out of town perspective

[Allreltney]

I am a life long Bengals fan from Central Kentucky. Every year I have to endure sub-par after sub-par football.

As I watched the Steelers vs Bengals last night and the camera panned on Lewis after the stupid penalties and no challenge to a touchdown with minutes to go.....I saw in this guy's face he is either shell shocked, knows he's history or just plain stupid.

Either way he needs to go.

Player's actions off the field are a direct reflection of it's coach and organization. I am not letting the organization off the hook either, they seem to be playing the Cincinnati fans to a tea by not giving a damn as long as they continue to sell out and sell hot dogs and a beer for 20.00.

It's time for you fans to take action and mean it. You should stop going to games and stop supporting this lousy organization and it's lousy choices of Coaches to coach it.

Cincy is the laughing stock of the NFL and I am sick of it. From my perspective, I can't do much to financially hurt these stupid asses but it does hurt being a fan of a team that is sending a message they don't want to be competitive in the NFL and all I can do is say to hell with them and pick another team.

I think to you, the local fan I would be embarrassed in supporting these idiots and let this go on any further.

Lewis and his staff have to go, and if the organization just wants to run a lousy team and rake in on 20.00 hot dogs and beer then they need to sell the damn team off to someone that wants to put a competitive team on the field and build a real franchise.

It just pisses me off that this is going on in Cincinnati because it's a great town with great people just stupid owners and moronic coaches that make you guys look like idiots by supporting them with sellouts year after year and knowing you will never get a shot at the big game like you and we as fans deserve.

Thanks

AR

Bowling Green, Kentucky

[Ox]

Welcome to Bengalszone AR. I would imagine your thoughts are shared by a few folks around here. In the spirit of "What the f**k?" that seems to be pretty rampant after yesterday's debacle, I've got a few questions of my own I'd like answered;

1: Why the hell does Palmer think his receivers are 8 feet tall? I mean christ, he's getting his guys killed by safeties when they jump to bring it in.

2: Why is Ndukewe not starting? Anyone?

3: How in the sam motherf**king hell do our defensive backs let Hines get open on EVERY SINGLE THIRD AND SHORT?????!? I knew where Ben was going, how can our corners and linebackers not know???

4: Is it possible that we can be that cursed that every call goes against us? The sack on Ben for the safety cannot POSSIBLY be anymore ticky-tack. Not that we would have scored again anyways, but geesh.

/rant

[jbengals1]

Don't Let The Door Hit Ya Where The Good Lord Split Ya

[jbengals1]

Oooooops Sorry - Not Really

Jbengals1 From

Amsterdam New York

[Storm]

Does anyone have any confidence that this front office has the capability to find a suitable replacement for Lewis?

If Marvin goes welcome your new head coach Bob Bratkowski

[Riagogogoindanati]

I don't think Marvin is going anywhere.....am I upset with the continued downward spiral of this team?...yes.

FACT=We have talented guys on this team. What we don't have is leadership. Our captains are not the best leaders they can be. Where our true leadership should come from is the coaching staff. And it should trickle on down from there. With all of the questionable play calling on both sides of the ball....our players do not trust our coordinators. I am now betting they don't trust Marvin either. Therefore, the players don't trust eachother. I could also say that position coaches are questionable. Afterall, they are the ones who have the most contact with individual players. And don't even get me on a rant about the training staff. Yikes! (and how is it some of our worst coaches end up in Pissburgh and excel there??? Is it the Rooney's??? I don't freekin get it.)

