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With the Evil Empire losing yesterday, the world is once again safe from a Yinzerpocalypse so I can safely take down my Bengal Tree today. Thought I'd snap a few photos before it all gets boxed until next season. I'm posting from my phone so if these photos are YUGE I'll fix it from my laptop later today. Tree (nighttime/ daylight): . Closeup of some ornaments: After getting engaged in '04, my future ex wife signed me up to get the annual Danbury Mint Bengals ornaments. 2004 was the first and I currently have all 21 in the series. Here they are arranged chronologically, oldest in the upper left, newest in the lower right: Zooming in, in case anyone else is a collector and want to see the one or two they may not have: Gonna stop adding photos now, in case I run afoul of a MB limit.....

Herbert really deserves a lot of credit. He easily could've wet the bed and ruined the whole game. And no one here would've been surprised. Only the second game in his career with a significant amount of PT. This game he played every snap. I did see one play where he caught the ball and kinda looked scared and got tackled just short of a first down. He just didn't cut up the field quick enough. He kinda skidder bobbed around like 'oh shit I got the ball" He deserves a ton of credit for not only avoiding catastrophe but actually playing a dam good game. He was interviewed on Bengals radio before the game. Very down to Earth young man. Pretty cool guy. When he played for the Bears he was still working part time to make extra money. So I thought that was really cool.

I want to give a shout out to the players who played today with injuries. Orlando Brown’s been playing on a bad leg. Tee Higgins has been playing on a bad ankle. Cody Ford played on a bad ankle and came back after a chest injury. Amarius Mims came in for a spell with a broken hand. These players all knew how important this game was and stepped up. Kudos to them.

Mahomes is a whiny flopping bitch. He's not even 75% of the QB that Burrow is.

Nope. We act the games out and root accordingly.

I'm really glad it's stools v rats in the first round. Whoever loses it's gonna be hilarious

Any amount is too much for a bad player. FA's are inherently riskier than signing guys you already know that already work in your system. You know who isn't on those lists... Madibuke who signed a 4 year $100M deal that was too rich for us to consider in the offseason. Chris Jones, who signed a 5 year $159M contract last year. Creed Humphrey who was extended for 4 years, $72M. Roquan Smith - 5 years $100M. I'll say it again for the folks in the back - There is PLENTY of money to sign Tee. It's not even a question, really. They could franchise him again and still have $44M in cap room. (Meanwhile we could have signed Madibuke and Smith for a combined $17M against the cap if we followed Baltimore's contract structure.) You can still go get Chase Young and Jeff Odukah with that. DT is thin enough this year that Hill might be the best available. Some of you are so gaslit by Katie giving you her mean girl stare you're still buying into the completely laughable narrative that they either don't have the money, or would use it more wisely than getting pretty much the #1 Free Agent in next year's class. Like they'll be willing to open up the pocketbook for some FA worth signing to begin with. Sure we might find an under appreciated gem like Hendrickson, but we've seen a lot more La'el Collins and Sheldon Rankins than your typical insurer would like. But you can pretty much look at the top two FA's at most positions and know that's not who the Bengals are going to get. C'mon. Are you new here? You think they're going to spend $26M in any way other than passing out some 2 year "prove it" deals to guys like Stone and Rankins? Get those two cap hits in the $22M combined range with a contract like the Vikes gave Jefferson... You have Tee Higgins signed and $70M in cap space. You can have any FA you want. (With no cuts except Rankins) https://www.pff.com/news/2025-nfl-free-agency-primer-top-10-free-agents-at-every-position If we DON'T sign Tee, we still have to use a high draft pick on a receiver... I'd rather keep a younger Tee Higgins and pick up line help in the draft than sign a 30 year old Reddick. BJ Hill is the 3rd best DT available! Is DJ Reed going to break the bank?? Sign them both, make your FA moves, and then extend Hendrickson with most of the hit coming in 2025 (roster/workout bonus) to eat up leftover space. This isn't rocket science. It comes down to how good our GM is. Thanks to Katie's responsible cap management, we're in an excellent position. A 28 year old Joe Burrow is the time to f***ing use the cap space.

