The two Mike Brown Eras - Why there is still Hope for the 2nd but time is running out

[depthchart]

I break down Mike Brown's Ownership into 2 distinctive Eras.

Era 1:
The first ERA was the Train wreck that lasted for basically 2 decades.
The train spent the 1990's decade and half of the 2000's decade in a seemingly constant state of Keystone Cops style yearly wrecks that left fans without Hope. These same fans, however, could not stop Rubbernecking the crash sites. Small glimmers of hope would come through Drafts but Lucy would always pull the Football away. Enter Marvin Lewis and Carson Palmer in 2003 and things got better but Mike Brown's 1st Era still had not ended. The best chance for winning big was actually happening during the 2005 season up until Carson Palmer and Chris Henry both left the Home Playoff game versus the Steelers with injuries that wrecked the train again. The Steelers go on to the Super bowl while we pick up debris from the tracks again. This didn't end Mike Brown's 1st Era. It ends a few years later when Carson Palmer demands a trade and Marvin Lewis demands more Control.

Era 2:
It begins with Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown at odds after Lewis 2010 contract with the Bengals had expired.
Mike Brown had to be a little taken aback when Marvin didn't jump for joy at the chance of signing a new Contract.
The hang up. Marvin wanted more CONTROL. The ERA changer was Mike Brown ceding that Control.
Marvin agrees to a New Deal with more Power to determine the players on the Roster. Mike Brown's 1st era is over.

Enter Andy Dalton and AJ Green in 2011 and 5 straight Playoff appearances. Of those 5 Playoff teams, I see only 2 that were really built up enough and ready to maybe make a run. The team that lost to the Chargers at home and the best team of the 5 which went 8 and 0 to start the season in 2015 only to have Andy Dalton who was leading the MVP race in the minds of many at the time go down with injury. Even without Dalton that team was good enough to take the Super bowl winning Denver Broncos to overtime in Denver that could have changed Playoff seeding and had the Steelers on the ropes in the Playoff game with AJ McCarron versus Big Ben.

The 2015 team was a PEAK ROSTER team and we soon lost experienced players like Andre Smith, Reggie Nelson, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Leon Hall going into the 2016 season. Then Tyler Eifert spends a big chunk of the 2016 season injured, AJ Green injured, Gio Bernard injured. Players like Tyler Boyd and Shawn Williams spent half the season learning while even a veteran like Brandon Lafell had to adjust to his new team. Couple that with a Brutal early season schedule, a New Offensive Coordinator and 2016 becomes the first season since 2011 that we miss the Playoffs in Era #2.

I see the 2015 team as a PEAK ROSTER team that was BUILT UP to starting in 2011.
2016 saw a depletion of that Roster bringing us OFF of the Roster Peak.
I think we have bottomed out Roster Wise as of right now with the loss of Whitworth and Zeitler.
Andre Smith has been brought back to ease the loss of Zeitler and now the Bengals need to NAIL this offseason to start climbing up that hill again towards another Roster Peak season. It will be in a ROSTER PEAK season that any real Playoff runs are made and that will also require Health.

I have not given up on ERA #2.
Mike Brown is 81 years old so Era #2 has limited time to pan out. It won't last very many years longer.
I would like to see Mike get at least one more ROSTER PEAK team that stays healthy to see if the Train could finally make it to the Station. It would be an Amazing way to end the Madness.
An IRONIC ending to see Charlie Brown actually kick the Football before Lucy pulls it away.

[Shake n Blake]

You started losing me when you said we only had 2 rosters built to make a run. 

Our playoff teams have gone...

11-5
10-6
9-7
10-6
11-5
10-5-1
12-4

I've seen too many 9-7 and 10-6 teams make a playoff run to act like it doesn't happen. We've had 4 division champs mixed in there. 4 home playoff games. The 2013 team was fantastic and had zero excuse to lose at home to a clearly inferior 9-7 team we'd already beaten on the road. We should've beaten the Steelers even with McCarron. Plus for me, it's all about the overall 0-7 record. You have to be doing something wrong to lose 7 straight playoff games. We should've lucked into a win by now.

