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My Observations from the Shutout


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- It’s clear that Burfict and Pac are the heart and soul of this defense, without both of them out there the D played with low passion and heart. For all those that want a team of well-behaved boy scouts and have been calling for one or both to be cut, this is what you get. Defense needs nastiness, and the Bengals D had little of it today. They were bullied and pushed around.

 

- The team needs to decide on Mixon or Hill and roll with it. On an early run Hill looked good, then would dud for 2 runs and Mixon would come in and look good for one run, but after 1 or two stuffs would be pulled again. RB’s need time to build up a rhythm and to get that 4-5 yd avg, you need to feed them and let them get stuffed before they pop one and get stuffed again some more. I’m not a fan of RB by committee, and think the indecision could be costly. By talent I think Mixon is clearly the better of the two and would roll with him full time with Gio as the 3rd down back.

 

- Cedric is not ready for primetime at LT and maybe they should move Fisher over to LT and put Andre Smith to RT. Yes Andy was to blame for a range of poor decisions, but he’s also not used to being run down from behind with DE’s having a clear path to him in that way. I think Cedric is more of a G at this point and should be brought along that way.

 

- The secondary looked disorganized without Shawn Williams back there. Not that it’s ‘White Chocolate’s’ fault as it was his first start, but you could tell that many times they didn’t know who they were supposed to be covering. This is also related to Burfict’s bullshit absence I believe as he’s the play caller and field general of the defense.

 

- Time to let the young DE’s play more and get some speed off the edge. The DL looks like it’s built to stop the run on 3rd down on first and 10, but not rush the passer (with the exception of Atkins and Dunlap on some plays). Get Smith and Willis in there more. Also, why a vanilla 4 man rush on every play? I see very few stunts or switches in the scheme or look for a QB to have to deal with. Use some double A gap blitzes or a corner blitz every now and then … bring a SS down in the box … the Bengals defensive scheme seems very basic.

 

- Zampese is not a good play caller and the plays are so predictable that I can usually guess most of the time what they are going to do. He follows certain patterns too that leaves the opposing defense able to cheat up. Run up middle, run up middle, pass, scramble, fumble. Do some gadgetry … switch it up … run some wildcat, do a flea flicker, throw deep on 2nd and 1 instead of getting stuffed on 2 runs up the middle and punting. He is unimaginative and I think got a free pass last year because of all the injuries. But really, when have you seen a game and thought, man, what a brilliant play caller? Never. When they win it’s in spite of him not because of it.

 

- Dalton has way too many passes batted down compared to other QB's. He's the same height as Aaron Rodgers but somehow can't figure out how to throw around the DL. For the record Driskel is 2 inches taller and can do a 360 dunk in basketball. (only half ninja) 

 

- Dalton’s demeanor is not inspiring and he needs a fire lit up under his ass. With McCarron you can feel his energy when he plays … hell with Driskel you even can. But Andy’s “cool” demeanor seems aloof sometimes and like a guy just going through the motions. Smack someone’s helmet, yell at a guy, get in a scuffle with a defender, show some life for fucks sake! In the huddle he seems to show little facial expressions and I’d rather have a QB that had more of a gun slinger mentality. That way you can live with interceptions better … but not a boring accountant who throws one and then walks back to the sideline with a blank stare.

 

- Is the season over? Of course not. This could still be a playoff team and a squad that sucks one week can look great the next. The Texans might be a good opponent to rebound on this Thursday. So it’s not time to hit the panic button yet, but a few more games like this and the PBS crowd will really turn on Dalton and be chanting for McCarron in there. Would that help? Who knows. I even think Driskel has some ‘sizzle’ and potential to start in this league and love his mobility and athleticism, but it’s hard to let him get the reps needed to be successful when Andy has proven he can at least get you in the playoffs almost every year. But one thing is certain, is that the team shit the bed today and the fans deserve better.

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-After the second-lowest passer rating of his career, a frigid 28.4 behind only the infamous 2.0 of three years ago, quarterback Andy Dalton took the blame.

 

“I didn’t give us a chance to score the points we needed to win,” Dalton said. “It starts with me.”

