He's Already Here! Best Case Scenarios...

[alleycat]

While this might be considered an overly optimistic take, I think the exercise has a point. Which players/positions on the team that you've seen give you hope that they continue to improve and reach their potential, thereby filling some holes you might have otherwise thought had to be filled in FA and the Draft?

 

I think we had 8-9 truly vulnerable positions (weak spots) on the team going into this offseason. Here's my list, along with how I think we addressed them:

 

LG - Addressed

RG - Remains Vulnerable

Swing T - between Ford and Devin Cochran and Rivers, hopefully addressed (but really TBD)

NT - Addressed with TJ Slaton and hopefully ascending McKinley Jackson

3Tech DT - pass rushing DT. While Stewart can give us meaningful disruption, for the purposes of this exercise I'm leaving him at DE. Vulnerable.

DE - TBD. Partly addressed with Shemar Stewart. Coaches said in press conferences they expect him to produce immediately. But we need 3-4 Des who can bring it. I'm very hopeful that Joseph Ossai picks up where he left off. 

LB - Addressed; what might have been the weakest link on the team (along with Guard) gets overhauled. Can't ask for more focus than we got here. Could argue 2 positions addressed. 

S - Still lacking a true defense maker, and nothing done in FA or Draft. Vulnerable. My #1 alternative answer to who might have been a better option for us than Shemar Stewart would have been Malaki Starks, because of our need. 

 

Best Case Scenarios - Players Step Up/Improve:

 

RG - Most people on the team right now seem like stop-gap solutions. Is there still an FA reality? 

 

Safety

Dajahn Anthony - Liked what I saw of him, and for a guy who didn't get a lot of starters reps was impressed with what he showed last year, leaving me optimistic he can continue to improve. His flag against the chief remains a sore spot for me, because F the Chiefs (and the refs).

 

DE

Joseph Ossai - If he truly can pick up where he left off and provide a 10+ sack season, this entire defense takes its biggest possible step forward. 

 

Cedric Johnson - DE - HEAVY hands, which I love. Has shown ability to pressure along with a good motor. Can he keep coming?

 

Myles Murphy - hope is all we have. Rooting for him, but not holding my breath. 

 

DT

Chris Jenkins - I just don't think he's a pass rusher. Didn't think it when he came out and don't think it after 1 year here. If he can somehow find it in him, though, like Ossai at DE, our Defense could be transformed. 

 

Of course we couldn't hit everything in this draft, given our many needs. It seems to me that lots of bitching on this board from the process would have been addressed had we added a S and RG in FA. Ironically, a couple of the names that have been mentioned prior to the draft are still out there.

 

Who are you hoping steps up to fill in?

[texbengal]

Looks realistic to me. I’d also add Cam Sample to the DEs, assuming he's healthy. Not a great rusher but he’s useful and versatile. Can set the edge some, and he gets some push and IMO he’s probably better rushing inside than on the edge. 
 

And you didn’t list CB and they have some intriguing guys with talent… but they haven’t provided the consistency the team needs.  With both Turner and Dax coming off of significant injury, not sure how well they’ll play. CTB was horrid for the first half of the year, but he got better as the year progressed. And I like how both Fig and Ivey (and yeah, Marco Wilson) looked down the stretch… but you’re banking on a lot of improvement that we haven’t seen with any regularity.

 

As you cited, Anthony may have something at S but again, we haven’t seen much consistency from ANY of the S on the roster. Stone was better but they also played some isht QBs late in the year. And while I like Battle, like others, he hasn’t consistently looked the part. 
 

So interior DT pass rush, S, and G look to be the positions that are still mostly unsettled, and you’re gonna need a lot of the young D players to step up… both rooks and guys in years 1-3. Meanwhile, you’ve installed a new DC and mostly new coaches. So a ton of pressure on Golden and his staff to develop guys… fast. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[T-Dub]

Im going way way out on a limb with a chainsaw and saying Mild Murphy. The light is going to turn on. The fires have been lit. The game is slowing down. He is up to speed, and then some.

 

The NFL isnt ready. He's going to Change the Game. He is an immediate upgrade not just at DE but to the very concept of an athlete. He has become a smart, relentless, gritty, high-motor, lunchpail, overachiever with a Nose for the Ball. He does things the Right Way.

