membengal Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 ---I see now very clearly that ZT had a plan to manage Burrow's entry into the season - and it was a very appropriate plan. Frustrating at the outset, but makes a ton of sense in hindsight in terms of Burrow's knee recovery and the line being new together. ---That said, this team's ceiling will be reached when they are able to fully turn him loose every game like they have the last few. ---Drafting Chase was the ABSOLUTE RIGHT CALL ---THAT said, seriously upgrading the line to where Burrow is only getting sacked a league average of times (say - 25-30) as opposed to 50+ is the final piece toward Super Bowl(s) ---The two games that Burrow just put together would have been ridiculous at any time in a season/career, BUT - to do it in two must win games against good teams...well. Damn. ---Chase's game against the Chiefs was the most consistently dominant performance I have seen from a Bengals player since Dillon set the NFL rushing record (at the time) against the Broncos. The difference...a crucial win game against a top opponent as opposed to Dillon doing that in the midst of yet another sad season against a team that overlooked them. The last time I remember giggling in awe at an athletic feat by a Bengals player before the jaw dropping moment of Chase planting his foot and cruising in hyper-drive for the opening TD against the Chiefs were those Dillon second half runs against the Broncos. Some players are just...different. ---We all know Burrow is also just...different. It's the little things, and the big things. But him turning to the sidelines as Chase ran into the end zone with the 69-yard catch to pull us to within 28-24 on Sunday with a screamed "LET'S GO" was the kind of thing that felt like a football general firing up all the troops. That the defense rose to the occasion after that is...not surprising in hindsight. ---People have said that Burrow's ability to process and problem solve will only grow exponentially as he sees more formations and adds them to his mental rolodex, and, 26 games in, I believe that. ---Add in, he is going to grow in this offense with Chase AND Higgins - aged 21 and 22 - the mental connection he already has with Chase and is building with Higgins is gonna be beyond anything we've ever seen with this franchise I suspect. ---I was still cautiously hopeful on ZT, especially when he finally FINALLY cut ties with Turner at o-line coach, but it is really heartening to see the buy-in he was selling to players pay off. I think he can be a really good coach going forward in terms of results. ---I was much less hopeful on LouA, but good on ZT for sticking with him as it turns out. And good on LouA for staying with his vision. I can see the path to the D being "good enough" in support of this offense in the coming years for championships. ---The recruitment of players in FA about to be HELLA easy. And, we are about to win all sorts of FA battles that we never used to because players are gonna take a bit less at times if all else about the offers is mostly equal to play with Joe Burrow. We were already seeing that, but that's about to become even more so. Anyone else got random stuff they want to chat about? React? This is the happiest I have been in a LONG time as a fan. Pre-knee Carson probably the last time I was this hopeful. Fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steggyD Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 Completely agree on the FA. Players have to see us as a serious contender now, and should be willing to join our wagon to the Super Bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|High School Harry| Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 After seeing our game vs the Packers where they were lucky to get out with a W and what they did against Kansas City... (please don't let me jinx it) I don't see anybody in the AFC or NFC they are not capable of beating. The O line has to hold together and they have to get over the slow starts and... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shebengal Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 I saw a description of Joe Burrow last night in an article that described him as having the calm demeanor of Ken Anderson and the swagger of Boomer Esiason and I think that fits perfectly. Boomer told the story on Sunday's postgame show about how when Joe Burrow came on the NFL Today after winning the Heisman and Bommer handed him a Bengals helmet and said "Welcome to the dysfunctional Bengals family." Burrow laughed a little and Boomer said to him, "No, seriously, you are what Cincinnati needs." He was right. The 1981 team was kind of fun to watch. The 1988 team with Sam Wyche was fun because of what he designed on offense. The Carson Palmer teams were sort of fun because of Chad and TJ, but they were diva-ish. The Dalton teams were too businesslike. This team is more fun to watch and they have bought into Zac Taylor's message in a way that Marvin Lewis' teams never did. They are unselfish and truly happy for each other's successes. Can you imagine Chad Johnson blocking downfield the way Chase does? I would have to say that this is one of my favorite teams and I can't wait to see what they can achieve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostInDaJungle Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 This seems random enough.