I would absolutely love a happy ending for Mike and Marv. I kinda feel sorry for them sometimes. Almost. Plus Marv's legacy would be so much better with that monkey off his back. It's hard to look at all the evidence and feel like a happy ending is likely though. 

[THE PISTONS]

(04-25-2017, 11:36 AM)depthchart Wrote: Era 2:
It begins with Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown at odds after Lewis 2010 contract with the Bengals had expired.
Mike Brown had to be a little taken aback when Marvin didn't jump for joy at the chance of signing a new Contract.
The hang up. Marvin wanted more CONTROL. The ERA changer was Mike Brown ceding that Control.
Marvin agrees to a New Deal with more Power to determine the players on the Roster. Mike Brown's 1st era is over.

Enter Andy Dalton and AJ Green in 2011 and 5 straight Playoff appearances. Of those 5 Playoff teams, I see only 2 that were really built up enough and ready to maybe make a run. The team that lost to the Chargers at home and the best team of the 5 which went 8 and 0 to start the season in 2015 only to have Andy Dalton who was leading the MVP race in the minds of many at the time go down with injury. Even without Dalton that team was good enough to take the Super bowl winning Denver Broncos to overtime in Denver that could have changed Playoff seeding and had the Steelers on the ropes in the Playoff game with AJ McCarron versus Big Ben.

The 2015 team was a PEAK ROSTER team and we soon lost experienced players like Andre Smith, Reggie Nelson, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Leon Hall going into the 2016 season. Then Tyler Eifert spends a big chunk of the 2016 season injured, AJ Green injured, Gio Bernard injured. Players like Tyler Boyd and Shawn Williams spent half the season learning while even a veteran like Brandon Lafell had to adjust to his new team. Couple that with a Brutal early season schedule, a New Offensive Coordinator and 2016 becomes the first season since 2011 that we miss the Playoffs in Era #2.

I see the 2015 team as a PEAK ROSTER team that was BUILT UP to starting in 2011.
2016 saw a depletion of that Roster bringing us OFF of the Roster Peak.
I think we have bottomed out Roster Wise as of right now with the loss of Whitworth and Zeitler.
Andre Smith has been brought back to ease the loss of Zeitler and now the Bengals need to NAIL this offseason to start climbing up that hill again towards another Roster Peak season. It will be in a ROSTER PEAK season that any real Playoff runs are made and that will also require Health.

I have not given up on ERA #2.
Mike Brown is 81 years old so Era #2 has limited time to pan out. It won't last very many years longer.
I would like to see Mike get at least one more ROSTER PEAK team that stays healthy to see if the Train could finally make it to the Station. It would be an Amazing way to end the Madness.
An IRONIC ending to see Charlie Brown actually kick the Football before Lucy pulls it away.

Case in point of the elusive mythical playoff win - how you think you need a 'roster peak' to win. ie You need just to be the best of the best to win a playoff game.

Plus...

Out of our 7 playoff appearances...you saw only 2 teams built well enough to make a playoff run. Well...that's on the GM.

So in the 26 years Mike Brown has been at the helm...only 2 teams were capable of making a playoff run in your estimation.

Do you realize how hard it is to go 0-7 in the playoffs?

[depthchart]

(04-25-2017, 01:36 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: You started losing me when you said we only had 2 rosters built to make a run. 

Our playoff teams have gone...

11-5
10-6
9-7
10-6
11-5
10-5-1
12-4

I've seen too many 9-7 and 10-6 teams make a playoff run to act like it doesn't happen. We've had 4 division champs mixed in there. 4 home playoff games. The 2013 team was fantastic and had zero excuse to lose at home to a clearly inferior 9-7 team we'd already beaten on the road. We should've beaten the Steelers even with McCarron. Plus for me, it's all about the overall 0-7 record. You have to be doing something wrong to lose 7 straight playoff games. We should've lucked into a win by now.

I would absolutely love a happy ending for Mike and Marv. I kinda feel sorry for them sometimes. Almost. Plus Marv's legacy would be so much better with that monkey off his back. It's hard to look at all the evidence and feel like a happy ending is likely though. 

What I meant by the 2 rosters is more referring to the 2005 and 2015 teams as being Marvin's best teams.
They had a few other decent teams as you say but those 2 years were the Best chances.
Both 2005 and 2015 saw us lose the starting QB.

