jbengals1 Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 we are 1 game behind the ravens for the NFC north and with the ravens upcomming 3 games we could be in first place of the north in a week or 2 at most...............the 3 teams the ravens face are Denver/Jacksonville/ST. Louis and the ravens could quite well drop all 3 in the L collum ................you might say i'm dreaming or just hoping but i have high hopes and great dreams for this team and where they are heading.................................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Baltimore, shmaltimore, Bengals want to grab the lead the first thing they have to do is win their own games -- and while I think we're a better team than Arizona or Houston, both those teams have refused to die. AZ just knocked off the 49ers yesterday, for instance.Fortunatly, I think there's still enough problems with the Bengals for Marvin to keep the pressure on and avoid a letdown. Punting was nothing to write home about yesterday. Getting a first down at the 1 and settling for 3 is inexcusable. And Chad "throat slash" Johnson....dumb, dumb, dumb.But most importantly, the offense has to learn how to finish games. The defense appears to have done that, but the bottom line is they never should have made those last two INTs because they shouldn't have been on the field. All Kitna & Co. had to do was generate a couple of first downs, and the Bengals keep the ball and run out the clock, same way the Steelers killed the last five and a half minutes in their victory over us.Ah, but victory is still sweet the morning after. Good job, fellas. Bring on the Turdnals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brew Man Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Yeah, victory is soooo sweet, 2 in a row at home! Unheard of! This has to be the most excited I have been about our Bengals in a long long time. So, while I agree that lots of mistakes were made, the throat slash was stupid and a few other things that make me pull my hair out. Nothing can ruin that fact that we are 3-4 and in the thick of this division race! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGrizzlyBaer Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 anyone know who the ravens play the next two weeks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 anyone know who the ravens play the next two weeks? Jax & St. Louis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brew Man Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Baltimore is vs. Jax next week and then @ St. Louis on Sunday night the following week. Probably a 1-1 split for them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 I found some love for the Bengals from Theismann in his latest espn column:"Q: Can Lewis' Bengals make a run for the AFC North title or is this Baltimore's division to lose?A: They definitely can make a run for the division title. They've already beaten the daylights out of the Ravens once this season and have the ability to do it again. Their victory over the Seahawks was huge because it gives them another rushing threat. Rudi Johnson had a great game as he rushed for over 100 yards and one touchdown. His presence gives them someone else to rely upon if something happens to Corey Dillon. The Bengals are a team that has a chance to be pretty good. If they go 6-2 or 7-1 over the last eight games, they'll win this division."http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?id=1647655For my part, assuming they win vs. AZ next week and go into the second half of the season at 4-4, I think that 4 to 5 more wins might do it. But Joe's right, the Bengals win 6 and they should be in free and clear. They could do it: they should win vs. Houston, and San Diego and San Fran are vulnerable. And then we have Pitt, Balti, and Cleveland. I have a real, real hard time seeing us beating KC or the Rams, tho.At 2-5, the Steelers are one step from extinction. Only the fact the AFCN is so weak gives them any hope at all. They'd have to win 7 or their remaing 9 games just to get to a winning record. And they get to start trying to do that next week on the road against a pi$$ed-off Seattle.The Browns are still in it at 3-5, and boy is this a good time for a bye...but they come off that bye against the Kansas City Chiefs, who are playing as if they were the Kansas City Gods. The Browns keep changing QBs in the middle of games, their o-line is a joke, their D is having some serious issues with the run...I think they'll be lucky to win 2 or 3 more games this year.The 4-3 Ravens are in command (did they get the timing right against Denver or what? 2 teams combined with 0 QBs), and I think they'll manage against Byron "Interception...Interception...and a triple!" Leftwich and the Jags next week. That puts 'em at 4-4, and no reason to think they can't do equally well in the second half, too.So...Ravens circa 8-8.Steelers, figure they take 6 of their remaining 9 (their sked isn't tough: Cards, Niners, Raiders, Jets, Chargers plus another round of division games, after Seattle) and go about 8-8.Browns, being generous, finish 6-10Bengals...figure the same as Baltimore. If they can do 4-4 in the first half, they should be able to do 4-4 in the second. Yeesh. Could it come down to division tiebreakers to determine which .500 team gets to advance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 JoiseyCat, I think you are being a bit harsh on the Bengals. I figure they'll be 7-2, or at worse 6-3 the rest of the way. There are only 3 hard games the rest of the way(Ravens, Rams, and Chiefs) The Browns, and Steelers really have no shot at the division with their poor play, so that leaves it a two horse race(and enough with the AFC North being so weak, there are two teams with legit shots at winning it, and most divisions only have two legit teams but come on how many other divisions have more then two contenders? Only the AFC North has more than 2 teams even considered close, but it's really only a two horse race cause the Bills suck...poor Takeo ) and the Ravens do have a slighlty harder schedule so that helps The BengalsI'll also say the Bengals are starting to get some positve press as well. I'm still not sure that's a good thing. I think being the underdog suits them. I just hope the Bengals don't fall into a trap that just cause they are doing good they can relax. Not that I think coach Lewis would let them, and they have enough new blood on the team to help prevent it...I still worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 JoiseyCat, I think you are being a bit harsh on the Bengals. I figure they'll be 7-2, or at worse 6-3 the rest of the way.If they go 7-2 or even 6-3 over the next 9 games I will start digging a shelter in me backyard because the end of the world is nigh! Seriously, I'd