spicoli

So you’re good with 8-8 this year, right?

He’s definitely looking quite beastly. Would be nice to finally have a franchise LT to go along with our new franchise QB. I really think he can do it....he’s got all of the qualities/intangibles, IMO.

Speaking of Joey Franchise... FINALLY I got my jersey’s I ordered in April! Soooo happy!!

Peyton Manning becomes the latest high-end comparison for Joe Burrow https://www.cincyjungle.com/2020/6/17/21292706/peyton-manning-joe-burrow-comparison-chris-simms-lsu-tigers-football First it was Tom Brady, then it was Kurt Warner; sooner or later Peyton Manning was bound to be compared to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. That’s what went down when NBC Sports’ Chris Simms ranked every prevalent quarterback in the NFL last week. Burrow was Simms’ highest-ranked rookie passer, and he explained it through his praise of the first-overall pick. “It was one of the cleanest films I ever saw of a quarterback coming out of the draft since I’ve been involved in evaluating players and draft talk and all of that,” Simms said. “There’s really not a weakness to his game. He looks like his ceiling could be Peyton Manning. He’s that type of guy as far as being able to process information, his accuracy, his ability to look at one side of the field and flip to the other and read and react in a proper manner.” Manning was unequivocally the most cerebral field general in modern NFL history. He didn’t have an ounce of escapability and it didn’t matter; he always got the ball out on time and where it needed to go. That pocket savviness is what Simms sees in Burrow as well. “For a team that won the national championship last year, his pass protection stunk,” Simms said. “He was a master Jedi in the pocket. He really was. He’s as good as I’ve ever seen a college quarterback in the pocket come out in my lifetime. That’s how good he is.” With his specific level of arm talent and pocket awareness, Manning is not too outlandish of a comparison for Burrow, at least when looking at them as prospects. It’s still unusual for this caliber of quarterback to be mentioned in the same breath as the Bengals quarterback. Perhaps that feeling won’t go away until Burrow starts validating the praise he’s so often given.

Yep

Need to start thinking about bringing in a young stud corner next year, IMO. Picking in the middle of the round should be a good place to make that happen.

Jesus, Akili should have NEVER have been drafted in the first rd, period. There were SOOOO many red flags that they just flat out ignored. They got what they deserved in the end....fuck em.

