Oakland: Concerned?

[clevelandsdad]

New here, thanks for having me!

When the average NFL fan of a good NFL team see's a game with Oakland on the schedule, they usually circle that one as the game I might be able to miss for work, family etc. Even as a Bengals fan, I always feel good about playing them.

But like every year, Week 1 provides an air of uncertainty. This year, I believe it is accentuated with young Derek Carr seemingly budding, his new plethora of weapons (Cooper, Crabtree), and the human heat-seeking missile Khalil Mack. History also doesn't seem to favor us in Oakland, although I don't believe that matters too much.

As a Bengals fan, is there reason for genuine concern for this matchup? We definitely have a better roster, and better matchups across the field. But I'm always afraid of that Week 1 upset.

[Okeana]

We have some key pieces still coming back from injury so my hope is that we dont get anymore injuries. I would much rather lose in oakland and come on strong towards playoffs with a healthy roster.

That said I think atkins mauls his face off lol

[Sweetness]

As a Bengals fan, I think there's genuine reason for concern for every game; you never have any idea which team is going to show up and play.  Could be the good Bengals that take down the Packers and Broncos or it could be the bad Bengals that get pulverized by the Browns, scrape by tampa, or lose to the Dolphins.

I think this Oakland team either will be way overhyped or a pretty solid fooball team. (I'm pretty daring with my predictions) They played well at the end of last season and seem to have only gotten better. I think it's definitely a game we could drop on the road.

All that said, I still think we'll win.  

[type_stripe]

As long as we play like the better team and not down to their level, we'll be fine. We are the better team and Oakland is still Oakland even with the recent additions of Carr and Cooper.

[McC]

I'm a little concerned, more about their defense than their offense.

[BURROWorBUST]

Not to sound like Marvin, but there are no gimmes in this league. Oakland is good enough to beat us if we don't play well.

That said, winning a game in Oakland would be a nice monkey to get off our backs.

[3wt]

(09-02-2015, 07:03 PM)McC Wrote: I'm a little concerned, more about their defense than their offense.

Agreed.  We're going to have to get one part of our offense hitting on all cylinders or they are going to tee off on us.   My fear is that the run game won't get going.  If that happens we will continue our history of never winning in Oakland.

[Luvnit2]

(09-02-2015, 06:18 PM)clevelandsdad Wrote: New here, thanks for having me!

When the average NFL fan of a good NFL team see's a game with Oakland on the schedule, they usually circle that one as the game I might be able to miss for work, family etc. Even as a Bengals fan, I always feel good about playing them.

But like every year, Week 1 provides an air of uncertainty. This year, I believe it is accentuated with young Derek Carr seemingly budding, his new plethora of weapons (Cooper, Crabtree), and the human heat-seeking missile Khalil Mack. History also doesn't seem to favor us in Oakland, although I don't believe that matters too much.

As a Bengals fan, is there reason for genuine concern for this matchup? We definitely have a better roster, and better matchups across the field. But I'm always afraid of that Week 1 upset.

Since we are 0-10 in Oakland, that alone is a concern.

[*Awful Llama*]

It's just unfathomable that several different head coaches and teams over the course of four decades haven't figured out even once how to beat this team in their stadium. It needs to end now. Marvin needs to have them ready and they just need to go lay a beating on this mediocre-at-best team and end this 0-10 nonsense.

[Frank Pembleton]

yes

I'm very concerned

Oakland is going to be ready....and angry

Will Cincy come out with that same intensity? who knows

[*jason*]

I am concerned that I'll have to watch the Browns and Jets set the game of football back 50 years for 3 hours until 4 pm edt.

[kevin]

(09-02-2015, 06:18 PM)clevelandsdad Wrote: New here, thanks for having me!

When the average NFL fan of a good NFL team see's a game with Oakland on the schedule, they usually circle that one as the game I might be able to miss for work, family etc. Even as a Bengals fan, I always feel good about playing them.

But like every year, Week 1 provides an air of uncertainty. This year, I believe it is accentuated with young Derek Carr seemingly budding, his new plethora of weapons (Cooper, Crabtree), and the human heat-seeking missile Khalil Mack. History also doesn't seem to favor us in Oakland, although I don't believe that matters too much.

As a Bengals fan, is there reason for genuine concern for this matchup? We definitely have a better roster, and better matchups across the field. But I'm always afraid of that Week 1 upset.

Maybe it's because I've been a Bengals Fan since 1968, our first year, when we had no business on the same field with Oakland here or there. They cleaned our clock in 1968. Greg Cook was huge in pulling off a huge upset in Nippert in 1969. We lost at Oakland in 1975 season play-offs. We lost at Oakland in 1990 season play-offs. We lost at Oakland in 2009 when we had a 7-2 record and Oakland was suppose to be an easy game.  The Bengals have 1 win and 14 losses at The Raiders. I say at The Raiders because some games were in LA.  We have never ever beat them in Oakland. So I would not call this an easy game or a feel good game. Bengals have never won at Oakland.  Now we are 7-6 against Raiders in Cincinnati.  Raiders lead the series 20 wins and 8 losses....again, won once in LA, and have never won in Oakland. 

