membengal

I am saying I don’t put it past Tomlin to have demanded revenge and use the shazier thing even if they all should have known by then it was shazier’s fault. And I am wondering that specifically because of the stealer comments this week. I think they are telling a half truth.

So when shuster tried to kill burfict last year and celebrated over him, that was after shazier, right? Based on the comments from the Stealers, can we assume he was looking for revenge for shazier even though that wasn’t anyone’s fault but shazier’s?

They haven’t missed on Ross. Holy hell, guys. Way too early to say the they have , jeebus.

Here's one I missed mentioning in the earlier post... Good: Randy Bullock. That 51-yard kick when they were down 17-0 midway through the third quarter was actually really important, as it was the first sign of life for the team and gave them a bit of a jump start. If he misses that, no way do they comeback.

Re: Jefferson - the word on him coming out was that he was incredibly athletic but there was a long way to go in terms of his understanding of the position at the NFL level - that he is in effect taking a red shirt year is not remotely surprising. Marvin almost always works in his linebackers slowly. Even Burfict didn't play until injuries forced him in, in his rookie year. I don't think any conclusions can really be drawn on Jefferson until this time next year, really.

My thoughts: 1. Every penny paid to Atkins and Dunlap was earned for past performance and justified for future performance. It is RARE to have two such talents on one team for as long as we have had those two. We have been spoiled. Atkins is a monster on the interior and Dunlap's ability to turn it up in big spots and late has been his trademark for a long time. We are lucky to be able to experience them on our favorite team. 2. Given not having Eiftert, Ross and Gio, I thought Dalton was really good in this game. The first pick was unfortunate, as AJ was held and knocked off his route and the safety made a nice play late, but take that away, and Dalton made a LOT of plays under duress. Earlier versions of Dalton would have thrown three or more picks in that game, and fumbled too. He did a great job not letting it get out of hand, and made huge throws late. The play to Mixon for the TD to get them back into the game was very much new Dalton. I still want to give a ton of credit for that to Alex Van Pelt's coaching. 3. Mixon is the first genuine closer at RB we have had in awhile. Having a guy who can close out games in the 4th quarter at RB is a huge luxury. 4. They still need to tackle better. 5. William Jackson looked more like himself this week. Should have had a pick 6 early, hopefully he is over his early funk. 6. Just nice seeing 55 back on the field. The defense is just more settled when he is out there making plays. 7. Would like to see Simmons get the special teams issues addressed ASAP. Need to stop giving points away there. 8. They definitely (and especially Boyd) missed having Ross on the outside to put extra stress on the coverage. That win was enormous. Miami is likely gonna limp into the wild card mix (their schedule is pretty soft), getting a head to head against them might be important down the road. Still no conference losses, that's also huge. Hopefully Ross' groin issue is better and he can go next week. They need him to balance the field and give Boyd more room underneath.

He’s bummed the bengals are fucking up his act.

He only played C his senior year. Guard before that.

Correct. He's out for the next two weeks. Hopkins has been pretty solid, though, in backing him up.

The other notes from the early part of practice include: The injury/return from suspension news: 1. Burfict back, dressed out, and looking fit and moving well to start practice per the assembled observers who report and tweet. 2. Ross dressed and practicing in the early part of the session that the scribes could see. 3. Gio not dressed and hanging near rehab field. He wasn't able to finish Sunday's game, unknown what is hurting him, scribes say waiting to see what injury report lists. 4. Price is reportedly pain-free with no swelling, but they are going to keep him in a boot for two more weeks as they opt for caution.

For damn sure. Zimmer's defense has given up 29, 27, and 38 in their last three games, and one of those was to the Bills. Success on defense this year is gonna look a whole lot different than people are used to, under these rules.

For sure. I mean, the first four games have yielded either the best start or almost the best start offensively for the club in most every major offensive statistical category that matters. Hard to do that if the line is complete dogshit...

He sprinted to the end zone yesterday to celebrate and went full with full cutting in a workout pre-game. I am guessing he actually could have played yesterday but they held him out to be cautious. I see no reason why he won't be ready for Miami.

Good: 1. Dalton is back on the form that we saw pre-injury in 2015. Him establishing a psychic connection with Boyd is gonna be huge for the team going forward. His last throw to win the game was into a pretty damn tight window, I didn't appreciate how tight until I saw a shot from behind the play. If his receivers would stop popping balls in the air leading to INTs, that would be nice. 2. Boyd looks as much like Housh as we have seen since Housh left. Devastating weapon to have, the ability to move the chains in big spots. REALLY hard to find a guy like that. 3. Gio, but still glad to be getting Mixon back. Gio being gassed/dinged on final drive and unavailable points to why he isn't an ideal #1 back. 4. Mixon's being a genuine teammate. Man, was he into that game on the sideline, all game, before the sprint to celebrate with Green at the end. 5. Uzomah. I think he can really help make Eifert's loss not as devastating. He looks much more comfortable downfield than he used to, and that was a huge catch on the final drive. Bad: 1. Officiating. I can't even. And that's across the league, but in Bengals games. the bad calls always seem to be at us. 2. The tackling. Given how the NFL wants offense, you have to at least do the fundamental things well, and their tackling has been too sloppy. Getting Burfict back should help. Ugly: 1. The Eifert injury, obviously. Bottom line, the first four game schedule the league handed the team was brutal and unfair, three of four on the road and all against top tier NFL qbs. The only home game not even on a Sunday and on short rest against a rival. That's crap. And they came out of it 3-1. That's amazing. Hopefully a return to health from Mixon, get Price back soon, and Burfict and being at home and they can build on this now. Hard not to be a little giddy. That was the exact kind of game yesterday they NEVER seem to win (shoot-out, and with adversity to boot).

Other than Mixon and Price out for the game, the injury report today is clear. Everyone else apparently a full go. Good news.