Stephen A, on the Bengals.

[Nicomo Cosca]

(08-20-2025, 07:15 AM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: The Bengals’ roster is built to sell tickets, not to win Super Bowls.

Not really by design though. They’ve sunk a TON of draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. They just happen to suck at it.

[Frank Booth]

(08-20-2025, 12:51 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Not really by design though. They’ve sunk a TON of draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. They just happen to suck at it.

bingo. Incompetence by the tiny scouting department and Tobin

[Nepa]

(08-20-2025, 09:45 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I agree with the takes that Burrow shouldn't have been in that game after the first drive, if at all.

But the slow start nonsense is just that...nonsense.

****

It's not rocket science.
Burrow says he needs to be playing in preseason games to get ready for the season.
Esiason says Burrow needs to play 20-40 snaps in preseason games to be ready for the speed of the regular season.
Mahomes says he needs to play in the preseason to be ready for the speed of the regular season.
Andy Reid says starters, including Mahomes, need reps in the preseason to be ready for the speed of the game.
Burrow, for whatever reason (injury, COVID, held out by Zac) has not played in preseason games in the past and had terrible starts in the beginning of the year. He had only 165 yards and zero TDs against New England last year. Those early season loses the last two years cost the Bengals getting in the playoffs.
There were times when neither Chase nor Higgins were on the field last year and Burrow needed time to get in sync in a real game with the secondary receivers. He was misfiring early, but got into a rhythm at the end. 
Burrow is now much more ready for the first game  of the regular season, this time a critical game at a division opponent. 

[Fan_in_Kettering]

(08-20-2025, 12:51 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Not really by design though. They’ve sunk a TON of draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. They just happen to suck at it.

You’re right, of course, but why can’t the Front Office understand this is the AFC North where one needs a shutdown defense? The other three teams in our division feature outstanding defenses — even Cleveland.

[Frank Booth]

(08-20-2025, 01:42 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: You’re right, of course, but why can’t the Front Office understand this is the AFC North where one needs a shutdown defense?  The other three teams in our division feature outstanding defenses — even Cleveland.

they try to fix the defense, but fail

I think your concern should be more with how they feel about interior o-linemen. If youre gonna face great defenses, prioritizing guard a little more would make sense

[Fan_in_Kettering]

(08-20-2025, 01:53 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: they try to fix the defense, but fail

I think your concern should be more with how they feel about interior o-linemen. If youre gonna face great defenses, prioritizing guard a little more would make sense

Absolutely spot on, Frank.

I’m also very concerned about Joe Burrow’s health and long term career.

[THE PISTONS]

(08-20-2025, 12:47 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I'm HOPING it's just time the team needs to get used to Golden's defense, but part of me does worry Golden's defense might have been fine in college but might struggle in the NFL. This is his first DC job in the NFL, after all.

And I pointed this out back in the Winter when they were looking at DC candidates, but even when Golden was the LB coach, Pratt and Wilson played arguably better after Golden departed compared to when he was the LB coach.
I was just never impressed with Golden as a coach, at least while he was with the Bengals.

Golden had pretty loaded talent at ND. He didn't have below par talent which his scheme made up for.

I don't know. I'm a Miami Hurricanes fan and Golden was a pretty bad HC there. He kind of worked his way back up in coaching and I hope he succeeds here.

Our defense lacks talent at every level. We have very few Good players on defense. Maybe some unheralded guys step up and play above expectations, but I don't know.

[HarleyDog]

(08-20-2025, 12:35 PM)Millhouse Wrote: It's looking that way for sure, but it won't be official until the games count. Don't get me wrong, preaching to the choir here, I would have to have some crazy good odds to bet they would crack top 20 defense lol.

We'd be lucky if they cracked the top 30 defense.

[HarleyDog]

(08-20-2025, 12:51 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Not really by design though. They’ve sunk a TON of draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. They just happen to suck at it.

Bingo. And, I don't understand why. If you and I, and others, can look at talent on the board and know better, why can't they? Are they always trying to find that diamond in the rough? Stop that shit, and if it's D you're looking for, go to BPA at the positions you feel are in the highest need.

[Nicomo Cosca]

(08-20-2025, 07:39 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Bingo. And, I don't understand why. If you and I, and others, can look at talent on the board and know better, why can't they? Are they always trying to find that diamond in the rough? Stop that shit, and if it's D you're looking for, go to BPA at the positions you feel are in the highest need.

I do think that’s part of it, yes. It often feels like they just get too cute. That’s how we end up with a Jackson Carman when we could have just stayed put and had a Creed Humphrey, or a Sam Cosmi, etc. And if any team should keep it simple it’s the one with the smallest scouting department in the league.