 

All the cliches are in play here. We should start thinking of nicknames and Hobson puns now in preparation. "Wild Murphy". "Murphy's Law".  

 

Normally the Bengals would be sending press releases about a former first round pick in his position. Something about handing out bran muffins or building a habitat for endangered skinks. The fact we haven't seen any of that tells us he is their secret weapon. Duke's comments about rookies not taking years to develop were a smokescreen for this guy. Wily, tricksy, genius Duke - I only hope he has a child ready to take over when he retires at age 107. They're about to unleash - not hell, that's a bit extreme and this is a family organization after all..

 

They're going to unleash HECK.

 

 

 

 

[alleycat]

At some point you have to wonder why people remain fans of a team...

[sparky151]

3 hours ago, alleycat said:

While this might be considered an overly optimistic take, I think the exercise has a point. Which players/positions on the team that you've seen give you hope that they continue to improve and reach their potential, thereby filling some holes you might have otherwise thought had to be filled in FA and the Draft?

 

I think we had 8-9 truly vulnerable positions (weak spots) on the team going into this offseason. Here's my list, along with how I think we addressed them:

 

LG - Addressed

RG - Remains Vulnerable

Swing T - between Ford and Devin Cochran and Rivers, hopefully addressed (but really TBD)

NT - Addressed with TJ Slaton and hopefully ascending McKinley Jackson

3Tech DT - pass rushing DT. While Stewart can give us meaningful disruption, for the purposes of this exercise I'm leaving him at DE. Vulnerable.

DE - TBD. Partly addressed with Shemar Stewart. Coaches said in press conferences they expect him to produce immediately. But we need 3-4 Des who can bring it. I'm very hopeful that Joseph Ossai picks up where he left off. 

LB - Addressed; what might have been the weakest link on the team (along with Guard) gets overhauled. Can't ask for more focus than we got here. Could argue 2 positions addressed. 

S - Still lacking a true defense maker, and nothing done in FA or Draft. Vulnerable. My #1 alternative answer to who might have been a better option for us than Shemar Stewart would have been Malaki Starks, because of our need. 

 

Best Case Scenarios - Players Step Up/Improve:

 

RG - Most people on the team right now seem like stop-gap solutions. Is there still an FA reality? 

 

Safety

Dajahn Anthony - Liked what I saw of him, and for a guy who didn't get a lot of starters reps was impressed with what he showed last year, leaving me optimistic he can continue to improve. His flag against the chief remains a sore spot for me, because F the Chiefs (and the refs).

 

DE

Joseph Ossai - If he truly can pick up where he left off and provide a 10+ sack season, this entire defense takes its biggest possible step forward. 

 

Cedric Johnson - DE - HEAVY hands, which I love. Has shown ability to pressure along with a good motor. Can he keep coming?

 

Myles Murphy - hope is all we have. Rooting for him, but not holding my breath. 

 

DT

Chris Jenkins - I just don't think he's a pass rusher. Didn't think it when he came out and don't think it after 1 year here. If he can somehow find it in him, though, like Ossai at DE, our Defense could be transformed. 

 

Of course we couldn't hit everything in this draft, given our many needs. It seems to me that lots of bitching on this board from the process would have been addressed had we added a S and RG in FA. Ironically, a couple of the names that have been mentioned prior to the draft are still out there.

 

Who are you hoping steps up to fill in?

 

Good post. Agree that we're still vulnerable at RG and 3T. Maybe at FS too. 

 

It's a contract year for CTB and perhaps Dax. Ossai as well. I'll guess the rush line on obvious passing downs is Ossai-Sample-Stewart-Hendrickson. But it could be Murphy at LDE with Ossai in place of Sample and maybe Stewart at LT instead of RT.

 

I doubt the team signs a significant veteran free agent at guard or DT or safety. It would be out of character for them to add Scherff or Simmons or Smith at this point.

 

 

[T-Dub]

1 hour ago, alleycat said:

At some point you have to wonder why people remain fans of a team...

 

At some point you have to wonder why people think it's any of their business 

[LostInDaJungle]

2 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Normally the Bengals would be sending press releases about a former first round pick in his position. Something about handing out bran muffins or building a habitat for endangered skinks.

