(05-29-2015, 12:02 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I remember two years ago many "experts" were picking the Bengals to not only win the AFC North, but to make the Super Bowl and win it. That team was talented, but arguably not as talented as this years current team. This years team has many of those same players mixed with a lot of younger, more athletic guys.

So, why is the Super Bowl hype not there with this team? Is it a lack of belief that the fan base and media has due to their previous playoff results? Is it a lack of belief that Andy Dalton can actually get this team to the promised land? Do people not believe in the defense as much under Gunther?

What has made people change their opinion on the Bengals from two years ago to this year, especially due to the fact that the Bengals are arguably a better team than they were two years ago?

(05-29-2015, 12:14 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Ok I'll bite.  First off, why is everyone so insistent on putting experts in quotations marks?  Is it because they don't always predict NFL-related  happenings with enough accuracy?  Is it because opinions are all worthless?  I don't get it.  The experts were going on about how talented the Bengals are/were and some people still want to act like they're all a bunch of ill-informed dopes.

Ok, general rant over, but I guess you sort of answer your own question in a sense.  The "experts" picked the Bengals to stop flopping in round 1 and make a run and the Bengals responded by flopping in round 1 2 years in a row.  Experts don't want to be wrong and therefore be considered hacks, so they're going to stop hyping up a team that continues to make them look like dopes whenever they give it their seal of approval.

Also, are we sure this team is that much better than the 2013 squad?  I get it, Jeremy Hill is going to run for 250 yards per game but our defense may not recover, Dalton may actually miss some games eventually, and we have yet to see if our great 2013 numbers can be reached by our new "promote-from-within-and-hope-for-the-best" coordinators.

I suppose my point is that I'm a Bengals fan who isn't paid to have an even slightly-informed opinion on football and I can't even put my name on the line to say the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl...can you?  Honestly, can you?

(05-29-2015, 12:37 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I put "experts" in quotations because the entire concept behind a sports "expert" is laughable. I don't think anyone is an expert when it comes to sports analysis. Sports are based off of parity and intangibles. Sure, people can make educated guesses based off of some sort of analytical data, but can't we all do that? What makes a former NFL football player sitting on ESPN's stage that has watched the EXACT same games that I have and has analyzed the EXACT same data that I have opinion better than mine? It comes down to an educated guess. I don't call anyone that makes educated guesses an "expert" by any means. 

I guess I should have used the term "analyst" in my original post. We would have avoided this entire conversation. 

(05-29-2015, 01:44 PM)Interceptor Wrote: Well, this team has proved the "experts" are all fakes.

(05-29-2015, 01:59 PM)Nately120 Wrote: By what?  Looking like a 5-11 team whenever the playoffs roll around and they predict a deep Bengals run?

(05-29-2015, 12:02 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: So, why is the Super Bowl hype not there with this team? Is it a lack of belief that the fan base and media has due to their previous playoff results? Is it a lack of belief that Andy Dalton can actually get this team to the promised land? Do people not believe in the defense as much under Gunther?

(05-29-2015, 08:04 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The NFL is a HC and QB driven league.  One of the two must be "elite" in order for success of the highest level can be achieved.

Basically, I'm saying that if Brady and Belicheat had taken over, after the '11 season, the Bengals might have won 3 straight SB.  The roster is that good.  It's leadership, both on the sidelines and in the huddle that is holding this team back.