(01-08-2021, 02:46 AM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Here's what I want to know.  This is for you, SBBound, Sled, and whoever is DennyG's ghost (because lord knows I used to battle with him too much on the old mothership board and I see too much resembling his old posts in some of these...):

Is your optimism related specifically to Zac Taylor, or is it just wanting/hoping the best for the team?  I won't give any snark or reasons why it should be one or the other.  I just want to know.  For those who say Zac will turn the corner next year, why?  Is it because of him, or just wanting and hoping the best for the team next year?  I do believe there is a difference. 

Yes, I am an optimist. Life is too short not to wear Rose colored glasses. My glass is never half empty it is always half full.
I wake up with a positive attitude almost everyday. I try to focus on the good in anybody I meet.

I had a good vibe from the ZT hiring. I wanted someone that was not associated with the Bengals and brought in a fresh take on how the Bengals should operate. I have felt for years that our play calling has been predictable. I do not see that with ZT. Many times (Finley rushing TD) I have no idea what play is coming next. How many times did we watch the Bengals bring Gio and every knew a screen was coming.


With that said. I will admit I am wrong if the 2021 Bengals season is a losing non competitive season like it was in 2019. I know 2020 was a losing season but felt we were competitive in most of the games even with the significant injuries they were dealt with. That makes me think that the 2021 Season should not only be a competitive season but a season where agonizing losses like the Chargers game turn into thrilling victories like the Steelers. There is no win total I can put to this. I think most people on this board will know if we have changed or not. If the season is anything like the last 2 then I will agree it is time for a new coach.

Until then, the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals are SuperBowlBound!

(01-08-2021, 11:19 AM)SuperBowlBound! Wrote: Yes, I am an optimist. Life is too short not to wear Rose colored glasses. My glass is never half empty it is always half full.
I wake up with a positive attitude almost everyday. I try to focus on the good in anybody I meet.

I had a good vibe from the ZT hiring. I wanted someone that was not associated with the Bengals and brought in a fresh take on how the Bengals should operate. I have felt for years that our play calling has been predictable. I do not see that with ZT. Many times (Finley rushing TD) I have no idea what play is coming next. How many times did we watch the Bengals bring Gio and every knew a screen was coming.


With that said. I will admit I am wrong if the 2021 Bengals season is a losing non competitive season like it was in 2019. I know 2020 was a losing season but felt we were competitive in most of the games even with the significant injuries they were dealt with. That makes me think that the 2021 Season should not only be a competitive season but a season where agonizing losses like the Chargers game turn into thrilling victories like the Steelers. There is no win total I can put to this. I think most people on this board will know if we have changed or not. If the season is anything like the last 2 then I will agree it is time for a new coach.

Until then, the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals are SuperBowlBound!

I hope you're right, really I do. My faith meter just isn't nearly as high as yours though.

(01-08-2021, 02:46 AM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: and whoever is DennyG's ghost (because lord knows I used to battle with him too much on the old mothership board and I see too much resembling his old posts in some of these...)

Did you have the same screen name on the old board or did you go by something different? 

(01-08-2021, 10:57 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I just bumped it up for you. I don’t think it’s a bad thread at all.

I just did the same.

OP's thread was perfectly fine.  Those one stars thread ranking are usually one angry person who takes exception with the opinion so the rate the thread based on hurt feelings and not substance or the effort put into creating a talking point. 

They're not much different than the poster who goes around and thumbs down everyone all of the time. (Seriously, there's a single poster on here that contributes like 95% of the thumbs down, and he'll do it like a dozen times in a single thread)

IMHO, any thread that generates pages and pages of discussion is automatically a quality thread.  Since we're all here to talk and debate, anything that creates days of worth of debate is an above average thread.

(01-08-2021, 12:18 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Did you have the same screen name on the old board or did you go by something different? 

Different.  I honestly don't even remember what it was.  I was on the Bengals Lair board when that existed and the mothership board until it died, but I had different screen names on each.  The worst one was the old message system that used to be on the team site that wasn't even a forum.  

(01-08-2021, 02:53 AM)wildcatnku24 Wrote: There’s a huge difference, I agree.  For me, it’s wanting and hoping the best for the team next year, which in turn means Zac turns it around  and becomes what we wanted/needed when we replaced ML.  