You must have missed the one about him being down to 10% body fat and realizing that Cap'n Crunch isn't a healthy breakfast.

[LostInDaJungle]

1 hour ago, alleycat said:

At some point you have to wonder why people remain fans of a team...

Screw that attitude.

I'm very sorry, but the only way to be a fan of a team is your way? If we don't support the Bengals just like you do, then we aren't entitled to an opinion? If the loyalty isn't blind, it isn't loyalty? I know T-Dub from way back in the day... Who are you to question his fandom?

[T-Dub]

1 hour ago, LostInDaJungle said:

You must have missed the one about him being down to 10% body fat and realizing that Cap'n Crunch isn't a healthy breakfast.

 

Is it bad that IDK if you're joking? That's probably bad.

 

Every once in a great while when I've got company and we're trying to eat like stoned Elvis I will whip up PB&J french toast. It's just pb&j on texas toast but then after the egg wash it gets dredged in crushed Cap'n Crunch. Ridiculous in more ways than one. It's guaranteed -itis and I can't imagine a pro athlete having kid's cereal in steady rotation. 

[alleycat]

4 hours ago, T-Dub said:

 

At some point you have to wonder why people think it's any of their business 

Uh, because we have to be exposed to the relentless repetition of the same idea over and over? It's not like other posters are snooping or sticking their noses where they don't belong, which would be the definition of not minding their own business...when we're getting beaten over the head...with a dead horse in every thread, on every topic.

 

4 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said:

Screw that attitude.

I'm very sorry, but the only way to be a fan of a team is your way? If we don't support the Bengals just like you do, then we aren't entitled to an opinion? If the loyalty isn't blind, it isn't loyalty? I know T-Dub from way back in the day... Who are you to question his fandom?

 

Root for "your" team  by complaining about them constantly, with a relentless cynicism? Is that fun? Is that being dedicated, rooting for a team, showing your love? It'd be one thing if there was a little "OTOH," or any ability whatsoever to argue other sides of points, but when it becomes relentless bitching-only? Reminds me of a wife-beater telling his wife that his violence is a sign of affection. 

 

I was on the Bengalszone board before this one. I remember T-dub as well. He used to be a lot more thoughtful. Perhaps all of that "loyalty" over all of that time is precisely why he's so bitter. Whatever floats your boat, I guess, but at this point it's seeming masochistic. 

[T-Dub]

12 minutes ago, alleycat said:

Uh, because we have to be exposed to the relentless repetition of the same idea over and over? It's not like other posters are snooping or sticking their noses where they don't belong, which would be the definition of not minding their own business...when we're getting beaten over the head...with a dead horse in every thread, on every topic.

 

 

Root for "your" team  by complaining about them constantly, with a relentless cynicism? Is that fun? Is that being dedicated, rooting for a team, showing your love? It'd be one thing if there was a little "OTOH," or any ability whatsoever to argue other sides of points, but when it becomes relentless bitching-only? Reminds me of a wife-beater telling his wife that his violence is a sign of affection. 

 

I was on the Bengalszone board before this one. I remember T-dub as well. He used to be a lot more thoughtful. Perhaps all of that "loyalty" over all of that time is precisely why he's so bitter. Whatever floats your boat, I guess, but at this point it's seeming masochistic. 

 

 

Yeah me and a wife-beater, same difference right? Very sensible take, your opinion ahould be taken seriously.

 

Weird af.

 

 

[Randle P McMurphy]

9 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Im going way way out on a limb with a chainsaw and saying Mild Murphy. The light is going to turn on. The fires have been lit. The game is slowing down. He is up to speed, and then some.

 

The NFL isnt ready. He's going to Change the Game. He is an immediate upgrade not just at DE but to the very concept of an athlete. He has become a smart, relentless, gritty, high-motor, lunchpail, overachiever with a Nose for the Ball. He does things the Right Way.

 

All the cliches are in play here. We should start thinking of nicknames and Hobson puns now in preparation. "Wild Murphy". "Murphy's Law".  

