A Rock

Mixon had 65 yards and it felt way better than average somehow. He ran hard when we needed it, and I think it made a big difference, but we're still so predictable in the run game. Maybe I'm just not noticing it, but do we ever have guys five wide, in motion, or in bunch formations on run plays?

It's still smoke and mirrors. Perpetrators of cheap shots gain a competitive edge on the field by physically harming their opponents to varying degrees. Fines off the field do nothing to offset that advantage. Ejection from games, suspensions, or on field penalties would be meaningful punishment. Multi-millionaires digging $20,000 worth of change out of their couch is a joke.

I understand what you're saying, but the, "aww shucks, we need to be better", attitude seems to be 24/7. Not just in post game comments.

IMO, there's a fatal, Pollyanna type flaw in the team's culture. They show no repulsion to losing. They don't like it, obviously. But who's the heavy in this organization? The standard attitude and comment after losing seems to be something to the effect of, "we know we underachieved and lost, but it's okay, we know we're better than that and we'll show you next week."

Disappointing man. This guy came into the league as red hot as they come. We're heading in the wrong direction here. Year three and the only thing that bothers him about the team humiliating themselves is the trash talking element? And here's the thing, I know he'll be back better than ever. The team will too. I'm sure we'll be in the playoff hunt at bare minimum. This game and the trash talk it generated will be forgotten after many, many other events unfold. But it counts. It can help add up to missing out on yet another ring. Eli Apple, during the offseason, said he was going to continue talking trash. That it was a game to him. He enjoyed it. THAT IT DIDN'T MATTER IF HE BACKED IT UP. I was quite pleased when they let him go. It signaled that the front office was serious. For years I've contended that it's the intangibles that end up making the difference. The stuff nobody remembers or ends up talking too much about. When is the franchise, from top to bottom, going to crave a championship like they crave their next breath? These guys devote themselves maniacally to conditioning, study, and practice, which can't be denied and has to be respected. But championship mindset and attitude just seems to be missing sometimes. How can you lose like that and waste an ounce of energy and attention on this nonsense? We're getting there, but the Bengal brass needs to keep tightening a few screws.

I don't buy that it doesn't matter. If we have a backup qb who can close out an important game, that one game might make the difference for the year. Or a backup qb who can game manage against an inferior opponent and get a W that can end up deciding the season. Yeah, we're probably done if Burrow goes down for an extended stretch, but that isn't the only scenario where a backup qb can decide your season. Maybe someone should have cared if Wilcox practiced long snapping for 45 minutes a day heading into last year. Doesn't seem too much to ask for $825,000. But hey, long snappers ALMOST never need backups. If anyone on the roster could've made a snap with TWO tries, no less, we beat the Inbreds in game 1, and who knows what that could've meant down the stretch. Not saying good backups grow on trees, just saying we're a legit contender to win a championship in the biggest sport in our country. Shouldn't EVERYTHING matter?

Unless that woman blocked his vehicle with her's, he still participated in a pointless confrontation started by a middle finger. At best.

Sit em. For all the "look at the slow start last year" talk, people forget. Burrow won that first game against the Inbreds, twice! A dramatic last play touchdown to Chase for naught. An overtime drive into chip shot, field goal range, for naught. That game was lost when someone checked backup long snapper off the list cause Wilcox did it in high school. Every little thing can help, and every little thing can hurt. The inches we need to scratch and claw for are all around us. (From the Al Pacino, Any Given Sunday, speech) Though fictitious, still may favorite football reference 😆

I knew he missed significant playing time at Michigan, but I was led to believe it was strictly due to scholastic issues which he rectified. I remember being happy about this when we drafted him because I thought it only meant more tread on the tires, and he looked great on the field. There's never been big noise about him being trouble off the field, so I'm mystified.

