A Rock

"Several times over the years?" All I remember is some sort of a reverse costing us a game vs. Baltimore. Zac has got to get a handle on risk/reward ratio.

When is this team going to employ basics learned on the schoolyard. Just launch that ball deep on 4th down. If we catch it, great. If it's picked, it's a long punt.

"That's life against Pittsburgh?!" 😳 No belief in Zac currently.

Browning showed good mobility last night. He had composure, wasn't foolish with his decisions, and connected on some shorter routes. Man, what a noodle arm on long passes though. Looked like when a little kid tries to throw a football for distance with WAY too much air under it. This guy would've been serviceable to relieve Burrow for a series or two in a pinch, but certainly not for the remainder of the season.

So abandon clock management and let the "sucks big-time" Oline give up an 8 yard sack. Clock advantage gone. Field position gone. Thanks for making it make sense.

I agree with all of this. It was actually first and goal at the SEVEN with under 2 minutes to play. Somehow Zac turned that into a field goal while taking maybe 25 seconds off the clock. They got the ball back with 1:33 left in the game. That is fucking astounding and I still can't wrap my mind around it.

Just read Zac's presser. Bunch of cliches. I thought they (Houston) did a good job of this, I thought they did a good job of that, blah blah blah. A string of miracles put us in position to steal that absolute shit show we performed today, and we blew that too. On what planet do you get a first and goal at the 7, down by 3 points with under 2 minutes to play, and not run the ball????

"We have to be better, and I think we will be", ain't gonna cut it. They'll evaluate everything except personnel. The wink links in the chain need to start playing like their jobs are on the line, because they are. That's the harsh reality.

To me, this is everything. I became a very casual fan, who only occasionally checked to see if the Bengals had won a game I didn't even bother to watch, after years of watching Marvin start playing prevent defense at the start of the second half, and never taking calculated risks on offense. This happened over and over again. They'd dominate the first half, then piss it away like clockwork. Then the inevitable , "we've got to be better, we've got to do better, we need to be more this, we need to be more that", press conferences. I know these guys devote a ton to football, but sometimes doing everything you can do and think of, isn't doing everything that needs to be done. Traditionally, the NFL has always been known as a very cut throat business where these shortcomings are addressed every week, but the staff of our franchise sometimes seem more secure and lethargic to change then tenured federal agency workers.

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.

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.