04-25-2017, 01:45 PM
(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?