I’m not afraid of snark, so snark away :) 

As you can likely tell, I’m not afraid to have the unpopular opinion, and I’m usually more than okay with the opposite one as long as it isn’t without any logic or reason at all.  I am one of those people that just needs to understand why something the way it is, and then usually I can accept it.  I used to get along with DennyG when I was a different name on the old boards.  Although believe it or not, he was obnoxiously optimistic without any obvious cause even to me.  And that should tell ya something right there, cuz I know my own stance is mind boggling to many of you.  LOL

Before the Bengals officially announced they were bringing Zac back for a 3rd year, were you supportive of him coming back?  I certainly understand hoping he'll win next year and that he'll be the coach to take them to the promised land since he's here.  I absolutely share that hope.  I just also can't look at what he's done and think that he should have been brought back or that he has the skills to take this team where we all want them to go.  I don't think being a Bengals fan and being a Zac fan have to go hand in hand.  Nor do I think being a fan means supporting every decision the team makes.  

I think sometimes we get caught up in the "who's a better fan" game, like at the end of the day when the team finally wins a SB there's some kind of special vindication for those who said they stood by all of the decisions of the org through the years while others doubted.  I don't even know that it's a conscious thing, but I've met a lot of fans over the years who have given me that impression.  

(01-08-2021, 10:57 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I just bumped it up for you. I don’t think it’s a bad thread at all.

I never even saw this before...Like, I didn't know what rep was from the old board from probably a year...

I just wondered if it was a weighted average and do people really rate the threads or is it someone with an axe to grind?

(01-08-2021, 12:55 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: I just wondered if it was a weighted average and do people really rate the threads or is it someone with an axe to grind?

Very few people rate threads.  Ususally it's just a single person.

That's the case here as two of us have now bumped it and it's all the way to a 4 star.  Had there been multiple ratings it wouldn't have shot up that much,

(01-08-2021, 01:02 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Very few people rate threads.  Ususally it's just a single person.

That's the case here as two of us have now bumped it and it's all the way to a 4 star.  Had there been multiple ratings it wouldn't have shot up that much,

Gotcha...I think I can guess who likes to take a dump on my thread....or any thread.  Haha.  

(01-08-2021, 12:47 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Before the Bengals officially announced they were bringing Zac back for a 3rd year, were you supportive of him coming back?  I certainly understand hoping he'll win next year and that he'll be the coach to take them to the promised land since he's here.  I absolutely share that hope.  I just also can't look at what he's done and think that he should have been brought back or that he has the skills to take this team where we all want them to go.  I don't think being a Bengals fan and being a Zac fan have to go hand in hand.  Nor do I think being a fan means supporting every decision the team makes.  

I think sometimes we get caught up in the "who's a better fan" game, like at the end of the day when the team finally wins a SB there's some kind of special vindication for those who said they stood by all of the decisions of the org through the years while others doubted.  I don't even know that it's a conscious thing, but I've met a lot of fans over the years who have given me that impression.  

I was supportive of him coming back prior to the announcement, yes.  But that's because I still am buying what he's selling.  I'm not ready to say he's all talk yet like some, but I do understand why others feel that way.  

I think we do, too.  I may even be guilty of that at times, especially when some folks on here seem to want the Bengals to do badly just because they've held onto a coach they don't agree with.  I struggle to see the other side I guess.

(01-08-2021, 12:47 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Before the Bengals officially announced they were bringing Zac back for a 3rd year, were you supportive of him coming back?  I certainly understand hoping he'll win next year and that he'll be the coach to take them to the promised land since he's here.  I absolutely share that hope.  I just also can't look at what he's done and think that he should have been brought back or that he has the skills to take this team where we all want them to go.  I don't think being a Bengals fan and being a Zac fan have to go hand in hand.  Nor do I think being a fan means supporting every decision the team makes.  

I think sometimes we get caught up in the "who's a better fan" game, like at the end of the day when the team finally wins a SB there's some kind of special vindication for those who said they stood by all of the decisions of the org through the years while others doubted.  I don't even know that it's a conscious thing, but I've met a lot of fans over the years who have given me that impression.  