You may be right.
There may be no happy ending.
The 2015 team gave me hope that maybe the FO could actually pull it off someday.

[THE PISTONS]

(04-25-2017, 01:36 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I've seen too many 9-7 and 10-6 teams make a playoff run to act like it doesn't happen. We've had 4 division champs mixed in there. 4 home playoff games. The 2013 team was fantastic and had zero excuse to lose at home to a clearly inferior 9-7 team we'd already beaten on the road. We should've beaten the Steelers even with McCarron. Plus for me, it's all about the overall 0-7 record. You have to be doing something wrong to lose 7 straight playoff games. We should've lucked into a win by now.

Yep.


We've won the Division 4 times. That means wild card teams beat us at home 4 times.


While 73% of the NFL has been to a Super Bowl since we last have. This thread is an homage to the 'we need luck and a bunch of things to go right to win 1 playoff game.'

26+ years without a playoff win and the same management team in charge...and people will make excuses.


The sad fact is our core roster is aging. Guys like AJ Green are 29. He has maybe 3 elite years left. Guys like Eifert are always injured. Whitworth is gone. Peko. Reggie Nelson. Joseph. Hall. Sanu. Jones. etc.


Our roster peaked and now it's being ripped apart.

[BenZoo2]

(04-25-2017, 01:45 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Case in point of the elusive mythical playoff win - how you think you need a 'roster peak' to win. ie You need just to be the best of the best to win a playoff game.

Plus...

Out of our 7 playoff appearances...you saw only 2 teams built well enough to make a playoff run. Well...that's on the GM.

So in the 26 years Mike Brown has been at the helm...only 2 teams were capable of making a playoff run in your estimation.

Do you realize how hard it is to go 0-7 in the playoffs?

Apparently quite easy. Andy's first two years Houston was a better team plain and simple. The colts loss was an injury riddled team facing a team peaking at the right time. The chargers loss was pitiful. The steelers loss was disgusting.

I have long railed on marvins game/clock management and his challenge calls. I think these are exacerbated in the playoffs. The pucker factor is real and I think the players sense it to. They appear has playing not to lose as opposed to playing to win


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[depthchart]

(04-25-2017, 01:45 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Case in point of the elusive mythical playoff win - how you think you need a 'roster peak' to win. ie You need just to be the best of the best to win a playoff game.

Plus...

Out of our 7 playoff appearances...you saw only 2 teams built well enough to make a playoff run. Well...that's on the GM.

So in the 26 years Mike Brown has been at the helm...only 2 teams were capable of making a playoff run in your estimation.

Do you realize how hard it is to go 0-7 in the playoffs?

I saw only 2 teams as having Super Bowl run potential. That is really what I meant.
There were a few other decent Bengal teams that could have possibly won a Playoff game with the right matchup.
Not many.

You are preaching to the Choir on the first 20 years of the 26.

The last 6 years offer more hope.

[THE PISTONS]

(04-25-2017, 01:54 PM)depthchart Wrote:

1. depthchart
   

I saw only 2 teams as having Super Bowl run potential. That is really what I meant.
There were a few other decent Bengal teams that could have possibly won a Playoff game with the right matchup.
Not many.

You are preaching to the Choir on the first 20 years of the 26.

The last 6 years offer more hope.

How does going 0-5 in the playoffs offer hope?

I wonder: Wow what if the Bengals brought in a free agent Center like Alex Mack to sure up the Center spot. I look at them as blown opportunities.

Now - A decent majority of the core has left (Whitworth, Zeitler, Peko, Nelson, Hall, Jones, Sanu, etc.) And guys like AJ Green is 29 with probably 3 more elite years left.

Our roster has lost a lot of talent over the past 2 offseasons...and the drafts haven't been good enough to replace it.

[depthchart]

(04-25-2017, 02:00 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: How does going 0-5 in the playoffs offer hope?

I wonder: Wow what if the Bengals brought in a free agent Center like Alex Mack to sure up the Center spot. I look at them as blown opportunities.

Now - A decent majority of the core has left (Whitworth, Zeitler, Peko, Nelson, Hall, Jones, Sanu, etc.) And guys like AJ Green is 29 with probably 3 more elite years left.