Did he just write his own ominous epitaph?

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So you are saying the reason we lost today was because we, as fans want our defenders to act like adults when obviously that isn't what good football players do? Ok.

 

So it's our fault they were suspended? We don't care if they are Boy Scouts, we care that they are good AND ELIGIBLE TO PLAY.

 

So all good defenders are dumbasses like Burfict and Jones?  Nonsense.  We were ranked 17th in defence last year.  Those guys ain't that great.

 

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1 hour ago, SF2 said:

So you are saying the reason we lost today was because we, as fans want our defenders to act like adults when obviously that isn't what good football players do? Ok.

 

So it's our fault they were suspended? We don't care if they are Boy Scouts, we care that they are good AND ELIGIBLE TO PLAY.

 

So all good defenders are dumbasses like Burfict and Jones?  Nonsense.  We were ranked 17th in defence last year.  Those guys ain't that great.

 

Adults? Seriously? We ask these guys to be Maximus against Claudius and when they fail, we bitch. When they succeed, we bitch. What sport are you watching? Because if it isn't the evolution of Roman Gladiators for the bread and circuses of the masses then I'm not sure what you're watching. 

 

No, it's not our fault they are suspended, but you know what is? Us, and our expectations of good Christian values.

 

Burfict is our best player, hands down, love him or leave him.

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3 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

- It’s clear that Burfict and Pac are the heart and soul of this defense, without both of them out there the D played with low passion and heart. For all those that want a team of well-behaved boy scouts and have been calling for one or both to be cut, this is what you get. Defense needs nastiness, and the Bengals D had little of it today. They were bullied and pushed around.

 

- The team needs to decide on Mixon or Hill and roll with it. On an early run Hill looked good, then would dud for 2 runs and Mixon would come in and look good for one run, but after 1 or two stuffs would be pulled again. RB’s need time to build up a rhythm and to get that 4-5 yd avg, you need to feed them and let them get stuffed before they pop one and get stuffed again some more. I’m not a fan of RB by committee, and think the indecision could be costly. By talent I think Mixon is clearly the better of the two and would roll with him full time with Gio as the 3rd down back.

 

- Cedric is not ready for primetime at LT and maybe they should move Fisher over to LT and put Andre Smith to RT. Yes Andy was to blame for a range of poor decisions, but he’s also not used to being run down from behind with DE’s having a clear path to him in that way. I think Cedric is more of a G at this point and should be brought along that way.

 

- The secondary looked disorganized without Shawn Williams back there. Not that it’s ‘White Chocolate’s’ fault as it was his first start, but you could tell that many times they didn’t know who they were supposed to be covering. This is also related to Burfict’s bullshit absence I believe as he’s the play caller and field general of the defense.

 

- Time to let the young DE’s play more and get some speed off the edge. The DL looks like it’s built to stop the run on 3rd down on first and 10, but not rush the passer (with the exception of Atkins and Dunlap on some plays). Get Smith and Willis in there more. Also, why a vanilla 4 man rush on every play? I see very few stunts or switches in the scheme or look for a QB to have to deal with. Use some double A gap blitzes or a corner blitz every now and then … bring a SS down in the box … the Bengals defensive scheme seems very basic.

 

- Zampese is not a good play caller and the plays are so predictable that I can usually guess most of the time what they are going to do. He follows certain patterns too that leaves the opposing defense able to cheat up. Run up middle, run up middle, pass, scramble, fumble. Do some gadgetry … switch it up … run some wildcat, do a flea flicker, throw deep on 2nd and 1 instead of getting stuffed on 2 runs up the middle and punting. He is unimaginative and I think got a free pass last year because of all the injuries. But really, when have you seen a game and thought, man, what a brilliant play caller? Never. When they win it’s in spite of him not because of it.

