(01-01-2024, 04:10 PM)casear2727 Wrote: Our running game wasnt good last year either.... take away the Carolina game and it was real bad.

(01-01-2024, 03:08 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Caesar said since 2021. 2020 we weren’t very roster ready.

(01-01-2024, 04:38 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: I agree 2020 was a young and growing roster but that also supports the premise that to win and make a real continued run in playoffs you need more than a top tier QB. Also on the idea of winning with a healthy Burrow so excuse those games he was not healthy, i would have to put an asterisk on the 4 wins against the Ravens with Burrow and no Lamar which means Burrow is 5-4 counting the playoffs games vs AFC North with their top QBs and 1-2 vs Lamar still a small sample size but they are going to be facing each for a while in AFC North so we need to start beating Jackson if they can both stay healthy which has not been the case over the past few years.

(01-01-2024, 02:36 AM)casear2727 Wrote: Why does everyone forget that we dusted the Browns just 4 weeks later without Tee, Boyd or Hurst?  Did we improve the team in that month?

I think this whole AFCN theory is kinda crap.  If a team can beat KC and the Bills regularly, then they should be able to beat the Ravens, Browns and Steelers, and they have the last 2 years.

Ravens Game 1 - Burrow played injured and lost by 3.
Ravens Game 2- Winning the game when Burrow went out.
Steelers Game 1 - Browning's 1st game
Steelers Game 2 - Browning at QB, 3 INTs
Browns Game 1 - Burrow played hurt in a hurricane

The only game Burrow played healthy we were winning and vs the best team in the NFL today.  I dont count games that Burrow played injured or missed, we are too dependent on him. That is a problem that should be addressed, maybe this time with Jake helps with this issue moving forward.

(01-01-2024, 01:04 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Baltimore has done an excellent job of improving their team. They were weak at WR and Mark Andrews went down and they didn’t miss a beat. Todd Monken is a very good OC and really helped their offense. They are a Super Bowl team. Whether they finish it off who knows. Cleveland is 11-5 they’ve only played us once. They are strong in the trenches. Pittsburg should have played Mason last year. I’m very familiar with Mason. He’s a good QB. Tomlin screwed that up royally.

We are in a tough division. We regressed partially due to injury to Joe. But it’s my opinion the last 2 years of solid late season runs were taken for granted. It didn’t happen despite being led by Jake. The secondary missed Vonn Bell and Bates. The OL pass blocked better later in the year but the run blocking is just awful. I’d replace Pollack with someone that can really scheme a running game. It needs fixing awfully bad. The DL needs some help. I didn’t think the entire defense played as well this year minus Trey.

(12-31-2023, 05:20 PM)Bengalstripes9 Wrote: The browns and ravens are the best of the afc right now. Our record against both teams is abysmal over the last several seasons and under Zac Taylor.

The bengals are built to pass the ball and play opportunistic bend but don’t brake defense.

The browns and ravens are built to play smothering defense, run the ball, and pass off their running game. In other words, AFC north football.

I see the browns and ravens as the top teams in the afc right now. Browns might be the only team that can beat the ravens.

When we play the browns, we drop back and pass and get eaten alive from the pass rush. Against the ravens we struggle to run the ball.

The key to win these games next year is defense and establishing the run game. Zac gives up on the run in these games.

Bengals also struggle to stop the run in these games.

How can we adjust next year to beat these teams?

If the bengals want to make noise next year, they will need to get past afc north opponents.

Is there another formula other than defense and running game? It seems like Zac thinks so, but the results haven’t been there other than two seasons of decent success.

How can we improve? What’s the formula to sweep the north?

(01-01-2024, 09:27 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: The formula is to make our trenches stronger than theirs honestly. Hard to do as they are already more than solid. But a better OL 
coach than Pollack a good new RT better than Jonah and a couple physical DT's and we aren't that far off as long as the coaches and
players learn from our failures this season.

(01-01-2024, 09:42 PM)samhain Wrote: It's very hard to do when your organization can't draft and develop talent in the trenches.  Even mediocre success at those position groups would have this team sitting pretty right now.  Instead, we have to generally rely on relatively expensive FAs to fill gaps when they become apparent.  It's like pitching in baseball.  If you can't draft and develop in house, you either go without or pay up big time.  Teams that are good at it can maintain long term success even without insane spending in FA.  

Almost every single guy we have that's worth a shit on the line came from another NFL team.  Hubbard was really the only exception.  I'd give you Jonah, too. 

This can't continue.  You'd figure the law of averages would drop a decent lineman in their lap every decode or so.  Maybe Murphy can reverse this trend.

(01-01-2024, 09:10 PM)Bengalstripes9 Wrote: These are solid excuses. But the bottom line is the bengals are in jeopardy of a sweep this year. You can make as many excuses as you want, but the bottom line is 0-5, 9-20 overall vs afc north.

The point of the thread is to ask ‘how?’

How can we win inside the division?

On a side note, I wouldn’t mind seeing the ravens or browns win the Super Bowl so the afc north can get some recognition. They’ve done a good job building a winning formula and I wouldn’t mind seeing a team like the browns, ravens, or 9ers winning it all this year. The ravens are the team to beat right now and look like tops in the league.

During any offseason, I think most coaches and players would agree that it’s good to learn from the successful teams and learn how to beat them.

The bengals are close. When they beat the 9ers and bills, they were very balanced. In our afc north games, not so much..

I think the key to winning in the north is stopping the run and establishing the run. Bengals need a balanced attack to win, and a better defense.

(01-01-2024, 09:27 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: The formula is to make our trenches stronger than theirs honestly. Hard to do as they are already more than solid. But a better OL 
coach than Pollack a good new RT better than Jonah and a couple physical DT's and we aren't that far off as long as the coaches and
players learn from our failures this season.

(01-03-2024, 07:01 PM)Bengalstripes9 Wrote: It's a tough task to fill right tackle and defensive tackle this year.
If we are going with rookies there could be growing pains there and we may not know the players we bring in are the answer right away.
We don't have a premier pick so it makes the job difficult.
Maybe we can sign someone but we can't afford the best free agent DT or RT out there so overall I could see the Bengals dline and oline being a little worse than it was this year.
Of course, we could sign and trade Tee to get a premier pick and grab a premier DT prospect. But I don't see that happening.
This could be the best move to make the team more well-rounded and balanced. But it sucks to lose Tee.

When it comes down to it we are built different then the other AFC North teams. All other teams focus is on defense, oline, and running game.
Our focus is on wideouts, quarterback, skill players, and bend but don't break defense.
Time will tell if this strategy will be successful inside the division now that the division teams around us have rebuilt into playoff contenders. 
It's obviously good enough to win in the NFL at large. But inside the division the results are more mixed.

Our best chance of success is to improve the oline, defense, and running game and find more balance on offense.
Good AFC North defenses will give our offense trouble at times and the defense will really need to step up.

It's not an easy fix this year with the potential player losses and where our salaries are headed.
Sucks to miss out on our best playoff window (last 3 years).
Hopefully the team doesn't fall apart around Burrow, Chase and Higgins (if they keep him long-term).

(01-04-2024, 10:52 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Wonderful post. Pitt & Cleveland are in good shape in FA Ravens not so much. None have a lot of cap space but the Ravens a lot of places to fill. Personally I think the AFC North won’t be as strong next year. We’ve got salary cap room and can make some moves and likely a better draft spot. Could be worse.