texbengal

Aidan O'Connell was on the same HS team as Charlie Jones. Jones ended up at Purdue for his last season, and O'Connell was already the starting QB there. He's actually a solid backup IMO. Has played pretty well overall for LV.

I think Vikes have a few OL starters who are out too. Guys like Tre and DJ need to dominate their matchups, especially against a pocket pitcher like Mullens. That said, Minny has some very good skill guys like Jefferson who I’m sure will play, and TJ Hockenson at TE.

I'd say improbable, but not impossible. Their offense is playing well and they are getting contributions from a bunch of guys... Browning certainly, the RBs, WRs, TEs (Sample and Hudson esp) and the OL is playjng some of their best football this year. Having Tee back will help too. What I like on offense in particular is it seems like it's been less about putting it on one guy's shoulders, and instead, having more guys (including the coaching staff) shouldering the burden. It's great to see how the team is responding, and how Jake has come in and contributed so seamlessly. He's got a calm demeanor and it's resonating. The defense is better as well - surely not great - but having Hubbard back has helped, and they aren't having as many coverage busts as before in the back end. Chido is playing better, and especially with CTB out, that's been big. LB play hasn't been very good this year but the last few weeks, they're better. STs - coverage has been good, Money Mac has been very good, and Robbins... meh, but not terrible lately. He IS a good holder! You want to be peaking this time of year, and look to be better now than before. They should win this weekend, and then we'll see what happens. Hoping for 1-0 on Saturday.

Really thought they might fold up after the Boyd INT and when Jax took the lead. To their credit, they kept at it, and didn’t panic. Great character win. Not to get ahead of ourselves (but) they really can win 3 or more games.

Wow, what a game. Browning was terrific and they got some good play from Chase Brown and some of the young guys on D. Battle can really play and DJ Turner will continue to get better. He was up and down today. Clutch job by Money Mac!

both he and Ladd McConkey were playing hurt yesterday. That said, I’d say he’s more like Tyler Eifert from a blocking standpoint. Not that he can’t get better, but he’s clearly a receiver first. Seems like in the current scheme, the Bengals want their TEs to block - in some instances, 1:1 vs. a DE, which always seems to end badly. I guess it’s why they liked Sample so much in the draft. He’s definitely a more than adequate blocker, but he has never developed much as a receiver. He’s just not very athletic in space (although he did score on that one vs. Buffalo where he faked out a DB in space).

meh - he can lose some weight. But for his size especially, he’s really agile. Not sure he’s a first round guy but he’s an ascending player… and big guys who are hard to move and who can push the pocket are hard to find.

Yes, I'm well aware. Was just talking about the DT position as a whole. A big-a-- guy I like who has had a nice year is T'Vondre Sweat at Texas. He's a load - 6-4, 350+. Texas DL haven't done great in the NFl, generally, but he's hard to move and he's got some agility too.

Yes Johnny Newton is really good. Was thinking similarly about him maybe being available later in round one. Really good player, and they need inside help as Reader could be gone, and Carter hasn't shown much. I like Tupou as depth, and Hill is pretty solid, but beyond that, the cupboard is bare.

I thought he was OK... but then I saw some All 22 and it didn't look so good. Missed a read to a wide open Yoshi, likely for a TD... had some others where he just held on to the ball way too long, or missed some downfield throws and took safe/short passes instead. I get that it's his first start, and every QB misses reads on occasion. Hopefully he learns from it and gets better. He needs to, but he's not the only one. Even though the D hasn't played well at all, I'm really encouraged by what I've seen so far from the young DBs and Murphy seems to be coming on, too. Less encouraged by Zach Carter and Ossai, I loved as a player at Texas and he was really good at the end of last year. He didn't play one snap last week... not one. He dressed, so I assume he's healthy. Just an enigma, but obviously Lou doesn't trust him. Ugh.

Likely true re: the top 2, although you never know. Makes you wonder if they'll re-sign Jonah, since it doesn't appear that Carman is an answer, and D'Onta Smith has had chances and hasn't done anything, either. I'm sure Jonah will get some big $ in FA, especially since he can play both LT and RT. If the Bengals need to go to FA for a T, they'll pay through the nose for anybody worth a isht... that is, if anyone is available.

There are a few Ts that will go very high... the guy from Penn State that some thought would come out last year is one. The other guy I like is Joe Alt from Notre Dame. I remember when he was drafted, they asked Myles Murphy who was the best player he's faced in college, and he mentioned Alt. He's huge - 6-7 or 6-8 and 320+. Only 20 years old.

