We need to slow down... They won one ***** game against a really bad team. It's hard to go 0-16. Too hard for the Cincinnati Bengals.

(12-01-2019, 11:54 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: We will always have some injuries. But yes...totally healthy I would be curious too.

Guys like AJ Green, Dennard, Glenn...they're hurt basically every year for atleast a few games.

Lets face it too, most franchise's hire a new HC and they bring in a few upgrades in free agency. Zac didn't get that either.

It's just hard to win here. IF he went to a team like the 49ers, he'd get more support from the franchise.

The excuse for no upgrades last year seems to be that the "SCoUtiNg dEpaRtMenT" didn't have enough experience with the new staff to understand the kind of players they needed to run the new system.  

I guess this coming offseason we can expect a better FA experience and an intensified effort to add players that fit Taylor's staff.

(12-01-2019, 11:59 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: So, let me get this straight...

Some of you can't stand losing so much, during this piece of crap 1-11 lost season, you'd rather win a couple meaningless game and get NOTHING out of this wasted season, as opposed to actually profiting from this raging dumpster fire.

You really want NOTHING for your efforts?

SMDH

Indeed. The difference between a Top pick and the 4th pick will be pretty pronounced.

IF we go 2-14 or 4-12 is it really that much better looking back on the year? It was a terrible year either way.

2-14 is the #1 pick possibly. 4-12 could be the 3 or 4 pick.

(12-01-2019, 11:54 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Lets face it too, most franchise's hire a new HC and they bring in a few upgrades in free agency. Zac didn't get that either.

It's just hard to win here. IF he went to a team like the 49ers, he'd get more support from the franchise.

In my entire lifetime of watching and following the Bengals, I have never known them to be proactive.  Always just racing around, trying to put out fires, in a reactive mode of thinking.

Winning isn't just created overnight.  It's an attitude that starts with the owner's burning desire to have a Lombardi Trophy in his showcase, it resonates throughout every member of the organization from the Head Coach to the lowliest towel boy, and reverberates back through the roar of the crowds. 

 

(12-01-2019, 08:22 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Indeed Pittsburgh is decimated and 7-5. How they have 7 wins...I don't know.

Because Mike Tomlin isn't the bumbling fool that many of us think he is... And they're in a weak division.

(12-02-2019, 12:06 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: In my entire lifetime of watching and following the Bengals, I have never known them to be proactive.  Always just racing around, trying to put out fires, in a reactive mode of thinking.

Winning isn't just created overnight.  It's an attitude that starts with the owner's burning desire to have a Lombardi Trophy in his showcase, it resonates throughout every member of the organization from the Head Coach to the lowliest towel boy, and reverberates back through the roar of the crowds. 

 

You sound like the voice of NFL Films right now my man...

(12-02-2019, 12:08 AM)jason Wrote: You sound like the voice of NFL Films right now my man...

Cue the trombone music, and we're all set.  Back in my youth, I actually earned a B.S. in Mass Communications..  

Still 14th straight under 24 points

(12-01-2019, 11:37 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: I would surmise that they declined to extend due to his knee and because they have to pay Lewan and Saffold big bucks already and i believe they think Dennis Kelly can take over Conklin's spot. He hasn't played at the All Pro level from his rookie year but he's an instant upgrade to Bobby Hart and he's above average in passpro, even after his injury...which he will be another year away from. He has bounced back from an "average" year in 2018 and i think he should get even better next year. 

Conklin isn't going to sign to be a backup. And he's not a stop gap. If he's in FA, he's going to look to get paid. As far as Thomas goes...i don't question his talent. I just don't want another average to below year from whoever is behind center next year. I want a #1OA graded QB and i want to fix the line, which can be done between now and the start of TC next year. Year after year i keep seeing other teams get QBs that make throws in the most important games to win Sunday and Monday night and Playoff games. I want one of those guys. 

If you don't know much about Joe Burrow, don't just watch a couple videos, go read up on him.
 https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/lsu/article_b12cabf8-65e2-11e8-889b-c3de62778f9f.html
https://www.tigerrag.com/football-junkie-joe-burrow-impressing-lsus-coaching-staff-with-hard-work-humility/
This guy isn't Akili "i don't know the playbook" Smith--the one hit wonder some compare him to. Someone posted a video of him at OSU, a tug of war with a LB--and Joe won. The guy is a competitor.

It looks like he has a bit of an ego, but so did Boomer "I don't want to sound like a spoiled brat, but this is like a slap in the face to me" Esiason. 

Trust me, I know Burrow.  I just don't put the faith in him that you do.  It isn't just the 1 year wonder, but also the fact that LSU and Alabama have typically produced squat at the QB position.  Using buzzwords like "he's a competitor" is not something to claim about the guy, simply because Dalton is also a competitor, I would be willing to bet every QB in the league can be classified as a competitor, not all of them win though.

What you want is a winner.  Burrow definitely looks the part of being a winner, but so does a plethora of QBs in the draft.  Burrow doesn't strike me as any more special than Eason or Tua or Fromm.  Hell coming out of college Dalton looked like a winner for TCU.

