Observations After Week 5

[TGISunday]

First of all, this was one of the more exciting regular season games in a long time...and the ending certainly lived up to the hype. Here are some of the things I'm thinking about, good and bad.

1) This team is battle-tested, and seems to have learned from earlier mistakes. Sometimes, it just takes a while to learn how to navigate the roller-coaster of emotions that comes with the NFL. They've grown up together, and are exorcising past demons.

2) Jeremy Hill's Sophomore slump continues. OK, it was a tough defense to run against...but Gio still seems to be making the most of his opportunities. Is the line just better at ZBS than it is the power run blocking that works for Jeremy better? Is he more hurt than we've been led to believe? I hope he comes around, because 3.3 ypc makes even the BJGE years more attractive by comparison.

3) We have the luxury of two great #2 WR's that have virtually the same stat lines--with the notable exception being MJ's 2 TDs over Sanu's zero to date. Moreover, I don't know how it will work, but I sure hope we can keep both of these guys. Otherwise, we might have to pick a quality WR early in the draft, because you and I both know we aren't bringing a FA in of any substance.

4) If the Steelers can't pull out a victory in SD (tall order), we're poised to run away with the division. 3 up after 5? Yes, thank you!


Oh yeah, WHO DEY!!

What do you think?

[GreenCornBengal]

And Eifert is easily one of the MVPs of the offense, don't you dare forget that. He was totally worth the first round draft pick.

[Joelist]

I hope they either already have or are having Hill get the knee scoped/MRIed. They need to know now if they have to put Hill on the shelf for a few games so they can look for a replacement power back.

[BobJones4980]

(10-11-2015, 11:44 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: And Eifert is easily one of the MVPs of the offense, don't you dare forget that. He was totally worth the first round draft pick.

Feels good to have a dependable TE doesn't it? After years of false starts and fumbles from Gresham we get what we wanted him to be with Eifert.

Honestly he has been good every week this year, Baltimore game he had a really nice gain on a screen called back as well as a TD reversed just because the refs felt like it, without that he has an even better stat line. 

Even so, 312 Yards and 5 TD's through 5 games is outstanding. To put this into perspective Gresham has never had more than 6 Touchdowns in a season.

[TGISunday]

(10-11-2015, 11:44 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: And Eifert is easily one of the MVPs of the offense, don't you dare forget that. He was totally worth the first round draft pick.

He's fitting in nicely, isn't he?  What a talent.

(10-11-2015, 11:50 PM)Joelist Wrote: I hope they either already have or are having Hill get the knee scoped/MRIed. They need to know now if they have to put Hill on the shelf for a few games so they can look for a replacement power back.

What?  I haven't read anything about his knee being injured.  Any source for this?

[WhoDeyWho]

(10-11-2015, 11:56 PM)BobJones4980 Wrote: Feels good to have a dependable TE doesn't it? After years of false starts and fumbles from Gresham we get what we wanted him to be with Eifert.

Honestly he has been good every week this year, Baltimore game he had a really nice gain on a screen called back as well as a TD reversed just because the refs felt like it, without that he has an even better stat line. 

Even so, 312 Yards and 5 TD's through 5 games is outstanding. To put this into perspective Gresham has never had more than 6 Touchdowns in a season.

Just goes to show the impact his loss last season had on this offense.  

[*Nately120*]

(10-11-2015, 11:56 PM)BobJones4980 Wrote: Feels good to have a dependable TE doesn't it? After years of false starts and fumbles from Gresham we get what we wanted him to be with Eifert.

Honestly he has been good every week this year, Baltimore game he had a really nice gain on a screen called back as well as a TD reversed just because the refs felt like it, without that he has an even better stat line. 

Even so, 312 Yards and 5 TD's through 5 games is outstanding. To put this into perspective Gresham has never had more than 6 Touchdowns in a season.

Dear lord, we are 5-0 and we can't go 4 posts in a thread about the Bengals without mentioning Gresham.  The guy is gone.  Eifert is better. Mission accomplished.  It's a free country, but feel free to let it go.

As for my own takes on things after week 5, I'll admit Hill has me a bit concerned. Not so much in a team sense since we just roll along whether he scores 3 TDs or just runs for 13 yards, BUT the quickness at which he just falls out of our gameplan is both positive and negative. Basically with Hill we are back to debating Hyde vs Hill again.

[BURROWorBUST]

Neither of our RBs did much of anything until late in the game. That's a good defense that wasn't willing to let us run the ball. They stopped us in the first half, but we didn't give up on it. We wore them down. Great game by Hue.

[Joelist]

(10-11-2015, 11:59 PM)TGISunday Wrote: He's fitting in nicely, isn't he?  What a talent.

What?  I haven't read anything about his knee being injured.  Any source for this?

It's been a rumor floating around that Hill looks slow and was taken out due to a knee bothering him. If this is so they need to know what the story is pronto.

