Mental Hangover from Not Winning a Playoff Game

[THE PISTONS]

At what point does it devastate a team mentally for making the playoffs and not winning a playoff game?

Last year, we had the game we should have won as we had the lead late and had to just run out the clock...fumble the ball...then commit TWO personal foul calls to lose the game.

It was an epic collapse. Epic.

At what point does that devastate a team for the upcoming season mentally?

I'm seeing no fire from our guys and our lines get absolutely destroyed. Guys like Zeitler and MJ look below average to bad at times.

[BengalChris]

(10-12-2016, 11:10 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: At what point does it devastate a team mentally for making the playoffs and not winning a playoff game?

Last year, we had the game we should have won as we had the lead late and had to just run out the clock...fumble the ball...then commit TWO personal foul calls to lose the game.

It was an epic collapse. Epic.

At what point does that devastate a team for the upcoming season mentally?

I'm seeing no fire from our guys and our lines get absolutely destroyed. Guys like Zeitler and MJ look below average to bad at times.

I don't think that's the problem with this team.

I attribute Zeitler's problems to the two incompetents playing on either side of him. He's been a solid guard up to this year.

As for MJ, who knows. I think he's nearing the end.

A better question might be, "If we had a good OL how much better would this team be playing?"

[THE PISTONS]

(10-12-2016, 11:16 AM)BengalChris Wrote: I don't think that's the problem with this team.

I attribute Zeitler's problems to the two incompetents playing on either side of him. He's been a solid guard up to this year.

As for MJ, who knows. I think he's nearing the end.

A better question might be, "If we had a good OL how much better would this team be playing?"

I ask you...which Bengal player is playing better this year than last season?

[BengalChris]

(10-12-2016, 11:17 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I ask you...which Bengal player is playing better this year than last season?

Clarke, Hunt, ah............

[THE PISTONS]

(10-12-2016, 11:20 AM)BengalChris Wrote: Clarke, Hunt, ah............

They play limited roles. Which starting positions have been improved?

[jj22]

We just don't have the coaches to rebound from that playoff loss like we have other years. I believe the team is just going through the motions now. No confidence, no swagger. No excitement from the city, no passion from the players. They had their shot. Window is closed, they sense it. Marvin message has been stale for years, Zimmer and Hue was the life during this last run.

[THE PISTONS]

(10-12-2016, 12:40 PM)jj22 Wrote: We just don't have the coaches to rebound from that playoff loss like we have other years. I believe the team is just going through the motions now. No confidence, no swagger. No excitement from the city, no passion from the players. They had their shot. Window is closed, they sense it. Marvin message has been stale for years, Zimmer and Hue was the life during this last run.

I agree totally. Couple that with a front-loaded schedule and it's done.

When you can't win a playoff game after a 12-4 season...and actually implode in the playoffs...it's over.

[JumboTron]

For the most part, the Bengals have never been a mentally tough team over the course of Lewis' tenure. Coming off a loss like we experienced last season takes a significant degree of mental toughness to put it behind you, re-focus and move on as a strong, confident group. Yeah, good luck getting any of that with a team headed up by Marv.

He says all the right things (at times), but the actions and performance on the field screams another. The team as a whole is not resilient, and it is a direct reflection of the man that has been leading the team for the last 13 seasons. The players shoulder much of the accountability for on-field mistakes obviously but Marvin's track record is butt and it is showing in great measure again so far this season.

[BengalD]

Mental hangover for not winning a playoff game - maybe? Real hangover for not winning regular season games - most definitely!

[*jason*]

(10-12-2016, 02:17 PM)JumboTron Wrote: For the most part, the Bengals have never been a mentally tough team over the course of Lewis' tenure. Coming off a loss like we experienced last season takes a significant degree of mental toughness to put it behind you, re-focus and move on as a strong, confident group. Yeah, good luck getting any of that with a team headed up by Marv.

He says all the right things (at times), but the actions and performance on the field screams another. The team as a whole is not resilient, and it is a direct reflection of the man that has been leading the team for the last 13 seasons. The players shoulder much of the accountability for on-field mistakes obviously but Marvin's track record is butt and it is showing in great measure again so far this season.

Gotta disagree. The Palmer led teams weren't very resilient, but this team has been. Look how they finished 2012. They bounced back from that beating against the Browns in 2014 by beating the saints, who never lost at home back then.... Down 17 to Seattle last year. Down 15-0 in the playoff debacle last year.

