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except that he's not.

 

 

This team has shown more mental toughness and resiliency than any Bengals team in memory.

 

One bad night doesn't suddenly just erase that.  

 

 

The Bengals have over come 4 deficits of 13pts or more this season.  The one time they don't do it and they're suddenly not mentally tough?  Child please.

 

 

We have a winner.  The last thing this team is not is mentally tough.  They have demonstrated their toughness, both physically and mentally, throughout this entire year.  Yeah, it sucks as a fan to listen to all the garbage after losing last night, but its just that, garbage.  Just like we all know that even if they flatten Minnesota at home next week it will continue to be the same old rhetoric about them struggling on the road in big games against division opponents.  But, you know how that can be erased?  By showing Baltimore what is up the following week.   

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Its not a matter of one bad night, its a matter of going out and making a statement in games that you need to do so, hell just winning when it's a "pressure situation" type of game like last night became ones the #2 seed was on the line. They seem to fail at pressure type games like that more often than not. So yes until they prove otherwise Harrison is right. Be mad, but he is.

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Its not a matter of one bad night, its a matter of going out and making a statement in games that you need to do so, hell just winning when it's a "pressure situation" type of game like last night became ones the #2 seed was on the line. They seem to fail at pressure type games like that more often than not. So yes until they prove otherwise Harrison is right. Be mad, but he is.

 

 

did they not need to make statements against Green Bay, New England and Indianapolis?  Or the first Pittsburgh game in primetime when they could have started 0-2?

 

 

Stop picking and choosing which situations matter and which don't just to fit the argument.

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Losing a game sucks. Losing a game like that sucks worse. I never thought our special teams would cost us a game, but they did. The offense and defense played well enough to win that game, and the Steelers are obviously nothing special. The officiating stank, but the officiating league-wide has really stunk all season. The biggest beef I have about the Bengals is the lack of a efffective pass rush. Even with the loss of Atkins, Dunlap and Michael Johnson should have stepped up. They have not, and it is costing us,  Hell, there is a decent chance that Wallace Gilberry ends up with as many sacks as those two combined.

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Pick and choose what? The fact remains that they had a chance to take the #2 seed, by the very definition of a "pressure game" and they failed to do so, they do this more often than not, its called not grabbing the brass ring, they are good at not grabbing it. They are too nice of a team that fails to go for the throat when they have the chance. I don't like it, but its the case. Its a matter of youth imo, I think they can change it as they get more experienced in those situations but it is what it is.

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Its not a matter of one bad night, its a matter of going out and making a statement in games that you need to do so, hell just winning when it's a "pressure situation" type of game like last night became ones the #2 seed was on the line. They seem to fail at pressure type games like that more often than not. So yes until they prove otherwise Harrison is right. Be mad, but he is.

 

Eh. Statement games are only slightly more applicable to beating bad teams when you should.  I'm not sure you can call a game with a divisional rival and lifetime monkey-on-your back something that should be a statement game.  Those are more like try to get out alive games.

 

The only thing that continues to surprise me about last night was the speed with which those who had just jumped on the bandwagon hopped right back off.  But, I guess, those are the kind of people who expect things like "statement games," so their frivolity should be expected.

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Pick and choose what? The fact remains that they had a chance to take the #2 seed, by the very definition of a "pressure game" and they failed to do so, they do this more often than not, its called not grabbing the brass ring, they are good at not grabbing it. They are too nice of a team that fails to go for the throat when they have the chance. I don't like it, but its the case. Its a matter of youth imo, I think they can change it as they get more experienced in those situations but it is what it is.

I guess that means Denver isn't mentally tough cause they coughed up the 1 seed this week, NE either cause they in turn coughed up the 1 & 2 seed by losing to Miami. The lacking mental toughness excuse is ridiculous and people like Harrison and Bruschi are idiots for slamming the Bengals endlessly in this. Not sure where all the media hate comes from but it's ridiculous.
On a positive note, I heard Michael Wilbon say that he still looks at the Bengals as one of the teams to beat. He said if we didn't have the Special Teams mistakes early on, we'd have won fairly easily.
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The national stage is too big for Marvin and it is reflected by his team.

