AMPHAR

I'd have to look at the stats over a 17 game season but sure glad Cleveland ran Baker out of town. That would have been a "fun" rivalry with Lamar, Burrow and Baker. That Cleveland team would have been a force to deal with the past 3 years with a more stable QB spot. Out of the slow start 1-4. Only the Patriots aren't in the divisional round of the playoffs. All losses less than 7 points. With the coaching changes up and coming. Zac should be on the hottest of seats with a season that repeats this past one. 1-4 start sucks all life out of the season. 3-5 at home which includes another home loss to the biggest rival Steelers. Pulling for Mixon and the Texans the rest of the way with a secondary team of Buffalo. A Buffalo/Houston AFC Championship would be fine with me. The City of Houston hasn't been in that game for a long time I think, 1979? As an old AFC Central fan and hater of the Oilers, can't really believe I'd pull for Houston but that's were we are today. Then Buffalo back in the Superbowl. Could they possibly go 0-5 in the big game? Yikes.

I'm guessing "WTF". Most fans are going to what a "name" coach. Then the rest everyone runs to google and defensive rankings etc to determine. Thinking back to the Zimmer days. Most initially were disappointed in not getting Rex Rayn, I think. Then Zimmer was a homerun.

3 rookies surpassed Tee. Another 3 rookies surpassed Tee's 2023 numbers or close enough. I believe all were 1st/2nd rounders. So its not some wild irresponsible roster move to go pick 17 or 39 and replace Tee. I'd give the Bengals an A+ getting Chase, Higgins, Hendrickson extend out to 2026 or 2027. I'd really be worried if the price for Higgins was $25-$30m. He'd have to jump his production up by increasing his availability. He'll go from fan favorite to asshole real fast pulling some of the stuff that went on this year. Not saying it was on purpose or anything like that, but coming up lame Thursday before the opener sucked. Missing KC sucked. Then a total of 5 games then at a few times sitting on the bench. Knowing how the year panned out, its hard to say he was worth the tag. I'd say tag Higgins this year with the full intent to sign before draft or trade. Then by draft weekend you should know the Trey situation IF they don't already and be prepared to move him if need be.

Sounds like a DC decision could be forth coming. A player said it will "shock" you, but also excited.

Here's the thing with Dehner AND all the other local guys. They are so far up Burrow's ass. They been doing this whole "Burrow's mad" routine the entire season. I've never heard anything from the front office/coaching staff other than hoping Higgins is back. As a matter of fact they sent out a warning shot to all teams last year about signing him to an offer sheet. Using Dehner's numbers from the article. $25-30m annual. That would be a disaster at Higgins stats the past two years and playing 54% of offensive snaps. Would put more pressure on filling all other areas with crazy good draft finds and 3rd tier Free Agent finds. That's the sticking point. Chiefs didn't pay a single WR. Didn't really pay tackles. Probably going to lose some IOL. Every week it seems their defense sets them up for a win and Mahomes or refs put the final touches on the victory. Mahomes is getting knocked down a slightly lower number than Burrow. The offense powerhouse in KC is a memory. I get tired of hearing/reading about Burrow sending a warning shot or whatever. Are any of these guys going to hold Burrow accountable IF the Bengals pay Chase, Higgins and that method of roster building produces great offense but no championships? I seriously doubt it. At the end of the day this has always been a 0 sum game. Pay someone (which they will). The position group that isn't paid will then be looking at the "Rankins" type FAs and young draft picks.

I would like the Bengals to explore trading Trey IF they can't get him locked up further. I would think he would hold out in the offseason if an extension can't be reached. The hard part with Trey is he has earned a significant pay raise at the same time he's hitting 30 and has played a whole bunch of snaps with the Bengals. Also have a coordinator change. Both Geno and Carlos didn't finish their last extension with the Bengals. Geno broke down unfortunately and Carlos production declined and didn't like Lou. An ideal situation would be get him locked up to 2027 but he may want $$$ amount that requires a longer contract.

Tom Brady is an owner of the Raiders, I believe. Or maybe set to become a minority owner. Also I think Aikman, Olsen, and Brady are very good on the broadcast. Romo is horrible. Collinsworth is meh.