[TGISunday]

Also something I noticed while going through the stats on NFL.com. As of now (before the end of the SNF and MNF games), Andy Dalton has the most passing yards in the league (Keep in mind that Brady is coming off a bye), Carlos Dunlap is leading the league in sacks with 5 (Geno not far behind with 4), AJ is 3rd in receiving yards, Gio is 6th in rushing, the total Offense is 2nd to New England.

I hope the D buttons it up soon, but those are impressive stats on O.

[BobJones4980]

(10-12-2015, 12:15 AM)Nately120 Wrote: Dear lord, we are 5-0 and we can't go 4 posts in a thread about the Bengals without mentioning Gresham.  The guy is gone.  Eifert is better. Mission accomplished.  It's a free country, but feel free to let it go.

As for my own takes on things after week 5, I'll admit Hill has me a bit concerned.  Not so much in a team sense since we just roll along whether he scores 3 TDs or just runs for 13 yards, BUT the quickness at which he just falls out of our gameplan is both positive and negative.

What the hell are you even going on about? I compared Eifert and the impact he is making to our former TE, pointing out exactly what this guy is bringing to our team.

You are constantly defending former Bengals when they honestly don't need defending, can we not point out fact anymore? Did Gresham not have a ton of penalties and fumbles? Is Eifert not doing exactly what we wanted from out TE and the things we expected from Gresham when he was drafted?

Whatever man, you do you, if you wanna sit here trying to start something because someone points out the obvious then go for it.

[bengalsfan73]

My observations from this game are similar to yours but I also have some others. First off we are watching Andy become the qb that we all thought he could be when he took over the job after Carson left. He is more confident and he has a swagger about him that shows he has matured into a leader after his previous four seasons with the team and he is quickly becoming one of the best qbs in the league in the first half of the season. I know everyone will continue to say it does not matter because it is not the playoffs which is fair but he is not the same and anyone with common sense can see that. Also AJ is playing great right now and is showing why he is a top receiver in this league. We are fortunate to have two other threats in MJ and Sanu because finally teams cannot double team AJ without a chance of getting rocked by another of our receivers. What a luxury this is. Our running game is good but could be better. I know I may get several people that will disagree with me but I honestly feel that Gio should get the majority of the carries from this point out as a starter and have Jeremy come in on shorter yardage plays and even at the goal line until he can get out of his slump that he is in. Hands down the biggest threat and possible MVP of this team is Tyler Eifert. He is showing what we missed without him last year and what a mismatch he is for anyone on the defense. He is easily becoming the second best te in the league behind Gronk. What a difference he makes for this offense and especially Andy as a red zone threat. I am a little concerned about our offensive line right now because they are not giving Andy the protection he needs. The holding on Whit today and it clearly was holding, could have been a back breaker for this team but it wasn't which was a great thing. Past teams would have folded after that. As for the defense the run defense is a big question mark right now. They are giving up way too many yards on the ground. However, I think we all can see the difference that a healthy Geno is making on this defense. Dre has got to play better on the corner because it is getting hard to watch him getting burned at least once or twice every week. I know Nugent made two key field goals today but it still makes me nervous when he lines up to try a field goal and even an extra point. I hope he continues to kick like he did today because that will hopefully give him the confidence he needs. As for special teams, Darrin Simmons has got to tell Brandon Tate to stop bringing out the ball from ten yards deep in the end zone because he is not very good. He nearly cost us on three different occasions with his horrible decisions. That has got to stop. We need to have Adam Jones returning because he is a difference maker returning kicks period. Today's call where they said he called for a fair catch was horrible. Last time I checked you have to raise your hands over your head when calling for a fair catch. Also the key play in this game at the end of regulation was the field goal team getting on the field within 10 seconds and I think Darrin Simmons deserves full credit for that. That was great timing to get the field goal and send it into overtime. Finally I saw a team today that will not quit like previous teams have. They have a confidence about them and if they stay healthy I do not care what the rest of the country says they can beat anyone in the league period. They match up with anyone and they have the potential to make a deep run into the playoffs. I think this team is more talented than the 2005 group when Kimo Von Olhoffen took out Carson's knee, costing them the win against Pittsburgh and a potential trip to the Super Bowl that year. Today however made me even more proud to say that I have been a Bengals fan for my entire life and I will never change. Who Dey!!!

[*Nately120*]

(10-12-2015, 12:21 AM)BobJones4980 Wrote: What the hell are you even going on about? I compared Eifert and the impact he is making to our former TE, pointing out exactly what this guy is bringing to our team.

You are constantly defending former Bengals when they honestly don't need defending, can we not point out fact anymore? Did Gresham not have a ton of penalties and fumbles? Is Eifert not doing exactly what we wanted from out TE and the things we expected from Gresham when he was drafted?

Whatever man, you do you, if you wanna sit here trying to start something because someone points out the obvious then go for it.

Right, Dalton is playing like a top 3 QB right now because Jermaine Gresham isn't in stripes.  Rock-solid logic.  Piss on Gresham, we're seeing just how "good" he is right now in AZ, but can't we give credit to Dalton for playing out of his mind without making up some absurd notion that Jermaine Gresham was keeping him down?

