(02-03-2022, 11:05 PM)Science Friction Wrote: Folks, let me say right off, I am a science guy. I have been into science all my life, have taught math and science most of my adult life. I am the guy that needs to see the empirical scientific evidence before drawing a conclusion. I am not a ghosts, goblins, and gods type of guy. That's not to say that I'm not OPEN to the possibility of weird shit taking place that may not have an scientific explanation . But I always defer to the most reasonable explanation ...science.
Going back to the Titans game and certainly in the AFC Championship game, I could point to ten or twelve instances , at least, where, if a certain play had not have occurred the way it did , we likely would have been eliminated. Not only that, if not for some odd things that happened during the regular season , we might not be in this same position. Hell, think about the first Chiefs' game. What was it... a 20-play drive or something? How many plays from right near the goal line in the last two minutes. A non-call on the 4th and Goal PI in the endzone and we might not have won that one. Strange. Really bizarre stuff from that point on until the present.
And then the AFC Championship just had some bizarre, almost surreal moments that defy explanation. The strange end to the first half. If that goes differently, we probably lose. The ball thrown right to B.J. Hill at a time when we really needed something like that to happen. Even the two-point conversion to our punt returner, Trent Taylor. If that doesn't go our way, we may very well lose by a point on a walk off FG by Bukner. And what about Burrow somehow escaping the grasp of the defensive lineman in the 4th quarter drive when it looked like there was no way out of the big paws of Jones. The drive could have ended there, along with our season. You and I could name several other unlikely plays that went our way.
How many Bengals' teams in the past would have come out on top with the Chiefs having first and goal inside the five with a minute and a half left? Instead of punching it in, Mahommes decides to start running backwards for twenty yards until he gets tackled.
But this is the one that has stuck with me. When I think of it now chills run up and down my spine. The Chiefs' star QB , who never throws playoff INT's, throws a ball right into the hands of Eli Apple. I mean, right to him!!! And Apple drops the easy pick six. That was it... that was the game. IMMEDIATELY, I had visions of what has haunted my dreams for 33 damn years. LEWIS F' ING BILLUPS!!! Here it was happening AGAIN!!!! Eli dropped the game winner and now , just like Montana made us pay on the very next play, Mahommes was going to do the same. And sure enough, Patrick takes his shot downfield to break our hearts once again. We know what's gonna happen... sure we do. We've seen it run through our minds a thousand times before. But NO... a tipped pass CAUGHT THIS TIME by #24 Von Bell.
#24 ... the same number worn by ... you got it ... LEWIS BILLUPS !!!
It's like the Universe was saying, "NO MORE.. NOT THIS TIME...NEW DAY, WHO DEY! " It's almost like there was some message from somewhere off this planet. The dropped INT HAD TO HAPPEN right before #24 held on to it this time. It all still seems so surreal... almost magical. STRANGE MAGIC !!!
Btw, our last Big Dance" *** Superbowl 23 *** 2+3 = 5 ; 2 x 3 = 656 ... just sayin'.
Maybe something's up...
P.S. I am, and will always be, a science guy at heart and I know that unusual occurrences do take place. Even multiple unusual happenings can occur in a relatively short period of time. As a mathematician, I also know that the probability of multiple low probability events occurring becomes VERY low because of the multiplication rule . I'm not saying there is anything supernatural going on with the Bengals' magical carpet ride to the Superbowl, but I am saying that when you take all of these things together, the probability that we would find ourselves in this position is very, VERY low.
When I was growing up in the seventies , one of my favorite groups was ELO . They had a hit back in the mid to late seventies called "STRANGE MAGIC." The song is other worldly. As far as I'm concerned it's a song that really sums up this season for our beloved Bengals.
ENJOY ...
Some other "Strange Magic"...............ELO is also one of my favorite bands. I have all of their albums (vinyl).
(02-04-2022, 01:01 PM)fredtoast Wrote: In college football just one single loss at any point in the season can cost you a championship. There are MANY examples of a team winning a championship thanks to just one "lucky" (or if you prefer "highly unlikely") play.
Your right it just stands out to me a little bit more in the NFL because its more condensed in the playoff format rather than the season. I think college will be a lot more like the NFL when they expand the playoffs. Before the CFP it did matter to not have a loss or even if you did lose to lose early in the year. Now a school in big conference can have a loss and when/if it expands it will help smaller conference schools get in but they will probably be the only ones that can't afford any losses.
Love that song myself Science Friction. Grew up with it when I was a kid and ELO just makes me feel good even when I
feel low. Joe Burrow works that strange magic in game and most can see it when watching the dude. He is special, it is
like when Ja'Marr was saying "In year 1?!!!" and Burrow was just nodding like yeah, I saw it.
Not surprised at all. This is what you want to see in your leader, crazy it is only his 2nd year in the league.
The Defense has its strange magic as well, they can turn it on at any moment and take over the game.
Would like to see some strange magic with the 3rd phase of ST's in the SB. That would be somethin'.
(02-04-2022, 02:44 PM)BengalRed Wrote: I told my wife that there's something weird, even kinda creepy about this season. You're right. Everything seems to be falling into place for the team. I suppose one can chalk it up to finally the football Gods (no I don't really believe in them) are smiling down on us after all the years when nothing would go right and we seemed to be cursed.
Felt the same in '09.
Looking back at that team with a few years of perspective it is clear that that team had a lot of serious flaws. But at the time I felt we could win it all just because fate seemed to be on our side that year.
This '21 team has some luck, but also a lot more talent than that '09 team.
I had a talk with a buddy in our ATL group just before the last game. He was talking about how luck had been on our side. I, of course, agreed with him. But my point to him was that you still had to have the coaching to put your players in the right places to get the luck as well as the players to be able to take advantage of it when it is there.
The last defensive snap of the game by the Bengals in every playoff game has been an INT. All three were in the last 20 seconds of regulation or later.
Been saying since about 3/4's of the way through season that too many things had gone perfectly and that it had to be destiny.
Even the trade with Billy Price pays off huge when needing the most. Never have I seen all the chips fall into place this perfectly, even the Ravens going for 2 point conversions twice that failed instead of going to OT that helped Bengals win division.
The water tastes funny when you're far from your home,
yet it's only the thirsty that hunger to roam. Roam the Jungle !
(02-07-2022, 12:00 AM)Go Cards Wrote: Been saying since about 3/4's of the way through season that too many things had gone perfectly and that it had to be destiny.
Even the trade with Billy Price pays off huge when needing the most. Never have I seen all the chips fall into place this perfectly, even the Ravens going for 2 point conversions twice that failed instead of going to OT that helped Bengals win division.
I know, it's just crazy, isn't it? I am not much of a believer in supernatural forces in play in the Universe, but if you start to add up all of the crazy occurrences that had to happen(and did) that got us here, it starts to make you wonder.
The last one of my teams to win a Championship was the '98 Tennessee Vols. UT was undefeated that year, but Arkansas had them beat. They just had to run out the clock, but their QB pulled a Jeremy Hill.
It was a huge stroke of luck, but I never complained.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