Zac was brought back for a number of reasons,One,Mr. Brown does not like change, and Zac was a all in hire with the whole Brown family and Duke as well. He did have a ton of injuries in key positions,however the guy had a new QB, a new system and a ton of new players,many that are not proven starters,I do believe the wins,losses will be much better barring injuries.
   We have to get a top OL coach that can coach and the players like and learn from. I would go after Dave Lapham in a heart beat and offer him the house,he would take it and we would be a super O-line. Our schedule is scary,I see maybe 8 wins and if possible 9 and a playoff position.That is my take on this,and I hope A.J.Green is back and Geno Atkins as well,A.J. in second year of this offense will go off and play at a Pro-Bowl level.

(01-08-2021, 03:34 PM)fortyyearfan Wrote: Zac was brought back for a number of reasons,One,Mr. Brown does not like change, and Zac was a all in hire with the whole Brown family and Duke as well. He did have a ton of injuries in key positions,however the guy had a new QB, a new system and a ton of new players,many that are not proven starters,I do believe the wins,losses will be much better barring injuries.
   We have to get a top OL coach that can coach and the players like and learn from. I would go after Dave Lapham in a heart beat and offer him the house,he would take it and we would be a super O-line. Our schedule is scary,I see maybe 8 wins and if possible 9 and a playoff position.That is my take on this,and I hope A.J.Green is back and Geno Atkins as well,A.J. in second year of this offense will go off and play at a Pro-Bowl level.

8 or 9 wins in this division right could quite possibly still be last place and miss playoffs completely.  I think you need to be looking at double-digits in the win column to make playoffs out of the AFCN. 

As far as AJ and Geno, I think AJ is done.  I would be very surprised to see him come back, and if he did, I have a hard time seeing him making it back to pro bowl form.  He didn't look lost in the system this year, he looked apathetic.  Geno could still be an interesting rotational piece on the DL and would seem to have juice left, but he hasn't shows dominance under Lou.  I don't foresee a change at DL coach making a difference since Geno didn't have technique issues previously that I can recall.  

(01-08-2021, 02:32 AM)wildcatnku24 Wrote: Cool story.  I of course see a different future, but who knows!  Here’s hoping you’re wrong.  I’m not sure if you hope you’re wrong or not though.

*Rod Serling voice*

Imagine if you would, a door. Now imagine every time you walk through that door, a big bucked of diarrhea shits is dumped on your head.

You keep walking through that door and every time, a bucket of shit is dumped on your head. Sometimes it's a big, almost inhumanly stinky bucket of shit. Other times it's just a small amount of shit.

After you get tired of having shit dumped on your head every time you walk through that door, you decide 'i'm not walking through that damn door and getting shit dumped on my head again'. But then, someone with a real positive attitude walks up and says, "hey, i know you've walked through that door a bunch of times and every time you have, shit has been dumped on your head, but this time it's going to be different. Go ahead and walk through that door. No shit this time, i believe it and hope it turns out well". 

What are the chances you're just going to walk right through that door because someone told you, against every bit of empircal evidence that you've experienced, it was going to be ok and no shit was going to get dumped on your head?

(01-08-2021, 06:42 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: *Rod Serling voice*

Imagine if you would, a door. Now imagine every time you walk through that door, a big bucked of diarrhea shits is dumped on your head.

You keep walking through that door and every time, a bucket of shit is dumped on your head. Sometimes it's a big, almost inhumanly stinky bucket of shit. Other times it's just a small amount of shit.

After you get tired of having shit dumped on your head every time you walk through that door, you decide 'i'm not walking through that damn door and getting shit dumped on my head again'. But then, someone with a real positive attitude walks up and says, "hey, i know you've walked through that door a bunch of times and every time you have, shit has been dumped on your head, but this time it's going to be different. Go ahead and walk through that door. No shit this time, i believe it and hope it turns out well". 

What are the chances you're just going to walk right through that door because someone told you, against every bit of empircal evidence that you've experienced, it was going to be ok and no shit was going to get dumped on your head?

(01-08-2021, 07:14 PM)fredtoast Wrote:

I saw an alternate cartoon to that once...but i don't think it's appropriate for this msg board.