I've said this before....the common denominator of all of the above is Ownership AND the front office. Thru thick and thin, from our one winning season in over a decade to our 2/14 and 4/12 seasons, who has always been there? MIKE BROWN. We will continue to be put thru the same s**t year after year as long as he owns this team. He is the ultimate business man. He got Hamilton county to build him a stadium.....or he threatens to move the team. (which historically isn't all that bad is it? just guarantee we keep the name/colors and get an expansion team within a few years) He finally decides after not being able to sell out games at the new PBS, he has to fill seats to make money. More fans in the stadium equals not only ticket sales but concessions, fan gear, etc.... (I used to date a player in 99-02, he would give me 4 tix for each game...sometimes I had the hardest time trying to find enough people to go to the games. A few times I even gave tix away heading into the stadium) So Mike decides he has no more viable coordinators to promote to head coach and focuses on hiring from the outside. For once, he appeases Bengals fans and gives us hope for a change, for a brighter future. Enter Marvin Lewis..........EXCITING at first.....able to draw a few free agents that would never even think of sstepping off an airplane to even visit the Bengals organization and picks up quite a few questionable character draftees of which most have been busts and hopefully some are turning it around.

Fast forward a few years......there is a waiting list for season tix......and he's hook line and sinkered this town, the faithful Bengal brethren and the new bandwagoners who I was hoping would become a new crop of Bengal brethren. The bigger Bengals Nation gets the better!.............but, I kinda want to warn them....JUMP OFF BEFORE MIKE BROWN STEALS YOUR SOUL!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong..........I love the Bengals....but it is hard to differentiate between loving a team, loving a city and loving a franchise. I just don't know what to say anymore. Where is their heart? I've ALWAYS had mine.

[cmac]

When will there be accountability in Cincinnati? It's not just the Bengals but the entire city.

All of the jokers that have put Cincinnati back 20 years just got re-elected (the banks?).

Mike Brown and his band of thieves will never relenquish control. Mediocrity is the goal.

Face it Marvin Lewis is going nowhere for at least 3 more years. His contract isn't up until 2010. And as Paul Daugherty so eloquently put it "Mike Brown will never pay someone not to work".

The seats are full and Mike Brown is getting his money. He has no reason to change a thing, especially if it costs him money.

Carson needs to sit, Rudy and Willie need to retire, Lewis, Bratkowski, and Bresnehan need to go back to coaching High School and learn the game of football.

For all you that think Carson isn't a large part of the problem just look at the tape from Sunday.

Let's make somebody earn the right to play on a professional football team. The majority of the starters on this team are there by default and know they don't have to earn their paycheck. All they have to do is show up and get paid.

Just like Mike Brown.

[rudi32]

Does anyone have any confidence that this front office has the capability to find a suitable replacement for Lewis?

If Marvin goes welcome your new head coach Bob Bratkowski

Could be worse-- they could hire Bresnahan or, worse yet, one of the Hayes brothers. Oh, the humanity!

[BengalszoneBilly]

When will there be accountability in Cincinnati?

Never as long as Mikie signs the checks. Jerry Jones he is definitely not.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Shuffle deck chairs all you want, but this sort of result is the norm and not the exception around here and always will be, unless the Brown family decides to step up and get some help, and modernize their operating philosophy and resources.

Marvin was another band aid and I am thoroughly tired of his act. But just removing him won't do anything more than what firing Wyche, Shula, Lebeau, and Coslet did...start another cycle and force fans to be patient again.

Marvin got lucky getting Carson Palmer and inherited one (what should be much more common here) very good draft, he bought himself some time. But his over-all record is quickly dipping south of .500 like the others, after being exposed to the incompetence here for 4+ years. His contribution is hard to measure accurately.

Brown's a stubborn old coot, he's not going to change enough. Like one of the Steelers said to a Bengal after the game last night, "why don't you leave those losers and come up here."

That's pretty much how everyone looks at the Bengals. You play here for yourself and to get your NFL keep.

And we wonder why players like Chad, Pickens and Dillon become so selfish after 6-7 years in Cincy. Pro Bowls and record books are all they'll ever have here.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Does anyone have any confidence that this front office has the capability to find a suitable replacement for Lewis?

If Marvin goes welcome your new head coach Bob Bratkowski

Could be worse-- they could hire Bresnahan or, worse yet, one of the Hayes brothers. Oh, the humanity!

Or Mr. Assistant Head Coach (who somehow is always absolved of any and all criticism) Paul Alexander.