[JumboTron]

(10-12-2016, 02:33 PM)jason Wrote: Gotta disagree. The Palmer led teams weren't very resilient, but this team has been. Look how they finished 2012. They bounced back from that beating against the Browns in 2014 by beating the saints, who never lost at home back then.... Down 17 to Seattle last year. Down 15-0 in the playoff debacle last year.

Hence, why I said 'for the most part'.  In 2012 they finished losing to the Texans in Houston for the second year in a row.  In 2014 they beat a Saints team that finished 7-9 including 3-5 at home.  The Seattle game last year showed toughness, again that being more of an anomaly of a Lewis coached ball-club, and the playoff debacle?  We still lost.

[GodFather]

(10-12-2016, 11:10 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: At what point does it devastate a team mentally for making the playoffs and not winning a playoff game?

Last year, we had the game we should have won as we had the lead late and had to just run out the clock...fumble the ball...then commit TWO personal foul calls to lose the game.

It was an epic collapse. Epic.

At what point does that devastate a team for the upcoming season mentally?

I'm seeing no fire from our guys and our lines get absolutely destroyed. Guys like Zeitler and MJ look below average to bad at times.

Its the coaching, I would bet every dime I own that if Bill Bellichick was our head coach we would be heading to a Super Bowl. The coaching is atrocious this year, and after Sunday in Foxboro the only person laughing will be Marvin at the post game press conference saying, "We did some good things today" and then let out that trademark giggle.

[reuben.ahmed]

We went to the playoffs last year in spite of Marvin, we had so much talent.

AJ green is a sole man out there once again. We have a weak WR corps. Our O-line is trash. We can't run the ball worth squat. We can't score TDs. Our defense gives up the long ball. Special teams look like elementary kids out there not knowing when to run, when to kneel, where to run, etc. Nugent can't hit 50 yarders to save his life. Huber shanks punt. Wasn't this guy pro bowl caliber bombing 65 yarders? This team is no good.

Dallas walloped us. The NE game is probably over in the first 4 minutes.

If Andy didn't get hurt, we would have won a playoff game in spite of Marvin. Most of us have a gut feel that Marvin Lewis holds us back. He held back a superbowl team last year, and this team is probably half as good - we can't break 8-8 with him as our coach, he doesn't help.

[THE PISTONS]

(10-12-2016, 10:55 PM)reuben.ahmed Wrote: We went to the playoffs last year in spite of Marvin, we had so much talent.

AJ green is a sole man out there once again. We have a weak WR corps. Our O-line is trash. We can't run the ball worth squat. We can't score TDs. Our defense gives up the long ball. Special teams look like elementary kids out there not knowing when to run, when to kneel, where to run, etc. Nugent can't hit 50 yarders to save his life. Huber shanks punt. Wasn't this guy pro bowl caliber bombing 65 yarders? This team is no good.

Dallas walloped us. The NE game is probably over in the first 4 minutes.

If Andy didn't get hurt, we would have won a playoff game in spite of Marvin. Most of us have a gut feel that Marvin Lewis holds us back. He held back a superbowl team last year, and this team is probably half as good - we can't break 8-8 with him as our coach, he doesn't help.

The playoff game was one of the biggest collapses I've ever witnessed in sports. It didn't take Andy being healthy to win. They had the lead late and had to run out the clock...but Hill fumbled and then 2 personal fouls. That's as big of a collapse as you can have.

[*Nately120*]

Hard to say...according to Cardinals and Panthers fans their teams are under .500 because they had too much success last year. It's all hindsight, really.

[*Go Cards*]

Have had that mental hangover for going on a quarter of a century now.

[JumboTron]

(10-14-2016, 12:45 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Have had that mental hangover for going on a quarter of a century now.

Ha!  Ain't that the truth.

[OrlandoBengal]

(10-14-2016, 12:45 PM)Go Cards Wrote: Have had that mental hangover for going on a quarter of a century now.

So you're saying this all stems from the Super Bowl loss in 1989?  That makes as much sense as most other things...

[*Go Cards*]

(10-14-2016, 01:26 PM)OrlandoBengal Wrote: So you're saying this all stems from the Super Bowl loss in 1989?  That makes as much sense as most other things...

89 was over a quarter of a century ago, but who knows maybe. 

[JumboTron]

(10-14-2016, 01:26 PM)OrlandoBengal Wrote: So you're saying this all stems from the Super Bowl loss in 1989?  That makes as much sense as most other things...

It could be, but I think this "mental hangover" is cloaked more as a curse that had its genesis in Los Angeles in 1991: