes with Marv, use Dalton to his strengths, he has a loud damn voice, he could be great in the hard count.

And he is very smart. Use it and take the shots when teams are caught offsides like you say.

This has been very frustrating for years. There is nothing to lose on these plays.

Don't get it, Marv seems to hamper this team often by not being aggressive at all.

(06-27-2017, 12:20 AM)grampahol Wrote: By far it's the elephant in the room, the offensive line,  specifically both tackles. They need to step up their game and I just don't buy Hobson's flavor of the month pretending that OG is preordained to be great.  We need to see it and not just have the web site tell us they're going to be great. 
As far as Marvin goes, well,  he doesn't play the game.  He's got faults like anyone else, but it's the players who have to perform on the field first and foremost. If players aren't performing it doesn't matter who's coaching. If we have a bunch of players not cutting it the greatest coach of all time isn't going to make them great. The players have to be great.  
Sometimes it seems that some of you believe that great coaches could win the super bowl with a bunch of 50 year old women.  No, they have to have great players or all bets are off. 

Great coaches get the BEST out of their players.