I don't remember all the names. I know Zac had big problems hiring a DC in 2019. I believe Del Rio was on the list at one point. If I remember correctly, a lot of people were thinking Bengals would implode without Marvin. Zac's relative inexperience scared off proven NFL coaches from assistant positions because they weren't sure it would work out. The thinking on one ESPN show from Rex Ryan basically stated any D-Coordinator would want to apply because of Burrow/Offense. Zac was also a late hire due to him coaching in the Superbowl.

These are FACTS 1. QB - Has MVP level stats 2. WR1 - Has MVP or OPOY stats 3. DE - Has DPOY stats 4. WR2- Will be on everyone's top FA list 5. HB1 - Pro Bowl Alternate You can try to describe how all these players got here with out scouting. Dumb luck, I guess. They didn't make the playoffs due to misssing out on wins vs KC, Ravens Game 1 and Game 2. It is fact those games the Bengals held leads late and came down to the last play. This isn't fact, but rather opinion, in all 3 games the Bengals were on the wrong end of officiating. Call it what you want. Describe it however you wish. In my opinion, IF you are seeing the same ole Bengals then you aren't looking very hard or even trying to look at the Bengals objectively. Still mad at Mike Brown for Akili Smith? Lack of belief? I don't know. Now this is a projection or a prediction. When we all get geared up for 2025 the Bengals will be among the AFC contenders. Because objectionable people will look at points 1-5 and other factors and determine them a contender. Vegas will have them among the favorites in AFC and Superbowl odds. So if they are a contender on paper then you kinda have to give some amount of credit to the front office. None of that guarantees success. Now I don't know what the Bengals firing coaches we all have bitched about at one point or anoter tell you or anybody else; it tells me they are trying to win a Superbowl. The way I look at it is 2003 hiring Lewis was a major blow to Old Bengals, then 2010 with Tobin, then 2019 with Zac at all these points in time you can see better football operations. They are way more fun to follow vs. 1991-2002, IMO. Edit: Coming full circle. The article was dumb. Being a Superbowl winning QB is very very hard from a probability standpoint.

In the Case of Graham and Covington these could be come for the D-Coordinator job stay for the D-line job. They have multiple spots open.

Never been to Buffalo and don't plan on going ever. I've heard too many bad things. A Steeler win over the Ravens would cause an epic meltdown in Baltimore and that would be fun to watch. Although the Bengal win last week in Pitt has solidified that fan base against Tomlin. Tomlin has over 200 NFL wins. Harbaugh is closing in on the 200 win mark. Both have Superbowls. Its amazing in the AFC North every team hates their head coach. Out of all the coaching press conferences to be had over the next week or 2, I'm confident we'll never hear anything similar.... We are proud to announce Frank Harper as the next head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Frank has zero coaching experience but we led an extensive coaching search and found LewisRaven52 on the purpleflock message board. We reviewed Frank's (LewisRaven52) 8,000+ posts and were blown away. Frank also has a PFF subscription and the biggest Apple Ipad he watches All-22. Please welcome LewisRaven52 and the next Baltimore Raven head coach.

Demarcus Covington Patriots D-Coord also getting a Paychex Lunch and Interview for D-Coord. I know Burrow played bad in the openers but their defense was impressive. Didn't finish the season ranked favorably but were top 10 the year before. Pats had a horrible offense and rookie QB so not sure if that could have bled over into the defensive numbers.

Would gobble up his Dad in a second for line coach and put him on staff as consultant ASAP.

Graham is also in the running for Jags Head Coach. Hard to tell what's what at this stage with Rooney rule. Would also have to guess he's got a Marvin Lewis recommendation coming from the Raiders so I'm sure Tobin has touched base. EdIt: Jinx no take backs Hoosier. Never heard of the guy but read his bio. There's a lot to like. I do like the fact he was brought up via Patriots in the BB era. Get some that creative scouting going, ya know?

Raiders D-Coord Patrick Graham getting interviewed. His bio is impressive, IMO. Started with Patriots, he and Lou may have crossed paths with the Giants. Basically Yale grad and player working his way up and there's a whole bunch of high defensive rankings he's been apart of.