For these reasons, this is not an easy, put it in the bank, feel good game to me. ....I also remember At Denver early just a few years ago, before Manning, before Tebow was starting.  That was suppose to be easy, and we lost. At Denver in 2006 was suppose to be easy, and we lost. At Denver is never easy. At Oakland is never easy. Throw in San Diego and Kansas City.  The Bengals started in the already established AFC West their first 2 years. It wasn't easy then, and it has never been easy. When Bengals play the AFC West, the old AFL wars continue.  There was nothing easy about the AFL West, and at Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos and Raiders is always hard...How hard ????...If we win, it will be Bengals first win at Oakland EVER. .....add in that Bengals often lose the first game of the season, you can look it up.  They are 5-5 over the last 10 years in the first game.  This also is not a FEEL GOOD stat. 

So Bengals better be ready to fly out west and no excuses of jet lag and time zones. I would love for the Bengals to get their first win ever at Oakland.  The Bengals schedule is kind of rough, so we could use this win. I don't believe in easy road wins. All road wins are hard. ....This said, GO BENGALS......but this is not an automatic win on the schedule by any means.  When you turn on your TV's, you will see a loud stadium of crazy and wild Raiders fans dressed like Halloween in black in The Black Hole, and it will be their Home Opener. Raiders will be fired up to win their home opener. It will be loud. It will be a 3 hour time zone away. ...this is no automatic win and the Bengals better be ready for a knock down, drag out.

Bengals have never won at Oakland. Bengals did win once at LA Raiders. ...1 win and 14 losses at Raiders.....On the other hand, this bunch from 2011 on has never played at Oakland in the last 4 winning seasons of Bengals. These guys have never lost or won at Oakland. GO BENGALS !!!!!

[CornerBlitz]

These are the types of games that separate the men from the boys. We should win regardless of where the game is, whether that actually happens is anyone's guess.

[Bengal Jells]

Didnt a bruce gradkowski led raiders team beat us? I feel like they are a solid squad this year. We have the better team but we dont do well in oakland. Still i think we win. Geno up that middle is gonna try to prove something.

[BengalD]

I'm out in Hawaii with work for the next few weeks so the only football that I'm really being exposed to right now is west coast team stuff. Watched the cards raiders game here on tv last weekend and I'm really concerned. The raiders looked to be a much improved team over the last few years especially as it related to the starting units that played the first half for both teams. If our offense is sluggish (as they sometimes are - still cant figure how that squad goes jeckyl and hyde), the Bengals can very easily lose to an improved and hungry team. Think the Bengals will have their hands full.

[*jason*]

I bet the Bengals have the highest percentage of players who have never opened the season in their home stadium.

[BFritz21]

Jeremy Hill will come out like a man possessed and ready to beat Oakland on his own.

Geno has his coming back party to announce to the world that he's even better than before the injury.

They can't be taken lightly, but this is the year we take that Oakland monkey off of our backs and stomp him into the ground.

[Brownshoe]

(09-02-2015, 10:04 PM)jason Wrote: I bet the Bengals have the highest percentage of players who have never opened the season in their home stadium.

The only starter on offense that has had a season opener at home is Whitworth.

[BengalChris]

(09-02-2015, 06:18 PM)clevelandsdad Wrote: New here, thanks for having me!

When the average NFL fan of a good NFL team see's a game with Oakland on the schedule, they usually circle that one as the game I might be able to miss for work, family etc. Even as a Bengals fan, I always feel good about playing them.

But like every year, Week 1 provides an air of uncertainty. This year, I believe it is accentuated with young Derek Carr seemingly budding, his new plethora of weapons (Cooper, Crabtree), and the human heat-seeking missile Khalil Mack. History also doesn't seem to favor us in Oakland, although I don't believe that matters too much.

As a Bengals fan, is there reason for genuine concern for this matchup? We definitely have a better roster, and better matchups across the field. But I'm always afraid of that Week 1 upset.

Understand you completely.

The Tampa game confirmed bad preparation habits are still with us. Team had 9 days to prepare for Tampa.

When this team lays an egg, it lays a doozie. And is still quite capable of it.

I would like to see a heavy dose of Hill in a heavy package. Coaches need to stick with it and this game can be put away in the first half. Attacking the other team's strengths sets the tone and says, "it is you who should be afraid of us."

[TGISunday]

(09-02-2015, 10:17 PM)Brownshoe Wrote: The only starter on offense that has had a season opener at home is Whitworth.

Followed by Hall, maualuga, Peko, Johnson on D.

Sad, really.

Hall might want to forget that one, too.