We’ve Set the Bar WAY Too Low!

[*ochocincos*]

(10-28-2020, 10:17 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: We’ve settled.  We, the fans.

Ever since 2015 the Bengals and their fans have settled for mediocrity.  Why?

I’m sick of it.  I want elite.  I want to know the Bengals are going to win every time they suit up and if they don’t win it’s a fluke.  I want every player to be considered the best at their position.  Being the NFL’s punching bag is getting old and losing is a stinging betrayal of Paul Brown’s legacy.

Very few Bengal starters could start on the top teams in the NFL.  I can’t imagine any competent general manager wanting to hire a Cincinnati coach to upgrade their team.  

Something has to change.  This is becoming a cruel joke.  The Cincinnati Bengals are taking baby steps while everyone else is sprinting toward excellence.  This is our thirtieth season without a playoff win.  3-19-1 isn’t fun to watch.

I don't think the fans are "settling for mediocrity" vs facing reality.
This team took a nosedive after Marvin left.
While people (including myself) are not happy with the hiring of Taylor at this point, it's important to remember that the Bengals FO hadn't interviewed someone for a HC position in 16 years. Maybe they just aren't good at interviewing/hiring.

The Bengals also invested a lot of money on veterans who have not produced on the field, some due to injury.
- Waynes, Reader, Uzomah, XSF are all on IR, and they are taking up $28.25 mill of the cap.
- Atkins has not been on the stat sheet yet through 7 games, and he's taking up $14.2 mill of the cap.
- AJ Green wasn't producing for the first 5 games of the season, and he's taking up $18.1 mill of the cap.
- Dunlap wasn't producing much, and he was taking up $10+ mill prior to being traded.
- Shawn Williams is taking up $4.9 mill in cap and is hardly being used on defense.

Between all of them, over $75 mill of the cap going towards those players.

They also have $8.5 mill tied into John Ross and Billy Price, two 1st round picks who should be quality starters at this point in their tenure but instead we don't even want to start because of how bad they've been.

What point am I getting at? The Bengals invested a lot in certain players and not getting their return on investment for different reasons. Most of those players were quality players in the past.
If all those guys were healthy and playing to expectations, I think the Bengals would probably have a winning record right now.

The injuries have been a huge hit to the team, but we're seeing that depth isn't good enough.
They also put a lot of faith in the growth of the OL and LB, of which is coming along (a lot) slower than we would like.