Hey hey hey, no questioning Bob here, he got frostbite tonight for this win. Bob, proceed.

Joe Burrow doesn't have time for your post game interview. He has to get up early tomorrow for the volunteer work he does teaching polar bears how to be cool.

Yes, SOMEHOW. You act as if the Patriots didn't have to deal with some key player attrition coming into the season opener. They had just traded their best defensive player Matthew Judon for future draft picks, had some key offensive line injuries...and were 4-13 last season and coming into their road opener with a new QB. Yeah, I'm sorry that Higgins missed the game with a late injury, but otherwise the team was as healthy as it has been all season. All of their defensive starters were healthy and ready to go. And yet the Bengals played like hot garbage in front of their fans. Sometimes you have to overcome injuries if you want to win games. The Detroit Lions have 22 players on IR (including some of their absolute studs). So all of that injury attrition surely must be crippling their season, right? They are 13-2 on the year. So they have SOMEHOW kept on keeping on despite it all. No wonder the Lions head coach is so giddy happy with his team right now. They have overcome it all up to this point. I would cut the Bengals more slack for losing another horrific season opener if it wasn't the same thing almost every year. Week One counts just as much as the games at the end of the season.

Swift: "Travis's micropenis works surprisingly well. It even wiggles like a puppies tail."

"Quality Control". Good news Louie, there's an opening at Boeing.

Cutting Cappa would result in less chance of a dead QB compared to a manageable dead cap money amount

I want an ass kicker DC who wears his hat backwards, chews, is divorced at least twice, and drives a Ford Raptor with plates that say '3NOUTBTCH'

Even if we do not get in, today is still a good day to be a Bengala fan. This holds true any time we beat the Stealers.

Seriously

Guessing the coaches loved him, but I’m sure the FO vetted/liked him as well. And they had an insider (TJH) who vouched for him too. That said, I remember when he was drafted, and instant reaction on TV from Nick Saban (after extolling his playing ability) definitely got my attention, as he referred to his maturity and focus issues. Meanwhile, Saban was falling all over himself praising the character of Tide guys like Terrion Arnold and Kool Aid McKinstry. What pisses me off about Duke and crew is that they often get too cute with picks… almost like they think they’re smarter than other teams on player evaluation, and they roll the dice on value picks with question marks early. So we basically get a year from a guy who under-achieved/under-delivered (although he did show a few flashes as both a WR and returner). At best, Burton could have shown out, and lessened the urgency for the Bengals to consider re-signing Tee Higgins, or look to the draft for reinforcements. Instead, with very limited snaps, so far he’s shown himself to be a talented head case who can’t be depended upon.

It's a good thing we didn't have any other needs when we drafted him.

York should have never been put in that situation to begin with. If Zac had taken the points TWICE earlier in the game, more than likely York would have hit 1 of those 2 at least and he's not even attempting a game winner later. That, of course would require "accountability" and that's not allowed in the Bengals organization.

OBJ played last night on a broken leg. Amarius Mims wanted to come back in, but the refs pulled him because he was bleeding too much through his "club". It's been popular sport to rag these guys when they suck. I'm going to give them their propers when they get jacked up on Torodol and adrenaline to go out and win a game like this.

Gotta credit Cody Ford for stepping in at both LT & LG without being a complete disaster while we're at it. Still don't think he should be the starting LG next year but he's done what they signed him to do, which was not a given.

Somehow, someway the Bengals have to keep the trio intact. Spotrac has Ters value at 19.8 per Let's say Chase signs 5 yrs 38 per Tee signs 4 yrs 25 mil.per With JB deferring money down the he road, it can be done.. It's the greatest show on turf since the Rams with Warner, Bruce , Holt and Faulk

Philosophically speaking... York's dunked field goal forced Joe and Co to go in a score a touchdown which beat the point spread and made someone $198. Told to me by a friend.

Happy times at Patrick’s house this morning.

Bengals win. Beat Browns. Good day...

It’s a new year and the Stealers and Joey Porter still SUCK!

Golden Grahams?? Katie is getting our new DC with box tops, isn't she??

Re-signing Tee is like adding another first round draft choice. And one not starting from scratch with learning the system and chemistry. Just git' 'er done.