Some people just can't build up this current team without complaining about someone who isn't here anymore.  Gresham isn't as good as Eifert, and Gresham downright sucks right now, but to act like getting rid of him made this team super awesome doesn't do the actually players who are working their asses off justice.

[BobJones4980]

(10-12-2015, 12:24 AM)Nately120 Wrote: Right, Dalton is playing like a top 3 QB right now because Jermaine Gresham isn't in stripes.  Rock-solid logic.  Piss on Gresham, we're seeing just how "good" he is right now in AZ, but can't we give credit to Dalton for playing out of his mind without making up some absurd notion that Jermaine Gresham was keeping him down?

Some people just can't build up this current team without complaining about someone who isn't here anymore.  Gresham isn't as good as Eifert, and Gresham downright sucks right now, but to act like getting rid of him made this team super awesome doesn't do the actually players who are working their asses off justice.

Oh. My. God.

Dude seriously? When the hell did I say any of that shit? Your just making things up to get yourself all riled up for no reason. 

First off, I NEVER MENTIONED DALTON. 

Second, I made a comment on how well Eifert is doing, again if you notice, NOT DALTON. 

Lastly, why is me talking about how great Eifert is doing and how valuable it is to have a TE that doesn't constantly make mental mistakes and fumble the ball making you whine so damn much?

Yes I brought up Gresham, mainly because it illustrates how great Eifert is doing, The fact that he is at Gresham's TD ceiling through 5 games is about Eifert, not about attacking Gresham but you just can't understand that because your too damn busy defending a former player once again.

[WhoDeyWho]

(10-12-2015, 12:34 AM)BobJones4980 Wrote: Oh. My. God.

Dude seriously? When the hell did I say any of that shit? Your just making things up to get yourself all riled up for no reason. 

First off, I NEVER MENTIONED DALTON. 

Second, I made a comment on how well Eifert is doing, again if you notice, NOT DALTON. 

Lastly, why is me talking about how great Eifert is doing and how valuable it is to have a TE that doesn't constantly make mental mistakes and fumble the ball making you whine so damn much?

Yes I brought up Gresham, mainly because it illustrates how great Eifert is doing, The fact that he is at Gresham's TD ceiling through 5 games is about Eifert, not about attacking Gresham but you just can't understand that because your too damn busy defending a former player once again.

Some people on this board just have a soft spot for ex-Bengals.  

[Rattler]

Started out on fire and then proceeded to lose the battle in the trenches for the better part of 3 quarters.

Defense put it together down the stretch and Andy came up aces.

Was worried about running out of time - be nice to see them attack quicker, it seems to take too long to get to the line
and get a play off.

[*Nately120*]

(10-12-2015, 12:40 AM)WhoDeyWho Wrote: Some people on this board just have a soft spot for ex-Bengals.  

Piss on Gresham.  Gresham sucks.

Gresham leaving the Bengals didn't make us a much better team.  You are over simplifying things AGAIN.  If me saying Gresham leaving has little to nothing to do with the Bengals being the 2nd best team in the NFL means I have a soft spot for Gresham, then fine.  I guess I love the guy.

Geez, it's all or nothing with you people isn't it?  Eifert was better than Gresham last season, too Eiftert just got a bad break and we were stuck with him on the sidelines.

EDIT: This just reminds me of the emergence of Hill last season and people rushing to get rid of Gio, or make him a WR or something. I don't understand why people are just so terrified of depth. This season isn't Gresham vs Eifert, it's Eifert on IR all season vs Eifert NOT on IR.

[BobJones4980]

(10-12-2015, 12:43 AM)Nately120 Wrote: Piss on Gresham.  Gresham sucks.

Gresham leaving the Bengals didn't make us a much better team.  You are over simplifying things AGAIN.  If me saying Gresham leaving has little to nothing to do with the Bengals being the 2nd best team in the NFL means I have a soft spot for Gresham, then fine.  I guess I love the guy.

Geez, it's all or nothing with you people isn't it?  Eifert was better than Gresham last season, too Eiftert just got a bad break and we were stuck with him on the sidelines.

You know what, ill bite. Yes upgrading a position and adding a much more dependable target/redzone target that forces defenses to bring coverage's off of our other players does make us a much better team. Honestly if Eifert doesn't go down last year Gresham probably see's very few snaps and even if he was depth here that is all he would be, I doubt he would see many looks on a weekly basis even if he had stayed.

Also 

[*Nately120*]

(10-12-2015, 12:47 AM)BobJones4980 Wrote: You know what, ill bite. Yes upgrading a position and adding a much more dependable target/redzone target that forces defenses to bring coverage's off of our other players does make us a much better team. 

Also 

Did we really upgrade the TE spot?  Last year we had Eifert and Gresham and this year we have Eifert and 4 or so TEs that don't have a single reception all season.  Eifert isn't balling because Gresham is gone, he's balling because he's healthy and Dalton is on fire.  Gresham could have 0 receptions like the rest of our TEs, so I don't see what was upgraded other than Dalton and Eifert's elbow.

[TGISunday]

Whoa, I've never seen BobJones mad before.