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claptonrocks Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 23 minutes ago, LostInDaJungle said: This seems random enough.... Cant say enough good things about Mac.. Yeah he missed a few as All kickers do thruout a season but I allways felt confident when he entered the game in crucial situations.. Outstanding job as a rook this year .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEarl Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 52 minutes ago, LostInDaJungle said: This seems random enough.... Hahaha. I like me some Clark Harris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tibor75 Posted January 5, 2022 Report Share Posted January 5, 2022 I would have considered this season a success with a playoff birth. Now, seeing how good they are playing, and with a home game against a beatable opponent, a playoff loss in the first round will be such a let-down. Same 'ol Bengals they will say and they will be right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claptonrocks Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 1 hour ago, tibor75 said: I would have considered this season a success with a playoff birth. Now, seeing how good they are playing, and with a home game against a beatable opponent, a playoff loss in the first round will be such a let-down. Same 'ol Bengals they will say and they will be right. Only in your own mind . But tks for the uplifting spirit you allways present..😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 …just think where this team would be (in the playoff seeding) if Bell didn’t have that bogus taunting call against him and if Shooter’s last kick against Green Bay stayed true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicoli Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 24 minutes ago, Cricket said: …just think where this team would be (in the playoff seeding) if Bell didn’t have that bogus taunting call against him and if Shooter’s last kick against Green Bay stayed true. or if Chase didn’t turn a TD into a turnover against SD. Imagine 13-3 right now. They really just missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claptonrocks Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 2 hours ago, Cricket said: …just think where this team would be (in the playoff seeding) if Bell didn’t have that bogus taunting call against him and if Shooter’s last kick against Green Bay stayed true. What ifs .. All teans have them.. Its the final outcome of the season that only matters ..no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostInDaJungle Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 1 minute ago, claptonrocks said: What ifs .. All teans have them.. Its the final outcome of the season that only matters ..no? As my Mom used to say, "well, if frogs has wings, their asses wouldn't hit the ground." Make all the jokes you like about Appalachia, we have a colorful vernacular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_C_Deadpeople Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 Article in the Athletic noted that Burrow is BOTh the most accurate passer in the league and the most aggressive. https://theathletic.com/3049224/2022/01/05/joe-burrow-is-nfls-most-aggressive-qb-and-yet-its-most-accurate-how-can-this-be/ Joe Burrow is playing like Brett Favre and Drew Brees at the same time. That doesn’t seem possible, right? How can a quarterback be a precision passer while he’s also taking more chances than any other passer in the league? Well, the Bengals quarterback has combined seemingly conflicting styles into his 2021 breakout season. Burrow is the league leader among qualified passers with a 70.4 completion percentage (which will be his season percentage since he’s sitting the regular-season finale). Yet, according to NFL’s Next Gen stats, he’s also the most aggressive quarterback in the league. “Aggressiveness” rate tracks the number of passing attempts a quarterback makes that are into tight coverage, where there is a defender within 1 yard of the receiver at the time of completion or incompletion. Burrow leads the league with 19.2 percent of his passes being thrown into small windows. For the sake of comparison, the following quarterbacks trail Burrow (in order): Tua Tagovailoa, Ben Roethlisberger, Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, Daniel