I agree. He has a lot to offer, being a dick isn't one of them. I wish he would just stick to the stuff he knows, as he used to be a good poster with good insights worth paying attention to, but for some reason lately he's been a jackass to everyone that disagrees or has different options about a football team. It's not necessary.

Eberflus not calling time-outs at the end of Bengals games shouldn’t be an issue. ZT had probably wasted a couple of TO’s preventing delay of game penalties because he couldn’t make his mind what play to call. Chances are there won’t be any left.

Whether this report is true or not, how 'bout we establish a new team rule: If there's ever footage of a college player clocking a woman, we take that scumbag off our draft board. Is that too much to ask?

^ Ivy league pedigree like Katie. (But this isn't Congress) I don't want him unless he's bringing Maxx Crosby with him.

Just stop it. Teams have been doing it for years. I don’t see the NFL outlawing it, as it would be very difficult to police it.

But this off-season, all that changed for #81. He is now a father after having 5 children with 7 different women. Being a father has changed him. "I was talking to Tyreek, and he said you just gotta let the game take care of itself." Fatherhood has given him a new perspective too "Last year, I was so immature and jus' wildin' out you know? My kids have changed so much for me. Now I just like quiet nights at home playing online slots and doing my baby momma's UFC training." As he poses in a very soft sweater holding a very small and vulnerable animal to seem non-threatening and kind, he reflects on all his NFL experience has taught him. "Yo, one day you not payin' rent on a penthouse overlookin' the river, and the next day you crashing on Mike Hilton's couch. The NFL a trip man." He looks to make waves on the field this year with his newfound love of the game and some massive child support payments to motivate him. "Yo, the sky's the limit. I just gotta put my faith in God." "We've seen some good things from Jermaine" says Head Coach Zac Taylor. "Last year he had some maturity issues, but he going to come in and compete and push some guys. I'm happy for him."

A reminder that there has never been a AFC North team win the division 3 years in a row. If that trend continues the Rats wont win it next year. Steelers have too many question marks. Fix this defense, keep Tee and lets take the North next year.

A nuance to the "cheap" narrative... The Bengals are always willing to front load contracts. Always willing to sign contracts they KNOW they will see to the end. They don't mind a big signing bonus... They mind a dead year or two. What they are VERY unwilling to do is to show long term faith in positions outside of QB. A much bigger question... Are they willing to bet on Jamarr Chase and Tee Higgins being great players for another 5-6 years? See... they have the space to keep this group together with Tee on the 2nd tag, Chase on his 5th year option, and 2ish mid level FA's to round out the D. Or, they could do deals for both guys, and have plenty of cap space to play with. Sign any players of note we might lose, and still be able to add on defense. Or, they could do a modern NFL deal, like the one Jefferson got, and have a TON of cap space. Sign a Top CB and Top pass rusher. Does the Modern deal blow up the cap in a few years and require some finagling?? Hell yes it does. But no other GM in the NFL on a two year contract has the luxury of worrying about that. And if the history of the NFL shows us anything, the "Cap Hell" years aren't so bad. Isn't Buffalo carrying like $70M in dead money this year?? They must really be suffering, hunh... Tee has even signaled that he WANTS to be here. He's willing to take the deal that makes it work. I mean... Damn. If you're worried about the cap hits in three years... Well, you know you're going to have to rely on your draft picks more and Scouting departments don't count against the cap. Is Katie ever going to graduate to being a Modern NFL GM? She wants us to respect what she does. But honestly... With $65M in cap space... How do we say she's a good GM if she can't keep the band together? Aren't we already looking at a strong chance of this being a lost season that directly tracks back to the GM's off-season shenanigans and bad moves? Now we're looking to give her a pass on keeping a top player that wants to be here? If I have any venom for Katie, it stems from my deep disappointment. I kinda like Katie. As someone who also irons his underwear, I saw in her a kindred spirit many years ago. But she has proved to be as unimaginative and dull as her old man ever was. The Bengals will have $70M in cap space next year after the expected cut of Rankins. Chase is $22M of that for the 5th year option. Tee could be tagged again for $26m. $44M in cap space even in that scenario. Enough to sign Geisecki, Hilton, Hill - or their replacements and another starter on D. Jefferson was an $8M cap hit this year. That's what a Modern NFL Deal looks like. PLENTY of room to sign Tee. How much is left over for other wants depends on how good our GM is.