[bengalsfansince68]

Carson needs to sit

In an absolute sea of lunacy, this may well be the stupidest comment ever.

I'm sure that Carson did not devise the game plan which required him to make perfect throws into double coverage 44 freakin' times in one game. Brat's pig-headed refusal to establish the run game allows the defense to flood the passing lanes with all of the corners, safeties and linebackers on the field because they don't even have to think about the run.

Christ, our receivers were blanketed front and back, all night.

44 passes and 20 runs ain't ever going to work!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

Carson needs to sit

In an absolute sea of lunacy, this may well be the stupidest comment ever.

If not, it ranks in the top five.

[cmac]

Are you two that oblivious to the game of football?

On every single play Carson has choices. He's a drama queen and wants the big dramatic play on every down.

If you were watching the game as the camera man was panning to the double covered receiver there were at least two other choices.

Carson continues to go for the long ball when there are wide open receivers 5 and 10 yards down the field.

No team in football should be able to cover our three top receivers. When we go to a three wide receiver set only one is double covered and it seems that is where Carson CHOOSES to force the ball.

He needs to be taught to look short first and long after, instead of the other way around.

Do you believe that when a play is called by Bratkowski Carson has only one choice of receiver?

Stop drinking the Carson kool aid, I believe he could be an awesome (and by awesome I mean winner) quarterback if he was forced to re-evaluate his play and refocuse on the fundementals.

But that would require a decent coach and he doesn't have one.

[jjakq27]

Welcome to Bengalszone AR. I would imagine your thoughts are shared by a few folks around here. In the spirit of "What the f**k?" that seems to be pretty rampant after yesterday's debacle, I've got a few questions of my own I'd like answered;

1: Why the hell does Palmer think his receivers are 8 feet tall? I mean christ, he's getting his guys killed by safeties when they jump to bring it in.

2: Why is Ndukewe not starting? Anyone?

3: How in the sam motherf**king hell do our defensive backs let Hines get open on EVERY SINGLE THIRD AND SHORT?????!? I knew where Ben was going, how can our corners and linebackers not know???

4: Is it possible that we can be that cursed that every call goes against us? The sack on Ben for the safety cannot POSSIBLY be anymore ticky-tack. Not that we would have scored again anyways, but geesh.

/rant

It was interesting to see how tight the Ravens were playing the Pats receivers last night. They made them earn it.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Are you two that oblivious to the game of football?

Not as oblivious as you are to recognizing a top tier, Pro Bowl MVP QB having an off night.

Jesus...I probably have more time spent watching NFL football peering out of my bathroom while sitting on the s**tter than this newbie has in his whole life!

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah stop drinking the Carson kool aid !!! Wait, what's that ?? Carson threw for over 4000 yards, the only Bengals QB to do that ?? What else ?? He went to the Pro Bowl and was the MVP ?? Really ?? EVERYONE IN THE WORLD thinks he is one of the top 5 QBs in the league ?? In that case, serve me up some of that kool aid !!!

WHODEY !!!

[cincy9275]

the problem lies directly on brat and bresh. i have been saying it for the past two seasons. brat once the bengals get down he goes pass happy, running games disappers. then we go into carson chuck the ball 30 yards down field mode. then bresh when we play aggressive we do well, then he goes in to that back off the line and let the other teams wideouts get open at will. these two are f**king trash and nothing more, as long as these two are in control we will always lose period. i have seen better coaches with less do twice as much. we have more talent on offense then the colts and the pats but we are not even close to them. why because they have quality coaching and not some school yard dickheads that have no clue. when i watch the bengals play is reminds me of we i was a kids play school yard football. then to make thing worse my 9 year old daughter was watching the game with me and she even said all the steelers are going to do is throw the ball to 86, now that is coming from a kid who knows nothing about football. lol go figure a 9 year old girl is smarter than bresh.

[Kirkendall]

Does anyone have any confidence that this front office has the capability to find a suitable replacement for Lewis?

Exactly!

