(09-09-2024, 09:09 AM)RunKijanaRun Wrote: I remember the tone here immediately after the SB ended. Melancholy; sure…but there was so much hope & optimism about the seasons to come. We’d arrived! Burrow/Chase/Tee were going to bring us back every other year, at a minimum! It’s just beginning! I tried to quell the irrational exuberance with my spartan, stoic reality checks, but no one listened. I knew that was the shot. And it was likely going to be the only shot for that group. I tried.

But right then, it was hard to blame them. But a team which only has the stars align correctly for it 3 times in its existence was never just going to recalibrate the aim slightly, tool up and take care of unfinished business. Team was still good and likely deserved to go back. I always say this franchise is cursed. Well, a guy almost dropping dead on our field is essentially what prevented a return trip. That kind of thing does not happen to other teams. That’s just Cincinnati Bengals Football.

Fast forward slightly to now, and the franchise is a mess. As usual. We didn’t win in the Burrow rookie contract window, and this team has never been capable of winning in anything but the most ideal circumstances. Higgins turned into Glass Joe. Chase has become public enemy #1 (sharing the spot with MB). Several draft picks and millions of dollars later, we still don’t have a good OL. Anarumo’s kinda the bum we suspected he was all along. And Joe Burrow might be broken at worst; settled in as a fragile top-10 QB at best. Zac Taylor is a disaster.

And here we sit, coming off an unbelievably bad loss to open 2024 and a few days away from being 0-2. Some say when God closes a door, He opens a window. God closed our windows & doors and put us in a porta-potti in a flooded basement. Who dey. We are cursed.

(09-09-2024, 09:49 AM)ERIC1 Wrote: 1)something is amiss with Burrow..that  ligament injury injury he suffered can easily be a career ender for a quarterback 2) as Joe Mixon runs for 160 yds for the Texans....Zach Moss @ most is a secondary running back  3) promoting Pilcher was a major mistake

(09-09-2024, 09:09 AM)RunKijanaRun Wrote: I remember the tone here immediately after the SB ended. Melancholy; sure…but there was so much hope & optimism about the seasons to come. We’d arrived! Burrow/Chase/Tee were going to bring us back every other year, at a minimum! It’s just beginning! I tried to quell the irrational exuberance with my spartan, stoic reality checks, but no one listened. I knew that was the shot. And it was likely going to be the only shot for that group. I tried.

But right then, it was hard to blame them. But a team which only has the stars align correctly for it 3 times in its existence was never just going to recalibrate the aim slightly, tool up and take care of unfinished business. Team was still good and likely deserved to go back. I always say this franchise is cursed. Well, a guy almost dropping dead on our field is essentially what prevented a return trip. That kind of thing does not happen to other teams. That’s just Cincinnati Bengals Football.

Fast forward slightly to now, and the franchise is a mess. As usual. We didn’t win in the Burrow rookie contract window, and this team has never been capable of winning in anything but the most ideal circumstances. Higgins turned into Glass Joe. Chase has become public enemy #1 (sharing the spot with MB). Several draft picks and millions of dollars later, we still don’t have a good OL. Anarumo’s kinda the bum we suspected he was all along. And Joe Burrow might be broken at worst; settled in as a fragile top-10 QB at best. Zac Taylor is a disaster.

And here we sit, coming off an unbelievably bad loss to open 2024 and a few days away from being 0-2. Some say when God closes a door, He opens a window. God closed our windows & doors and put us in a porta-potti in a flooded basement. Who dey. We are cursed.

(09-09-2024, 08:42 AM)Mickeypoo Wrote: Watching the Bengals game and then watching the Rams/Lions game was like contrasting a pro team with a high school team.  

I really hope I am wrong, and I am not trying to be purposely negative, but I truly believe our window has closed and we are going back to .500 or less seasons.

We lost a lot of talent that has not been replaced.  Burrow has been physically abused and his wrist is a huge question mark that is obviously bothering him still.  That alone could be the end of Burrow's career.  Our coaching, whether it is scheme or getting players to play good football is very lacking.

You have Higgins with what seems like a constant hammy injury and Chase who is more concerned with getting a penny more than Jefferson cause feelz rather than focusing on playing a great game and prepping with the team.  The o-line is below average to maybe barely average.  Our D cannot stop a high school team run game.

Again, not trying to be negative, just trying to be realistic.  I have absolutely no reason to believe that in 6 days we are magically going to transform into some world beater team and go into Arrowhead and beat Mahomes and the Chiefs.  I expect an absolute beatdown of the Bengals.  We are a shell of our 2 great seasons.  We had our chance; the window is closed.  It just feels so much like we are back to Andy Dalton like times.  

Mahomes is far superior to Burrow at this point.  Mahomes seems like this funny, down to earth carefree dude who just wants to have fun and win football games.  Burrow is like some flamboyant pretty boy jet setting off to do fashion shows and see what kind of reactions he can get from crazy outfits.  He dumps his longtime girlfriend for some hot influencer while Mahomes quietly stays with his longtime high school sweetheart and starts a family.  As of right now burrow is not even remotely close to someone like Mahomes and our coaching staff is JV compared to a team like the Chiefs, not to mention MB still meddling.  We do have some cool social media and hype videos though to trick the fans yet again.  The Bengals org is Lucy and all of us fans are Charlie Brown.  Sad.