Our roster has lost a lot of talent over the past 2 offseasons...and the drafts haven't been good enough to replace it.

The 2015 team was much better than you give it credit for and you ignore Dalton's absence from it.

The same FO that put the 2015 team together could do it again. That is the hope, Einstein.

[THE PISTONS]

What I would say is that in Era 2 the Bengals have been more competitive with the rest of the NFL. In Era 1 they were absolutely horrible.

I'd say that now we're generally one of the 12-14-16 best teams in the league on a yearly basis. We're just not one of the best 6-8 teams.

That leap from being the 12-14th best team to being the 4th best team is just as steep as the leap we made from the 90's to the 2000's.

In the playoffs, the cream rises to the top. The Bengals just don't have the mental toughness to persevere. Whether it's coaching. Or bringing in players who are too volatile. Or mentally weak players. Or players who aren't physical. Or having a coaching staff that can't make adjustments or gameplan. Or signing that 1 free agent to put the team over the top.

That's been the hallmark of our primetime and playoff games.

[grampahol]

I'm waiting for the NFL script writers to conjure up a more compelling reason for the Bengals to win the SB like winning when old Mikey is on his death bed and Marvin nearly drowns in the Ohio river, but Katie jumps in and rescues him at the last second as the Reds win an impossible odds world series.. 
 I'm not saying it's going to happen like that, but I tend to believe it has more to do with script writers than anything the team ownership and coaches will ever do.
Pessimistic me? Nahhh.. Never.. 

[XenoMorph]

(04-25-2017, 01:45 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Case in point of the elusive mythical playoff win - how you think you need a 'roster peak' to win. ie You need just to be the best of the best to win a playoff game.

Plus...

Out of our 7 playoff appearances...you saw only 2 teams built well enough to make a playoff run. Well...that's on the GM.

So in the 26 years Mike Brown has been at the helm...only 2 teams were capable of making a playoff run in your estimation.

Do you realize how hard it is to go 0-7 in the playoffs?

the team has to peak going into the playoffs not early in the season.. usually the team riding the momentum gets on going...

Even 2015 our momentum halted when Dalton went down.. key injuries have played a part in every year except 2013 I think we were pretty healthy come playoff time

[*bengalfan74*]

When we found a way to blow the Pittsburgh game time expired.

[Luvnit2]

(04-25-2017, 05:59 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: the team has to peak going into the playoffs not early in the season.. usually the team riding the momentum gets on going...

Even 2015 our momentum halted when Dalton went down.. key injuries have played a part in every year except 2013 I think we were pretty healthy come playoff time

Bengals are easy to dump on (not you) and they earn most of it. But in 2015 we started 8-0, lost our QB and things went south. Dalton was on fire also. That was 2 short years ago so I am with the OP, we are not on our death bed as we still have a lot of talent. One key is the OL coming together and having a productive 2017 draft infusion with younger faster and more durable players. Another key is our 2016 draftees making contributions as our #1 Jackson never saw the field nor did Billings. Those 2 are like 2 new draft picks in 2017. Vigil needs to progress as do others.

Let's see where we are after training camps heading into the 1st regular season game before we give up all hope. I agree teams peaking in mid to late December make noise in the playoffs.

[depthchart]

(04-25-2017, 04:03 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: What I would say is that in Era 2 the Bengals have been more competitive with the rest of the NFL. In Era 1 they were absolutely horrible.

I'd say that now we're generally one of the 12-14-16 best teams in the league on a yearly basis. We're just not one of the best 6-8 teams.

That leap from being the 12-14th best team to being the 4th best team is just as steep as the leap we made from the 90's to the 2000's.

In the playoffs, the cream rises to the top. The Bengals just don't have the mental toughness to persevere. Whether it's coaching. Or bringing in players who are too volatile. Or mentally weak players. Or players who aren't physical. Or having a coaching staff that can't make adjustments or gameplan. Or signing that 1 free agent to put the team over the top.

That's been the hallmark of our primetime and playoff games.

I would agree with you entirely if it were not for the 2015 team which we are only 1 year removed from.

The 2015 team starts 8 and 0, gets to 1st in the Power rankings and has a leading NFL MVP candidate at the time at QB in Andy Dalton.

