No one here thinks the Bengals have an excuse?

[walzav29]

Just to play devils advocate, no one thinks that losing almost every linebacker hurt this team? You can't tell the difference in the time Carson has to throw the ball with no Willie? What about the lack of running game because of Rudi and Iron's injuries? What about the lack of a 3rd receiver for 8 weeks. Look at their injury list. It is long. I know you can say that every team has injuries, but the Bengals were starting a rookie safety and a DE at linebacker. What does that tell you? Yes, I'm disgusted, disappointed, bummed, second guessing, wanting Chuck and Brat gone. But no one here can see where this team was hurt more than most?

[cincyhokie]

Just to play devils advocate, no one thinks that losing almost every linebacker hurt this team? You can't tell the difference in the time Carson has to throw the ball with no Willie? What about the lack of running game because of Rudi and Iron's injuries? What about the lack of a 3rd receiver for 8 weeks. Look at their injury list. It is long. I know you can say that every team has injuries, but the Bengals were starting a rookie safety and a DE at linebacker. What does that tell you? Yes, I'm disgusted, disappointed, bummed, second guessing, wanting Chuck and Brat gone. But no one here can see where this team was hurt more than most?

I agree with all of the above. The problem is that while all teams have setbacks to some degree the Bengals LET their injuries become their defining factor of success, or lack thereof, because of their incompetent coaching staff's failure to game plan and adjust. The front office does not get a free pass because they DON'T plan to forcast potential injury problems by adding depth at key positions in the offseason. The offseason personnel planning for this team left the defense NO room for error.

This year is the perfect example of what happens to the Bengals if the ball does not bounce their way in a given year. THAT I cannot pass off as bad luck.

[ArmyBengal]

I can agree (and have most of the season) that injuries and other issues have been key factors in this season and I still do to a degree. However, the playcalling is terrible. The coaches don't appear to make any in game changes or adjustments. The players don't seem to be on the same page (see Chad and Carson). The worst part about all of that is, NO ONE SEEMS TO GIVE A F*CK !!! I've constantly seen b*tching and moaning, players throwing their hands in the air in disgust, and laughing it off when things have gone real bad. The arguments, the lack of anything resembling a defense, and players that appear to not be able to do the basics like tackle, is what I've seen this year...

Excuses ?? Sure they have them, but do you rise above them and at least TRY to win or do you cave in and call it a season ?? Looking back, they called it a season after week #2...

WHODEY !!!

[BengalszoneBilly]

No one here thinks the Bengals have an excuse?

I'm just not looking for excuses. I'm looking for the team that held promise in 2005, and they've disappeared. For all I know they're featured on a milk carton right now.

[Stripes]

I'm with you Walzav, outside firing Bratkowski. Bengals fans are certain to be in an uproar because this is the second straight season we've seen the team perform this way, with the bad luck only getting worse. I'm not about to ignore valid excuses for the sake of satisfying my own frustration, but nor am I going to absolve the team for failing to pull itself together even with multiple opportunities.

[JoePong]

No doubt this team was affected by injuries. But the guys who were healthy still played poorly. Especially on offense. Carson played poorly - no matter how much time he had to throw. Chad continues to drop big passes and does not make big plays. When he does catch the ball, he does nothing after the catch. TJ has made a lot of short catches, but no big plays. Rudi is just Rudi. He is the same RB he has always been. It's just that now people are finally starting to agree with me and realize how much he handicaps this offense. Everyone keeps saying he is not the same RB he was a couple years ago. No - he is exactly the same. You can't depend on an O-Line opening up gaping holes week in and week out. This is the NFL. It just doesn't happen. Rudi was lucky that he played behind a line that did that for a couple seasons though. Most NFL RBs do not have that luxury. They are good enough and versatile enough to make things happen at least once in a while. Rudi is no threat.

Carson has done a horrible job at seeing the field on passing plays. He decides before the snap who he is going to and does not even look at other options and continually fails to see receivers running wide open - instead throwing to a more tightly covered receiver. And he continues to be very inaccurate on deep throws. For his first couple seasons, he always underthrew the deep ball. Now he is just erratic with his accuracy. Sometims underthrowing and sometimes overthrowing.