Anyway.  Feel free to rip me apart, but that's what I honestly think.  I REALLY, REALLY hope I am wrong.  I truly hope we roll into KC and just dismantle the Chiefs and everything looks bright again in Bengal land.  Unfortunately, what is it they say, hope is not a plan.

Who-Dey!

(09-09-2024, 10:10 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Well the SB was crazy too in the sense that the Rams changed strategies in the 2nd half and the Bengals couldn't counter it.

But, the worry was the Bengals had all this talent on rookie deals which is like a cheat code to win in the NFL. And a staff that had been inept but looked good. You knew Taylor would basically get a lifetime contract after that. And you knew that the young talent would get paid. And the big concern was whether the Bengals could then continue to draft and build a team with massively paid stars.

Look...IF they beat the Chiefs next week or play them tough, people will feel better I'm sure. It's another data point.

(09-09-2024, 10:20 AM)Timanky12 Wrote: If they beat the Chiefs next week, hell must have frozen over, I don’t see that happening.

(09-09-2024, 10:01 AM)Mickeypoo Wrote: Yup, I agree.  Something is not right with Burrow.  Don't know what it is.  Injury, personal, not prepared, etc.  Something just seems wrong/off.

Also, maybe that deep ball is what hurt the wrist?  Did they start showing him messing with the wrist before or after that pass?  It was obviously bothering him.

(09-09-2024, 10:24 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: The thing about this never ending movie called the NFL is you see something every game, let alone every week, that you’ve never seen before!

(09-09-2024, 10:20 AM)Timanky12 Wrote: If they beat the Chiefs next week, hell must have frozen over, I don’t see that happening.

(09-09-2024, 10:26 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I don't expect them to win. But, we've seen this team look terrible for several weeks and then all of the sudden get it together.

I do wonder how the Higgins and Chase contracts are impacting the team though. It has to be a distraction at some level.

(09-07-2024, 01:55 AM)samhain Wrote: Well, we had a nice run.  Got a good qb.  Got him pulverized behind a fecal matter o-line.  Went to a SB anyway.  It was a cool moment.  I got super drunk and ate some chicken wings that day.  Snoop had a solid halftime show.   I might have slipped on some ice in Covington.

Now some guys that catch footballs wanna play sick and talk to reporters  while pretending to be team players.  Oooh my hamstring has a boo-boo but I feel better than Eva!  22 mil for free would make me feel good, too, lol.  Dire Straits wrote a song about this upcoming Tee Higgins season.  Yeah, buddy, that's his own hair.  

How coincidental.

Our run D will suck.  You don't suck with Reader vs the run and suddenly not suck after losing him.

We are lying to ourselves.  Yes this is an obnoxious OP, but the problems are glaring.  Too many guys that don't want to be here.  Bad DL.  That won't get the job done in the AFCN.  Teams will pound us at the LOS.  Chase and Tee are all about themselves.  Joe is alone.  Run game is an afterthought.  

Guys and gals, I may be ripped.  I may have partaken in some stuff and some things.  No matter.  My sense here is bad.  Like real bad.  Like wet fart in deep sleep bad.  There's nothing about getting abused by the Browns in recent seasons that's says it will go any different in this one.  

I'm sorry guys.  I really am. I'm just being honest.  We're in major trouble.  It may not come vs the Pats.  We can shrug t off if KC works us over at Arrowhead.  No matter.  WE.  ARE. CURSED.  

Too much noise.  Not a team that's ready for a SB run.  I hate it, but we are about to get a strong dose of reality after September goes by the wayside.

(09-09-2024, 10:01 AM)Mickeypoo Wrote: Yup, I agree.  Something is not right with Burrow.  Don't know what it is.  Injury, personal, not prepared, etc.  Something just seems wrong/off.

Also, maybe that deep ball is what hurt the wrist?  Did they start showing him messing with the wrist before or after that pass?  It was obviously bothering him.

(09-09-2024, 10:01 AM)Mickeypoo Wrote: Yup, I agree.  Something is not right with Burrow.  Don't know what it is.  Injury, personal, not prepared, etc.  Something just seems wrong/off.

Also, maybe that deep ball is what hurt the wrist?  Did they start showing him messing with the wrist before or after that pass?  It was obviously bothering him.

(09-09-2024, 10:38 AM)Timanky12 Wrote: Watching games yesterday, it’s pretty obvious that our defense pass coverage is horrible. Other teams, their DB’s are all over the receivers like a cheap shirt, and our guys and no where to be seen. Is it the quality of the DB’s or the defensive scheme? Either way, we can not compete with that lack of coverage on pass routes. Not to mention, we can stop the run, again.

(09-09-2024, 09:49 AM)ERIC1 Wrote: 1)something is amiss with Burrow..that  ligament injury injury he suffered can easily be a career ender for a quarterback 2) as Joe Mixon runs for 160 yds for the Texans....Zach Moss @ most is a secondary running back  3) promoting Pilcher was a major mistake

(09-09-2024, 09:49 AM)ERIC1 Wrote: 2) as Joe Mixon runs for 160 yds for the Texans....Zach Moss @ most is a secondary running back

(09-09-2024, 09:58 AM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: but the vote of no confidence from zac is the nail to me, don't punt that ball you idiot. especially with this anarumo defense. you put your faith in anarumo than burrow? Shot of no confidence. Ain't no more yelling at the camera "don't ***** zero me" from Burrow...