(10-06-2021, 05:01 PM)Synric Wrote: They just signed Rasul Douglas.

(10-06-2021, 02:09 PM)GodFather Wrote: The defense has been playing great up to this point in 4 games, ranking in the top ten in almost every category, but is this just a product of schedule magic? (of the 4 teams we played so far they all have 4 combined wins between them all)

Well with Aaron Rodgers coming to town there will be no excuses this Sunday on where this defense stands against the NFL top teams.

What are your expectations? The defense to continue to play top 10 "D" or will the ball drop and see the Lou "D" we've been accustomed to watching the past two years?

(10-06-2021, 04:50 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: I've avoided mention this because I don't feel like dealing with being called negative or doom and gloomy or people thinking it is a toss back to the off-season draft debate, but it is the same when you look at the offense. People are making threads and getting all hyped and tossing it around like this OL is completely fixed while they ignore the teams that were played. The Vikings are bad, and their defense ranks as giving up the 8th most yards in the NFL. The Steelers had multiple starters missing, including their best pass rusher in Watt a guy you have to game plan for and their best coverage guy in Haden. The other win is against the defense allowing the 3rd most yards and a team that is just not good. The OL should be looking dominate in those games, the one time they played a really good front was the Bears, and the OL graded poorly. 

It is great to see the team winning games it should win, and it's great to have a winning record but it is also fair to be skeptical of the vast improvement until the team is tested more against better competition. Let's see how it looks after Green Bay, and Cleveland, and even Denver still has a good defense. 

I'm hopeful it continues, but anyone who was a fan of this team for more than two seasons knows that you have to be ready for things to drastically change at any moment. That isn't negative, that isn't combative or being down on the team, that is the programmed condition of being a Bengal fan for a lifetime. 

(10-06-2021, 03:14 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: I’m almost certain that it was real. Everett has been asked about it plenty of times and maintains that it was not at all staged. Jim Rome does as well. In fact, Rome said that he regretted it in a 2003 interview, saying that he “went too far” by calling him Chris Everett three times.

(10-06-2021, 05:10 PM)Tony Wrote: Joe Haden played against the Bengals..Chase scored on him..

(10-06-2021, 06:47 PM)Joelist Wrote: I still maintain that the tendency on this board to always try to minimize anything the team or its players accomplish is a bit over the top. Like it or not they HAVE played well on defense and they ARE much more in sync offensively now. The Bears game was weird because a lot of the issue was Zac handcuffing his own offense by not allowing it to go deep. When he did they scored quickly.

The REAL key is whether Zac will get out of the way of his team and let them play - let Burrow be Burrow and so on. The D will overall handle its end and keep the score manageable and if the offense is unshackled we could have ourselves a shootout.

(10-06-2021, 07:32 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: I can't speak for anyone besides myself.

While I somewhat agree, since I said earlier this season that even if the team won the Super Bowl, some fans would find faults in the game, my view is cautiously optimistic, which I feel like describes 90% of the people you want to say are minimizing things.

What people are saying is, "Hey, this is a good offense and a real test for the defense." Meaning, hey, this is a game where they can show us all that this is the new norm for the team. 

That isn't unfair, that doesn't make anyone a downer or less of a fan, it just is a place that can make believers out of people who have been let down by this franchise for decades.

(10-06-2021, 07:39 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: You are the new Mayor of Realville and I appreciate your honest take on all things Cincinnati.  Green Bay is a handful for any team in the league; they would even give the Bills or Cardinals a tough game.  The Bengals will have to fire on all cylinders in all three aspects of the game in order to be competitive this Sunday.  This game IS winnable but the Packers are FAR from an “easy out.”

(10-06-2021, 07:46 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: I appreciate that.

I've been told I'm a "downer" and "full of doom and gloom" and I think "argumentative" was used a few times as well.

What I am, is a Bengals fan that has seen so much losing and so many unique ways to lose that I'm not going to get my hopes all the way up again to have Jeremy Hill fumble them away again. 

The Packers are absolutely a handful, great description. Rodgers can still make things happen like few in the league. Watching him drive the field with 37 seconds and no timeouts to beat the 49ers was proof he still has "it". This is a chance for the Bengals to make everyone around that follows the NFL take notice and go, "okay, this team has to be taken seriously". 

(10-06-2021, 07:46 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote:  "okay, this team has to be taken seriously". 

(10-06-2021, 06:47 PM)Joelist Wrote: I still maintain that the tendency on this board to always try to minimize anything the team or its players accomplish is a bit over the top. Like it or not they HAVE played well on defense and they ARE much more in sync offensively now. The Bears game was weird because a lot of the issue was Zac handcuffing his own offense by not allowing it to go deep. When he did they scored quickly.

The REAL key is whether Zac will get out of the way of his team and let them play - let Burrow be Burrow and so on. The D will overall handle its end and keep the score manageable and if the offense is unshackled we could have ourselves a shootout.

(10-06-2021, 05:05 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: Cant we say that more for offensive for test, Minn has a top scoring offensive and our def. Did fine

(10-06-2021, 08:48 PM)Nately120 Wrote: A win is a win, but week 1 had the Steelers winning in Buffalo and the Packers scoring 3 points and looking like absolute trash.  I'm of the mind that going against the reigning MVP QB on a "prove it" tour is going to be a test.  Our D has done well, but it was also against the week 1 Vikings, Andy Dalton (actually, they didn't do too well against him) and Justin Fields (who got decimated by the Browns), a Jaguars offense that has been awful and turned the ball over like crazy against everyone except us, and a Steelers team we're gleefully declaring DONE.

So yea, this game should be quite the step up from the first 4 games.  And yes, it should be a test for the offense, too.  If Mixon isn't playing or is limited that's going to add to the pressure for Burrow to throw the ball 50+ times to keep up with Rodgers.

(10-06-2021, 08:48 PM)Nately120 Wrote: So yea, this game should be quite the step up from the first 4 games.  And yes, it should be a test for the offense, too.  If Mixon isn't playing or is limited that's going to add to the pressure for Burrow to throw the ball 50+ times to keep up with Rodgers.

(10-07-2021, 08:48 AM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: I can’t believe I am about to give props to Zac Taylor but this year has been far different than the previous two with respect to play calling.  He’s still not where he needs to be but  I give Zac his due credit for being much more balanced than he has been in the past. The most passes Joe Burrow has attempted this year is 32 which is awesome.   Like it or not, the run game will have to be there on Sunday to beat Green Bay which means Chris Evans and Samaje Perine have to put on their big boy pads and carry the load. The offensive line is run blocking better than in the past so it’s not like Evans and Perine won’t get opportunities to excel.

Throwing the ball 50+ times per game resulted into embarrassingly bad seasons for Zac Taylor and the Bengals.  It didn’t even matter who was doing the passing because neither Andy Dalton nor Joe Burrow succeeded without a run game to complement their passing ability.  Passing less has resulted in an impressive 3-1 start which I freely admit I did not see coming.