 

Normally the Bengals would be sending press releases about a former first round pick in his position. Something about handing out bran muffins or building a habitat for endangered skinks. The fact we haven't seen any of that tells us he is their secret weapon. Duke's comments about rookies not taking years to develop were a smokescreen for this guy. Wily, tricksy, genius Duke - I only hope he has a child ready to take over when he retires at age 107. They're about to unleash - not hell, that's a bit extreme and this is a family organization after all..

 

They're going to unleash HECK.

 

 

 

 

 

You have any more of what you've been smoking!?  I'd like to sample it and possibly stockpile a little of it.  A drug that makes someone that optimistic is something else!?  I'm putting the obvious side effect of extreme delusion aside of course but they all can't be Grand Slams!  Haha 😁✌️

[T-Dub]

54 minutes ago, Randle P McMurphy said:

 

You have any more of what you've been smoking!?  I'd like to sample it and possibly stockpile a little of it.  A drug that makes someone that optimistic is something else!?  I'm putting the obvious side effect of extreme delusion aside of course but they all can't be Grand Slams!  Haha 😁✌️

 

Jokes aside he did have a few tackles in the 2nd half of the season.  If he could be a decent early-down run defender that'd be good enough.  Not what they'd probably hoped for in a 1st round pick but it's better than nothing at all.  It's common for DL to need a couple of years in an NFL-level weight room before they make much of an impact.  I really do think he could step up and fill some kind of role here.

[Randle P McMurphy]

11 hours ago, alleycat said:

At some point you have to wonder why people remain fans of a team...

 

It's rough sometimes isn't it. 

I was about done with them and the NFL altogether after this year.  Burrow actually makes it through the season without a trip to the I.R. and performs the way he did.  The year Chase had but the repeat of the shitty start and trash defense it was just too much to overcome despite those 2 success on offense.  If they would have not made any changes to the coaching staff, I would have been done and found something else to do with my time during football season.   I've already previously done it with the NBA & MLB.  One more won't hurt. 

[-GoBengals-]

12 minutes ago, Randle P McMurphy said:

 

It's rough sometimes isn't it. 

I was about done with them and the NFL altogether after this year.  Burrow actually makes it through the season without a trip to the I.R. and performs the way he did.  The year Chase had but the repeat of the shitty start and trash defense it was just too much to overcome despite those 2 success on offense.  If they would have not made any changes to the coaching staff, I would have been done and found something else to do with my time during football season.   I've already previously done it with the NBA & MLB.  One more won't hurt. 

 

man, neither chase nor joe would have had anywhere near the years they had if it wasnt for the trash defense. they both racked up hella stats wheil the opposing qb handed the ball off to close the game..  so the "burrows incredible year and chase triple crown were wasted" feeling isnt all that realistic.. if the defense performced well we wouldnt be throwing till the whistle every week, probably dropping 10-15% of those guys stats.

 

mahomes made the superbowl with his worst season in yards and TD's since 2018...

 

im sure we all would have gladly exchanged some of those stats for some stops and wins.. ill agree on the healthy joe year always feels like a waste if it isnt a SB run..

 

but best player in the league or not.. the nfl is no joke.. 

 

[-GoBengals-]

as for the topic at hand.

 

there is a LOT of talent on this defense. there is a LOT of talent on this O-line as well.

 

its so easy to feel or pretend we have far more bad players on defense than we do. No one seems interested in accepting the reality of the EMENSE number of injuries the defense had. I cant show it any other way than the 3-4 times i have. no one has more impactful injuries, and its DOUBLE the amount of injuries i could find going back to 2013(which is where i stopped) as far as missed games my starters and rotation players. There was the media coverage of the lions injuries. those numbers were falsy inflated by counting special teamers only guys who were listed as corners or a defensive positon but never had defensive snaps in their lives, they counted a euro league 30 yr old guy who tore an ACl in june in camps. etc.

 

then stack the Loud problem, im still pretty frustrated that he spoke publicly putting down young players "needing to hit the playbook" early in the season, come to find out everyone had issues with his schemes and several vets, including Hilton, Wilson, Hubbard all mentioned the last 5-6 weeks it was simplified and everyone was reacting faster and"just playing football".

 

Lou is a mad scientist... but whats the point of a mad scientist if he requires pro bowl caliber palyers for half of his defense sprinkled with vets who know his system.

