Was last year 's Bengals better?

[combatbengal]

Man, Prior to the season we had high hopes for this team. An improved Def, NOT! They still can't tackle. Instead of wrapping a guy up they are throwing a shoulder into the runners thigh. That will not stop 95% of the Backs in the NFL! Palmer doesn't look that good. Fumbles, poor throws, etc. But then who could blame him; the line isn't doing their job without our center! We have some of our best players in and out of jail or suspended because they are thinking about themselves instead of being a team player. How in the he!! can we lose to the Bucs? We better have one he!! of a week of practice this week, because the Panthers are no joke! That was a horrible call, but then they shouldn't of been that close to a win! We should of been atleast 10 points ahead of them. Just a Frustrated Bengal fan here. Oh, I'll be at the game this week!

[greames]

Yeah, I think everyone in Bengal Land had high hopes!!!...But with injuries and supensions, they have caught up with us.I don't care what team you are in the NFL.If you sustain this amount of missing starters as we have,you are going to have trouble with most of the teams in the league.If we had everyone here

and healthy this game wouldn't have even been close!!!...Last year except for the playoff game we were

lucky on the health of our players.I hope Marvin can do something with this banged up O-line. That

scares me more than anything.Thats the main reason we are struggling on Offense.

[walzav29]

There are a few reasons.

#1. The schedule is tougher this year.

#2. Injuries. The Bengals are dropping like fly's.

#3. Yes. I will finally admit that the drafting of all these idiots are taking a toll. Think about it. That is depth and production that are not in there. You're talking about 2nd and 3rd rounders.

We're still tied for 1st, but a win is needed. NOW.

[agreen_112]

With the offense playing the way they are and by us not having a D, we'll be lucky to make the playoffs. The SB isn't going to just come overnight, it'll be a few more years b'fore we'll get to taste that.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Can't stop the run to save their lives - it seems they give up at least two huge running plays every week - and can't run the ball due to poor blocking = not going to win a ton of games that way.

They were literally humiliated on national TV by the Patriots, then by a winless team who frankly is not very good.

If these guys have any semblence of pride or accountability, it needs to take over now.

And unless Chris Perry and Henry can block DE's and DT's and LB's - not sure they'll make a huge difference.

Palmer looks terrible in the pocket - jittery, throwing off his back foot under pressure, making some really bad decisions (should've had one or two picked off yesterday) and taking a sack on the last drive - he had a bad game, bad blocking or not.

Not sure how this team turns it around, but right now they look woefully average, to not very good at all.

I really am questioning Marvin's drafting right now - and the re-sigining of Willie/Levi and Williams. I also am still amazed that a guy like Paul Alexander has kept his job this long here.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Can't stop the run to save their lives - it seems they give up at least two huge running plays every week - and can't run the ball due to poor blocking = not going to win a ton of games that way.

They were literally humiliated on national TV by the Patriots, then by a winless team who frankly is not very good.

If these guys have any semblence of pride or accountability, it needs to take over now.

And unless Chris Perry and Henry can block DE's and DT's and LB's - not sure they'll make a huge difference.

Palmer looks terrible in the pocket - jittery, throwing off his back foot under pressure, making some really bad decisions (should've had one or two picked off yesterday) and taking a sack on the last drive - he had a bad game, bad blocking or not.

Not sure how this team turns it around, but right now they look woefully average, to not very good at all.

I really am questioning Marvin's drafting right now - and the re-sigining of Willie/Levi and Williams. I also am still amazed that a guy like Paul Alexander has kept his job this long here.

Levi was a good signing, but Williams and Willie were both questionable. I don't even want to think about what the line looks like next year or the year after when Brahm is retired and Steinbach is gone.

I don't want to blame Palmer since he has pretty much no time back there.

[Tasher]

With all the injuries this year looks to be very up and down early, whereas last year we cruised through the first 4 weeks before losing in Jax. While the defense was questionable late in the year, we were in the top 5 or so in scoring defense early, so things looked good.

This year we have been decimated by injury on both sides of the ball. We are starting to get healthier (maybe) and the O-line should settle down with consistent people (hopefully), so things should get better.

We also had a markedly easier schedule last year and played people when they were not playing their best. did you want to play Minny early with a very bad Culpepper or late when they were playing great to get back to 9-7? what about the Bears last year? We played them in the first 4 weeks. So this year we get the toughest schedule in the NFL vs two of the strongest conf NFC South and AFC West.

This year's team will prove out to be better, we just have to be patient. Look at the defenses we have played, any team will have problems finding a rhythm against these defenses, not even taking into account our injuries. Throw in the significant injuries and that is a recipe for disaster.

Oh, and BTW, Carson is coming back off of a major knee injury, as well.

It is a 17 week season and there is a lot of football left.

[CBin2k7]

Its hard to tell which team is better. One big reason is, last year you have a healthy Carson Palmer. No one can truly expect Palmer to be a hundred percent right now, it won't be until next season when we will see the real Palmer. Still at 75 percent Palmer is better than half the QB's in the NFL.

I was in the camp that the safety shouldn't make that big of a difference in run defense. I was completely wrong. Dexter Jackson being out, is the sole reason the long runs are happening. Runs that would be stopped at the 5-10 yard level are turning into 25 plus because of KK and his poor tackling, and poor angles. KK also doesn't fill the hole very well.

Big Sam is a big dissapointment to me, he is literally getting pushed around by one blocker. That is not what he was brought here for. The Chatman signing is puzzling to me, because the Bengals have bigger receivers across the board, with everyone healthy Chatman at best is the 5th best receiver maybe even 6th behind Chad, TJ, Squirrel, Dopey, and Tab. He also seems to dance around too much on kick returns and punt returns.

I wonder if the coaching is where it needs to be this year, maybe Marvin in staff are in a slump as well. Something needs to get this team motivated. It wasn't the humilation against the Pats, will it be this loss.

[bengalboomer7]

I don't need analysis. In one simple word to the answer of the thread. Yes. Here's why

Braham - Out

Odell - Out

Pollack - OUT

Simmons - OUT

D jackson - Out

Levi - OUT

C Henry - OUT

C Perry - OUT

Jeanty - OUT

We didn't even have ONE original starting LB in the game yesterday and had TWO third stringers in

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Levi was not a good signing IMO - should've waited until after this season - they drafted Whitworth for a reason, and Levi has proven time and time again that he is injury prone and not reliable over the course of a season. He's also woefully inconsistent for someone in his salary range. At this rate he would've been much cheaper this off-season - as anyone could've guessed, he would've gotten hurt any ways and lowered his salary amount.

Already Levi has missed a bulk of this season and now may be out indefinitely with two leg injuries. He's ridiculous. Totally unreliable.

Paul Alexander can't develop or coach anyone - they're either good out of the gates, or they're not going to get any better under him.

I would've rather signed Willie for 2-3 years than re-sign Levi and spend all that money on someone who can't stay healthy and never has.

They should've known Braham would not go this whole year healthy and that Guy-chick is not the answer. Should've been addressed.

Anyone who signs Levi and Williams over Steinbach is an idiot.

I blame Marvin and Alexander for poor coaching decisions and 0-line management in general. Just a poor job of decision making and development.

Paul Alexander is the worst o-line coach in the NFL, and he's right here in our backyard and has been since the Coslet days. It's time to rid this team of his incompetence. Made to look good by Willie and a bunch of talented skill players, including Corey Dillon in his prime. Before that his unit has always sucked.

Tired of how overrated the o-line is here by fans, and how Paul Alexander skirts by with no criticism whatsoever by the media or analysts or fans etc...,