Are We A Contender Now?!

[*bengalfan74*]

(01-31-2019, 08:18 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Dalton and most of his teammates have beaten lots of good teams.  If not for the mind-boggling domination by the Steelers the Bengals would have one of the best records against winning teams since 2011.

All this talk about "playing not to lose" is BS.  Bengals never lost a game under Marvin Lewis because they were too conservative with a lead.

If Taylor is as good of a coach as Lewis but figures out how to beat the Steelers we should be a contender this year.

Fred, you have your opinion about this. Myself and about 90% of the rest of the Bengal fans have a different one.

[McC]

(01-31-2019, 04:24 PM)Millhouse Wrote: Way too early to know anything. This team could be a big flop again as much as it could be a playoff contender based on what little we know right now.

Of course it is.

But at this point, it's not about knowing.  It's about having faith.  It's about going against every years born of past let down instinct a Bengal fan could possess and believing this could actually be the time all the other times couldn't be.   These are the days we have waited for all these years.

I have no facts to back this up because it is strictly an opinion.

But I'd still rather have hope and be wrong than have none and be right.  I've never really had it in me to expect the worst.  I don't just hope without a reason to do so.

The people who know him pretty much unanimously describe Zac Taylor as a sponge, soaking up knowledge from smart people.  He has the attention to detail that matters so much.  And we're getting him as a virtual child.

We may not be thrashing people right from the start but I believe we will see a very new kind of team.  I believe that this guy has make you a powerhouse type abilities.

He blew the search committee away.  I'm thinking he brought them his plan and it's a helluva plan.  The search was over right then and there.

The roster is fixable enough in one year to be contenders if the FO steps up.  I believe they will.  They tried to last year.  They made moves.  They didn't pan  out but a couple of them still could this year.

I believe we'll be in contention.  I believe it based on nothing concrete.  I also believe next week will something to behold.

And yes, way to early to know anything.  How Bengal-ish is it to have to wait all this time?  But keep in mind Duke say they were not going to hamper the new coach.  That statement is huge.  They're gonna give him what he wants.

[Essex Johnson]

(01-31-2019, 03:56 PM)GodFather Wrote: Whoaaaaaa Guy!

We are far from a contender, unless you want to compare us to Rocky 1 and the goal was just to finish!

What we do have is hope! Hope that we have a coach now that can take us deep into the playoffs and into a SB victory at some point.

With Marvin Lewis it was over before the season began, this is a new lease on hope and excitement.

But contender? Not yet Marlon Brando...

Contender?? im sure many of the fan bases of these teams listed in article felt the same.. but just as the league as changed in passing offense so has the leagued changed in the ability for a team to turn it around in one year

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/12/11/nfl-could-set-record-for-most-worst-to-first-teams/ 

[Essex Johnson]

(01-31-2019, 08:32 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Fred, you have your opinion about this. Myself and about 90% of the rest of the Bengal fans have a different one.

you might mean 90% of the posters on here... I know many people that are Bengals fans that don;t feel the way  that many of posters do on here... and really that is not that many people in the bigger picture...Hell if you look at the amount of people that actually post on here.. you might be able to fill up one section of seats at PB Stadium

[*Synric*]

(01-31-2019, 09:14 AM)Au165 Wrote: The NFL has people go from "worst to first" almost every season. The issue is most people don't see it coming so it's hard to say yes or no, but I'm not sure we have actually done anything quite yet to make that proclamation. Let's check back in May.

This.

Worst to First.

[*michaelsean*]

We have no idea if Taylor is even a good HC. He could be really bad at it.

[Au165]

(02-01-2019, 08:16 AM)michaelsean Wrote: We have no idea if Taylor is even a good HC. He could be really bad at it.

To be fair we knew Marvin was pretty bad at it...

[*bengalfan74*]

(02-01-2019, 09:35 AM)Au165 Wrote: To be fair we knew Marvin was pretty bad at it...

drops the mic

[PV Bengal]

(01-31-2019, 05:04 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Bingo fellas

It's not just needing a RT or a MLB, or a WLB or a TE or a new offensive scheme, new defensive mind set, or running MJ and Redmond out there when they're not getting it done.

We need a complete culture change ! We have to learn how to win, learn how to put our foot down on teams necks ! You're not gonna beat Pittsburgh and all the other good teams playing not to lose.

Can they fix all of that in 7 months ?

TBH, it is BOTH.

Yes, a culture change is needed ... and I agree with the "put our foot down on teams necks" thought. 

