membengal

Falcons got a 2nd round pick from the Pats from Sanu. Look at other teams loading up on draft picks...

In Miami's case, you unload a legit young LT for picks, and a legit young S for picks. Both of those pieces looked like building blocks, they booted both of them for draft capital, wounding the chances of winning short term. Something similar from the Bengals would involve having dealt a healthy WJIII and Tyler Boyd in addition to selling on Atkins, Dunlap and Green.

My point is the Dolphins front office is absolutely tanking. The dolphins players are not. I was responding to a specific point. I said above I don’t believe the bengals are tanking - they’re just bad. I said above I would feel better if the front office was tanking - at least this would be with a purpose.

Not the players - but definitely the front office is absolutely doing that on purpose.

I would genuinely feel better if they were actually tanking. That would mean a plan. What we have here is so much worse - a genuinely bad football team that looks like it is tanking when the organization is actually trying. That's absolutely soul-crushing. At least the Dolphins are doing this on purpose...

Here are my big picture issues: 1. I am afraid Taylor is well over his head. In fact, I am sure of it. I guess they will hold him and hope it gets better, but that would be simply based on wishful thinking. My main issue is that his offensive system doesn't make any sense. The quote from the Jags defensive lineman who go the pick 6 is pretty chilling. Basically, that whenever Gio is in the game it's a pass and whenever Mixon is in the game it's a run - so he played it that way and was in the right spot. That's insane. Mixon is clearly an excellent receiver - I have no idea why they have stopped using him sometimes in that role. That goes back to Taylor. The lack of TE usage is beyond weird. They re-signed Uzomah and Eifert. Drafted Sample in the SECOND ****ING ROUND. Had three other useful TEs on the roster behind those three. And every gameplan we've seen, that position group is an afterthought. The Turner hire (his buddy) at o-line was HIGHLY questionable at the time and has only gotten worse. We are told over and over again that the o-line coach designs the run game and run fits - well - this is at this point, statistically, one of the worst rushing teams of all time. Turner wanted Hart back - sung his praises. I assume Turner signed off on Miller at RG. Whatever else has gone on in that room, we all knew that o-line needed to be addressed and get better this year after a historically bad line last year, and it has somehow gotten worse. It is hard to look at Taylor through seven games and have any confidence in him on any level. 2. Whatever is going on between Tobin and Taylor and who is shopping for the groceries etc is profoundly off. Tobin should already be gone. You know what would help a trash line? Someone like Lamar Jackson. Course, we passed on him to reach for Billy Price, who apparently is genuinely bad. The years of over-looking needs at LB. The missed picks at o-line. Whatever the ****ing thought process was that lead to reaching for Drew Sample in the 2nd round - a blocking TE in a scheme that doesn't emphasize TE usage at all - I don't even know what to say. It's disastrous. It's not just the losing - it is the losing with nothing that looks like a coherent plan or approach to building a team and an organizational vision. The decision to extend Gio with no plan on how to use him - just, why? Why is he here? 3. It is hard to look at AJ and some of the other slow recoveries from injuries and not raise an eyebrow. Players on the field are trying, but, man, it doesn't feel like players are rushing to be back. 4. More coaching weirdness that I don't get - Dennard believed he was ready at end of camp but team chose to PUP him. That was a waste. They cut Devontae Harris (who is now starting in Denver) to keep Tony McRae, who is absolutely bad at his job. The gameplans a few weeks ago that had Billings dropping into coverage. Gameplans where they only rush two. I don't get what they are doing, at all. 5. It was only injuries that forced their hand on letting Brandon Wilson return kicks. What in the hell took so long? Why did injuries have to force that? 6. Dalton is indeed done. 7. I don't even have a point, I am just rambling/ranting. If there was any sense of plan, they would, as I have been calling for, trade everything not tied down to stockpile a LOT of picks. Get their next QB at the top of the draft and start filling in. Fire their kinda GM before the next round of grocery shopping. Bring in a real GM and let him make the call on Taylor getting another chance. Shoot Jim Turner into the sun. I doubt they do any of that. I am guessing this all ends with the team in their new home in San Diego in 2027. 8. Sigh.