 

the sign of a great or even good DC is knowing how to use the guys you have. not trying to hammer guys into roles you wish they could do.

 

knowing whatever level i know about football, it seems reasonable that the missed tackle problem and blown coverage issues at least good chunks of them, could be related to slowed reactions overthinking the overly complex defense.

 

as statistically the missed tackles dropped in the last 6 weeks as i pointed out in other threads

 

it seems like the lazy way out for fans to say the bengals cant draft and everyone sucks... but that seems pretty unlikely.

 

Defense:

 

DE: Sack Leader

DE: 1st round pick & first round pick backup

DT: 2nd round pick & veteran in hill

DT: Vet Run stuffer & 3rd round pick

LB: Pro Bowl Caliber wilson

LB: 2nd round pick

LB: veteran FA & 4th round pick

CB1: 1st round pick (hill imo)

CB2: CTB 2nd round pick

CB3: 2nd round pick (turner)

Safety1: Veteran Stone

Safety2: 2nd round pick Battle

 

IMO: if they just have normal amount of injuries as everyone - we are easily a playoff team

IMO: if we had a simplified normal dfense for these guys to run, we are easily in the playoffs

IMO: if guys who were young didnt miss games early for injury or Lou bullshit - we easily make th eplayoffs

 

all 3 combined? sheeeeittt...  i expect a 12th-16th ranked scoring defense, (we were 3.3 points per game away from that last year.. thats not that hard to imagine. stopping basically 1 fg drive per game..or 1 td drive every other game... etc...  averaged giving up 18.8ppg last 5 weeks, includes 2 scrubs, 2 playoff teams, and dallas.

 

gave up 29ppg first 5 weeks, with 2 scrubs and 3 playoff teams as opponents

 

lots of room for optimism.. should be fun watching a bunch of young players develop.

 

[LostInDaJungle]

2 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Jokes aside he did have a few tackles in the 2nd half of the season.  If he could be a decent early-down run defender that'd be good enough.

I really feel like he was held back by Lou in favor of Hubbard. You can say what you want about players knowing these guys, but at the end of the day it probably came down to something nebulous like "He's clutch." Commendable loyalty - but I think it stunted the growth of both Ossai and Murphy. It's hard to get the speed of the NFL game going in for one chaotic scrum every 45 minutes.

Last year he would have been doing Hubbard a favor by taking more early season snaps. Lou still stuck with a Sam Hubbard who needed knee surgery.

It's a contract year and money is on the line for him. The guy is still 23. He was 6th in pressure rate when he was on the field last year. He's a 275 4.6 athletic freak. Properly motivated, he has the tools. I get that it's an adjustment being a 20 year old multi-millionaire playing against grown ass men. Maybe he gets a lil' nasty streak and stops being pushed around. He's got hair on his testes now too.

I wasn't joking about the article I read about Murphy "doing his own research" and deciding to cut cereal from his diet and start eating healthy. I can't believe the Bengals don't provide a nutritionist, bod pod... to their 20 year old $16M investments. What does our strength and conditioning coach do? Massages and Pilates classes? But he's at 10ish% body fat, yadda, yadda... Best shape of his life. Ready to be a wrecking ball.

 

(Side note... Has any phrase been more abused and discredited that "doing my own research" in the last ten years? #1 sign that you're taking horse de-wormer with your Metamucil. A bunch of horse crap. Decodes as "I read sites on the web that agree with me.") 

Perhaps it will be the simple allure of filthy lucre, perhaps he's starting to grow up. Murphy is young and full of up and coming talent. I predict he's going to turn in a better than expected year - much like Ossai did in his contract year. Let's see who they end up starting. Let's see if he can turn that desire into some finishes.

[texbengal]

18 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said:

You must have missed the one about him being down to 10% body fat and realizing that Cap'n Crunch isn't a healthy breakfast.

 

What??!!?? I thought he discovered that Cinnamon Toast Crunch wasn't healthy. I mean, that makes total sense.

Cap'n Crunch? Totally healthy! A major food group, in fact. 

[sparky151]

13 hours ago, GoBengals said:

as for the topic at hand.

 

there is a LOT of talent on this defense. there is a LOT of talent on this O-line as well.

