Talking with Big Wille on Instagram, TJ had this to say about Ross:


'John Ross is really good. He just needs to believe in himself. 

When they flew us out there to honor us, you remember that? That game was the first touch of John Ross’ career and he fumbled. They gave him a reverse; he fumbled the ball. He didn’t play the rest of the year.

And this is the thing though, if you’re the ninth pick in the draft, you should have all the confidence in the world — that’s number one. And number two is, if you don’t give him the ball after one f------ fumble after his rookie year, do you not think his confidence is going to drop?

He sends me video of his second year [2018]. He’s not playing. They took his confidence from him, without knowing it.

This is the honest to god truth. You know me. I ain’t sugar coating sh--. John Ross can mother fu----- go. Everybody knows he’s fast. He’s quick, he can run routes, and he catches the ball. Physically, it’s phenomenal. It has to be mental. They took his confidence from him.

Part of me working with him, isn’t getting him better physically, it’s getting him better mentally.'

Great coaching by old Marv on that one...

That echos what he said in the Lindsey Patterson interview. TJ further said if HE had Ross's physical skills he would have been the best receiver in football.

(04-18-2020, 12:21 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Great coaching by old Marv on that one...

10 bucks says Joe Burrow tells Ross to man the f up. Then throws him a deep bomb TD

(04-18-2020, 12:13 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: This is the honest to god truth. You know me. I ain’t sugar coating sh--. John Ross can mother fu----- go. Everybody knows he’s fast. He’s quick, he can run routes, and he catches the ball. Physically, it’s phenomenal. It has to be mental. They took his confidence from him.

Part of me working with him, isn’t getting him better physically, it’s getting him better mentally.'

He's fast: When he wants to be, otherwise he gets blanketed by 30+ year old CBs running step-for-step with him.

He can run routes: But not always the right one, or always played through to completion.

He catches the ball: Except all the times he drops it.

- - - - - - - 

I do agree a lot of his issues are on the mental side (physical glass fragility aside) but it has nothing to do with them taking his confidence from him.

I’m really rooting for Ross to have a breakout season. Kid has all the talent in the world. If he can clean up the drops, and stay healthy I think he will.

I absolutely he can get some chemistry with Burrow. He doesn’t need 1500 yards and 12 TD’s to be a key part of offense.

Is TJ working with him? Because if so, then I'll take this opinion with a huge grain of salt.

I really don't buy it either way. It's not the organization's, or any coach's job or resonsibility to create or foster confidence within a single player.

In fact I would say the opposite is true. It's the player's job to create or inspire confidence, both from teammates and the staff. Confidence within should already be there. And from the outside it's earned.

My opinion on Ross is pretty simple. The guy is phenominal athlete, but he's not a true football player. He's a track star in pads. That's not to say he's doomed to irrelevance. It just means there's certain limitations that are self-created.

Ths guy is soft. Plays like a *****. Early in the year he caught a short pass where he had some space.There were a couple guys in front of him and he just purposely fell down. Didn't want to get hit. Chad maybe could get away with that after long gains and back-to-back-to-back AFC yards leaders. A guy that's been a career bust not even trying to juke or break a tackle on a short screen can't.

I could see putting up some numbers even with everything just said. But it's all on him. He ran out of excuses 3 years ago. This is just another.

I'm just going to say Ross has had a lot of injuries in his short career. Then again, he joins a long list of many Bengals injured last few years. The top draft picks missing rookie years may be setting an NFL record by Bengals.

This 20/20 hindsight that he should not have ran a WR Reverse. That's a basic football play.

With all the Top Pick Bengals missing most of rookie year to injuries including someone named Jonah, I just hope Burrow can avoid the Bengals Draft Pick Jinx this team has had many drafts lately.

Back to Ross, if he can ever stay healthy, he will have a great season. The Bengals have not been physical enough, and often are weaker and not as good as opponents, it's not all a mental adjustment thing. A rebuild trying to get better talent at many positions is needed. It wasn't all coaching, many players last few years just weren't good enough for the NFL. Bengals roster has been weak, certainly O Line and Linebacker. Lucky they got 2 wins, showing you can't lose them all.