I disagree with alot of what is being stated here. It comes off as a bunch emotional sports fans that don't know how to handle their disappointment in a season while at the same time not realizing their expectations for their favorite team have risen due to better performance on the football field. Its mostly Superbowl or bust right now and I can't or no one else can tell you IF that goal will ever be reached again. I've watched a lot of Bengals football just like everyone else in here. I struggle to find a period that tops this 4 year stretch in terms of winning and roster building in Bengal history also this 4 year stretch out performs a majority of other NFL franchises. Sure the Dolphins, Cowboys and slew of others won Superbowls a long time ago. Bengals going on several years have better managed their team vs. the majority of NFL franchises. Its fact. When you look at why this season wasn't a playoff year. Was it talent? Well they played 3 games vs. KC/Ravens. All 3 came down to the last play and could have easily been Bengal wins vs. Bengal losses. KC/Ravens are the two favorites with the AFC long with Buffalo. They didn't play Buffalo but have whooped them multiple times in recent seasons. Not buying any of arguement regarding talent or scouting. That's just emotional Bengal fans jumping back to the 90s. Why? Look at those 3 losses. It was Joe Burrow fumbling in KC. It was Joe Burrow throwing a late INT vs. Ravens in a Chase miscommunication. It was Money Mac missing a FG to win. It was Chase Brown fumbling vs. Ravens. There were unfortunately calls made or not made that were questionable in each that also influenced the outcome. Not placing the blame on any individual player but it once again is FACT we had some bad breaks from refs and Pro Bowl caliber players that swung critical games. You can debate changes made or not made. Not to be harsh but some in here post like their emotions have taken over. Can't see the reality in front of their face. You guys realize no matter what happens in the free agency period or the draft, the Bengals will be among the AFC favorites with KC, Balt, and Buffalo. You guys realize this, right? Again, not to be insulting to anyone in here but the entire season was "Woe is us" blah, blah, no changes same ole same ole. Boom first day black Monday coaches fired. At some point some you need to evaluate giving up sports watching or accept the reality the Bengals are trying to win but there's no guarantee of winning a Superbowl that's the reality of the NFL and there are ton of franchises that have gone through the same shit.

As a head coach of Vikings he won in the Divisional round and Wildcard round in two different seasons. As Bengals coordinator we know the playoff struggles. As a Dallas Coordinator they had a playoff game won but that's the game Romo flubbed the snap on FG or XP, can't remember.

Again stupid article. Thousands of QB have played in the NFL. 34 have won a Superbowl. Winning one is the exception. Secondly, to have someone nationally opine about Burrow's Superbowl destiny; these things typically come after a player or coach has demonstrated some level of success but not the top level. These things were said about Andy Reid, Peyton Manning and a whole slew of others before they won a Superbowl. You'll find doubts about Lamar, Josh and whoever else at this point and it will continue right up until they win one.

I think Lou bears a large degree of the defensive performance. When things are vanilla the defense had the entire football world thinking Burrow's wrist was falling off in Training Camp. Interject game plan and completely different story. My opinion teams knew what route combos and formations his zone coverage had trouble adjusting to. He threw Dax under the bus but then had the same problems. Run fits in the back 7 are always out of whack and combined with bad pursuit angles. Back when Caskey would do the All-22 break downs this was a constant theme. That's not to suggest Lou really has the monster of midway over there. He had enough talent to win a game when the offense is scoring 25+. The Bengals are still going to need to overturn and add talent to have a top tier defense.

I hope for D-Coordinator is someone with Secondary background. It was time for Lou to go. Lou had some great playoff games. But his units always bled yards and the past two seasons started bleeding points. It would have been a gamble in a critical year to give him another 3/4 new starters and hope for better. Grab a new guy, give them 3/4 new guys and give it a shot. Lou's D cost them playoff appearances the past two years. Pollack. That guy played favorites, IMO. Not that Carman was super awesome but he was equally as bad as Volson and Adeniji. He kept running those guys out there and finally Volson got the bench. The 3 sack game became a standard of a good game for the O-line.