Joe Burrow's Year 1 impact Bucky Brooks NFL.com Analyst A look at why Joe Burrow could have the Bengals back in contention sooner than you think ... It's quite difficult for a rookie quarterback to immediately engineer a dramatic turnaround, but Joe Burrow could help the Cincinnati Bengals re-emerge as a competitive team in the AFC quicker than many anticipate. I'm not proclaiming the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is an overnight savior, but he's stepping into a program that is undergoing a cultural change while retaining enough weapons to significantly smooth a rookie quarterback's transition to the NFL. I know, I know: The Bengals just went 2-14, which is why they were in position to draft Burrow at No. 1 overall in the first place. It's difficult to envision such a franchise being a group on the rise. But trust me: This isn't your typical top-pick-holding team. It's uncommon for a two-win organization to have a blue-chip running back (Joe Mixon) and a pair of top-tier pass catchers (A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd) already in the fold. Not to mention, Cincy spent the first pick of the second round on Clemson WR Tee Higgins, a big-bodied vertical playmaker who's excellent on 50-50 balls. That's plenty of firepower at the skill positions. On the line, the Bengals essentially add another first-round pick in Jonah Williams, the 11th overall pick from the 2019 NFL Draft who missed all of last season after injuring his shoulder during team activities in June. Williams, who was the first offensive lineman selected in last year's draft, slots in at left tackle. Although questions persist about the Alabama product's ability to emerge as a five-star blind-side protector, given his less-than-ideal physical tools, the Bengals are betting on Williams' polished technique and competitiveness to enable him to hold his own against superior athletes on the edge. If Williams develops into a blue-chip bookend, the Bengals can check off two of the boxes on the "3 Ps" formula (play caller, playmakers and protection) that enables young quarterbacks to enjoy early success in the league. This leaves second-year head coach Zac Taylor as the critical factor to Burrow's success. Taylor's still acclimating to calling plays in the NFL while overseeing the entire operation, but when I spoke to him at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, he told me that he was getting more comfortable in his role and felt better prepared to handle all of the responsibilities on his plate. I believe we will see a more confident and composed play caller in 2020. With a year under his belt, Taylor will be able to build better game plans for his quarterback. And I loved what I heard from Burrow on a recent RapSheet + Friends podcast, where the rookie signal-caller talked about how Taylor is fully soliciting his input on the playbook. "I think the direction that they're heading is going to fit me even more. They're going to do things that I'm comfortable with, and that's a great sign," Burrow said to my colleague Ian Rapoport. "They had me put down my top 10 plays that I had and send it to them, so they can study them and see if they [can] have them in the offense, if they don't [already] have them in the offense." The collaboration between Taylor and Burrow is essential to building a championship-caliber offense. Moreover, the trust developed between the head coach and his new franchise face is part of creating a culture that fosters a turnaround. Urban Meyer joined the "Move The Sticks" podcast earlier this week and discussed Burrow, who spent his first three years of college with the coach at Ohio State before transferring to LSU. "He's at the Cincinnati Bengals now and they were 2-14 last year," Meyer said. "Do you want to help Joe become great? Surround him with a great culture with great leadership and some great players. If you do that, he'll be great. If not, he won't." Meyer's points regarding culture shouldn't be ignored. Young players need to be nurtured in the right environment to maximize individual and collective potential. Taylor is attempting to transform the Bengals' culture by bringing in players who understand and embrace a championship standard. "We're not just trying to win games -- we're trying to win championships," Taylor told reporters shortly after the draft. "Ultimately, you have to think long term with that championship mindset. People that are willing to work harder than any team in the league. We feel like we've added the right people. Not for one second did we compromise talent with the guys we added. "Sometimes you can say someone is a high-character guy, but you maybe have to research to find out if the talent is good enough. Our staff did an excellent job of finding the right guys with combinations of both things -- character and talent. That's going to make us a better team." Many coaches believe in taking players from winning programs, particularly championship programs, because that signals that they're willing to do the little things required to win at a high level. From their work ethic and discipline to their competitive spirit, the best players on championship teams are also the hardest workers. That's why the Bengals signed six defensive free agents that were on playoff teams and drafted six players who were team captains. The addition of the captains, in particular, is important due to their proven leadership skills. Captains understand how to carry out the head coach's message and hold their teammates accountable. "When you say a guy with an edge, that's a guy who's not afraid to hold his teammates to a higher standard," Taylor told reporters. "They have a killer instinct on the field playing against an opponent, but at the same time, that's not where most of your time is spent. Most of your time is spent in meeting rooms, on practice fields or doing individual stuff. We're going to get to where we want to go if not just the coaches hold the players to a high standard, but the players hold themselves to that standard." The Bengals aren't likely to make a worst-to-first turnaround in this AFC North with a rookie quarterback at the helm, but Burrow's arrival coincides with a culture change that could result in the team forging a quicker-than-expected climb up the charts. https://www.nfl.com/news/joe-burrow-s-year-1-impact-isaiah-simmons-role-and-much-more

Remember Jonah? Bengals Do As They Line Up Two No. 1s https://www.bengals.com/news/remember-jonah-bengals-do-as-they-line-up-two-no-1s

Bengals O-Line Overhaul Looks To Finish https://www.bengals.com/news/bengals-o-line-overhaul-looks-to-finish

Why does that matter? Is there a league mandate that says you can’t be a team leader until you’ve started X amount of games?

Ruiz is listed as a RG on the depth chart and every piece of information I've found on the subject says that he's going to be a RG....but ok. There's plenty of teams out there that are moving these guys around, it's not like it's some Cincinnati thing. Interior players are absolutely interchangeable, that's my opinion.

Pretty much every team in the league does the same thing....Saints drafted Ruiz and moved him to RG and kicked out Warford. It's a pretty common occurrence. Those guys should absolutely be interchangeable.

I guess it depends on how much stock you put into PFF grades. And a interior lineman is a interior lineman, IMO. They should all be interchangeable. Look, Warford is a beast in the run game but in the passing game...not so much. Pass.