The loss of Dalton was a MAJOR loss and everyone knew it at the time.

Even without Dalton, the 2015 team had the eventual Super Bowl winning team the Broncos on the ropes in overtime in Denver which could have resulted in completely different Playoff seedings had we won with Dalton.

We had Big Ben and the Steelers by the Nads in the Playoff game where the Steelers Defense was able to use a completely different Strategy against McCarron than they would have used against an Experienced QB like Dalton who was playing at an MVP caliber level that season.

I would have liked to have seen the 2015 team have a chance at a Playoff run with a healthy Dalton.
Playing at an MVP caliber level as he was. Maybe they still blow it, maybe not. I can see the maybe not side as being possible.

There is more than a Glimmer of Hope here for these players and the Front Office.
More hope than we have had in 26 years.

In fact, we are only 1 year removed from a 2015 team that did something that only a small number of teams have done in NFL History.
Starting a season 8 and 0.
Historic was the word used for that start by NFL experts and others.

I see the Monkey on the Front Office's back and they deserve a certain amount of criticism on a year by year team by team basis. Lots of bad years, granted, lots of criticism deserved.

I am also Fair minded enough to view what they did create in 2015 and see that something special was happening before Dalton went down.

Like it or not, you are stuck with this Front Office for a while longer.
It can be a Gloom and Doom view or a Fair Minded view that has that little bit of Hope that they can regain 2015 form and stay healthy for a run.
2015 at the very least, showed that they are not completely incompetent as suggested.
In fact, 2015 was the MOST competence they have shown to date and maybe they have learned a few things after all.
Then, maybe not.

We have little choice but to wait and see what the current Bengals Front Office does with the time they have left.
Either wait and see or check out to follow something else.

Why hang on every move made by a Front Office that you have Zero faith in ?
You could totally take the High road by checking out until a New Owner and Coach arrives.
Make a statement and be the smartest guy in the room. Or you can watch Thursday night.

I'm hoping for a return to 2015 form and maybe a run. I may see a train wreck instead.
I'll be watching Thursday and I expect you will too. Edge of our seats to see what the Front Office does.
Maybe we are both crazy for doing it but for different reasons.

[THE PISTONS]

(04-25-2017, 07:09 PM)depthchart Wrote: I would agree with you entirely if it were not for the 2015 team which we are only 1 year removed from.

The 2015 team starts 8 and 0, gets to 1st in the Power rankings and has a leading NFL MVP candidate at the time at QB in Andy Dalton.

The loss of Dalton was a MAJOR loss and everyone knew it at the time.

Even without Dalton, the 2015 team had the eventual Super Bowl winning team the Broncos on the ropes in overtime in Denver which could have resulted in completely different Playoff seedings had we won with Dalton.

We had Big Ben and the Steelers by the Nads in the Playoff game where the Steelers Defense was able to use a completely different Strategy against McCarron than they would have used against an Experienced QB like Dalton who was playing at an MVP caliber level that season.

I would have liked to have seen the 2015 team have a chance at a Playoff run with a healthy Dalton.
Playing at an MVP caliber level as he was. Maybe they still blow it, maybe not. I can see the maybe not side as being possible.

There is more than a Glimmer of Hope here for these players and the Front Office.
More hope than we have had in 26 years.

In fact, we are only 1 year removed from a 2015 team that did something that only a small number of teams have done in NFL History.
Starting a season 8 and 0.
Historic was the word used for that start by NFL experts and others.

I see the Monkey on the Front Office's back and they deserve a certain amount of criticism on a year by year team by team basis. Lots of bad years, granted, lots of criticism deserved.

I am also Fair minded enough to view what they did create in 2015 and see that something special was happening before Dalton went down.

Like it or not, you are stuck with this Front Office for a while longer.
It can be a Gloom and Doom view or a Fair Minded view that has that little bit of Hope that they can regain 2015 form and stay healthy for a run.
2015 at the very least, showed that they are not completely incompetent as suggested.
In fact, 2015 was the MOST competence they have shown to date and maybe they have learned a few things after all.
Then, maybe not.

We have little choice but to wait and see what the current Bengals Front Office does with the time they have left.
Either wait and see or check out to follow something else.