That's a big loss.

If they are going to keep this offense pass-centric, I don’t see how you let go of Tee. At least, not next year. You can franchise 2x, I think, so if Yoshi and Charlie Jones advance as receivers next year, great… tag and trade Tee the next year. Boyd has been great, but if he moves on, so be it. Sadly, with Jake at QB for the rest of the year I don’t see much development for the young WRs. IMO even with Joe, this team has too many shortcomings. Weak OL play (interior has been below average -Volson has been poor and Cappa’s overall play has, at best, been average, with some really bad games (Ten, Hou). And Karras is serviceable… smart guy but limited athletically. For that matter, they all are that. They have zero confidence in the run game, and given how they have performed, it’s no wonder. Joe Mixon has been OK but he struggles to break tackles and he doesn’t get as much yardage on runs that are well blocked. And for whatever reason (ball security has been an issue for him in college), Chase Brown hasn’t gotten an opportunity. He needs to, if for no other reason that they need to assess for next year. Defensively, they really aren’t good at any level. While I hope and expect to see better from the secondary as young guys settle in (I like the depth of youth a lot), the LB corps has been disappointing all year. Tackling has been a real issue. And up front, beyond Tre, no one has shown up. Ossai has been MIA, and Sample has had a few moments, but kinda meh overall. Murphy has flashed and I think he’ll be solid - but he’s a work in progress, as expected. BJ Hill has been their best DT. Reader hasn’t looked very good of late, and Zach Carter straight up sucks. This area needs an upgrade for sure.

Irv Smith surely isn’t the answer, and an upgrade is needed. Sample is solid as a #2 if they decide to keep him, but they need another guy to start. I like Hudson but he’s one-dimensional and they use the TE to block a lot. Wilcox is meh, OK as a #3. That said, you can find guys after the 1st round that can be that guy. Mark Andrews (3), Pat Freiermuth (2), Jake Ferguson (4), Travis Kelce (3), George Kittle (5), Sam LaPorta (2)… there are a number of guys out there who are doing it. Dallas has both Ferguson and Schoonmaker, and they let former starter Schultz (4th, another example) go, and he’s now starting in Houston. So they don’t need to go big in round one - there are guys out there that can be had - who are/can be productive - on day 2 or 3.

Browning wasn’t good but he was serviceable. OL didn’t open any holes In the run game and the D was trash, especially in 2H. They didn’t get stops, point blank. Punting sucked too. and Zac as a play caller… no progress IMO. He sucks and I’m not sure Cal would be an improvement. Give Pitch a chance.

Defense hasn’t gotten off the field all day. Pittsburgh making important conversions consistently. Have the Bengals gotten a 5 yard run today? The OL flat out sucks.

Asmittedly I wasn't stoked with the Murphy pick, but he's talented. And he's making progress. He doesn't finish well (yet), but he's flashing more and more. I have high hopes for him... it was clearly a "traits" pick since he wasn't a mega producer at Clemson, but you can see the talent. Like a lot of young guys, it comes down to consistency. Same deal with Turner - you definitely see some great plays, but then you'll see some bad plays sprinkled in there too. That's part of the learning and maturation process... we saw it with CTB last year, but now, you're seeing much more good than bad. What I like about Turner, besides his coverage ability and speed, is his willingness and ability to tackle. Between him and CTB, that's a great thing to see. Battle is intriguing... not the best athlete, but smart, physical, and doesn't make a ton of mistakes (like Scott seemed to). He's a playmaker, and I think he and Hill will make a good tandem. That said, even if Scott has lost the starting S job, he's still useful on STs and you can do a lot worse for a 3rd safety. That's really where he made his mark in LA, before he started on D there. I loved Charlie Jones at Purdue, and could see him being the #3 next year. He needs to get more physical/stronger, but he gives you more open-field ability than Tyler Boyd does. Great hands, too, although with a few notable exceptions, Boyd surely has that, too. Iosivas - interesting player, talented. But I love what Irwin brings as a receiver and a blocker, and I don't see Iosivas at that level yet. But he's useful and hopefully will develop, and in the meantime, he's been solid on STs and he's physical. And Robbins... not consistent, but you see some great punts - and unfortunately, some bad ones too. You don't see a lot of punts returned, which is positive. Just needs to get more distance at times. Overall, it's a very good class... and it's good to see immediate contributions from several... and given the salary cap situation with JB, Jamar coming up, possibly Tee, maybe Reader... draft classes will have to be that way, where they will get immediate contributions from several picks.