 

its so easy to feel or pretend we have far more bad players on defense than we do. No one seems interested in accepting the reality of the EMENSE number of injuries the defense had. I cant show it any other way than the 3-4 times i have. no one has more impactful injuries, and its DOUBLE the amount of injuries i could find going back to 2013(which is where i stopped) as far as missed games my starters and rotation players. There was the media coverage of the lions injuries. those numbers were falsy inflated by counting special teamers only guys who were listed as corners or a defensive positon but never had defensive snaps in their lives, they counted a euro league 30 yr old guy who tore an ACl in june in camps. etc.

 

then stack the Loud problem, im still pretty frustrated that he spoke publicly putting down young players "needing to hit the playbook" early in the season, come to find out everyone had issues with his schemes and several vets, including Hilton, Wilson, Hubbard all mentioned the last 5-6 weeks it was simplified and everyone was reacting faster and"just playing football".

 

Lou is a mad scientist... but whats the point of a mad scientist if he requires pro bowl caliber palyers for half of his defense sprinkled with vets who know his system.

 

the sign of a great or even good DC is knowing how to use the guys you have. not trying to hammer guys into roles you wish they could do.

 

knowing whatever level i know about football, it seems reasonable that the missed tackle problem and blown coverage issues at least good chunks of them, could be related to slowed reactions overthinking the overly complex defense.

 

as statistically the missed tackles dropped in the last 6 weeks as i pointed out in other threads

 

it seems like the lazy way out for fans to say the bengals cant draft and everyone sucks... but that seems pretty unlikely.

 

Defense:

 

DE: Sack Leader

DE: 1st round pick & first round pick backup

DT: 2nd round pick & veteran in hill

DT: Vet Run stuffer & 3rd round pick

LB: Pro Bowl Caliber wilson

LB: 2nd round pick

LB: veteran FA & 4th round pick

CB1: 1st round pick (hill imo)

CB2: CTB 2nd round pick

CB3: 2nd round pick (turner)

Safety1: Veteran Stone

Safety2: 2nd round pick Battle

 

IMO: if they just have normal amount of injuries as everyone - we are easily a playoff team

IMO: if we had a simplified normal dfense for these guys to run, we are easily in the playoffs

IMO: if guys who were young didnt miss games early for injury or Lou bullshit - we easily make th eplayoffs

 

all 3 combined? sheeeeittt...  i expect a 12th-16th ranked scoring defense, (we were 3.3 points per game away from that last year.. thats not that hard to imagine. stopping basically 1 fg drive per game..or 1 td drive every other game... etc...  averaged giving up 18.8ppg last 5 weeks, includes 2 scrubs, 2 playoff teams, and dallas.

 

gave up 29ppg first 5 weeks, with 2 scrubs and 3 playoff teams as opponents

 

lots of room for optimism.. should be fun watching a bunch of young players develop.

 

 

I think we all expect the defense to be improved this year compared to last. But let's admit Logan Wilson isn't pro bowl caliber.

 

13 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said:

I really feel like he was held back by Lou in favor of Hubbard. You can say what you want about players knowing these guys, but at the end of the day it probably came down to something nebulous like "He's clutch." Commendable loyalty - but I think it stunted the growth of both Ossai and Murphy. It's hard to get the speed of the NFL game going in for one chaotic scrum every 45 minutes.

Last year he would have been doing Hubbard a favor by taking more early season snaps. Lou still stuck with a Sam Hubbard who needed knee surgery.

It's a contract year and money is on the line for him. The guy is still 23. He was 6th in pressure rate when he was on the field last year. He's a 275 4.6 athletic freak. Properly motivated, he has the tools. I get that it's an adjustment being a 20 year old multi-millionaire playing against grown ass men. Maybe he gets a lil' nasty streak and stops being pushed around. He's got hair on his testes now too.

I wasn't joking about the article I read about Murphy "doing his own research" and deciding to cut cereal from his diet and start eating healthy. I can't believe the Bengals don't provide a nutritionist, bod pod... to their 20 year old $16M investments. What does our strength and conditioning coach do? Massages and Pilates classes? But he's at 10ish% body fat, yadda, yadda... Best shape of his life. Ready to be a wrecking ball.