Why hang on every move made by a Front Office that you have Zero faith in ?
You could totally take the High road by checking out until a New Owner and Coach arrives.
Make a statement and be the smartest guy in the room. Or you can watch Thursday night.

I'm hoping for a return to 2015 form and maybe a run. I may see a train wreck instead.
I'll be watching Thursday and I expect you will too. Edge of our seats to see what the Front Office does.
Maybe we are both crazy for doing it but for different reasons.

Dude...the 2015 Bengals team started 8-0 then finished 4-4. They blew a couple opportunities to be the #1 seed and get a 1st Round bye. The choke job started through the year.

Then...they get down 15-0 to the Steelers and Roethlisberger gets injured and there is an epic collapse once they rallied.

While we didn't have Dalton in the playoffs...the Steelers were without Bell and still found a way to rush for 167 yards against us. (And yes...our defense was healthy.) Yes guys off the street Touissant and Todman.

Gone from that 2015 team are Sanu, Jones, Nelson, Whitworth, Zeitler, Burkhead, Tate, Hawk, , Leon Hall, and Peko. That's quite a bit of attrition.

[Shake n Blake]

(04-25-2017, 01:49 PM)depthchart Wrote: What I meant by the 2 rosters is more referring to the 2005 and 2015 teams as being Marvin's best teams.
They had a few other decent teams as you say but those 2 years were the Best chances.
Both 2005 and 2015 saw us lose the starting QB.

You may be right.
There may be no happy ending.
The 2015 team gave me hope that maybe the FO could actually pull it off someday.

You're right that the 2005 and 2015 teams were our best. I would also throw 2013 in there, and we were pretty much all hands on deck for that one. With the way the team has completely fallen off the rails every time (with other teams that should've been capable of winning at least 1 playoff game), I don't see any reason to believe 2005 and 2015 would've been any different.

You can't judge them by how dominant they looked in regular season because Marv teams completely morph into something else come playoff time. If we had even 1 game out of 7 where we didn't look drastically worse than our regular season performance, I'd probably feel differently.

I still believe in this roster (outside of o-line...which could sink us again), but as long as Marv and Paul are pacing the sidelines, I believe wholeheartedly that the end result will be the same as what we've seen the previous 14 years.

[BonnieBengal]

(04-25-2017, 11:36 AM)depthchart Wrote: I break down Mike Brown's Ownership into 2 distinctive Eras.

Era 1:
The first ERA was the Train wreck that lasted for basically 2 decades.
The train spent the 1990's decade and half of the 2000's decade in a seemingly constant state of Keystone Cops style yearly wrecks that left fans without Hope. These same fans, however, could not stop Rubbernecking the crash sites. Small glimmers of hope would come through Drafts but Lucy would always pull the Football away. Enter Marvin Lewis and Carson Palmer in 2003 and things got better but Mike Brown's 1st Era still had not ended. The best chance for winning big was actually happening during the 2005 season up until Carson Palmer and Chris Henry both left the Home Playoff game versus the Steelers with injuries that wrecked the train again. The Steelers go on to the Super bowl while we pick up debris from the tracks again. This didn't end Mike Brown's 1st Era. It ends a few years later when Carson Palmer demands a trade and Marvin Lewis demands more Control.

Era 2:
It begins with Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown at odds after Lewis 2010 contract with the Bengals had expired.
Mike Brown had to be a little taken aback when Marvin didn't jump for joy at the chance of signing a new Contract.
The hang up. Marvin wanted more CONTROL. The ERA changer was Mike Brown ceding that Control.
Marvin agrees to a New Deal with more Power to determine the players on the Roster. Mike Brown's 1st era is over.

Enter Andy Dalton and AJ Green in 2011 and 5 straight Playoff appearances. Of those 5 Playoff teams, I see only 2 that were really built up enough and ready to maybe make a run. The team that lost to the Chargers at home and the best team of the 5 which went 8 and 0 to start the season in 2015 only to have Andy Dalton who was leading the MVP race in the minds of many at the time go down with injury. Even without Dalton that team was good enough to take the Super bowl winning Denver Broncos to overtime in Denver that could have changed Playoff seeding and had the Steelers on the ropes in the Playoff game with AJ McCarron versus Big Ben.