Remember, Lewis wasn't Mike Browns' "first choice". Didn't Brown want Mike Mularkey? The guy that went 14-18 in two seasons with the Bills who was once the Dolphins OC then demoted to TE coach for the Dolphins.

Oh... my...

[Kirkendall]

Yeah stop drinking the Carson kool aid !!! Wait, what's that ?? Carson threw for over 4000 yards, the only Bengals QB to do that ?? What else ?? He went to the Pro Bowl and was the MVP ?? Really ?? EVERYONE IN THE WORLD thinks he is one of the top 5 QBs in the league ?? In that case, serve me up some of that kool aid !!!

WHODEY !!!

Careful with that Kool aid with the "poster formerly known as Billy Broome". He might do something to it.

[Kirkendall]

Are you two that oblivious to the game of football?

Not as oblivious as you are to recognizing a top tier, Pro Bowl MVP QB having an off night.

Jesus...I probably have more time spent watching NFL football peering out of my bathroom while sitting on the s**tter than this newbie has in his whole life!

Yea, but I understand his point. For the most part, his point is about earning your keep. While I don't necessarily agree with sitting Palmer, I certainly don't think he's become the leader we expected out of him yet. Though, it's a long time before his story is written. And we tend to put massive expectations on 24 year olds coming into the league.

And what did you do to the Kool Aide???

[COB]

and the camera panned on Lewis after the stupid penalties and no challenge to a touchdown with minutes to go.....I saw in this guy's face he is either shell shocked, knows he's history or just plain stupid.

I didn't see this at all. In fact near the end of the game they showed Marvin and he looked far from shell shocked. More like homicidal. He couldn't have looked more pissed off. He's not going to humiliate players in public, it's just not his way of coaching.

If it will make you feel any better, Marvin could wear a very professorial tweed jacket with elbow patches, eyeglasses, and clench a pipe between his teeth. Then when Chad forgets what position he's playing or whatever (sorry Chad Army, just one last gratuitous jab), Marvin can hold his chin thoughtfully in one hand, and gaze thoughtfully off in space. Any better?

[BengalByTheBay]

and the camera panned on Lewis after the stupid penalties and no challenge to a touchdown with minutes to go.....I saw in this guy's face he is either shell shocked, knows he's history or just plain stupid.

I didn't see this at all. In fact near the end of the game they showed Marvin and he looked far from shell shocked. More like homicidal. He couldn't have looked more pissed off. He's not going to humiliate players in public, it's just not his way of coaching.

If it will make you feel any better, Marvin could wear a very professorial tweed jacket with elbow patches, eyeglasses, and clench a pipe between his teeth. Then when Chad forgets what position he's playing or whatever (sorry Chad Army, just one last gratuitous jab), Marvin can hold his chin thoughtfully in one hand, and gaze thoughtfully off in space. Any better?

I like COB's point. I keep reading that Marvin always looks confused, apathetic, like a dear caught in the headlights, etc. I don't see that at all. I see him, at turns, pissed-off, focused and yelling at the players as they come off the sidelines -- all that "coach" type stuff. I agree that he's made some poor challenge decisions at times this year and timeouts have been an adventure, but I have never felt like he somehow didn't look like he knew what he was doing out there. In summary, I vote for the tweed jacket as that may allay some of these concerns. I'll call his agent. Maybe he can wear one of those horribly ugly blazers that has an orange liner that they sell on the NFL.shop?

[BengalszoneBilly]

Careful with that Kool aid with the "poster formerly known as Billy Broome". He might do something to it.

Add hops, barley, some yeast, and a little time, and I'll have you a Happy Holidays brew!

[ArmyBengal]

Maybe this is yet again where I think I saw something that (according to everyone) I didn't, but when DJ jumped offsides on that play, they panned to Marvin and it looked like he was going to throw someone a beating. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing him lose his sh*t on someone every now and again. DO SOMETHING !!! That should be next years cool T-Shirt marvin gives to his players. On the front will be a picture of Marvin, Brat, and Bres with their hands up like "what" ? And on the back will be the words, "DO SOMETHING" !!!

WHODEY !!!