07-08-2021, 12:01 PM
(07-08-2021, 11:32 AM)kevin Wrote: I Disagree. The whole point of the ESPN roster rating is the players aren't all that talented.
I will say the players have not been that talented on this team in years.
The roster was loaded with talented players when team started 8-0 in 2015. Then Mike Brown let Marvin Jones, Sanu, Zeitler, Whitworth go. Burfict fizzled out. No more Hall or Nelson in the secondary. Maualuga's career here ended also. Eifert never came back from injuries. Awful 1st round draft picks under Marvin and Tobin. Bengals were rated the worst talent at O Line going into 2017, and it has stayed that way. Draft picks and Blockers from other teams never panned out. The talent level at O Line just awful since Mike Brown went Cheap in 2017. Then the talent level on defense went downhill. Dunlap and Atkins had injuries and their era here was ending. Then AJ Green went down hill with injuries, and not very good last few years.
So I completely disagree that Taylor is horrible and the players are talented, as you said. The players on this team have not been all that talented since team started going downhill after 2015. The window of opportunity closed on the team of Dalton, Green, Atkins, Dunlap of 2010's decade. By Marvin's last year, this team was just awful. This team needed a complete rebuild of players after Marvin was fired, The players were not talented and Coach Taylor came in finding Marvin had left the cupboard bare. In Marvins last years the offense set NFL record lows and had no blocking. The last year the defense was so bad that the D coach fired during season, Marvin took over as D Coach and Hue Jackson who was awful and fired at Cleveland was still considered good enough to help run Bengals as Marvin took over defense, and as expected, the team got even worse those last weeks of Marvin and Hue. Add in that just about all the top draft picks under Marvin and Tobin lately had been Flops. Many coaches in NFL refused to work for Mike Brown and replacing Marvin was not a job coaches wanted. Coming to WKRP in Cincinnati to work for Mike Brown was refused by many coaches in NFL as they considered it a demotion, not a promotion.
So the Bengals lacked talented players when Zac Taylor hired to do a complete rebuild. Now a complete rebuild can not be done in one season. Nor can it be done in two seasons and covid forcing no preseason greatly hurt the rebuild in second season. So here we are going into rebuild season three. All of the Marvin and Tobin top picks that didn't pan out are gone, except for Price whos contract is running out. There are very few players left from Marvin and Hue getting fired, and that's a good thing. Those players were awful.
So now there is a whole new team of players, for the most part. I think they have had some good drafts under Taylor, much better than Marvin's last years. I like the batch of new talent brought in this off season via Free Agency and The Draft. I can see why ESPN says Bengals players talent level is near bottom of NFL, because since 2017 it has been. Still, the Marvin players have been weeded out for the most part. After 3 Drafts Taylor is starting to collect the players he wants.
It is far too easy to blame Taylor for not turning around this stinking lousy franchise in 2 seasons. Yes, Taylor could have been fired after last season, but few coaches would have wanted the WKRP in Cincinnati job working for Mike Brown, as always. Firing the coach would not instantly make the players talented. ESPN says the players are NOT talented. I have been a Bengals Fan since 1968, and I am excited to see how Training Camp and Preseason goes, there was no Preseason last year and this team needs some warm up games. IF they can coach up the blocking to protect Joe Burrow, this team can become very exciting. I like some of the plays Taylor uses, but without blocking no playbook works.
I don't know what other peoples expectations of a total rebuild were, but Paul Brown said it best in 1968, " Don't expect this team to be competitive for a few years ". That was my expectations of total rebuild after Marvin and the team in such bad shape. This was like an expansion team build or rebuild. I did not expect wins in 2019 and covid 2020 without a preseason was a kick in the pants. I hated to see Burrow take the field with this awful O Line having no preseason warm up games, and I feared Top Pick Burrow would get injured bad. So here we are in 2021 and I'm getting excited about training camp and preseason. I think coach Taylor can coach these players up. They all need their talent level coached up. Mostly all these new players need to come together as a TEAM. The blocking must improve. The Focus must be on THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM. Always THE TEAM. This is where having preseason warm up games again is huge. No team in the NFL needs warm up games more than the Rebuilding Bengals.
I think an 8-8 season would be a huge step forward for this new young team being put together. I do not agree with you yet that Coach Taylor is lousy. ESPN does not agree with you that the players are talented. I am excited about the 3rd year coach and the new players brought in the last 3 years. If they can build a good team around Joe Burrow, this could be a dynasty team of the 2020's decade. Blocking and Tackling, there must be Blocking and Tackling, something we didn't have in Marvin's last years, but hopefully this Rebuild kicks in and Blocks and Tackles. If this team Blocks and Tackles, I raise my hopes from 8-8 to Play-Off Wins. I'm very excited to see how hard this team works and progresses in training camp and preseason. For all anybody is talking about is how teams look like on paper, except the game is not played on paper or on a computer. It is played on the gridiron turf of Hard Tackle Football of Blocking and Tackling. So I'm Excited to see Taylor and the 3 years of New Players hit the field and start smashing pads into each other. Bring on the warm up games to get ready for regular season.
So I disagree with your view Taylor is lousy and the players are great. I disagree completely. I say the jury is out, and nobody knows what this team can or can't do. If they get out there in training camp and bust their butts and turn these new coaches and players into A TEAM, The Bengals could become a powerhouse dynasty team in the 2020's decade, and THAT would be Exciting to see develop.
Kevin,
Are you lost? You're making way too much sense and presenting way too many logical and emotionally balanced opions to be posting here.