Jones, Tyler Huntley, Tyrod Taylor, Justin Fields and Carson Wentz. Only two of those other quarterbacks possess a passer rating above 90.0. Meanwhile, Burrow ranks second in the NFL in passer rating (108.3), behind only Aaron Rodgers (111.1). Rodgers, the 2020 NFL MVP, led the league in completion percentage last season with a 70.7 rate. Yet he was also the second least aggressive passer, with only 11.2 percent of his throws being into tight windows. Not surprisingly, Burrow also has the widest margin in the NFL in actual completion percentage vs. expected completion percentage this season with a 6.0 percent difference. Burrow’s expected completion percentage ranks 30th in the NFL among 39 qualified passers at 64.4 percent. Via Sports Info Solutions, Burrow ranks first in the league in “on target” percentage at an 83.2 rate and in “catchable pass” percentage at a 90.1 rate. Which quarterbacks have led the league in “aggressiveness” rate the past few seasons? Most of them are cringeworthy: 2020: Mike Glennon — 62.0 (Burrow ranked third) 2019: Matthew Stafford — 64.3 2018: Josh Rosen — 55.2 2017: Carson Wentz — 60.2 2016: Jared Goff — 54.6 Wentz was in the running for the NFL MVP Award in 2017 before a knee injury sidelined him during the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season. But Burrow’s completion percentage is more than 10 points higher than Wentz’s from 2017. The rest played for bad teams or were simply bad quarterbacks. On the other side, here are the completion percentage leaders from the previous five seasons and their “aggressiveness” ranking: 2020: Aaron Rodgers — 70.7 percent; second least aggressive QB 2019: Drew Brees — 74.3; seventh least aggressive QB 2018: Brees — 74.4; 17th least aggressive QB 2017: Brees — 72.1; 17th least aggressive QB 2016: Sam Bradford — 71.6; 18th least aggressive QB So what’s behind Burrow’s aggressiveness and accuracy? Part of it comes with a lack of consistent separation from his primary pass-catchers. Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase rank sixth and ninth in least separation created on average, with a 2.3-yard rate (via NFL Next Gen). And still, Burrow carries an 80.2-percent catchable pass rate, via Sports Info Solutions, with his primary pass-catchers at wide receiver and tight end: C.J. Uzomah (92.1 percent, second overall), Higgins (84.5, 16th), Chase (82.1, 24th) and Tyler Boyd (80.6, 33rd). The Bengals’ pass-catchers have been middle of the pack in terms of drops, as Cincinnati ranks 15th in lowest drop percentage (via TruMedia) at 4.6 percent. Burrow’s approach and results have been a stark contrast to most of the quarterbacks we’ll watch, or potentially watch, this postseason. PLAYER AGG% COMP% XCOMP% DIFF Patrick Mahomes 9.1 66.6 68.3 -1.6 Josh Allen 11.1 64.1 64.3 -0.2 Matthew Stafford 12.3 67.3 67.9 -0.6 Kyler Murray 12.4 69 64.8 4.2 Derek Carr 13.2 69.2 66.7 2.5 Lamar Jackson 13.4 64.4 66 -1.6 Tom Brady 14.5 66.9 68.3 -1.5 Mac Jones 15.5 67.6 66.1 1.5 Ryan Tannehill 15.8 66.9 66.9 0 Justin Herbert 16.1 67.3 67.3 0 Jimmy Garoppolo 16.1 68 66.8 1.2 Dak Prescott 16.2 68.4 66.7 1.7 Aaron Rodgers 16.2 68.6 65.5 3.1 Jalen Hurts 16.2 61.3 61.5 -0.2 Carson Wentz 16.6 62.6 64.5 -1.9 Tyler Huntley 17.8 67.5 65.6 1.9 Ben Roethlisberger 18.9 64.2 67.6 -3.4 Potential playoff quarterbacks such as the Saints’ Taysom Hill and 49ers’ Trey Lance haven’t thrown enough passes to qualify for NFL Next Gen’s full season “aggressiveness” stats. But here’s what each quarterback has produced in each of their late-season starts: Taysom Hill WEEK AGG% COMP% XCOMP% DIFF Week 13 17.1 46.3 67.4 -21.1 Week 14 19 71.4 70.2 1.2 Week 15 25.9 48.1 56.3 -8.1 Week 17 3.6 60.7 60.7 0 Trey Lance WEEK AGG% COMP% XCOMP% DIFF Week 17 13 69.6 64.9 4.7 Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes has posted the lowest “aggressiveness” rate in the league after ranking as the third least “aggressive” quarterback in 2020 and 2019, and the fourth-least “aggressive” in 2018. His numbers are consistently top-notch without being a major risktaker. It helps to throw to pass-catchers who create plenty of separation. Here’s a glimpse at the Chiefs’ pass-catchers and their average separation per target (NFL Next Gen stats): Chiefs Byron Pringle, 4.2 yards (second in the NFL) Mecole Hardman, 4.1 (seventh) Tyreek Hill, 3.6 (18th) Travis Kelce, 3.3 The oddity here comes with Mahomes’ margin for completion percentage vs. expected completion percentage. You would imagine it being on the positive side given the space created by his pass-catchers. But it’s not. Mahomes’ rates have improved noticeably in recent games, though: Week 14: +10.3 vs. Raiders Week 16: +8.2 at Chargers Week 17: +7 at Bengals Those totals have helped boost Mahomes’ margin to -1.8, which shows the accuracy issues the Chiefs quarterback endured before Kansas City turned things