[GregCook]

No doubt this team was affected by injuries. But the guys who were healthy still played poorly. Especially on offense. Carson played poorly - no matter how much time he had to throw. Chad continues to drop big passes and does not make big plays. When he does catch the ball, he does nothing after the catch. TJ has made a lot of short catches, but no big plays. Rudi is just Rudi. He is the same RB he has always been. It's just that now people are finally starting to agree with me and realize how much he handicaps this offense. Everyone keeps saying he is not the same RB he was a couple years ago. No - he is exactly the same. You can't depend on an O-Line opening up gaping holes week in and week out. This is the NFL. It just doesn't happen. Rudi was lucky that he played behind a line that did that for a couple seasons though. Most NFL RBs do not have that luxury. They are good enough and versatile enough to make things happen at least once in a while. Rudi is no threat.

Carson has done a horrible job at seeing the field on passing plays. He decides before the snap who he is going to and does not even look at other options and continually fails to see receivers running wide open - instead throwing to a more tightly covered receiver. And he continues to be very inaccurate on deep throws. For his first couple seasons, he always underthrew the deep ball. Now he is just erratic with his accuracy. Sometims underthrowing and sometimes overthrowing.

I observe that the Bengals renaissance on defence occurred when Jeanty returned to starting. He didn't play yesterday and SF had a fabulous day running the ball. I have no doubt that if Jeanty and Brooks played healthy all season long, we would have won at least 3 games we lost.

[HairOnFire]

No doubt this team was affected by injuries. But the guys who were healthy still played poorly. Especially on offense.

Personally, I'm having a hard time getting past TJ and Chad's act as they sat on the bench in the 4th quarter of the 49'er game. Judging their body language you might have thought the Bengals were down by 35 with less than a minute left, but in reality the Bengals were down by a single score and there was plenty of time left for Chad to disappoint everyone one more time.

For the record, Palmer seemed to have the same 1000-yard stare as his wideouts. Glassy-eyed and vacant, unable to fathom how they found themselves in their situation. Nobody communicating. No attempts to rally their fellow players. Not even the energy left to wave a freaking towel.

Make no mistake about it, the bags are already packed and a months worth of tee times have been booked.

[cincy9275]

i have been taught to not use excuses for anything. man up and admitt you are wrong and not blame this and that for the piss poor play and bad aditudes this team has. yes this team is banged up but that is no reason for these players to not care. do you even see this team trying? i don't, i see abunch of guys who are just here to get a paycheack that's it!

[Kirkendall]

No one here thinks the Bengals have an excuse?

I'm just not looking for excuses. I'm looking for the team that held promise in 2005, and they've disappeared. For all I know they're featured on a milk carton right now.

No. They're on IR.

[membengal]

No doubt this team was affected by injuries. But the guys who were healthy still played poorly. Especially on offense.

Personally, I'm having a hard time getting past TJ and Chad's act as they sat on the bench in the 4th quarter of the 49'er game. Judging their body language you might have thought the Bengals were down by 35 with less than a minute left, but in reality the Bengals were down by a single score and there was plenty of time left for Chad to disappoint everyone one more time.

For the record, Palmer seemed to have the same 1000-yard stare as his wideouts. Glassy-eyed and vacant, unable to fathom how they found themselves in their situation. Nobody communicating. No attempts to rally their fellow players. Not even the energy left to wave a freaking towel.

Make no mistake about it, the bags are already packed and a months worth of tee times have been booked.

Yes. It is a team that has quit on itself and its coaches.

There is pretty much no one associated with the debacle that has been the 2007 Bengals season who doesn't smell like s**t at this point.

[Bengals44]

No doubt this team was affected by injuries.

and we have 3 "trainers", while, for example, the Colts have 11 people on thier medical staff... Not only that, but 5 are doctors and one is a chiropractor... Once again our foundation is flawed...