There is no such thing as a 'meaningless' win in the NFL

[*PhilHos*]

Every win in the NFL has meaning.

A win determines a team's record.
A win determines if a team makes the playoffs or not.
A win determines a team's draft position.
A win can determine if a team retains it's coaching staff and certain players.

There are more, but just because the win may have a supposed negative effect on the team doesn't make it meaningless.

[SunsetBengal]

I agree that there is no such thing as a meaningless win. I guarantee that for every man who wears a stripped helmet, the past two weeks have been very meaningful and likely quite satisfying.

[BengalChris]

(12-28-2020, 11:11 AM)PhilHos Wrote: Every win in the NFL has meaning.

A win determines a team's record.
A win determines if a team makes the playoffs or not.
A win determines a team's draft position.
A win can determine if a team retains it's coaching staff and certain players.

There are more, but just because the win may have a supposed negative effect on the team doesn't make it meaningless.

Hum, teams and coaches that manage a mere 2 wins or 4 wins and a tie here or there are at the bottom of the NFL.

This coaching staff should be long gone. Only the Brown/Blackburn clan would even consider keeping these guys.

If the goal is an NFL Championship, then a couple of wins at the end of season that moves the team from 3rd worst to 5th worst out of 32 can hardly be called a victory in terms making progress towards a championship.

How on Earth do people forget we'd like to be 1st best and a full 32 places out of the worst spot?

 

[JWW1971]

Yes its great getting a couple of wins under our belt and especially our first road victory but My biggest issue is that we are doing it at the end of the season Again.
After we got a couple of wins at the end of last season everyone thought we had turned the corner and we all got excited about the start of the new season, especially with us getting Burrow.
We then started this season like the coaches and players had never met and we were awful again.
What happens if we start next season the same way? are we expected to go with it if Zac managed to pull out 5 or 6 wins at the end of next season?
For me if Zac doesn't go then we need a new DC, OC & OL coach

[MileHighGrowler]

(12-28-2020, 02:59 PM)JWW1971 Wrote: Yes its great getting a couple of wins under our belt and especially our first road victory but My biggest issue is that we are doing it at the end of the season Again.
After we got a couple of wins at the end of last season everyone thought we had turned the corner and we all got excited about the start of the new season, especially with us getting Burrow.
We then started this season like the coaches and players had never met and we were awful again.
What happens if we start next season the same way? are we expected to go with it if Zac managed to pull out 5 or 6 wins at the end of next season?
For me if Zac doesn't go then we need a new DC, OC & OL coach

If Zac is back next year and starts off with another awful start, he should get canned right then and there.  Interim coaches are a joke and I don't usually support mid-season coaching changes, but I'm not doing yet another season of this crap straight out of the 90s.  Lose, lose, lose, then win a couple at the end of the year that gets everyone's hopes up about "finally figuring it out" and the "OL starting to gel" and "Zac getting his feet under him."  If he can't get a team named after tigers to come roaring out of the gate next year after the putrid history he's had with this team and being brought back again I want him out immediately.  

I'm still hoping the Brown family looks big picture and makes decisions this offseason that involve a 3-5 year learning curve where no one even knows the ceiling and whether we've already reached it.  But the leash I'd give Taylor if he comes back in the drivers seat is reeeaally short.  

[bengaloo]

I couldnt be happier for the players the last 2 weeks. Both wins are huge to boost confidence and these players deserve it. Sy what you will about the coaches, but the players have been playing hard and they havent quit.

[BengalFanInNJ]

I’m one of those “tank if you are out of the playoffs” fans, but, I will admit the past two weeks have been enjoyable and am starting to change my attitude towards tanking. No draft pick is a sure thing anyway. The only thing I would say is not to let the recent success overlook the fact that this team still has many issues. We won’t get Sewell, but, if we can sign Thuney (which is doubtful), and grab an OT or DE in the first round, I would be happy.

[Yojimbo]

I like the idea of using late season games when you’re out of playoff contention, as practices. Try some new plays, try some new formations, see what you have in young project players.

[*ochocincos*]

(12-28-2020, 11:11 AM)PhilHos Wrote: Every win in the NFL has meaning.