It sounds like you want a media darling at QB.  Someone that the pundits will salivate over like Mahomes, Mayfield, Ryan and Rivers so that no matter how bad he plays, the media won't trash him like they do with QBs they never did like or was meh about.

Ryan is a perfect example of this.  I don't think one person has ever called for Matt Ryan to be benched or to claim that he is the reason for Atlanta's woes, even with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley and at one point Sanu.  Just never hear of anyone trashing him in the media. 

Burrow would be the media darling and if he struggles the media won't admit that they were wrong about him, only that the Bengals coaching staff is inept, the OLine is terrible and he has no running game.  Either that or they will focus on the porous defense.

As I have said a solid OLine makes everyone better.  Gives you the best chance to win games, either low scoring or shoot outs.  An OLine with Williams and Thomas as the bookends looks very appealing to me.  I admit that there is a risk in selecting OLine considering our past history, but Georgia and Alabama have produced better OLine players than Oregon and Texas A&M, so I would be a least a bit more confident that Williams and Thomas would be a great pairing for the OLine.  I would also take a Georgia and Bama tackle over a Michigan State guy like Conklin.

(12-02-2019, 12:05 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Indeed. The difference between a Top pick and the 4th pick will be pretty pronounced.

IF we go 2-14 or 4-12 is it really that much better looking back on the year? It was a terrible year either way.

2-14 is the #1 pick possibly. 4-12 could be the 3 or 4 pick.

Depends on what you are wanting.  Since I want Thomas, I would take him with the 1st pick (I could hear the screams now), but chances are he is there at 3 or 4.

You want Joe Burrow.  You think if we don't have the 1st pick we will miss out on him.  You like him so much you think every QB needy team will give up a ransom for him.  Maybe they do.  Hell if we have the 1st pick and we are offered an insane value, then I HOPE we make the trade as oppose to taking Burrow (that would add another Akili Smith comparison and be way to crazy of a coincidence).

(12-02-2019, 12:57 AM)OswaldsLegacy Wrote: Depends on what you are wanting.  Since I want Thomas, I would take him with the 1st pick (I could hear the screams now), but chances are he is there at 3 or 4.

You want Joe Burrow.  You think if we don't have the 1st pick we will miss out on him.  You like him so much you think every QB needy team will give up a ransom for him.  Maybe they do.  Hell if we have the 1st pick and we are offered an insane value, then I HOPE we make the trade as oppose to taking Burrow (that would add another Akili Smith comparison and be way to crazy of a coincidence).

I was actually pretty skeptical of Burrow early in the year and called him a 1-year wonder...but I started watching him play more. He very well could be a bust, but IF he's the real deal...it turns this franchise around.

IF I had 1 - Burrow
2 - Young
3 - Thomas

That would be how I'd draft. And note: I'd be happy with Thomas. Addressing line is a big thing.

It's just, at some point we need a QB and picking 1 seems like a great time to take one.

Interestingly, the Patriots look bad against the Texans. We'll probably play them like it's the Super Bowl. They'll likely not care about beating us.

(12-02-2019, 12:49 AM)OswaldsLegacy Wrote: Trust me, I know Burrow.  I just don't put the faith in him that you do.  It isn't just the 1 year wonder, but also the fact that LSU and Alabama have typically produced squat at the QB position.  Using buzzwords like "he's a competitor" is not something to claim about the guy, simply because Dalton is also a competitor, I would be willing to bet every QB in the league can be classified as a competitor, not all of them win though.

What you want is a winner.  Burrow definitely looks the part of being a winner, but so does a plethora of QBs in the draft.  Burrow doesn't strike me as any more special than Eason or Tua or Fromm.  Hell coming out of college Dalton looked like a winner for TCU.

It sounds like you want a media darling at QB.  Someone that the pundits will salivate over like Mahomes, Mayfield, Ryan and Rivers so that no matter how bad he plays, the media won't trash him like they do with QBs they never did like or was meh about.

Ryan is a perfect example of this.  I don't think one person has ever called for Matt Ryan to be benched or to claim that he is the reason for Atlanta's woes, even with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley and at one point Sanu.  Just never hear of anyone trashing him in the media. 

Burrow would be the media darling and if he struggles the media won't admit that they were wrong about him, only that the Bengals coaching staff is inept, the OLine is terrible and he has no running game.  Either that or they will focus on the porous defense.

As I have said a solid OLine makes everyone better.  Gives you the best chance to win games, either low scoring or shoot outs.  An OLine with Williams and Thomas as the bookends looks very appealing to me.  I admit that there is a risk in selecting OLine considering our past history, but Georgia and Alabama have produced better OLine players than Oregon and Texas A&M, so I would be a least a bit more confident that Williams and Thomas would be a great pairing for the OLine.  I would also take a Georgia and Bama tackle over a Michigan State guy like Conklin.

The thing is - they could have Burrow and upgrade the line (via the draft AND free agency) if they chose to. It doesn't really have to be, and shouldn't be, an either/or proposition. That's the frustrating part. They'll most likely have the one of the top 2 picks, and plenty of cap...so there's no reason both things couldn't get accomplished. 