 

(Side note... Has any phrase been more abused and discredited that "doing my own research" in the last ten years? #1 sign that you're taking horse de-wormer with your Metamucil. A bunch of horse crap. Decodes as "I read sites on the web that agree with me.") 

Perhaps it will be the simple allure of filthy lucre, perhaps he's starting to grow up. Murphy is young and full of up and coming talent. I predict he's going to turn in a better than expected year - much like Ossai did in his contract year. Let's see who they end up starting. Let's see if he can turn that desire into some finishes.

 

It was one of the Bengals players complaints in the NFLPA survey. The Bengals don't have a nutritionist on staff, apparently they have a consulting arrangement with someone who is available when called. Players also complained about the cafeteria, both the quality of the food and the fairly restricted hours.

 

 

[T-Dub]

22 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

 

I think we all expect the defense to be improved this year compared to last. But let's admit Logan Wilson isn't pro bowl caliber.

 

 

It was one of the Bengals players complaints in the NFLPA survey. The Bengals don't have a nutritionist on staff, apparently they have a consulting arrangement with someone who is available when called. Players also complained about the cafeteria, both the quality of the food and the fairly restricted hours.

 

 

 

Refusing to do things that are standard for the other 31 teams seems like a weird point of pride for this FO. There's no Super Bowl for thriftiness.  Like they're convinced of some kind of moral victory to cope with the losing.

[sparky151]

18 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

Refusing to do things that are standard for the other 31 teams seems like a weird point of pride for this FO. There's no Super Bowl for thriftiness.  Like they're convinced of some kind of moral victory to cope with the losing.

 

When the ski lifts in Gstaad raise their rates on day passes, we all have to tighten our belts.

 

 

[T-Dub]

46 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

 

When the ski lifts in Gstaad raise their rates on day passes, we all have to tighten our belts.

 

 

 

The whole meme thing of driving a clapped out Chevy Lumina for years says it all. He could've bought a decent but modest newer car, it wasn't a choice between a beater and a fucking McLaren but no one would talk about it if he leased a model year Honda Accord or whatever.

 

Every time he makes a public statement it's clear he's got a giant martyr complex. Pretty common for people who inherit wealth to feel some kind of guilt and overcompensate trying to convince themselves they deserve it. They're easily taken advantage of by anyone with a sob story. We've seen this play out so many times with the Bengals roster.

 

"Sure his people aired out his suburban gated community with an AK on some gang-gang shit, but he smiles a lot!" 

 

Then we wonder why his team plays pudding soft.

 

I think Katie might skew too hard the other way but at least she's clearly not trying to win any popularity contests. If only she'd married Ozzie Newsome or someone like that... 😆

[spicoli]

5 hours ago, sparky151 said:

But let's admit Logan Wilson isn't pro bowl caliber

He was when DJ Reader was in front of him.

[T-Dub]

24 minutes ago, spicoli said:

He was when DJ Reader was in front of him.

 

I wonder if he would've stayed for less than what Detroit ended up paying him 

[|kennethmw|]

On 4/29/2025 at 9:10 PM, alleycat said:

Uh, because we have to be exposed to the relentless repetition of the same idea over and over? It's not like other posters are snooping or sticking their noses where they don't belong, which would be the definition of not minding their own business...when we're getting beaten over the head...with a dead horse in every thread, on every topic.

 

 

Root for "your" team  by complaining about them constantly, with a relentless cynicism? Is that fun? Is that being dedicated, rooting for a team, showing your love? It'd be one thing if there was a little "OTOH," or any ability whatsoever to argue other sides of points, but when it becomes relentless bitching-only? Reminds me of a wife-beater telling his wife that his violence is a sign of affection. 

 

I was on the Bengalszone board before this one. I remember T-dub as well. He used to be a lot more thoughtful. Perhaps all of that "loyalty" over all of that time is precisely why he's so bitter. Whatever floats your boat, I guess, but at this point it's seeming masochistic. 

Some people just like to be negative Nancy’s.  Nothing is ever good, everything is viewed through a dirt covered lense.  They are the dog on the porch laying on a nail and whining and when you ask the owner why, he replies “the dog does it himself, he’s just gotten used to it!!”  😂😂😂😂😂😂