 

- Dalton has way too many passes batted down compared to other QB's. He's the same height as Aaron Rodgers but somehow can't figure out how to throw around the DL. For the record Driskel is 2 inches taller and can do a 360 dunk in basketball. (only half ninja) 

 

- Dalton’s demeanor is not inspiring and he needs a fire lit up under his ass. With McCarron you can feel his energy when he plays … hell with Driskel you even can. But Andy’s “cool” demeanor seems aloof sometimes and like a guy just going through the motions. Smack someone’s helmet, yell at a guy, get in a scuffle with a defender, show some life for fucks sake! In the huddle he seems to show little facial expressions and I’d rather have a QB that had more of a gun slinger mentality. That way you can live with interceptions better … but not a boring accountant who throws one and then walks back to the sideline with a blank stare.

 

- Is the season over? Of course not. This could still be a playoff team and a squad that sucks one week can look great the next. The Texans might be a good opponent to rebound on this Thursday. So it’s not time to hit the panic button yet, but a few more games like this and the PBS crowd will really turn on Dalton and be chanting for McCarron in there. Would that help? Who knows. I even think Driskel has some ‘sizzle’ and potential to start in this league and love his mobility and athleticism, but it’s hard to let him get the reps needed to be successful when Andy has proven he can at least get you in the playoffs almost every year. But one thing is certain, is that the team shit the bed today and the fans deserve better.

I will address this:

 

As for Burfict, it's clear to anyone with eyes that he's the centerpiece of this defense, so on that we agree. He's dirty and a fucking bully, but by God he's OUR fucking bully (finally). He's also the best playmaking LB this defense has ever seen in it's 50 years of existence.

 

Pacman...eh. Hard to say. Love his intensity and he can still make plays, love his punt returns, he's a force of nature out there but maybe he's lost a step and his off-field issues are older than he is. Grow up, Adam.

 

Ogbuehi...isn't very good IMO. We spent a first round pick on him and he continues to look lost. There's no shame in missing on a first rounder here and there. He should be relegated to a backup spot immediately. The evidence is very clear.

 

The RB's: I agree. We need to decide on one, and yes, this is the era of RB by committee, but we still need to settle on a starter. And it can't be Giovanni Bernard. After one run inside he was swallowed by defensive linemen. He's small and will get injured again doing that. Never understood why the Bengals thought he'd be otherwise yet they kept pressing the issue, for no gain (natch). I think the bitch-slapper is our man going forward.

 

I also agree about missing Shawn Williams (white chocolate, LOL aka Jason Williams), he's better than people think.

 

 I also happen to agree about our pass rush. All offseason we hear how we're so much younger and faster in this area. Where was it today? FFS, it was against a team we've OWNED for a few years and the game was at HOME. Where did it go?

 

As far as Zampese goes, all I can say is that there must be a reason he was a QB coach forever. Why has he not ascended to the heights of other coaches? Why hasn't Paul Alexander? 

 

Finally, Dalton. Oh yeah, everyone's favorite topic. I'll leave this poem I love that describes him perfectly.

 

 

http://www.destinyland.org/when_she_was_good.htm

 

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, SF2 said:

So you are saying the reason we lost today was because we, as fans want our defenders to act like adults when obviously that isn't what good football players do? Ok.

 

So it's our fault they were suspended? We don't care if they are Boy Scouts, we care that they are good AND ELIGIBLE TO PLAY.

 

So all good defenders are dumbasses like Burfict and Jones?  Nonsense.  We were ranked 17th in defence last year.  Those guys ain't that great.

 

17th??? Try 8th, yards dont fucking matter it is scoring defense that matters and they was 8th last year

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4 hours ago, dimster said:

17th??? Try 8th, yards dont fucking matter it is scoring defense that matters and they was 8th last year

Try looking at the scoreboard.  WE DIDNT SCORE, that is why we lost.   Yes, yards do fucking matter, they are an indicator of how well your team stops the other team from moving the ball and directly reflects where your team typically starts drives on offense.   The Bengals had the 4th worst starting starting field position for offensive drives in the NFL last year.   That is 5 additional yards our team had to go on EVERY drive compared to Oakland to score a TD.   

 

The defense only gave up 20 points and that was accomplished with Andy Dalton giving Baltimore the ball 5 times.  They did it WITHOUT Burfict and Jones.   Dont get me wrong, both players will make the defense better but their absence had little to do with the horrendous shit show our offense put on yesterday. 