around. As for the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, he has taken advantage of using safer throws to his benefit and completing nearly five percent more of his passes than he was expected. Here’s a glimpse at Arizona’s average separation from the team’s primary pass-catchers: Cardinals Rondale Moore: 5.7 yards Christian Kirk: 3.4 Zach Ertz: 3.2 DeAndre Hopkins: 2.8 A.J. Green: 2.5 Moore leads the NFL among qualified wide receivers and tight ends in separation. What’s maybe the most impressive comes with Hopkins. That’s a lot of separation for a regular All-Pro receiver who gets plenty of attention from opposing defenses. Getting him back from injury for the postseason would obviously be huge. The Bills’ Josh Allen and the Rams’ Matthew Stafford rank among the top four least aggressive passers through Week 17. And yet both come in on the slightly negative side of the completion/expected completion rate. Below are the average separation figures for both teams’ top skill players: Bills Dawson Knox: 4.1 yards Cole Beasley 4 Emmanuel Sanders 2.9 Gabriel Davis 2.8 Stefon Diggs 2.6 Rams Robert Woods 3.8 yards Cooper Kupp 3.7 Tyler Higbee 3.1 Odell Beckham 2.7 Van Jefferson 2.6 Knox and Beasley are among the league leaders in separation, and the rest of the Bills pass-catchers possess solid numbers. The Bills haven’t been plagued by dropped passes either, ranking 10th-best overall with a 4.3 drop percent (via TruMedia). The lower completion percentage for Allen comes from his 83.2 percent “catchable” pass rate, which ranks 30th among 42 qualifying quarterbacks. His “on target” percentage stands at 75.5 percent, 21st in the league. It’s also no wonder Kupp has produced incredible numbers, making him one of the favorites for the league’s offensive player of the year award; his separation numbers rank 10th among qualified receivers. Woods, who is out for the remainder of the season, ranks sixth in separation. Undoubtedly, safer throws, despite some recent issues, have allowed Stafford to post the highest single-season completion percentage in his career. That leaves Aaron Rodgers as the only other quarterback in the league, much less postseason-bound passers, who possesses the same sort of aggressive style as Burrow with similar results. Rodgers’ lack of interceptions — 4, with two coming in a Week 1 loss to the Saints — make his aggressive approach something to marvel. We’ve come to expect this from Rodgers. What Burrow is pulling off in his first full season as an NFL quarterback is remarkable and unprecedented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claptonrocks Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 Here's some random thought of my own about this season.. Burrow.. I felt he'd perform at a very high level even without a decent oline. He surpassed that.. ZT called some bad plays but also some outstanding ones.. He's a gunslinger on the sidelines making calls. Bold and and brassy yes.. I thought 7 wins wad instore for this young group.. JB proved me wrong.. Believe that the Blackburn women will go allout to protect and give him more time to do what he does to put on his magic show next year..yes they will. Its an exciting time for the Bengals and fans.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claptonrocks Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 1 hour ago, LostInDaJungle said: You know how good this team is? My wife, who has suffered with me for 15 years, has never once shown an interest in football. Like, wasn't in the room, ever. Would pull out her phone and start playing solitaire at the mention of Andy Dalton. She's not only watching on Sunday, she watched the entire Joe Burrow press conference with me today, and has started asking questions like "What's cover 0?" Hse perked up and put down her phone when I YouTubed some Chase highlights. This team is so good, it has captivated someone who had never bothered to watch a football game in her life before 2021. Like hundreds of thousands of other casual or non fans of tbe game.. I say magical to descibe his play but it extends to his overall persana...an aura about him.. When I stated "Bonavide, very cool Superstar" it wasn't blowing smoke. It was meant to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted January 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 The defensive line play across the board completely caught me off guard. Especially when Ossai went down. I had bought into the narrative that Hendrickson was a compiler and needed help. I’ve never been so led astray by the various NFL talking heads about a player than I was on him. He brings genuine pressures on his own with his own array of moves. We were totally not told about that. If you had told me back two days before week 1 that he would set the non-Coy Bacon team record for sacks with. 14 I would have thought you