I'd say there's a weird bias from the coaches too. He barely gets on the field, but when he does he's highly productive. He's had 18 catches his entire career here. To the tune of 189 yards and 3 touchdowns! He had exactly zero rushing attempts last year, but averaged 4.5 yards a tote on 17 carries his first year. I've posted (and wondered) before about why this guy hasn't been involved more. People have said he was in the doghouse with someone in the Bengal hierarchy, but I've never heard anything more specific.

Burrow and Chase. We've gone from the gutter to the penthouse so fast it boggles the mind, and it's happening right now.

I hear you loud and clear that the complaint is just allegations. My best guess, based on my best common sense, tells me the neighbor kids probably weren't just minding their own business with their nerf guns. (Obviously I don't know this!) I would guess some form of perceived disrespect and probably some real stupidity were being exchanged. HOWEVER, choosing to settle whatever was happening with a lethal weapon is just flat out criminally and dangerously stupid. Yes, truly a dirtbag move. He fired 11 shots if I'm remembering right? One hitting the nerf gun another hitting the victim's foot, the other nine missing. That's probably exactly what he wanted to do, and it certainly doesn't matter in the slightest what the kids were doing at this point, short of posing a lethal threat which I doubt. Mixon certainly deserves the chance for the legal process to play out, but it's not the only trouble he's had, and the Bengals don't need it. Keeping company with, adjacent to, not to mention arming a dirtbag = fellow dirtbag.

I checked OTHER and am voting for Ickey. Since this is entirely hypothetical, I want Woods from his rookie season. He ran wild all year, was money in the playoffs, and could've (should've) celebrated a Championship in stripes if not for mitigating circumstances with the Niners. Namely they were notorious chop block artists who pushed the envelope of playing fair, Krumrie's broken leg, and Stanley Wilson's cocaine relapse. A golden opportunity missed. This team has had so much talent over the years, it's just criminal it hasn't materialized into a Lombardi yet.

I liked Dexter, and I like the analogy. I heard a number of people referring to Burrow as an assassin after the Bills game, and I liked to hear it. Of course they weren't saying he kills people, hates children, kicks kittens or anything else a psychopath might like. Strictly football. He has a cool demeanor while delivering the goods consistently in a very rough sport. Like Dexter, he doesn't talk about what he does, he just works at it with maniacal focus. He's not foolish enough to be grandiose about himself, but he's icy enough to quip, "better send those refunds", when someone else broaches a touchy subject. I get it.

There's no shortage of physicality, ferocity, and intensity when pro football is played the right way, in good faith, within the rules. Players who intentionally injure other players are scumbags. Period.

She was on point with calling out the league for the whole coin flip for home field with Baltimore bullsh*t, that's for sure. The dirtiest team (by far) whining about Burfict was of course, ridiculous. There's an endless list (Palmer's knee, Huber's jaw, Gio's neck, Eifert's head, etc,etc, etc.) of things that should have been addressed. Spilt milk, for sure. Always bugged the sh*t out of me though. Now some fresh quotes from the Pissburgh Jackals about their desire to field goons, just need to instruct the new guys to keep it on the down low? Would love Katie (or anyone in the FO) to get in front of it. Let em know, Homie Don't Play That. Not anymore.

Lol, I get your point. I'd squawk about it anyway. I mean there are LONG highlight reels of just blatant dirty hits on defenseless opponents by the Goons. I can't remember anybody from the Bengal brass ever saying anything about it, though I could be wrong about that. Basically their defenders targeted their opponents heads until it was so egregious (Gio) the league kinda conceded, "uhh, I guess that hit's illegal". Not until AFTER letting them do it, and that game was long over, of course. The Hines Ward rule was enacted because their offensive skill players were headhunters as well! Now Tomlin freely admits to telling a new player he wants, "goons" out there (and there is no way to misinterpret that), but he needs to teach his new players to be hush, hush about it! I'd say something. I know the league loves the Goons, but the needle won't move with silence. A large portion of fans are starting to appreciate the Bengals, and the media scorched Bart Scott pretty good when he said the Ravens should, "red dot" Burrow.