A win determines a team's record.
A win determines if a team makes the playoffs or not.
A win determines a team's draft position.
A win can determine if a team retains it's coaching staff and certain players.

There are more, but just because the win may have a supposed negative effect on the team doesn't make it meaningless.

While it may not be "meaningless," it doesn't seem to really do what some hope it to do, which is to propel the team going into next season.
Since the Bengals lost their playoff game against the Steelers, they have gone into the final week of the season every year with a losing record. Yet in every final game of the season, they have won that last game. Unfortunately, they continue to still have a losing record year after year, showing that winning late in the season the year before really wasn't a precursor to having a great season the following year.

But you're right, winning late like the Bengals have does affect draft position, could affect the opposing team's playoff chances, and could determine the fate of the coaching staff. Hopefully, Mike Brown doesn't put too much into these late-season wins when the team was already eliminated from playoffs, but he probably does.

[fredtoast]

Bengal fans have been the same way for a few years now.

Regular season wins don't mean anything, but regular season losses mean everything.

[HarleyDog]

If a team tanks on purpose then losing becomes acceptable and your players are tainted with a foul mindset. You treat a season the same as a game and play your best from beginning to end. Losing is not an achievement nor a reward.

[fredtoast]

(12-29-2020, 01:09 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: If a team tanks on purpose then losing becomes acceptable and your players are tainted with a foul mindset. You treat a season the same as a game and play your best from beginning to end. Losing is not an achievement nor a reward.

This.  You can't "tank" a game by not having players give 100% or not calling plays to try and win.  Once the game starts you have to try as hard as possible to win.

The only way to "tank" in the NFL is to hold key players out of games.

[bengals67]

Just seen too many examples of Bengals winning a few games in December after they were out of playoffs and therefore "meaningless" in that sense.

I hate to lose out of on Oregon tackle if he is the second coming of Munoz.

Carrying on with Zack and most of staff and not changing personnel department is not the way to maximize Burrow or get the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2 to 4 years if ever.

[GodFather]

(12-28-2020, 01:09 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I agree that there is no such thing as a meaningless win.  I guarantee that for every man who wears a stripped helmet, the past two weeks have been very meaningful and likely quite satisfying.

Well thats two weeks out of 13

[Bilbo Saggins]

Yeap.  The teams that just keep on winning never seem to be too hindered by losing out on draft position.  It's better from a psychological standpoint to straighten your back and play well - for practice's sake and pride in one's job.

[BengalsRocker]

(12-29-2020, 01:03 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Bengal fans have been the same way for a few years now.

Regular season wins don't mean anything, but regular season losses mean everything.

It's all relative to post season success and getting over the hump as franchise.

[Gdale_Bengal]

It sucks being a bengals fan for so long. We have seen way too much(little) from this owner when it comes to these late season wins.

There just isn’t enough of the opposite or firings at the right time to justify optimism in the owner/gm.

I am happy the bengals won last week. I’m happy they are on a 2 game win streak. I want to believe in Zac Taylor, mainly because we know he’s coming back for his 3rd year. But I don’t know if this is the classic dead cat bounce or the real building blocks going into next year.


Regardless, people start calling an OT the 2nd coming of Munoz, our lone HOFer and tge board will want us to go 0-16 to select him.

[fredtoast]

(12-30-2020, 08:56 AM)BengalsRocker Wrote: It's all relative to post season success and getting over the hump as franchise.

I still think it is hilarious that the same guys who used to tell me that regular season wins did not matter to them are now crying so much because we are not getting enough regular season wins.

[BengalsRocker]

(12-30-2020, 01:02 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I still think it is hilarious that the same guys who used to tell me that regular season wins did not matter to them are now crying so much because we are not getting enough regular season wins.

I don't know how you can't wrap your mind around perspective.

Not enough wins to make it to the playoffs = negative response

Making to playoffs and falling short 100% in Mike Brown era = negative response

Yes, you're going to get crying or as you usually prefer to call "squealing".

[fredtoast]

(12-30-2020, 02:00 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: I don't know how you can't wrap your mind around perspective.

Actually I am the one who understand "perspective" and you are the one who can't wrap your head around the fact that there is NEVER a time when regular season wins don't matter.

When we were making the playoffs all the people who claimed that regular season wins don't matter were stupid.