I’m excited for next season...

[Shake n Blake]

(03-30-2021, 12:44 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I get excited bout every Bengal season. I can't help but "hope for the best". But I still have a big problem with our coaching staff. Free agency and the draft makes everyone concentrate so much on players that the coaching kind of fades to the background, but I don't see us having a winning season with Taylor as HC.

Pretty much exactly how I feel. I just can't get excited about a team coached by Taylor and Anarumo...and despite all the FA signings, we kinda broke even there, or at least close to it.

The only hope I have is that Burrow will take a leap forward and the line - with Reiff and hopefully Sewell - will be much better. I don't believe in the systems on offense or defense though.

[Essex Johnson]

(03-30-2021, 12:29 PM)milksheikh Wrote: The draft hasn’t happened yet, but I can definitely say I’m super excited for next season. We were in SO MANY close games last season where when I look back on the games, we could’ve won a lot of the games we lost. I think we’re on the right track and if we figure out how to finish games and protect Burrow, there’s no doubt in my mind we can be a playoff team this upcoming season.

In our 11 losses, 5 of them were less than a touchdown deficit.

If we can draft some o-linemen and get Burrow another weapon this draft while stacking up on more talent on the d-line... I think we’re primed to have a great season. I’m just trying to be optimistic.

We actually were in the same or more close games the year before.. so what we have in common for past two years is not finishing and winning close games... 

[Shake n Blake]

(03-30-2021, 07:13 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: We actually were in the same or more close games the year before.. so what we have in common for past two years is not finishing and winning close games... 

I hate when people point out that losses were close in a losing season.

For one, most NFL games are pretty close. Secondly, we don't do the reverse after winning seasons. It's really just a means of providing (false) hope.

[ezekiel23]

(03-30-2021, 12:29 PM)milksheikh Wrote: The draft hasn’t happened yet, but I can definitely say I’m super excited for next season. We were in SO MANY close games last season where when I look back on the games, we could’ve won a lot of the games we lost. I think we’re on the right track and if we figure out how to finish games and protect Burrow, there’s no doubt in my mind we can be a playoff team this upcoming season.

In our 11 losses, 5 of them were less than a touchdown deficit.

If we can draft some o-linemen and get Burrow another weapon this draft while stacking up on more talent on the d-line... I think we’re primed to have a great season. I’m just trying to be optimistic.

I have to say I totally agree.We know the O-line is going to be improved even without doing anything else than they’ve done already.And just thinking that there is a good chance that Chase,Higgins,Boyd,could be on the field together.Not totally happy about our HC,but,maybe we make the playoffs despite Zac Taylor.

[Bengalitis]

Zac still calling the plays is NOT and will NOT be the way to go. Wish MB would do something about it.

[sandwedge]

(03-30-2021, 12:29 PM)milksheikh Wrote: The draft hasn’t happened yet, but I can definitely say I’m super excited for next season. We were in SO MANY close games last season where when I look back on the games, we could’ve won a lot of the games we lost. I think we’re on the right track and if we figure out how to finish games and protect Burrow, there’s no doubt in my mind we can be a playoff team this upcoming season.

In our 11 losses, 5 of them were less than a touchdown deficit.

If we can draft some o-linemen and get Burrow another weapon this draft while stacking up on more talent on the d-line... I think we’re primed to have a great season. I’m just trying to be optimistic.

Don't let the poor down trodden  "we are the Bengals, we suck fans" deter you from your optimism! Good days are on the horizon!

[Gdale_Bengal]

I’m not going to fight the negative posters, there is reason to look forward to look forward to next season.

It’s FOOTBALL
Expecting real fans in attendance to give real emotion to the stadium
A healthy Joe Burrow
A better offensive line(excellent RT, O line coach we trust, possibly a rookie at G)
A different D, hopefully the zone defenders added will help a lot.
Will find out if Lou and Zac can win games or they get canned hopefully.

I’m positive I’m missing some, and many can be added later as things happen.

I’m certainly looking forward to it, and to toot my own horn my 2nd child coming early October. Fall will always be my favorite time of year.

[BengalChris]

(03-30-2021, 02:09 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: The vast majority of games in the NFL are decided by 1 score. Bad teams lose them, good teams win them. It's not a sign of being "close", it's just a sign you are a losing team.

I remember doing this for (I think) the 2019 season. If all 1 score losses were turned into wins for all teams, there were only 2 teams with a losing record, and those teams had a 7-9 record.

Couldn't have said it better. Taylor is not a winner. He needs to go and should already be gone.

The last time the Bengals gave a young head coach this much rope, the guy never coached in the NFL again and went on to managing his papa's steak houses.