I’m usually jealous of teams like the Ravens drafts who more often than not just go BPA and end up with a Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum with back-to-back picks. They don’t overthink it.

[kevin]

(08-19-2025, 06:49 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Look, don't scorn me. I'm not a big fan of Stephen A either. But, he pretty much hit home runs on every single point about the Bengals game last night and the organization.

Stephen A. Smith is as stupid as he looks. 

OK, he can talk NBA hoops.  On Football and Baseball he doesn't know a darn thing.  He needs to stick to NBA hoops, which he mostly does 365 days a year anyway. 

Just because Stephen A. Smith yells and screams, does not make him right.  Plus he is a ' Homer ' as he roots for LA Lakers and NY Knicks or Brooklyn.  Once his teams were knocked out of play-offs, he barely covered teams like Oklahoma City and Indy as he was all into the moves his Lakers should make for next season.  He is just an LA and NY suck up.  

If you ask Stephen A. Smith who Bengals need, he would probably say LeBron James, because he thinks LeBron James is the answer to everything. 

[THE PISTONS]

(08-20-2025, 08:17 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I do think that’s part of it, yes. It often feels like they just get too cute. That’s how we end up with a Jackson Carman when we could have just stayed put and had a Creed Humphrey, or a Sam Cosmi, etc. And if any team should keep it simple it’s the one with the smallest scouting department in the league.

I’m usually jealous of teams like the Ravens drafts who more often than not just go BPA and end up with a Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum with back-to-back picks. They don’t overthink it.

Yes. They LOVE to draft guys with ties to Cincinnatti. Maybe they think it will help them retain them? I don't know.

Honestly, IF they'd just read the draft publications or draft from ESPN's rankings and take BPA, they'd likely improve.

People are like, they draft good....look at Burrow, Chase, Higgins...well those were likely BPA. I know Burrow and Chase were. With Chase, it was him or Sewell. Either way a HOF player.

Yes - The Ravens often take whoever is BPA on ESPN's board. And those guys pan out soo often.

I remember years ago when Steven Jackson was BPA and we take Chris Perry. This has been going on so long.

As far as the Murphy pick...some of these picks came out of left field. Like some mocks may have had him in the 1st, but there's a lot of mocks out there. You can probably find 60-70 people in the 1st in some mock. Often times we take guys in the 1st or 2nd mocked in like the 3rd or 4th+ Rounds. And most of the time, it doesn't work out.

[THE PISTONS]

(Yesterday, 12:21 AM)kevin Wrote: Stephen A. Smith is as stupid as he looks. 

OK, he can talk NBA hoops.  On Football and Baseball he doesn't know a darn thing.  He needs to stick to NBA hoops, which he mostly does 365 days a year anyway. 

Just because Stephen A. Smith yells and screams, does not make him right.  Plus he is a ' Homer ' as he roots for LA Lakers and NY Knicks or Brooklyn.  Once his teams were knocked out of play-offs, he barely covered teams like Oklahoma City and Indy as he was all into the moves his Lakers should make for next season.  He is just an LA and NY suck up.  

If you ask Stephen A. Smith who Bengals need, he would probably say LeBron James, because he thinks LeBron James is the answer to everything. 

In all fairness, even the most casual NFL fan can see that the defense is going to be bad and that they've done very little to address it. Same with Guard.

A bigger question is: Do the Bengals realize this or not?

There's a chance that the 'front office' group has been together so long that groupthink has kicked in. I really have no clue what the dynamic is. Is there someone there saying we need to do more on defense and they get overruled?

[HarleyDog]

(Yesterday, 09:38 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: In all fairness, even the most casual NFL fan can see that the defense is going to be bad and that they've done very little to address it. Same with Guard.

A bigger question is: Do the Bengals realize this or not?

There's a chance that the 'front office' group has been together so long that groupthink has kicked in. I really have no clue what the dynamic is. Is there someone there saying we need to do more on defense and they get overruled?

Lou: Guys, I can't do shit with the guys you are giving me on D.

Katie: Get AL on the phone.

[CincyKid]

(Yesterday, 09:38 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: In all fairness, even the most casual NFL fan can see that the defense is going to be bad and that they've done very little to address it. Same with Guard.

A bigger question is: Do the Bengals realize this or not?

There's a chance that the 'front office' group has been together so long that groupthink has kicked in. I really have no clue what the dynamic is. Is there someone there saying we need to do more on defense and they get overruled?

Al Golden was on the Bengals staff, left and ended up a ND..........he wasnt anything special here the first time

[CincyKid]

(08-20-2025, 12:51 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Not really by design though. They’ve sunk a TON of draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. They just happen to suck at it.

Tobin is in Cincy because of his last name, he is a yes man to the Brown family and he works cheap