 

A 7th year starter in the NFL should NEVER have games like that, particularly one that has 3 good running backs who can all catch the ball,  AJ Green, a good #2 in Lafell and Tyler Eifert.    BTW, can anyone explain why Eifert was only targeted 1 time yesterday??  5 turnovers at home.  

 

 

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7 minutes ago, SF2 said:

The defense only gave up 20 points and that was accomplished with Andy Dalton giving Baltimore the ball 5 times.  They did it WITHOUT Burfict and Jones.   Dont get me wrong, both player will make the defense better but their absence had little to do with the horrendous shit show our offense put on yesterday. 

You are CORRECT! This is very promising. The defense can take us to the playoffs. We simply need an average offensive to play a little above average to get back to the playoffs.

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10 hours ago, Bunghole said:

Adults? Seriously? We ask these guys to be Maximus against Claudius and when they fail, we bitch. When they succeed, we bitch. What sport are you watching? Because if it isn't the evolution of Roman Gladiators for the bread and circuses of the masses then I'm not sure what you're watching. 

 

No, it's not our fault they are suspended, but you know what is? Us, and our expectations of good Christian values.

 

Burfict is our best player, hands down, love him or leave him.

Burfict didn't do shit yesterday.  Doesn't play much in September.  I don't care if they are Devil worshippers, 99% of the players in this league manage to avoid multiple suspensions, these 2 didn't.

 

You can't be the best player on a team is you are not eligible.  Geno Atkins is the best defender by far.  5 time pro-bowler, 2 times All_Pro,  has missed 7 games in 8 seasons NONE due to suspension.

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12 minutes ago, SF2 said:

Burfict didn't do shit yesterday.  Doesn't play much in September.  I don't care if they are Devil worshippers, 99% of the players in this league manage to avoid multiple suspensions, these 2 didn't.

 

You can't be the best player on a team is you are not eligible.  Geno Atkins is the best defender by far.

I think you may be right.

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I've become Comfortably Numb to this team's ineptitude and ongoing disappointment of the fanbase. I used to get all worked about a loss like yesterday. Now, I am just numb to it. My wife walked in during the late stages of the game and said, "OH NO! They are getting killed. Why are you so calm?" I said, "It's just a game, dear" and she laughed.

 

There are two main reasons why the Bengals got destroyed yesterday. The first and foremost is the coaching staff. Lewis and Zampese specifically are terrible. The turnstile approach that Zampese used with the RBs (Hill, then Mixon, then Bernard, then Hill, then...) was idiotic. It was like watching pre-season. As someone else noted, how do you target Eifert once when you are in that game? How do you not help Ogbuehi?

 

The second reason is the management and their decision to allow that fucking joke of an offensive line to come in to this season as a unit. Andy Dalton sucked yesterday and admitted to doing so but, nobody is going to thrive behind that assbox of a line. Nobody will need to worry about them giving McCarron a shot this season as Andy Dalton will not survive the year. You will see McCarron and likely even Driskel before it's all over.

 

The sad part is, this team has talent. Quite a bit of it in fact. More than many teams who will make the playoffs this year. Unfortunately, the failure of a few will see this whole team fail. I'm prepared for a long year.

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1 hour ago, BengalFanInTO said:

I've become Comfortably Numb to this team's ineptitude and ongoing disappointment of the fanbase. I used to get all worked about a loss like yesterday. Now, I am just numb to it. My wife walked in during the late stages of the game and said, "OH NO! They are getting killed. Why are you so calm?" I said, "It's just a game, dear" and she laughed.

 

There are two main reasons why the Bengals got destroyed yesterday. The first and foremost is the coaching staff. Lewis and Zampese specifically are terrible. The turnstile approach that Zampese used with the RBs (Hill, then Mixon, then Bernard, then Hill, then...) was idiotic. It was like watching pre-season. As someone else noted, how do you target Eifert once when you are in that game? How do you not help Ogbuehi?

 

The second reason is the management and their decision to allow that fucking joke of an offensive line to come in to this season as a unit. Andy Dalton sucked yesterday and admitted to doing so but, nobody is going to thrive behind that assbox of a line. Nobody will need to worry about them giving McCarron a shot this season as Andy Dalton will not survive the year. You will see McCarron and likely even Driskel before it's all over.