 

That may, in fact, be true.

 

But one thing that I think hasn't really been looked at quite enough is that this team lacks a lot of mid-career guys.  We have a ton of youth, so as expected, we are prone to big mood swings.  But we don't have a lot of guys (especially stars) who are in years 4-7 that have been through it all, and so have the kind of experience that breeds the sort of "mental toughness" people are screaming for.

 

Yeah, we have some ANCIENT vets, but IMO those guys are just a little too old.  Harrison can't be an intimidator when he keeps going down with little dings.  Terrence Newman is also hurt. Adam Jones is Adam Jones.

 

And then the last problem we do have with some of our middle guys is that they came up during the truly mentally untough, mentally unstable Chad and Carson Circus years (Andre Smith, Jermaine Gresham, etc.). 

 

On defense, we are obviously still strong, but it's times like these that the steady presence, play, and leadership by example of Leon Hall and Geno Atkins really hurts.

 

On offense, we are very young all around except for the O-Line, and if you are looking for words like mentally weak, or inconsistent, or believing their own hype - look no further than to this unit and the fans that support it.  My first order of business in the off-season would be to thank Paul Alexander for his service and then bring someone else in to evaluate the O-Line from top to bottom and then do whatever they felt necessary to refashion it from the ground up.  I'm tired of watching those guys and listen to them talk about how good they are after they trounce terrible teams and then pucker their lips and shake their heads after they once again get absolutely dominated against the rest.

 

You want mentally tough?  Run the ball. Stop the run.  That's the formula.

 

The good news is that we have a young core of great talent that will continue to grow with experience.

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The only thing that continues to surprise me about last night was the speed with which those who had just jumped on the bandwagon hopped right back off.  But, I guess, those are the kind of people who expect things like "statement games," so their frivolity should be expected.

 

 

sadly, I don't think its any surprise at all.

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Denver didn't cough up the 1 seed, they potentially could have, but the Pats loss kept them on top. Further (and now for the 3rd time) were talking about this happening more often than not, not not happening at all.

 

I'll give you props for finding a way to use the word "not" three times in a row in one sentence. Impressive!

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Would this team be mentally tougher and prepared to stand up to bullies if Mike Zimmer were the head coach?  Would they show up better in prime time games if Mike Zimmer were the head coach?  I'm starting to wonder if it's not about time to find out.  I will remain patient with Lewis until we see how this season plays out, and then...

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I don't think it is a matter of making or not making a statement - obviously the Bengals have done both but the problem is the good happens at home and when they hit the road they struggle. I don't think it is a matter of being Bandwagon or not, if the Bengals don't have home field advantage in the playoffs they will be in trouble. Fans are seeing a consistent theme that they are tired of and are expecting again. This is not a Ravens or Steelers team that is mentally tough enough to win on the road in the playoffs. I don't like either one of them but you have to give them credit they have whatever it is we lack, to get it done on the road in the playoffs. Is this the year the Bengals do it or are we going to be talking about what could have been again. Every year we make excuses, "cheap shot Steelers, we have injuries, refs screwed us, etc.," but the results have always been the same. And please don't go down the path of "remember what it was like before Marvin". I do remember but Marvin has been here eleven years and this theme is getting old. Look at the Seahawks and Forty-Niners who were about like we were when Marvin got here. Guess what, yes they lose games but lately they also are taking care of business on the road as well as at home.  

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Would this team be mentally tougher and prepared to stand up to bullies if Mike Zimmer were the head coach?  Would they show up better in prime time games if Mike Zimmer were the head coach?  I'm starting to wonder if it's not about time to find out.  I will remain patient with Lewis until we see how this season plays out, and then...

 

 

for that to be accurate, shouldn't Zimmer's defense had NOT been pushed around last night?

