Is it all ZT?

[BengalChris]

(12-12-2020, 10:05 PM)Geno_Can_Dunk Wrote: You can't count rookies. That's like saying other teams didn't add rookies too. Getting better than we were last year is irrelevant. We need to get better than our opponents got better from last year. So don't count our rookies and not other teams' rookies. 

I'll give you Jonah, but like Alexander he's been in and out of the lineup. 

Spain is a guy we picked up midseason out of desperation, and had been cut by the Bills. It was out of desperation. If you're going to make the argument that we added all this talent, at least name good players. Spain isn't good. 

You can't count Green as a positive addition either... because he's being paid 18M for virtually nothing. Right now, he's a subtraction, because of what his money could otherwise be used for. You see, to make the argument you're making those new starters have to be positive starters, and if they're not you need to show how it's the coaches doing. I don't buy that... in Green's case they tried to force him the ball the first two weeks. 

Lawson gained a starting job (frankly he was better than Dunlap) and would have many more sacks if we had any interior presence. We don't because Reader went down and Geno is shot. I'd bet he at least double that if Reader was healthy and Geno was the player he used to be. 

Reader wasn't bad either - don't take PFF as gospel. 

And calling me a Zac fanboy - I mean, are you twelve years old? Jesus, man. 

Well, since the team hasn't gotten any better, when compared to winning a championship or even improving over their last year's team record failure, then all we can really say is that they didn't improve in spite of all the words coming out of mouths that probably ought to be bussing tables at Wendy's.

Steelers in 2019 were 8-8 with Ben on IR. This season they're 11-1, a marked improvement and their rookies are helping them this season. The Browns were 6-10 in 2019. They are 9-3 in 2020 and have a much better coach the Bengals do. The Ravens were 14-2 in 2019 and have fallen back to 7-5 this season, but significantly better than the Bengals.

The simple fact is that the Bengals made the moves they made on their own choice and they haven't improved. Other teams have. And that's the bottom line.