GOOD, BAD, and UGLY of SHUT OUT START LOSS

[kevin]

GOOD : The DEFENSE only allowed 20 points and that's not bad in an NFL Game of high scores. Add in all the offensive turnovers and the times Bengals D had to go on and defend a short field. Vigil made a play that gave Bengals chance for points and the defense kept the score down and gave the offense chance after chance to be in this game. Of course Fatigue comes in when the offense keeps the defense on the field all game. Still, 20 points, the D kept the score low for an NFL game and gave Bengals offense every chance to be in this game

BAD : New Offensive Line Tackles OGG and Fisher got taken to school by Suggs and Ravens D. Our O Line without Whitworth and Zeitler thanks to Mike Brown, looked every bit the worst NFL O Line in NFL as most sports media ranked them going into 2017. Running lanes and passing lanes not there most of game. Then there was Dalton making turnovers in field goal or touchdown range. Dalton made this a shut out. He didn't look good in preseason and he missed a lot of throws today. He made way too many interceptions and fumbles to win.

UGLY : Bengals looked like still in Preseason. So did some other NFL teams today. This new school of teams not playing veterans in preseason even less than in past, and Summer Camp now Touch Football unlike Lombardi era showed today. Dalton and the offense was not ready for the home opener. They ran in Hill, Bernard and Mixon like a preseason game with none of them getting into the flow of a regular season game. As if the coaches still deciding in preseason mode. Core got wide open for long bombs to score several times but Dalton missed him. Of course he missed him because Core often is 2nd string target of 2nd string McCarron. Dalton has no timing with Core. The offense looked like a preseason game, as did the offensive coaching.
If Green, LaFell and Eifert were getting open, Dalton in preseason mode wasn't getting the ball to them.

OK, not a short little text message. I can't describe this game in a modern text sound bite. So read it or don't read it, I don't care. BOTTOM LINE is Bengals play tough Houston Defense in just 4 days. I think our D is ready, but I don't see offense snapping out of preseason mode in a few days time. OGG, FISHER, DALTON, THE O COACHES still in preseason mode look like Houston D will probably take them to school and out behind the wood shed Thursday. I do hope Bengals get out of preseason mode at some point. They were not the only NFL team today that looked sloppy from this modern touch football training camps. At least I have HOPE that the offense can be fixed. It was only game one and I repeat, very preseason as starters seemed not use to being on the field. Problem is these games count now. 0-2 would be a terrible start and 0-3 you can kiss away hopes for a good season.

[Rattler]

Dalton single handely left the D in serious holes and was definitely POG for the rat turds today.

[Joelist]

This was a full team meltdown. They came out flat and unprepared (vintage Marvin) and the clown show on OL caused the entire offense to never get into sync. Add in playcalling that sert everyone up to fail and we had an implosion. Hopefully by Thursday they will be where actual pro teams should be by the fourth preseason game.

[El guapo]

This team needs to mostly abandon the passing game. They should run the ball nearly every down. They have three running backs who can handle it. Take quick shots in the air when the time comes up but their primary offense should be on the ground. their offensive line can surely run block.

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[kevin]

(09-10-2017, 10:57 PM)El guapo Wrote: This team needs to mostly abandon the passing game. They should run the ball nearly every  down. They have three running backs who can handle it. Take quick shots in the air when the time comes up but their primary offense should be on the ground. their offensive line can surely run block.

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I can see with Dalton having a minus 4 in Fantasy Points you would want all run plays.  Heck, Tampa QB Winston didn't even play due to hurricane giving him 0 points, but a team I was up against had Dalton to put in and didn't, and turned out 0 was better than minus 4 of Dalton.  Still, it defeats having Green, LaFell, Eifert, Boyd, Ross, Core if all we do is run.  Dalton is better than this.  I remember fans boo Ken Anderson in game one in 1981, but he won MVP taking Bengals to Super Bowl.   Don't Bengals have Andre Smith and Winston as veteran tackles if OGG and Fisher don't get the job done ?  Andre may be our best right tackle and we aren't using him.  Also, I don't like how coaching used the RB's in game one.  These running backs need carries to get into the flow of the game.  The coaches were running Hill, Bernard and Mixon in and out like a preseason game, never letting one of them to get hot.  It was like the coaches are still in preseason deciding who to play and THAT is poor coaching.  At some point they have to decide who is going to get the bulk of the carries and when that back needs a break, who comes in.  They should still use Hill near the goal line, but in game one they were just running them in and out like preseason.  Eifert got one catch, he wasn't used right. The way Ravens were blitzing our TE had to be open.  Marvin Lewis and coaches need to know that preseason is over. ....NO, we can't go to just the run every play, and I'm not impressed of how the coaches ran the RB's in and out like a preseason game, never letting any of them get in the flow of the game.  YES, let me add Marvin Lewis and the Offensive Coaches stunk yesterday.   POOR GAME ADJUSTMENTS, and they were no help to Dalton on the sidelines as he tried to figure it out. Marvin Lewis and the Offensive Coaches were awful and still in Preseason Mode.  Ravens Harbaugh staff out coached Lewis.  Coach Lewis could have been replaced by a cigar store wooden Indian, because that's how he looked on the sidelines as if still preseason. WHY DIDN'T Lewis make game adjustments to Suggs and WHY DID Ravens seem to know which plays were coming. Was Marvin so preseason offense and was still in preseason vanilla playbook. Not one game adjustment to address Suggs dominating OGG, and I blame Lewis and Zampese. Somebody needs to tell Coach Lewis that preseason is over and Thursday Nights game counts.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

I agree with the OP, but Fish wasn't that bad....and Boling played a good game.  Otherwise, spot on.

[Au165]

It's only PFF, but this is worth noting. Lawson appears to be everything we were hoping for. He didn't get home, but on one of Geno's sacks he was held so bad but still was able to force Flacco inside to Geno. Glasgow has also been a pleasant surprise through Pre Season and game 1.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-baltimore-ravens-20-cincinnati-bengals-0

[Luvnit2]

(09-11-2017, 10:17 AM)Wyche Wrote: I agree with the OP, but Fish wasn't that bad....and Boling played a good game.  Otherwise, spot on.

Fisher was ranked less than 50 on PFF which contradicts your statement. But, he was our best so I guess that made him look better even though he also struggled.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(09-11-2017, 10:24 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Fisher was ranked less than 50 on PFF which contradicts your statement. But, he was our best so I guess that made him look better even though he also struggled.

Yeah, I saw that.....and I missed the second half of the first qtr and all of the second, as I was on the road and listening on the radio.  That said, Royle showed some videos of him playing a little smash mouth, and I liked it.  He got called for two BS holding calls, that may have factored into his grade.  I'm not sure of PFF's grading system....I'm sure penalties detract from the score?

[Luvnit2]

(09-11-2017, 10:22 AM)Au165 Wrote: It's only PFF, but this is worth noting. Lawson appears to be everything we were hoping for. He didn't get home, but on one of Geno's sacks he was held so bad but still was able to force Flacco inside to Geno. Glasgow has also been a pleasant surprise through Pre Season and game 1.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-baltimore-ravens-20-cincinnati-bengals-0

Interesting as I thought Minter did not play well and though Willis was much better than Lawson.

All I know is they ran the ball at will controlling the clock when we knew they were going to run it so that is a very bad!

[Benton]

The good: There's nowhere to go but up. Probably.

If we can score a TD next weekend, we've improved. Hell, a field goal and we scored more points.