But we ALSO have a ton of holes to fix. We need 2 LBs who can run, cover and tackle. We need 3 OL starters. And we need better backups.

So, IMHO, we need at least 2 drafts to fix the current mess.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(01-31-2019, 08:53 PM)McC Wrote: Of course it is.

But at this point, it's not about knowing.  It's about having faith.  It's about going against every years born of past let down instinct a Bengal fan could possess and believing this could actually be the time all the other times couldn't be.   These are the days we have waited for all these years.

I have no facts to back this up because it is strictly an opinion.

But I'd still rather have hope and be wrong than have none and be right.  I've never really had it in me to expect the worst.  I don't just hope without a reason to do so.

The people who know him pretty much unanimously describe Zac Taylor as a sponge, soaking up knowledge from smart people.  He has the attention to detail that matters so much.  And we're getting him as a virtual child.

We may not be thrashing people right from the start but I believe we will see a very new kind of team.  I believe that this guy has make you a powerhouse type abilities.

He blew the search committee away.  I'm thinking he brought them his plan and it's a helluva plan.  The search was over right then and there.

The roster is fixable enough in one year to be contenders if the FO steps up.  I believe they will.  They tried to last year.  They made moves.  They didn't pan  out but a couple of them still could this year.

I believe we'll be in contention.  I believe it based on nothing concrete.  I also believe next week will something to behold.

And yes, way to early to know anything.  How Bengal-ish is it to have to wait all this time?  But keep in mind Duke say they were not going to hamper the new coach.  That statement is huge.  They're gonna give him what he wants.

Great post McC, exactly the way i feel.

BTW, Brad got suspended eh?

[*ochocincos*]

I don't see how you can consider a 6-10 team a contender before the staff, FA, or the draft happens.
So I'm in wait-and-see mode until the draft ends on April 27.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-01-2019, 11:47 AM)ochocincos Wrote: I don't see how you can consider a 6-10 team a contender before the staff, FA, or the draft happens.
So I'm in wait-and-see mode until the draft ends on April 27.

Yes, this is when we will start to really see the difference and might have to wait right into the regular season to really see it. But i expect to hear a different tone around here and as McC said, atleast now him and i have hope. It was stale around here and i didn't expect a Playoff win in like the last 3 outings we got there under Marv. After the Steeler debacle he should of been gone and there was no chance for us after with him as we saw.

This ends now for me, or atleast once the new coaching staff is confirmed.

I now will have hope and it is nice to have.

[reuben.ahmed]

I choked on my coffee reading the thread title, if I drank coffee that is. The coffee was imaginary as was the choke.

[*jason*]

(02-01-2019, 08:16 AM)michaelsean Wrote: We have no idea if Taylor is even a good HC. He could be really bad at it.

This...


But we do know (or at least we think we do) that the man can kill an interview.

[grampahol]

Sometimes all that's needed is for enough guys to have great seasons all at the same time. That's usually the recipe for success...great seasons for everyone.  It usually doesn't fall that way, but when it does things usually look pretty good.

[fredtoast]

(02-01-2019, 09:35 AM)Au165 Wrote: To be fair we knew Marvin was pretty bad at it...

We know he had a winning record against other NFL coaches while being handicapped by the worst owner in the league.

People who think .500 is the worst a team can possibly do don't know much about the NFL.

[fredtoast]

(01-31-2019, 11:18 PM)Synric Wrote: This.

Worst to First.

I have no idea what we will do next year, but there is always hope.

1980   6-10
1981   12-4

1987   4-11
1988   12-4

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-01-2019, 12:51 PM)fredtoast Wrote: We know he had a winning record against other NFL coaches while being handicapped by the worst owner in the league.

People who think .500 is the worst a team can possibly do don't know much about the NFL.

People who like to settle for mediocrity never become Contenders, let alone Champions.

[Au165]

(02-01-2019, 12:51 PM)fredtoast Wrote: We know he had a winning record against other NFL coaches while being handicapped by the worst owner in the league.

People who think .500 is the worst a team can possibly do don't know much about the NFL.

I know, it's just always nice to drop a little joke in once and a while.

[fredtoast]

(02-01-2019, 01:06 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: People who like to settle for mediocrity never become Contenders, let alone Champions.

No one is settling for mediocrity.  I wanted Marvin replaced as much as anyone.  I just think it is silly to claim that we are automatically going to be better just because we replaced Marvin with a guy who has never been more than a position coach before.  


The claim that ANYONE would be better than Marvin is absurd.