12-30-2018, 03:19 PM
I have a bit of a theory on the choking. Back in the day, we had problems with talented yet toxic players. Guys who couldn't handle all the losing and spoke out against Mike publicly. He famously made up the "Pickens clause" to deter this, but eventually the NFL made rules against such clauses in contracts.
Over the past 10-15 years, it seems like the Bengals have mostly been taking quiet and very loyal players. Guys like Dalton, Green, Atkins, Dunlap, Whitworth, Leon, Peko, etc. Sure, Mikey also goes for some bargain players (with personality or off-field flaws), but the bulk of our teams have been comprised of guys who are quiet and very workman like (even Palmer fit this mold until he had enough).
Teams usually have a mental makeup they're looking for in the draft. That's often what their interviews are about. I've wondered if - instead of fiery winner types - the Bengals have prioritized personalities that will stay quiet and loyal, while not criticizing the FO. This same type of personality might tend to fold in pressure situations.
I first thought of this years ago when I saw an old pre-draft profile on Carson Palmer by a sports psychologist. He pretty accurately predicted how Palmer's career would go (something like he would generally succeed, but would shrink in big moments).
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Ultimately, I think Marvin is the biggest problem as far as playoffs go. I think he has his input on offensive/defensive schemes, and we haven't set our best players up to succeed in big games. But I do wonder about the types of players we've been drafting.
Over the past 10-15 years, it seems like the Bengals have mostly been taking quiet and very loyal players. Guys like Dalton, Green, Atkins, Dunlap, Whitworth, Leon, Peko, etc. Sure, Mikey also goes for some bargain players (with personality or off-field flaws), but the bulk of our teams have been comprised of guys who are quiet and very workman like (even Palmer fit this mold until he had enough).
Teams usually have a mental makeup they're looking for in the draft. That's often what their interviews are about. I've wondered if - instead of fiery winner types - the Bengals have prioritized personalities that will stay quiet and loyal, while not criticizing the FO. This same type of personality might tend to fold in pressure situations.
I first thought of this years ago when I saw an old pre-draft profile on Carson Palmer by a sports psychologist. He pretty accurately predicted how Palmer's career would go (something like he would generally succeed, but would shrink in big moments).
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Ultimately, I think Marvin is the biggest problem as far as playoffs go. I think he has his input on offensive/defensive schemes, and we haven't set our best players up to succeed in big games. But I do wonder about the types of players we've been drafting.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