Here we go again. Anyone remember Mike Mitchell? Eight years ago he announced he was gonna intentionally injure Bengals. Then he did. After crashing into Eifert's dome (and he was never the same after) the Stealers were penalized 15 yards. Later Mitchell was fined $23,000. In other words, nothing. Since we never said anything before, during, or after, it's no big surprise that Shazier felt he had carte blanche to try and decapitate Bernard with a truly vicious helmet uppercut to the chin during the wild card game. And he was right. Not only was there no flag, the Stealers were awarded a fumble recovery since Gio was knocked out cold. When Burfict clipped a flopping Brown, the Stealers were awarded 30 yards and the game. Here's an idea, instead of making fun of the Chiefs before losing the Super Bowl, or making fun of the Bills and the Chiefs before losing the AFC Championship. How about calling out the Pittsburgh Goons (their words!) before they injure more of our players. ANY scrutiny of them in this area can only be beneficial.

Completely agree. As badly as we need a RT, it looks like starting caliber ones will be long gone at 28. If this guy's still there I hope they grab him. The tape on him shows instinctual stop/start and cut skills that were very impressive, making guys right in front of him miss badly. Jerick McKinnon was a large part of why the Chiefs made it to, and won, the Super Bowl last year. Gibbs could fill that role, only he looks like a much better pure runner.

I never said he wasn't an excellent player. I'm just saying he's listed at 6'1" and 166 lbs. which is VERY borderline to step up to the pros, and there's NO guarantee he can gain substantial weight. He could beat the odds. I just think it's a very valid concern.

How can we be sure about that? This guy has probably been trying to put on weight for as long as he's played football. Some guys are just skinny. I'm guessing as a top notch NFL prospect who's main concern is gaining weight while staying in top playing shape, he's probably been trying everything. He could still be great. DeVonta Smith came on like gangbusters last year. I'm sure he's tried everything to gain 10 pounds, but he's still dominant. Forbes is a hair taller and lighter, and will occasionally be asked to tackle some beasts, so I don't know.

I hope not. I've always wanted to like this guy too. When he punched that girl out in college, I kind of instinctually tried to believe he could be "redeemed". She had called him something truly awful, he was a great running back free falling in draft value because of his reaction, and I wanted to hope for the best. What a fool I was. You NEVER respond to verbal abuse with violence. I knew this. It appears he views a gun as a toy to point in someone's face over traffic disputes, or to clear children off his lawn. He's really shown himself to be a jackass, and with his dwindling value on the field, we're keeping this guy around why?

Concur. I love how everybody seems to know which positions you can and can't take in the 1st round. LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch, and Christian McCaffrey are just a few 1st round RBs who made massive impacts. Heck, Ja'Marr Chase practically turned this franchise around and we (almost) all wanted Sewell. Most of us were pretty happy to get a much needed O linemen in the form of Jonah Williams and well..... The draft is a gamble. The trick is to balance the team's needs with DILIGENT research into who's available. The team seems MUCH better at this lately, and it's fun to be so excited every draft now. All that said, I'd take Wright or Jones, LOL.

I don't think it's adversity to Zeke as much as it's indifference. My opinion is he could be a good pickup if it's cheap. I don't think he'll do that, and the main reason it'd be a good pickup is the money we could save cutting Mixon. I wouldn't like keeping both, they're too similar. If you factor Zeke's reception yards last year (92), he had 968 all purpose yards with 12 touchdowns. Tony Pollard rushed for over a thousand, with 1,378 all purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. Who's going to be our Tony Pollard? There's a lot of question marks, but definitely hope moving forward. Orlando Brown's addition made us all giddy, but there's still the issue of how we add/juggle the rest of the o line. I'd love to believe adding Zeke could be the missing piece (I want to believe anything that'll FINALLY get us that elusive first Lombardi), but in my heart I don't. From what I've seen he hasn't shown nearly the character or leadership traits that Marcus Allen had as a veteran either.