I'm sitting here watching the 2016 Bengals Seahawks game...

[WeezyBengal]

On Star 64 right now. I remember this game like yesterday. Honestly, probably one of the top 3 games I've ever been to at PBS.

Anyway, I'm looking at this roster and it's astonishing the amount of talent we lost between 2016 and now. Peko, Whitworth, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Zeitler, Pac Man, Brandon Tate, Rey Malaluga, George Iloka, Tyler Eiffert, Jeremy Hill, Michael Johnson, and more that I'm probably missing.

It's just insane to me the amount of good players and roster turnover this team has had in 4 years. Some guys were getting washed up and released, other guys were lost to free agency.

I always kind of wondered what went wrong from us being really good (like in 2016) to being really bad (like last year) and it's as simple as just losing a butt load of talent and not replacing or retaining them over the years.

Anywho, I found it interesting. 2016 was good times...

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(08-30-2020, 10:32 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: On Star 64 right now. I remember this game like yesterday. Honestly, probably one of the top 3 games I've ever been to at PBS.

Anyway, I'm looking at this roster and it's astonishing the amount of talent we lost between 2016 and now. Peko, Whitworth, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Zeitler, Pac Man, Brandon Tate, Rey Malaluga, George Iloka, Tyler Eiffert, Jeremy Hill, Michael Johnson, and more that I'm probably missing.

It's just insane to me the amount of good players and roster turnover this team has had in 4 years. Some guys were getting washed up and released, other guys were lost to free agency.

I always kind of wondered what went wrong from us being really good (like in 2016) to being really bad (like last year) and it's as simple as just losing a butt load of talent and not replacing or retaining them over the years.

Anywho, I found it interesting. 2016 was good times...

What is cool for us fans is that game gave us a glimpse of what we could be and it needed to be evaluated by the new young
coach. I didn't expect Taylor to just come out right out the gate and win in Seattle, and yet we almost did. Blew my mind.

Was a great game, the only great game we played last year for the most part.

We now have Taylor's team so we can judge him fairly.

I know I keep saying this but it is true.

[WeezyBengal]

(08-30-2020, 10:39 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: What is cool for us fans is that game gave us a glimpse of what we could be and it needed to be evaluated by the new young
coach. I didn't expect Taylor to just come out right out the gate and win in Seattle, and yet we almost did. Blew my mind.

Was a great game, the only great game we played last year for the most part.

We now have Taylor's team so we can judge him fairly.

I know I keep saying this but it is true.

You're talking about the game from last year. I'm talking about the game from 2016. Marvin Lewis was head coach. 

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(08-30-2020, 10:41 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: You're talking about the game from last year. I'm talking about the game from 2016. Marvin Lewis was head coach. 

Well then I don't give a shit Weezy....

[WeezyBengal]

(08-30-2020, 10:43 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Well then I don't give a shit Weezy....

Haha fair enough. 

[Truck_1_0_1_]

2015*

[GreenCornBengal]

Best play of the game was called back on a holding call. I was livid. AJ Green was ballin.

[WeezyBengal]

(08-30-2020, 10:57 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: 2015*

Yes 2015! Man, even longer ago. That game seems like it was yesterday. 

[J24]

Poor roster building losing Zeitler plus Whitworth killed us. Too much money on Johnson, Pac Man, Iloka, and Vincent Rey killed us as well.

[Bengalfan4life27c]

This game has a special place in my heart. It was the only game I ever saw with my brother. I get bi-polar during a game so I prefer to watch alone. Due to moving situation I chose to watch that game with him. My brother passed away in 2016. This game was in 2015 btw.

[samhain]

(08-30-2020, 11:18 PM)J24 Wrote: Poor roster building losing Zeitler plus Whitworth killed us. Too much money on Johnson, Pac Man, Iloka, and  Vincent Rey killed us as well.

Losing those two WRs plus Eifert rarely being available wasn't awesome, either.  They always seem to have trouble replacing 2nd wrs.  They never replaced TJ as a complement to Chad with any really success, and it took a few seasons to get another running mate for AJ when Boyd came into his own.  

The Whitworth/Zeitler defections might not have stung so badly if they'd been successful selecting their replacements.  Ogbuehi and Fisher will always symbolize the beginning of the end for the Dalton/Green era here.  They were both crushing blows to any hopes they had of maintain success after 2015.

[*SHRacerX*]

(08-31-2020, 02:43 AM)samhain Wrote: Losing those two WRs plus Eifert rarely being available wasn't awesome, either.  They always seem to have trouble replacing 2nd wrs.  They never replaced TJ as a complement to Chad with any really success, and it took a few seasons to get another running mate for AJ when Boyd came into his own.  