loony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEarl Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 7 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said: The crazy thing about all of that is that you add Chase. Tee Higgins has AJ Green/Chad Johnson upside - Chase can run around you, he can go over you, he can come under you, and if you don't tackle him immediately, he's a son-of-a-bitch to get down. It's hard to even think of a player he compares to. He's Steve Smith with size and leaping ability and... Well, he's Terrel Owens but with more agility, run after catch.... This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEarl Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 1 hour ago, membengal said: The defensive line play across the board completely caught me off guard. Especially when Ossai went down. I had bought into the narrative that Hendrickson was a compiler and needed help. I’ve never been so led astray by the various NFL talking heads about a player than I was on him. He brings genuine pressures on his own with his own array of moves. We were totally not told about that. If you had told me back two days before week 1 that he would set the non-Coy Bacon team record for sacks with. 14 I would have thought you loony. This doesn't get enough play. As great as Burrow and the WRs are, the Bengals wouldn't be here without a much improved D. The line is the heart of that improvement, but the additions in the defensive backfield have been huge as well. Awuzie is the true #1 CB the Bengals have been looking for for a long time. Ricardo Allen played good ball as the third safety. Even Apple stepped up and played some good ball in the second half of the season. The young LBs are progressing and benefiting from a DL that keeps the guards off of them. Hope they can keep this unit together next season and maybe add another CB and get Ossai back in the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEarl Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 Just now, LostInDaJungle said: Even then it's like saying my wife is like a Porn Star who can cook. It's technically accurate, but it fails to capture just how awesome it really is. Chase or your wife? 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shebengal Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 9 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said: You know how good this team is? My wife, who has suffered with me for 15 years, has never once shown an interest in football. Like, wasn't in the room, ever. Would pull out her phone and start playing solitaire at the mention of Andy Dalton. Sorry, this is too funny! But I'm glad your wife is finally embracing football. I think this team is going to bring on a whole new host of fans. They're just fun to watch, on the field and off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steggyD Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, Shebengal said: Sorry, this is too funny! But I'm glad your wife is finally embracing football. I think this team is going to bring on a whole new host of fans. They're just fun to watch, on the field and off. I'm starting a cult of Bengals' followers in NY. My girlfriend who I've been with about a year and a half is enjoying watching football with me, and loves the Bengals now. She's even learning the ins and outs of football terminology. Her family are down and out Giants' fans. They are liking the Bengals now as well. I'm spreading the love a little at a time. The bandwagon is filling up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEarl Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 9 minutes ago, steggyD said: I'm starting a cult of Bengals' followers in NY. My girlfriend who I've been with about a year and a half is enjoying watching football with me, and loves the Bengals now. She's even learning the ins and outs of football terminology. Her family are down and out Giants' fans. They are liking the Bengals now as well. I'm spreading the love a little at a time. The bandwagon is filling up. I've got a buddy who is a life long Vikings fan who is fed up with them and says the Bengals are now "his team." 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griever Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 Wasn't sure where to put this, interesting to see the competitiveness between three teams in the division over the last decade. Sorry Cleveland... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 48 minutes ago, Griever said: Wasn't sure where to put this, interesting to see the competitiveness between three teams in the division over the last decade. Sorry Cleveland... How long has it been (or has it even happened before) since all four team in a division have made the playoffs over a two-year span? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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