(10-30-2024, 01:25 PM)Wyche Wrote: I'm through blaming players and coaches (although I kinda got off that train after Marvin and Piano Man). The absolute ineptitude this front office has displayed in maintaining some semblance of the 2021 roster is borderline sabotage. They've let Bates, Reader, Boyd, Mixon, Ogunjobi, Awuzie, walk and replaced them with who?  They got nothing but overvalued comp picks, if that, for them. They also told us we needed to let Bates go to pay Tee/Chase/Joe. So far, they've paid Joe. They ain't paying Tee because they needed that money to pay Chase.....they botched that shit up. They get a decent squad going every so often, then set out immediately to burn it to the ground. It's insane.

(10-30-2024, 01:16 PM)Wyche Wrote: I don't think it will happen, but the Bengals were 3-5 in 2012. It *could* happen, but I doubt it. Just saying it ain't over yet....

(10-30-2024, 12:31 AM)bfine32 Wrote: I agree, Only 3 teams have won it since 2016 and we're one of them. But all other AFC Teams have been hampered by not having the on-field talent we have. 

All these other teams' Head Coaches were handicapped, simply because we had better onfield talent:


Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets 
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers

(10-29-2024, 09:58 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Well at least all those #9 jerseys we fans have that have QUITTER written on duct tape and pasted over the nameplate can be worn again.

(10-30-2024, 01:30 PM)bfine32 Wrote: And we would trade a number of our players for some on their lists. It's impossible to assert Zac deserves any credit to someone who has already made up their minds. MANY did it in the first 2 years and have just been waiting to be "right". Zac has screwed that up for them the last 3 years by finishing with winning records. Hell, he even had a better winning percentage without Joe last year than he did with him. But I get it: "That doesn't count". 

For some being one of only 3 AFC Teams to play in a Superbowl (2-3 whole seasons ago) in the last 8 years is enough and some think it sucks. 

(10-30-2024, 04:41 AM)Housh Wrote: The big tell to me is if they let Tee walk


ATP Chase, Burrow, and Tee are the offense. You told us not to worry about Tee cause we needed to spend the money elsewhere but we had 2 all pro level guys in house and didn’t even sign them



I’m pretty sure we closed our own SB window by being cheap


And when we let Tee walk for free i honestly don’t think we have a roster anyone would want to come to without Burrow Chase and Tee. Those are your centerpieces.

Also if Tee leaves then we’ll all be crying for a WR cause Chase is just gonna get triple teammed every play

So we may be in crazy spot where we gotta sign Tee just to keep Chase too cause if I’m Chase I’m not resigning with this dumbass team just to get triple teammed. I’ll go to Baltimore for 25M per and win a SB

(10-30-2024, 01:54 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Honest question; if we finish in last place for the 2nd straight year would you be opposed to replacing Zac with a guy like Vrabel? Or someone like Ben Johnson?

It’s not so much that I “hate” Zac, or think he’s a terrible coach, it’s that I feel like we might be able to get someone better. Definitely someone better for this division.

The worst that could happen is it doesn’t work out and we miss the playoffs for a while. But that looks likely right now anyway. I guess Zac could get hired by another team and win it all somewhere else and we’d be full of regret, but I think that’s pretty unlikely.

(10-30-2024, 01:35 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: i've said this before, but why re-sign pratt and davis-gaither when neither of them are game changers? Those are 2 guys you can draft to replace. A guy like Bates you just cant replace. Hell, all Reader needed was a 1 year prove it deal. I just dont get it. 

And it will be a disastrous mistake if they sign tee. Thats even more money not being used to help multiple roster holes, and it would go to a guy who plays 11 games per season. What happens when he gets injured again? Oh, well you put all that miney into one guy, so the rest of the roster still stinks, and they end up losing 90% of those games he isnt playing.

and back to the whit situation. Why would they fracture the relationship with him by telling him to his face that "We dont want you" ? Like, I get if they didnt want to re-sign whit, but to tell him to his face after mike tells him something different? And then they do try to extend him after 2016, but Whit remembers how the blackburns told him to **** off, and now theyre shit out of luck. I thought smart business people dont burn bridges?

(10-30-2024, 01:58 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: I dont like how you just throw 2023 in there as some indictment against Zac. That season was OVER as soon as Burrow hurt is wrist. Going 9-8, with the bad defense, and how "bad" Taylor is was a pleasant surprise

all rational minds will throw 2023 out the window. Your team isnt making the playoffs when your top5 starting qb gets hurt midway through the season

"but they started slow, and thats on zac"

they also started slow in 22 and 21

(10-30-2024, 01:58 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: I dont like how you just throw 2023 in there as some indictment against Zac. That season was OVER as soon as Burrow hurt is wrist. Going 9-8, with the bad defense, and how "bad" Taylor is was a pleasant surprise

all rational minds will throw 2023 out the window. Your team isnt making the playoffs when your top5 starting qb gets hurt midway through the season

"but they started slow, and thats on zac"

they also started slow in 22 and 21

(10-30-2024, 01:38 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Statistically, it COULD happen, it's just a very, very low probability.

You'd have a hard time selling to me a WC berth that ends in a WC round loss.
I'd rather have better draft position, personally unless playing in the AFCCG/Super Bowl.

(10-30-2024, 01:51 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: How anyone ever took the front offices side over Carson Palmer's is just baffling to me. Absolutely baffling. 

(10-30-2024, 02:11 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Why are we “throwing out seasons” just because the QB went down. Just in our division we’ve seen Harbaugh go to the playoffs with Tyler Huntley. Tomlin go with Mason Rudolph, Stefanski go with Joe Flacco. And there’s a bunch of other examples around the league in recent years. Especially after they expanded it to 14 teams.

(10-30-2024, 02:17 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: Flacco is an upgrade to Watson. Big difference to the burrow to browning situation. Steelers have steeler magic and ALWAYS win with bad quarterbacks. Lamar played 12 games in 2022. Thats more than half the season. They were 8-4 when lamar was healthy. Once again, a lot different than the star qb getting injured after 8 games in a historically slow starting regime

you clearly have your agenda, so you ignore the major contextual points

edit: and Huntley went 2-3 as the starter. It was Lamar being great through 12 games that got them into the postseason

(10-30-2024, 02:17 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: Flacco is an upgrade to Watson. Big difference to the burrow to browning situation. Steelers have steeler magic and ALWAYS win with bad quarterbacks. Lamar played 12 games in 2022. Thats more than half the season. They were 8-4 when lamar was healthy. Once again, a lot different than the star qb getting injured after 8 games in a historically slow starting regime

you clearly have your agenda, so you ignore the major contextual points

edit: and Huntley went 2-3 as the starter. It was Lamar being great through 12 games that got them into the postseason

(10-30-2024, 02:23 PM)WychesWarrior Wrote: ....I was going to say that about Flacco, and hell, Famous Jameis is also better. One thing to look at as well, all of those teams have/had a better defense and offensive line. 

(10-30-2024, 02:26 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: “Magic” is not a contextual point lol. Tomin is just a fantastic coach. Anyway, I’ll stop lumping 2023 into the equation if it makes you and the other 4 Zac apologists on this board feel better. This season has been enough of an indictment alone. A healthy Joe Burrow at or near the top of almost every major statistical category and yet we’re a 3 win team, and 0-4 at home. Brutal.