Another thing re: Turner - I am given to understand that the running game is an extension of the o-line coach's responsibilities. The blocking fits, the scheme, etc. If so, holy crap Turner is BAD at this. Really, really bad at this.

Turner’s first move was singing Hart’s praises as a prelude to his extension. Said the film on Hart was awesome. Setting aside for the moment Turner being a bullying asshole - he’s also a pretty terrible coach. He’s never coached a good line. His talent evaluator skills are...questionable at best. He was an awful hire and came only because he was Taylor’s buddy. His presence gives me no hope for any competence - and that includes from the head coach who wanted him.

? that was a post from john sheeran at cincy jungle, not Dehner.

Jim Turner, strikes again. The line being a shit-show, between the "retirements", the guys who have flat quit, the injuries and the WEIRD FUCKING DECISION to go all in on Hart goes back to Taylor's decision to hire his bullying friend who has never actually coached a good offensive line. This is lower than lost decade kinda stuff.

So did Sam Wyche in 1984...

I don't disagree. But if it is, Taylor won't be here for all of it.

I'm not defending Taylor, but the 4-1 start last year was not behind THIS line. Boling was here last year at LG and Glenn was at LT. Now they are down to the corpse of Andre Smith out of position out at LT and a 4th round rookie at LG. Not ideal. I do think Hart is on Taylor, because he and Turner REALLY wanted him back, but, this isn't really apples to apples this year to last. Not to mention Green being here last year at the start vs. now. All that said, Taylor hasn't exactly been the boy wonder at covering flaws that I would have hoped.

Dunlap. WJIII. Dre. Eifert. All of those have varying bits of value. This team SHOULD trade everyone it can for as much draft capital as it can get, but they won't. At least if they did that, that would be a plan. Now? They just drift along. Fanbase knows. This franchise is dead in Cincinnati if the front office doesn't do a massive re-set to give people a reason to take any kind of interest. And we all know the front office won't do that. Just a death march to franchise relocation from here.

I am still kinda giddy. From my perspective: Beautiful: 1. Confirms this doesn't have to be a lost season and that this isn't a rebuild. 2. On the defense, they held the Seahawks to 72 yards running - a team that averaged 160 per game last year. So...I guess that going with only a few linebackers was NOT a problem. 3. On that note, both P. Brown and Vigil made plays at LB that were few and far between last year. The play with Brown forcing the fumble was extreme quality. If Dre doesn't trip, they score there on the defense. 4. The d-line is gonna cause problems for a LOT of teams. It looks like Hubbard is making a leap, and the combos they can run at teams are gonna be a problem. Dunlap was huge, Billings was really good, and the consistent pressure from the d-line all game was noteworthy. 5. Seattle had like, what, 6 three and outs? Felt like we didn't force that many all of last year. EXTRA BEAUTIFUL: Taylor going for it with 52 seconds and one timeout before the half. Chances Marvin does that on the road? ZERO. Good: 6. For all the worrying about the o-line, no false starts in perhaps the nastiest and loudest road atmosphere in the league. Andy got hit some, but also had enough time to do things. Get Glenn back and build from here. 7. Sounds like Seattle was doing schematically things to make it hard to run. At least we didn't force it. I assume that they will have a bit more room in future games. 8. John Ross was a revelation. This team's trajectory is a LOT different if this staff has finally unlocked him and he can stay healthy. 9. TE screens!!! Uzomah is a load too. Yes please. 10. They had some plays that were there that got blown up by good Seattle plays. Clowney knocked down what looked like would have been an enormous screen to Mixon in the first. Bad: Bullock frustrates me. He has to make that field goal in the 3rd quarter. The one thing that Taylor is really gonna miss is Zuerlein. Zuerlein hit from 56 and 49 yesterday. Need to cash points and that includes field goals. Ugly: What the fuck ever on that "fumble". I know they were not gonna win, but, c'mon. They need to go ahead and get the W next week. Somehow the 49ers are favored by 2. Whatever. We're gonna win that one. I remain bullish on this team. Get AJ back at some point and man do I want to see where this can go. This team is better than Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Right. Now.