The 2015 team was a PEAK ROSTER team and we soon lost experienced players like Andre Smith, Reggie Nelson, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Leon Hall going into the 2016 season. Then Tyler Eifert spends a big chunk of the 2016 season injured, AJ Green injured, Gio Bernard injured. Players like Tyler Boyd and Shawn Williams spent half the season learning while even a veteran like Brandon Lafell had to adjust to his new team. Couple that with a Brutal early season schedule, a New Offensive Coordinator and 2016 becomes the first season since 2011 that we miss the Playoffs in Era #2.

I see the 2015 team as a PEAK ROSTER team that was BUILT UP to starting in 2011.
2016 saw a depletion of that Roster bringing us OFF of the Roster Peak.
I think we have bottomed out Roster Wise as of right now with the loss of Whitworth and Zeitler.
Andre Smith has been brought back to ease the loss of Zeitler and now the Bengals need to NAIL this offseason to start climbing up that hill again towards another Roster Peak season. It will be in a ROSTER PEAK season that any real Playoff runs are made and that will also require Health.

I have not given up on ERA #2.
Mike Brown is 81 years old so Era #2 has limited time to pan out. It won't last very many years longer.
I would like to see Mike get at least one more ROSTER PEAK team that stays healthy to see if the Train could finally make it to the Station. It would be an Amazing way to end the Madness.
An IRONIC ending to see Charlie Brown actually kick the Football before Lucy pulls it away.

Great post. This is why I voted for you as best new poster.

[THE PISTONS]

(04-26-2017, 01:48 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: You're right that the 2005 and 2015 teams were our best. I would also throw 2013 in there, and we were pretty much all hands on deck for that one. With the way the team has completely fallen off the rails every time (with other teams that should've been capable of winning at least 1 playoff game), I don't see any reason to believe 2005 and 2015 would've been any different.

You can't judge them by how dominant they looked in regular season because Marv teams completely morph into something else come playoff time. If we had even 1 game out of 7 where we didn't look drastically worse than our regular season performance, I'd probably feel differently.

I still believe in this roster (outside of o-line...which could sink us again), but as long as Marv and Paul are pacing the sidelines, I believe wholeheartedly that the end result will be the same as what we've seen the previous 14 years.

I see the lack of playoff success as a continuation of the struggles the team has in Primetime games. Generally the only teams we beat in Primetime are the Browns and Dolphins.

This team just has a mental block about playing and beating good teams.

If we can't do it during the regular season...we won't in the playoffs.

Here are our results vs the Steelers since he's been here. They own us:
2003
Cincinnati
L, 10-17
 
Pittsburgh
W, 24-20
2004
Pittsburgh
L, 17-28
 
Cincinnati
L, 14-19
2005
Cincinnati
L, 13-27
 
Pittsburgh
W, 38-31
 
Cincinnati
L, 17-31*
2006
Pittsburgh
W, 28-20
 
Cincinnati
L, 17-23 (OT)
2007
Cincinnati
L, 13-24
 
Pittsburgh
L, 10-24
2008
Cincinnati
L, 10-38
 
Pittsburgh
L, 10-27
2009
Cincinnati
W, 23-20
 
Pittsburgh
W, 18-12
2010
Cincinnati
L, 21-27
 
Pittsburgh
L, 7-23
2011
Cincinnati
L, 17-24
 
Pittsburgh
L, 7-35
2012
Cincinnati
L, 17-24
 
Pittsburgh
W, 13-10
2013
Cincinnati
W, 20-10

Pittsburgh
L, 20-30
2014
Cincinnati
L, 21-42

Pittsburgh
L, 17-27
2015
Pittsburgh
W, 16-10

Cincinnati
L, 20-33

Cincinnati
L, 16-18*
*AFC Wild Card Playoff

[depthchart]

(04-26-2017, 05:08 AM)BonnieBengal Wrote: Great post. This is why I voted for you as best new poster.

Thanks BonnieBengal,

I try my best.

The Bengals Front Office better Nail this Draft starting tonight, return to the Playoffs and then start winning in the Playoffs.

I'm hoping for a "WOW FACTOR Draft" and not a ho hum, so so, good but not Great Draft.

This one needs to be Impactful...