The Whitworth/Zeitler defections might not have stung so badly if they'd been successful selecting their replacements.  Ogbuehi and Fisher will always symbolize the beginning of the end for the Dalton/Green era here.  They were both crushing blows to any hopes they had of maintain success after 2015.

Nailed both points...The rushing attack was never the same after that, either.  

If you look at that WR corps, it had the right amount of experience.  Wasn't relying on any rookies.  Ditto 2020.  AJ, Boyd, and Ross will make a solid starting 3, and you have quality depth in Tate, Higgins, Erickson, and Thomas.

The offensive line isn't quite as proven, with the biggest question mark being at LT.  Sure, he has impressed at camp, but Jonah Williams hasn't played a snap against NFL linemen and he will face Bosa and Garrett right away.  

The center position was the weakness of the 2015 offensive line, with Russell Bodine in year 2.   I would consider Hopkins an upgrade there

The guard play was very solid with Boling and Zeitler.  Again, a bit of an unknown with XSF, but I feel pretty good about Michael Jordan in year 2.

Andre Smith was playing solid RT, and we can hope that a similar light goes on in Bobby Hart. 

FWIW, I think losing Peko in the middle of the defensive front in 2017 was a blow as well.  Haven't been nearly as good at stopping the run.  Here's to DJ Reader being a massive upgrade over last year.  

[sandwedge]

(08-30-2020, 10:32 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: On Star 64 right now. I remember this game like yesterday. Honestly, probably one of the top 3 games I've ever been to at PBS.

Anyway, I'm looking at this roster and it's astonishing the amount of talent we lost between 2016 and now. Peko, Whitworth, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Zeitler, Pac Man, Brandon Tate, Rey Malaluga, George Iloka, Tyler Eiffert, Jeremy Hill, Michael Johnson, and more that I'm probably missing.

It's just insane to me the amount of good players and roster turnover this team has had in 4 years. Some guys were getting washed up and released, other guys were lost to free agency.

I always kind of wondered what went wrong from us being really good (like in 2016) to being really bad (like last year) and it's as simple as just losing a butt load of talent and not replacing or retaining them over the years.

Anywho, I found it interesting. 2016 was good times...

I watched this game last Thursday night on YouTube! I had forgotten how Seattle ran all over us in that game. Maualuga was crappy as were the other LBs. Burfict didn't play in that game. Marvin made a wise choice in that game, he sat Hill and went Gio for the 2nd half. Hill was getting his 2ypc and getting up talking shit to the defenders. I had always thought Sanu was our most underrated player on offense and he came up big in the 4th quarter. It was an exciting season for awhile!!

[samhain]

(08-31-2020, 08:39 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Nailed both points...The rushing attack was never the same after that, either.  

If you look at that WR corps, it had the right amount of experience.  Wasn't relying on any rookies.  Ditto 2020.  AJ, Boyd, and Ross will make a solid starting 3, and you have quality depth in Tate, Higgins, Erickson, and Thomas.

The offensive line isn't quite as proven, with the biggest question mark being at LT.  Sure, he has impressed at camp, but Jonah Williams hasn't played a snap against NFL linemen and he will face Bosa and Garrett right away.  

The center position was the weakness of the 2015 offensive line, with Russell Bodine in year 2.   I would consider Hopkins an upgrade there

The guard play was very solid with Boling and Zeitler.  Again, a bit of an unknown with XSF, but I feel pretty good about Michael Jordan in year 2.

Andre Smith was playing solid RT, and we can hope that a similar light goes on in Bobby Hart. 

FWIW, I think losing Peko in the middle of the defensive front in 2017 was a blow as well.  Haven't been nearly as good at stopping the run.  Here's to DJ Reader being a massive upgrade over last year.  

Agree on all points, and the run game is the other big factor.  IMO Hill declined during the terrific 2015 season.  He wasn't anywhere near the player he was when he was running wild at the end of 2014.  His style changed and he was much more hesitant.  This was easy to mask with the other offensive weapons on the roster and the odd formations that Hue would throw out there.  Once Jones and Sanu were gone and Eifert was out, he just wasn't a guy that you could look to to be a major threat.

I'll never know what happened to the player Hill was in late 14.  Maybe it was the blocking scheme, maybe he needed a fullback to help him.  Heck, maybe he just changed on his own.  I thought he was going to be a terror for the next 3 years minimum, but instead, he became just a guy.

[Housh]

Horrible drafting.

That’ll kill any team

[Essex Johnson]

2015 was such a great season.. probably my favorite team in a while.. so balanced.. offense was clicking in those first 12 games.. We scored over 24 points in 10 of the 12 games before Dalton was hurt and we actually beat the Steelers at their place ... What could have been that year