 

[bengaloo]

I'm excited. Zac has had to rebuild this entire team. Our big dogs when he took over Dalton, Green, Atkins, Dunlap, were basically done before he took over. We had covid last year, stupid injuries, 2 DLmen sitting out, Reader hurt, Waynes, Atkins, Hubbard for a while, XSF, Mixon, etc. We were signing DL off the street to fill holes. We had to play Sims because Waynes was out which hurt depth overall. Turner was starting Jordan and Johnson at G and we had Hart at RT. All of that stuff has mostly been addressed, and we got a good OL coach now. 

Getting the right players and most importantly a franchise QB can make an average coach look great. We got our QB, and ZT, if he hasnt done anything else that well, he has brought in players that seem to fit his plan and has been active in FA. And now he is primed for another good draft that is deep at positions of need. With a more normal offseason and a little luck on the injury front, the Bengals may shock some folks this year. We really were in a lot of games last year despite the adversity this team faced. We even beat the Stealers on MNF. 

This is ZT's make or break year. He's done a good job at trying to rebuild and bring in new guys who are good and also good leaders. If we suck again, ZT is gone. But I think we have a good chance to turn some heads. I can see a playoff run or close. 

[Essex Johnson]

(03-30-2021, 09:21 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I hate when people point out that losses were close in a losing season.

For one, most NFL games are pretty close. Secondly, we don't do the reverse after winning seasons. It's really just a means of providing (false) hope.

I pointed out we did not do well in 2019 in close games and did the same in 2020 so you can;t predict we are going to do better in 2021 or it would of held true this past season with that logic.. but to your point, we do hear about teams that have had close loses regardless of if they have a winning or losing team. and as an ex coach , I normally felt my team was closer to getting better if they were in most of their game instead of being run throw and I also saw a different attitude when my players were in competitive games more often than not...

[bengalfreak]

(03-30-2021, 01:19 PM)Synric Wrote: Year 3 is a big year for the Bengals coaching staff I always say give a player and a HC 3 years.

The Offensive Passing scheme was solid last year but took a beating because of the offensive line, lack of a vertical threat, and lack of run game. The Run Offense was very poorly done and why I'm excited that Frank Pollack isn't only the Offensive Line Coach but also the Run Game Coordinator.

I'm not really sure why so many people have such great faith in Frank Pollack.  In 2015, he took over the best OLIne in football in Dallas that was stacked with 3 pro bowlers from the year before. the cowboys OLine had 3 great years under Pollack. But here are the PFF final OLine rankings of the teams he has coached since leaving the Dallas Cowboys.



2018 27th Bengals
2019 28th Jets
2020 29th Jets

Sure, we know he can be successful with tons of talent but, its a pretty safe bet that he's not going to get anything close to that in Cincinnati.

[Daddy-O]

(03-30-2021, 12:44 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I get excited bout every Bengal season.  I can't help but "hope for the best".  But I still have a big problem with our coaching staff.  Free agency and the draft makes everyone concentrate so much on players that the coaching kind of fades to the background, but I don't see us having a winning season with Taylor as HC.

Well this will be his last chance.  If he doesn't do it this year he's out, so at least if we don't have a winning season we'll be able to move on from that little experiment.  At least common sense and logic would say he's out - this is the Bengals management so anything is possible.

[MileHighGrowler]

(03-30-2021, 10:28 PM)Gdale_Bengal Wrote: I’m not going to fight the negative posters, there is reason to look forward to look forward to next season.

It’s FOOTBALL
Expecting real fans in attendance to give real emotion to the stadium
A healthy Joe Burrow
A better offensive line(excellent RT, O line coach we trust, possibly a rookie at G)
A different D, hopefully the zone defenders added will help a lot.
Will find out if Lou and Zac can win games or they get canned hopefully.

I’m positive I’m missing some, and many can be added later as things happen.

I’m certainly looking forward to it, and to toot my own horn my 2nd child coming early October. Fall will always be my favorite time of year.

Congrats! 

[Gdale_Bengal]

(03-31-2021, 11:07 AM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Congrats! 

Thanks! My first girl is amazing in so many ways, loved more than she can ever know, and will have so many advantages available to her that I never had.

And that’s cliche, but until you have a child you won’t understand that. I didn’t before her. I can’t wait to see how my 2nd grows

[CoachGeorge]

(03-31-2021, 05:15 AM)bengalfreak Wrote: I'm not really sure why so many people have such great faith in Frank Pollack.  In 2015, he took over the best OLIne in football in Dallas that was stacked with 3 pro bowlers from the year before. the cowboys OLine had 3 great years under Pollack. But here are the PFF final OLine rankings of the teams he has coached since leaving the Dallas Cowboys.



2018 27th Bengals
2019 28th Jets
2020 29th Jets

Sure, we know he can be successful with tons of talent but, its a pretty safe bet that he's not going to get anything close to that in Cincinnati.

Offensively, the Jets were devoid of virtually any talent beyond Barkley but he missed last year and in 2019 he suffered a high ankle strain midway in the season leading to lost games and only 1000 yards for the year. They’re moving on from Darnold after 2 years, have no TE of note and Robby Anderson is their top WR. Line is lacking talent too.