Higgins lower body issues are constant over the past two years. They come out of no where too. Bengals can do what they want and I'm in favor of signing all offensive Free Agents. A 4/5 year deal at $20m+ for Tee is a risk for sure. Him being in and out of the line up is already annoying enough, imagine him at $75m guaranteed and coming up a practice before the opener as doubtful or not available for the Chiefs again.

1. Green Bay is very good. Everyone at the game is on a road trip. Town is small but everyone is there to have a good time. Stadium cool. 2. I have toured Vikings stadium its really cool. They had a decent downtown but the riots tore the crap out of it and I'm not sure its recovered. 3. Baltimore/Browns - would not recommend. They get off treating visiting fans like assholes. If they aren't visiting fans? Then they fight each other. 4. Pittsburgh - wasn't bad at all. I'm sure if you are from Pitt or a Steelers fan its the greatest in the world but its good/average from NFL perspective. This is a homer view, but Cincinnati with the banks on full tilt is near the top, IMO. Easy in and out. Easy airport. Decent hotels nearby.

When fans wanted Zac fired after his 2nd year. Mike wrote an open letter basically saying "Well you wanted change". Dead Cat Bounce is not applicable. When that term was defined it was during an era of woeful football. A couple late season wins masking a massive amount of under qualified players/coaches/front office. Keeping Pollack and/or Lou would be exactly like Keeping Marvin/Dalton post 2015. Convenience. Which was confirmed in Mike's open letter. The Bengals have raised expectations because they have accomplished higher results on the field. National/Local/Fans may never give them credit and always revert back to the 90s but that is a bad take. Mike was fine with that and probably would have brought Marvin/Dalton back for a lifetime vs. the risk of going backwards. Lou or Pollack. Keeping either one is a huge gamble. Sure it could work and produce favorable results. But the Bengals really need to get out of the lifetime coach business IF they aren't getting top tier results. Lou/Pollack probably work as NFL coaches again at the same level if not retained by the Bengals. Marvin/Dalton were a certain level of good. Not playoff winners. Bengals currently have a certain level very good but not enough to be champions. I hope they take a chance a bring in new voices in those spots. Then next year you have to put a target on Zac, IMO.

Stupid. There are thousands of QBs that have made NFL rosters. To this point in history there can only be 58 Superbowl winning QBs. The number is much less because there can be repeats, duh. Pointed article? More like lame bullshit. These stats were bantered around last season because Purdy was the lowest "drafted" QB to start in the game if you discount Warner and Delhomme because they were undrafted. There have been 67 different starting QBs in the Superbowl out of 116 possible. 13 have been No. 1 overall draft picks. If you ignore the reality of how hard it is to just start in the game once then there's also: Burrow throws to a WR drafted top 5 that was a National Champion in college and just completed the WR triple Crown. Throws to another WR that they beat in the College National Championship and will be listed as the top Free Agent in March. Bengals defense has the leading sack guy. This narrative has literally gone from Burrow, don't go to Cincinnati demand they trade the pick because they'll ruin your career to well you maybe really good but you won't win a championship. I believe there have been 38 Heisman winning QBs. Only 2 have won the Superbowl. Yeah, its pretty fucking hard to even start a singular superbowl and even harder to win it.

There's once was a time not too long ago the Bengals build rosters that got Andy Dalton to the playoffs multiple years in a row. It was so good, that people actually thought Andy Dalton was on the level of a top 5 QB. Since he has moved on, I assume he made the playoffs as a backup with the Cowboys but that's it. The biggest issue front office wise will be the willingness to fire coaches. I'm not sold on firing Zac just yet. Pollack and Lou should be gone at a min. With Zac I do think you must consider Burrow and Chase performance given the assumed amount of Cap these two will command. Talent? They were 1 game from the playoffs with Jake Browning starting and dog shit defense last year. They'll probably 1 game from the playoffs this year losing a handful of games less than 1 score vs. playoff contenders with a dog shit defense. Call me crazy. They don't need more bodies scouting East Dumptruck U. They need somebody that isn't going to drop linebackers into zone behind the first down maker all game long. I don't think its a stretch a coach like Zimmer could have gotten them the handful of plays they needed on D with the same cast.