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I don't think it is a matter of making or not making a statement - obviously the Bengals have done both but the problem is the good happens at home and when they hit the road they struggle. I don't think it is a matter of being Bandwagon or not, if the Bengals don't have home field advantage in the playoffs they will be in trouble. Fans are seeing a consistent theme that they are tired of and are expecting again. This is not a Ravens or Steelers team that is mentally tough enough to win on the road in the playoffs. I don't like either one of them but you have to give them credit they have whatever it is we lack, to get it done on the road in the playoffs. Is this the year the Bengals do it or are we going to be talking about what could have been again. Every year we make excuses, "cheap shot Steelers, we have injuries, refs screwed us, etc.," but the results have always been the same. And please don't go down the path of "remember what it was like before Marvin". I do remember but Marvin has been here eleven years and this theme is getting old. Look at the Seahawks and Forty-Niners who were about like we were when Marvin got here. Guess what, yes they lose games but lately they also are taking care of business on the road as well as at home.  

 

Haven't noticed you around before. Welcome.

 

I guess my first thought about your first statement is that, actually, this is the first year we've seen a real home field advantage in a while.  IIRC, before this year we actually won more than away since Dalton has been here.

 

Aside from that, the only way I can see Marvin not being our HC for the foreseeable future is if, ironicaly, we win the SB.  MB just doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that's going to get rid of a coach - who he has great personal affection for and who is regularly winning with an improved product - so that he can take the risk of finding a guy who can take the team that last step.

 

Who knows, though.  Nothing like the ticking clock of your own mortality to trigger, desperate out-of-character moves.

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Let me preface this by saying I love Marvin, but I wonder the same thing.

 

Marvins the type of guy that if you walked up to him on the street and jacked him in the face, he would probably take a step back, look at you, and then walk over to the cop standing a couple blocks away and have him arrest you. But the cop never saw it, so it was just he said she said, and you probably get off.

 

Then there is the type that would retaliate and beat the crap out of you, and they would probably be the one going to jail, not you.

 

Which response is better? Honestly, I dont know. There are pros and cons to each. 

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The biggest issue I have is the way this team continues to back into the playoffs. There are no excuses. This is the offenses third year under Gruden and Zim has been here forever. Im so sick of hearing these guys say "we have to get back to work, we have to get better" its meaningless coach speak.

Knuckle up, show up prepared, and dominate. This team is soft on offense, and beat up on defense right now.
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The biggest issue I have is the way this team continues to back into the playoffs. There are no excuses. This is the offenses third year under Gruden and Zim has been here forever. Im so sick of hearing these guys say "we have to get back to work, we have to get better" its meaningless coach speak.

Knuckle up, show up prepared, and dominate. This team is soft on offense, and beat up on defense right now.

 

Back into the playoffs? Honestly, I disagree. In 2011, they way overachieved and managed to back in, yeah. They went 7-1 in the last 8 last year to get in. This year if they get in, they will go at worst 4-4 in the second half winning 4 of the last 6. That would include a Week 17 L to the Ravens that may or may not be meaningless. 

 

If anything, Marvin Lewis teams play better in the second half. 

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You know what? I'm pissed about last night, and I'm pissed about tonight, but we still are un beaten at home. I say let's beat some viking ass......let the rats and Miami when next weekend......:week 1u the fins can win and we can knock the defending champs out of theplayoffs like we knocked out the cock sucking stealers last year. With that we take the 2 seed and tell the rest of the north to kiss our ass
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Would this team be mentally tougher and prepared to stand up to bullies if Mike Zimmer were the head coach?


"Tough guys" have a tendency to flame out as head coaches. Hell, as a coordinator, Jim Schwartz was a lot like Mike Zimmer.

Here's the bottom line, when this Bengals team makes mistakes, they come back to the pack and are beatable. When they play a clean game, they're one of the five best teams in the league.

Get off of Marvin Lewis. The fact that they've bounced back so well after bad outings speaks to a well run team.

Jesus. It was a crazy weekend of football. The Saints probably blew their division. The Cowboys and Lions absolutely choked AT HOME. Half a dozen other teams lost "winnable" games that made their playoff push more difficult.

Please wait until there's something worthy of being upset about.
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