Coaches aren’t miracle workers. I think the 2021 Bengals will have far more talent that Pollack has dealt with the last 3 years. I think it’s a mistake not to have optimism for this team (at least offensively). Too much talent.

[TJ528]

(03-31-2021, 11:38 AM)CoachGeorge Wrote: Offensively, the Jets were devoid of virtually any talent beyond Barkley but he missed last year and in 2019 he suffered a high ankle strain midway in the season leading to lost games and only 1000 yards for the year.  They’re moving on from Darnold after 2 years, have no TE of note and Robby Anderson is their top WR.  Line is lacking talent too.  

Coaches aren’t miracle workers.  I think the 2021 Bengals will  have far more talent that Pollack has dealt with the last 3 years.  I think it’s a mistake not to have optimism for this team (at least offensively).  Too much talent.

Coach, I think they have talent at QB and 2 WR positions and the RB position.  Do they have any skill players that just jump off the paper and scare the bejesus outta you? No.  Like i read some where it said "I bet the Ravens are happy as hell to have AJ Green out of the division".  He was the one piece you can say he'd win his 1 on 1 battles 9 out of 10 times.  

Boyd and Higgins are both pretty much slot receivers in my eyes on any other team.  Both are great receivers and I'm glad we have them, however, we're missing something w/o having a WR with speed who can stretch the field.  

Then to stretch the field you need to be able to block up front.  This team hasnt shown since 2014/15 that it could block for a QB or RB since.  

Pollacks a good coach but he isn't a miracle worker.  For this OL to be average he'll need a flipping miracle.  He'll need Sewell, which I dont think we're taking, to be draft.  I think we draft Chase because JoeyB wants him on the team.  

[Tomkat]

"the one score stat is so irrelevant"

I disagree... really bad teams get blown out... repeatedly

[MileHighGrowler]

(03-31-2021, 12:24 PM)Tomkat Wrote: "the one score stat is so irrelevant"

I disagree... really bad teams get blown out... repeatedly

You mean like the Bengals did several times last year?  And that year before that?  When they play good teams, there have been plenty of what I would consider to be blow-outs.  

Staying competitive and keeping the score close doesn't really mean much.  First, you have to consider the margin of difference between players at the pro level.  Yes, there is still a range from serviceable to elite, but they're all professional players.  So the talent differential should not be staggering from one team to the next.  Meaning theoretically, all games should have close scores.  Second, if a team wins by a single score it doesn't mean the team that lost could have easily won.  There are scores in garbage time, there are teams that let off the gas.  I don't think scores alone tell the story.  Finding a way to win repeatedly?  That tells all the story anyone needs to know. 

[bengaloo]

(03-31-2021, 12:34 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: You mean like the Bengals did several times last year?  And that year before that?  When they play good teams, there have been plenty of what I would consider to be blow-outs.  

Staying competitive and keeping the score close doesn't really mean much.  First, you have to consider the margin of difference between players at the pro level.  Yes, there is still a range from serviceable to elite, but they're all professional players.  So the talent differential should not be staggering from one team to the next.  Meaning theoretically, all games should have close scores.  Second, if a team wins by a single score it doesn't mean the team that lost could have easily won.  There are scores in garbage time, there are teams that let off the gas.  I don't think scores alone tell the story.  Finding a way to win repeatedly?  That tells all the story anyone needs to know. 

Our defense lost us 2 or 3 games last year by allowing teams to march down the field after Burrow and the O put us in position to win. The worst one was against the Colts and Browns. Bullock lost us a game or 2 as well. He was anti-clutch. But he is gone and so is Sims. We will be much healthier on D with better depth, and hopefully it stays that way. Losing our 2 biggest FA's from last year hurt. Waynes didnt even play. Then Atkins and Hubbard and its no wonder the D sucked so bad. Especially with 3 rookie LB's. 

Ths is Zac's year. He seems to be building a team full of good players and leaders. If we lose a bunch of games this year, he will be gone. 

[TJ528]

(03-31-2021, 12:50 PM)bengaloo Wrote: Our defense lost us 2 or 3 games last year by allowing teams to march down the field after Burrow and the O put us in position to win. The worst one was against the Colts and Browns. Bullock lost us a game or 2 as well. He was anti-clutch. But he is gone and so is Sims. We will be much healthier on D with better depth, and hopefully it stays that way. Losing our 2 biggest FA's from last year hurt. Waynes didnt even play. Then Atkins and Hubbard and its no wonder the D sucked so bad. Especially with 3 rookie LB's. 

Ths is Zac's year. He seems to be building a team full of good players and leaders. If we lose a bunch of games this year, he will be gone. 

This is Zac's year you're right.  It's his year to show he's turned it around or it should be the year where the front office kicks his out the door and brings in a competent coaching staff.