(04-18-2020, 12:31 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I’m really rooting for Ross to have a breakout season. Kid has all the talent in the world. If he can clean up the drops, and stay healthy I think he will.

That would help, but I think people would even be willing to allow a drop or two a game if he was pulling off 80+ yards a game even with the drops.

(04-18-2020, 12:22 PM)pally Wrote: That echos what he said in the Lindsey Patterson interview. TJ further said if HE had Ross's physical skills he would have been the best receiver in football.

Burrow will not be known for dropping deep bombs. Where he will succeed especially with John Ross is placement hitting him in stride on slants and crossing routes where Ross can turn on the burners.

Well there’s goes all the positive when he said Burrow was the truth. We will keep making excuses until he’s gone.

(04-18-2020, 12:47 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Is TJ working with him? Because if so, then I'll take this opinion with a huge grain of salt.  

I really don't buy it either way. It's not the organization's, or any coach's job or resonsibility to create or foster confidence within a single player.  

In fact I would say the opposite is true. It's the player's job to create or inspire confidence, both from teammates and the staff.  Confidence within should already be there.  And from the outside it's earned.

My opinion on Ross is pretty simple. The guy is phenominal athlete, but he's not a true football player. He's a track star in pads. That's not to say he's doomed to irrelevance. It just means there's certain limitations that are self-created.

Ths guy is soft. Plays like a *****.  Early in the year he caught a short pass where he had some space.There were a couple guys in front of him and he just purposely fell down. Didn't want to get hit. Chad maybe could get away with that after long gains and back-to-back-to-back AFC yards leaders. A guy that's been a career bust not even trying to juke or break a tackle  on a short screen can't.

I could see putting up some numbers even with everything just said. But it's all on him.  He ran out of excuses 3 years ago.  This is just another.

Think of it like a regular job where the coach is the manager and the player is the employee.
If you're the manager and an employee seems to lack confidence and therefore is unproductive, it's also your responsibility to try to get that employee (back) on track to make them more productive. Some things you cannot control and eventually have to cut your losses if improvement cannot be made, but to simply say it's not management's responsibility to also try to encourage/motivate is just flat out wrong.
Don't be a coach/manager if you're not willing to try to help a player/employee improve.

(04-18-2020, 12:54 PM)Socal Bengals fan Wrote: Well there’s goes all the positive when he said Burrow was the truth. We will keep making excuses until he’s gone.

You don’t have games like the one Ross did against Seattle last year if you’re extremely talented. He just needs to focus and put it all together. And stay healthy ofc.

(04-18-2020, 12:54 PM)thompson19osu Wrote: Burrow will not be known for dropping deep bombs. Where he will succeed especially with John Ross is placement hitting him in stride on slants and crossing routes where Ross can turn on the burners.

Bingo. 
The former regime had an infatuation with sending Ross deep often, and it didn't pay off. If one looks at his sophomore season in the NFL or watched his senior year at Washington, one would see that Ross is really good in the short and intermediate routes then getting YAC.
It's ok to take a few deep shots a game to Ross, but you definitely need to take advantage of his initial quickness in the short and intermediate game.

He's basically a rookie and would be great if he played every game in a season. Got it.

I hope TJ is also teaching Ross how to play the ball in the air because he is possibly the worst WR at that I have ever seen. And you can't try to lay this at the feet of anyone else because if it was not him then we would have most or all of our WRs exhibiting the same issues; but we don't. Really it is just Ross who drops balls that hit him right on the hands, loses the ball in the air and making easy plays hard and also flat out running the wrong route or prematurely breaking it off.

This team really needs a field stretcher and Ross ain't it.

He gets jammed too easily.

His "speed" is in space and making players miss.

Let's hope the play-caller(whomever that may be)understands this.

Yea TJ he runs routes.... just not good ones.

(04-18-2020, 12:21 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Great coaching by old Marv on that one...

Fred in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1