(12-02-2019, 12:06 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: It's an attitude that starts with the owner's burning desire to have a Lombardi Trophy in his showcase, 

 

Yep. And nothing says fire extinguisher more than mike brown's demeanor. 

(12-01-2019, 11:44 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Considering how well the line blocked today and how well they've been blocking with Glenn back...and that they can easily upgrade a position or two before next year, so you can do that and STILL get a QB...there's no reason for you to feel that way. 

Wrong.  The line has still played poorly.  Is Glenn a better option at LT over everyone we currently have?  Yep.  Doesn't mean we should roll with him.

The only QB I like in the draft this year is Eason and even he doesn't really wow me.

Taking a QB won't improve the OLine or Defense.  I want to fix the problems on this team, not just change parts for the sake of changing parts.  Dalton with the right OLine is a good QB, with the right weapons he has proven to be great.  Getting a QB without fixing the OLine (which forgive me for not being overly excited about the past 3 games) would leave us with a shiny new QB that will be dented and broken before he makes it a whole season.

(12-02-2019, 01:06 AM)Bengalholic Wrote: The thing is - they could have Burrow and upgrade the line (via the draft AND free agency) if they chose to. It doesn't really have to be, and shouldn't be, an either/or proposition. That's the frustrating part. They'll most likely have the one of the top 2 picks, and plenty of cap...so there's no reason both things couldn't get accomplished. 

I've tried explaining that to people so many times, i might as well be speaking to a wall. 

(12-02-2019, 01:11 AM)OswaldsLegacy Wrote: Wrong.  The line has still played poorly.  Is Glenn a better option at LT over everyone we currently have?  Yep.  Doesn't mean we should roll with him.

The only QB I like in the draft this year is Eason and even he doesn't really wow me.

Taking a QB won't improve the OLine or Defense.  I want to fix the problems on this team, not just change parts for the sake of changing parts.  Dalton with the right OLine is a good QB, with the right weapons he has proven to be great.  Getting a QB without fixing the OLine (which forgive me for not being overly excited about the past 3 games) would leave us with a shiny new QB that will be dented and broken before he makes it a whole season.

He was "great" for one 10 game stretch in 2015. That's it. 

I like Eason's size and arm. I can't remember if it was this past week or the week before...he effortlessly threw the ball 64 yards in the air. 

When the pressure comes though, he's terrible. He keeps trying that reverse spin move to get out of trouble and it works about 4% of the time. If we're going QB 2nd round or later, i'd rather have Hurts because he can at least do some damage with his running ability and people are underestimating his throwing ability. I wouldn't be unhappy with Eason though. 

I'm just wating for FiK's post about how great Jacob's Dad was when he played for New England and how much they look alike. 

(12-02-2019, 01:06 AM)Bengalholic Wrote: The thing is - they could have Burrow and upgrade the line (via the draft AND free agency) if they chose to. It doesn't really have to be, and shouldn't be, an either/or proposition. That's the frustrating part. They'll most likely have the one of the top 2 picks, and plenty of cap...so there's no reason both things couldn't get accomplished. 

Again, if you believe Burrow is the guy.  I don't.  I would hate the Burrow pick.  More than likely wash my hands with the Bengals and just sit back and drink my tea reading the post on these boards all the while thinking "I told you so" as we continue to struggle and fail.

Yes it is frustrating to watch this team be mismanaged by the Ownership, but it is even more frustrating to me to have people call for us to select someone that really won't make that much of a difference other than maybe the media says nice things about them.

(12-02-2019, 01:23 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote:
He was "great" for one 10 game stretch in 2015. That's it. 

I like Eason's size and arm. I can't remember if it was this past week or the week before...he effortlessly threw the ball 64 yards in the air. 

When the pressure comes though, he's terrible. He keeps trying that reverse spin move to get out of trouble and it works about 4% of the time. If we're going QB 2nd round or later, i'd rather have Hurts because he can at least do some damage with his running ability and people are underestimating his throwing ability. I wouldn't be unhappy with Eason though. 

I'm just wating for FiK's post about how great Jacob's Dad was when he played for New England and how much they look alike. 

He also lost that OLine after 2015.  Never made it back to the playoffs and has been one of the most productive players on this team since losing his quality OLine.  

I don't understand how you can dismiss what he did in 14 when Green and Gresham went out or even in 13 when we went 8-0 at home and lost in the playoffs (which Dalton was terrible in that game, but so was the playcalling and just about everyone else on that team).

Hell even in 16 after he lost his OLine, many of those games came down to the FG kicker missing what should have been game winning kicks.  Even with the tie (which was another missed FG) our record would have been 9-6-1 and good enough for the playoffs, if we don't tie Washington in London that year and make that kick to win it the record is 10-6, which again is a playoff bound team.

There is a correlation between good QB play and OLine play and the fact that we have lost quality OLine players and haven't been successful in replacing them means that our QB play will suffer.

(12-02-2019, 01:14 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote: I've tried explaining that to people so many times, i might as well be speaking to a wall. 

I feel the same way about people screaming for Conklin and having us draft Burrows.