I have no idea what this guy's written about before, but he's 100% correct on this. I called this in real time, with almost the exact same second-by-second breakdown, in the game thread. The only detail he didn't fully explain was Brown's run, which he correctly identifies as unnecessary and stupid. There IS a time where a RB should have orders to NOT score...and that's when there is a 1st down to be gained prior to scoring. Get the 1st down, go to ground, refresh the downs, then let the offense burn clock. We had 1st-and-goal, so there is absolutely no point whatsoever to hand off to a RB and have him stop short of the goal line. If you're intention is to keep the clock going without scoring, there's a really, really, reeeeeeeeeeallly safe way to do that....TAKE A KNEE! Zac already screwed this up earlier this year. Can't remember which game, but I do remember posting a pretty venomous diatribe about how any idiot can make a 3" x 5" card with a chart of Time Remaining/Opponents' TO's to show at what point, at a quick glance, you can start taking a knee. And as a bona fide idiot myself, I made one in less than 5 minutes. If that card is too heavy for Zac to carry in his pocket, or if there's not enough space on his play sheet to write it in, then have Pitcher carry it. Heck, give it to the water boy. But did Zac learn anything from that? Nope. He went and screwed it up again vs Denver. That tells me he will NEVER learn and he will keep right on screwing it up going forward. And Zac didn't eschew the FG at the end of regulation because he lacked confidence in York's ability to hit a game-winning chip shot. If that was the case, he wouldn't have later sent York out there on 3rd down in OT instead of taking 1 more shot with Burrow/Tee/Ja'Marr. This ain't brain surgery. How do you get paid more than $12/game and you don't have some easy-to-consult, already-calculated formula at your fingertips for end-of-game clock management? And after getting burned once for not having anything like this in place, how do you not fix it and put something in place? You have to be terminally stupid to keep screwing this up again and again. This is Coaching 101, and it appears to be way over Zac's head.

Do we???

Get your own WR. —Duke Tobin

At the end of the day we have the 28th ranked defense and 6th ranked offense from a points perspective. Her comments about both are spot on. And she never said the Bengals deserved to be treated worse or that they should operate like the Jets , she only said they escape some criticism because they are not a big market team like in New York. 100% true. The team hasn’t beaten a single decent team and even lost to a horrible one at home in the Patriots. We had one of the easiest schedules in the league yet here we are. Try and explain it away all you want. Or try and explain how a shitty Pittsburgh team with harder schedule and way less offensive talent is 10-6 and playoff bound.

What's worse than the cap hit is having Watson as your starter

Still much better on the injury front than the Detroit Lions, who have a whopping 22 players (many starters/stars) on IR right now. Yet Detroit already has 13 wins against only 2 losses this season.

This was one of the oddest pre-free agency things to have happened. This was the era of the old World Football League. Bergey signed a futures contract with a WFL team in 1974… with the understanding he would play for that team in 1976–after his Bengals contract ran out. The Bengals sued the WFL and Bergey for breach of contract. Ultimately the court dismissed the suit. By this time, the WFL was almost extinct, so the WFL team released Bergey from his contract. The Bengals, in turn, then traded his rights to PHL. He then signed a 5-year deal with them. The Bengals got a first round pick (Wilson Whitley) and 2 second rounders (Ross Browner and Ray Griffin). The trade turned out OK for both sides, but the Bengals never did adequately explain the reason for the trade—since they still owned Bill’s rights. Remember, there was no free agency at this time, so they held all the cards with him. I seem to remember that PB hated the WFL…and thought players who jumped there were virtually traitors to their teams and league (even though he founded and owned a franchise in a renegade league). Bill was probably done with PB, but I don’t recall him bellyaching to the press. Strange times back then.

Cool pic

Might as well start where it all began...Week One. Cincinnati somehow lost to the New England Patriots. At HOME.