 

The sad part is, this team has talent. Quite a bit of it in fact. More than many teams who will make the playoffs this year. Unfortunately, the failure of a few will see this whole team fail. I'm prepared for a long year.

Post of the day, in particular the bold part.  We all know Ced Ogbuehi is struggling, how in the fuck don't you help him against a future hall of famer  in Suggs?  Its mind numbing.  I too am baffled by the 3 RBs by committee.  Choose 1 to be the primary and another (GIO?) to be the 3rd and long back.  Eifert getting 1 target is asinine. 

 

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16 hours ago, SmoothD said:

I agree with everything you said.

Especially about choosing between Hill or Mixon.

Not giving Cedric any help on Suggs was foolish.

Both Cedric and Fisher looked horrible

 

 

So.Much.This.

The coaching staff really failed on this point.

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17 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

- Dalton’s demeanor is not inspiring and he needs a fire lit up under his ass. With McCarron you can feel his energy when he plays … hell with Driskel you even can. But Andy’s “cool” demeanor seems aloof sometimes and like a guy just going through the motions. Smack someone’s helmet, yell at a guy, get in a scuffle with a defender, show some life for fucks sake! In the huddle he seems to show little facial expressions and I’d rather have a QB that had more of a gun slinger mentality. That way you can live with interceptions better … but not a boring accountant who throws one and then walks back to the sideline with a blank stare.

 

Andy's demeanor to me has always been "scared". 

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17 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

- Cedric is not ready for primetime at LT and maybe they should move Fisher over to LT and put Andre Smith to RT. Yes Andy was to blame for a range of poor decisions, but he’s also not used to being run down from behind with DE’s having a clear path to him in that way. I think Cedric is more of a G at this point and should be brought along that way.

I'm worried about this the most. He doesn't seem to have any sort of lateral quickness. That's bad cause he isn't strong at all. I guess his torn ACL really messed him up. I thought he would do better on the left as he is more of a finesse guy, but finesse guys need to be able to handle the edge. He was slow and got bull rushed. 

 

PS: Yes to Fisher on the left, Andre on the right. At least Andre can maul people when he wants to.

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7 hours ago, BengalFanInTO said:

I've become Comfortably Numb to this team's ineptitude and ongoing disappointment of the fanbase. I used to get all worked about a loss like yesterday. Now, I am just numb to it. My wife walked in during the late stages of the game and said, "OH NO! They are getting killed. Why are you so calm?" I said, "It's just a game, dear" and she laughed.

 

There are two main reasons why the Bengals got destroyed yesterday. The first and foremost is the coaching staff. Lewis and Zampese specifically are terrible. The turnstile approach that Zampese used with the RBs (Hill, then Mixon, then Bernard, then Hill, then...) was idiotic. It was like watching pre-season. As someone else noted, how do you target Eifert once when you are in that game? How do you not help Ogbuehi?

 

The second reason is the management and their decision to allow that fucking joke of an offensive line to come in to this season as a unit. Andy Dalton sucked yesterday and admitted to doing so but, nobody is going to thrive behind that assbox of a line. Nobody will need to worry about them giving McCarron a shot this season as Andy Dalton will not survive the year. You will see McCarron and likely even Driskel before it's all over.

 

The sad part is, this team has talent. Quite a bit of it in fact. More than many teams who will make the playoffs this year. Unfortunately, the failure of a few will see this whole team fail. I'm prepared for a long year.

Best quote on here that I have read in quite some time...I have been a fan for 45 years and didnt get worked up either...Marvin Lewis should have been canned 3 years ago and to let Hue Jacksin go was absurd..Zampese and Alexander are both horredous..Vance Jospeh an awesome coach was sought after after a year here ..Those two aforementioned have been here forever..WHo wants them?..No one..I wonder why??

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Just watched the highlights from yesterday....God, what a horrendous performance by Dalton. I understand there was more to the game than the highlights, but damn, none of those passes had shit to do with the line. Maybe he was gun shy due to pressures that weren't shown, but just putrid. Amazing that it was only his second worst performance of his career. 

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