Jaylen Warren is a load... given the tackling problems that the Bengals have had, they're gonna need to bring the wood on Sunday, or this guy's gonna run all over them. He's impressive - really hard runner with some speed who's great at getting yards after contact. Remember how James Connor was gashing them in the AZ game before he got hurt... this guy is similar, although I think he runs even harder.

Can definitely see 5-5. I'll be happily surprised if not. Even then, I don't think the season is over... but they need to make it to 10-7 to get a playoff shot, I believe. But it'll definitely be a WC slot. Just really disappointed in the D yesterday, in particular. Really poor tackling, guys running free everywhere. As much as I loved Chido's play the past few years, he's been bad - really, all year Scott is really bad. Ossai has been MIA. Sample was having a pretty solid year, but he sucked yesterday. Backup DT play is poor... Zach Carter hasn't shown up at all. LB play wasn't good... a lot of the missed tackles seemed like they were at the second level yesterday. I've never been a fan of Zac's playcalling. Too many dead spots. Irv Smith has been a liability. Tee has, by and large, been MIA. No productivity at RB after Mixon. And OL play yesterday, and in several other games, has been subpar. In particular, interior play. Cappa has struggled a lot, as has Volson, and really, Karras is nothing more than an average C. Orlando Brown has had some moments, but he's struggled too... like yesterday. Just a lot of meh... they have had some impressive play at times, but overall, they've been underwhelming. Gotta step it up or they'll be watching games on the couch come early January.

They got their asses kicked… plain and simple. Both OL and DL got owned. Stroud was super impressive. They play hard. And they were missing 5 starters! Tackling was horrid… Singletary is a solid runner but he must’ve had half of his yards after contact. Coverage stunk. Noah Brown - 2nd year in a row that he’s torched them. And he was WIDE open a lot. On that 3rd down that DJ broke up, a decent throw is a long gain… he was beaten. Nick Scott is trash. DL pass rush was… non existent. Ossai has fallen off the face of the earth. Sample was nowhere. Worst performance of the year on D. JB had some nice throws but that second INT… it was first down and he threw a rookie pass into 3x coverage. Boyd with 2 easy drops… the last one, a sure TD. Inexcusable. Play calling… trash. And when Boyd made that long catch and run… and you throw the ball on first down? WTF. Run the ball! You have time, make them use a time out. Ugh. Unbelievable. Robbins’ punting was good! That was about it. On to next week. If this defense plays like this, pencil me in for 5-5. Really discouraging performance IMO.

Houston has some key guys out - Collins, Pierce, their FG kicker. A few DBs. Texans don't play the run very well. They've got some good young DBs like Pitre and Stingley (assuming he plays - and it'd be his first in awhile) but I'd look for the Bengals to take some shots, too. And I look for Lou to do some things to try and confuse Stroud. Excited to see some of the young edge guys like Murphy, Ossai and Sample get more snaps. Ossai is a Houston-area guy so hopefully he shows out on Sunday. It's been awhile.

thanks for this. I’d add Markus Bailey on the ST piece, and when healthy, ADG as well. But it’s been good to see Evans stepping up in kick coverage. I, too am confused re Ossai. At the end of last year, he was playing lights out and this year, he barely plays. I know Murphy has been showing up a little more, but I really thought this was gonna be Ossai’s breakout year. Lou hasn’t been afraid to put guys like DJ Turner and Battle in there, so he trusts them… and obviously not Ossai at this point. I know he was hurt in that last PS game and maybe that’s limiting him a bit. Still have hope he starts flashing again, but as a fan, his lack of play/impact has been a disappointment so far this year.

Texans are fun fun to watch. DeMeco Ryans has them playing with a lot of energy. They've got some talented players. Stroud is playing great - only one INT so far. Hope Lou has some "welcome to the NFL" confusing looks planned. Tank Dell is a tough cover... super quick and fast, elusive in the open field. On D, I love their safety, Jalen Pitre... big-time playmaker. They're an interesting young team... they're building a really competitive group and this is gonna be a tough game.

ome of the best records ever! I remember in HS lending it to a friend, and his mom got pissed about the record cover. Ah, memories.