love to see it, and anything is, of course, possible, but I'm just trying to keep my assumptions on the conservative side. (BTW, I screwed up, the Ravens should be 5-3 after beating Jax, meaning they have the best shot at a winning record, IMHO.)There are only 3 hard games the rest of the way(Ravens, Rams, and Chiefs) The Browns, and Steelers really have no shot at the division with their poor play, so that leaves it a two horse raceI don't think that there's any such thing as an easy game in the NFL, especially vs. a division opponent who knows you so well.Only the AFC North has more than 2 teams even considered close, but it's really only a two horse race cause the Bills suck...poor Takeo )Off topic: oh, yeah, wasn't that fun to watch last night? I keyed on Spikes the whole game and it was the same old crap. Yeah, he made a solo tackle on Priest Holmes...after Holmes had already picked up 15 yards. And he was running up to get in on the plays in the middle and every time, he *almost* got there before the play was over...Here's hoping you're right about 7-2, tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I didn't say those games would be easy, but they are games the Bengals SHOULD win. Of course anything is possible, but in order for the Bengals to take the next step in the NFL they have to win the games that they are suppossed to win. That means beating teams with worse records than them. It also means competing in the games with teams with better records than them and winning more than losing those. That's why I say the Bengals should be 7-2, or 6-3 the rest of the way. They only play 3 teams with a better record than them. Every other team has a worse record. So they beat the teams that they should, that's 6 wins, if they only win one game of the 3 with teams with better records that's 7-2, that would be 10-6 and that should be enough to win the division(especially if that 1 victory against a team with a better record is the Ravens) or at the very least a wild card berth.They scenario isn't unheard of, look at the Jets last year, and in all honesty they had a tougher schedule, and an inferior team to this Bengals team.Of course there are still nine games to play and anything is possible.cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Well, as we saw Sunday, the team that walks in with the better record isn't always the team that walks away a winner. So I'm not sure you can say they "should" win any of them. However, I would say that most of their remaining games are winnable. But 6+ wins out of the last 8 is going to require them to play perfectly. I don't think they're quite there yet...but I'll be right next to ya rooting for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsfan2 Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Only the AFC North has more than 2 teams even considered close, but it's really only a two horse race cause the Bills suck...poor Takeo )Off topic: oh, yeah, wasn't that fun to watch last night? I keyed on Spikes the whole game and it was the same old crap. Yeah, he made a solo tackle on Priest Holmes...after Holmes had already picked up 15 yards. And he was running up to get in on the plays in the middle and every time, he *almost* got there before the play was over...Here's hoping you're right about 7-2, tho! Still off the topic, but You should have seen the papers in Buffalo after the KC wax job. These people are completely shellshocked. Most of the people I talked with before the game felt that KC hadn't faced a defense as good as the Bills and that " it will be a tough game, but we should beat them by a touchdown or more." I try to be polite to them, but sometimes they really make it hard.See if any of this sounds familiar. After the hiring of a fromer head coach, the Bills lowered their number of practices to " keep the guys fresh". Players loved it and said they were in good enough shape and didn't need the extra work. As the losses have been mounting, they are now blaming the qb " Bledsoe isn't the Qb everyone thought" the defensive coordinator " Ought to dominate with all the high priced free agents." The head coach " We have other previous head coaches already in place." And now Drew Bledsoe is saying that the practices aren't intense enough and they aren't being properly prepared for games. I was really hoping that the Bengals would hose TKO in the game, but its still not turning out too bad. If he still smells the playoffs, its because the wind is coming out of Cincinnati. Going into this season, I thought 6 and 10 would be a good start towards the turnaround. The way they seem keep playing better every week, I'm starting to believe that 8 and 8 is very likely and that 9 and 7 is very possible. I'd also rather see a winning season at 9 an 7 and still not make the playoffs than I would to see them squeaking in and getting creamed in the first round. In that case I think it would be preferrable to make the playoffs next year and be on a more equal footing with the competetion they will have to face. Before anyone says I'm being negative, remember we're talking about the playoffs and the Bengals. And I don't mean to gloat over Buffalos misfortune, but the Buffalo sports writers never fail to take a shot at the Benagls when they get the chance. All those AFC championships, and all they can remember is the Bengals beating them in the playoffs. They're still not over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 redsfan2, it seems the Bills have been Lebuaed!!! Life is good sometimes I won't even go on a Bills rant, or even a Takeo rant....Anyway, who's to say the Bengals would get killed in the playoffs? They've just beaten 2 division leaders, and I can see them matching up well with about any team in the NFL (except maybe the Chiefs, cause they look scary good) But at the end of the day the first thing they have to do is beat Arizona so I'm not gonna go and get ahead of myself.Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsfan2 Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I won't even go on a Bills rant, or even a Takeo rant....Anyway, who's to say the Bengals would get killed in the playoffs? My point was that given the choice of seeing the Bengals having a winning record ..... squeaking into the playoffs and getting creamed this year OR after having a solid season next year ... making the playoffs and doing well that I would rather see the winning record this year and break the drought. I would then fully expect that the Bengals will have a solid season next year and be better prepared for a run deep into the playoffs. After re reading it, I just didn't make my statement very well that's all. As far as ranting on Buffalo and or Takeo .... be my guest. Like I said no one here passes up a chance to tell me how great he is and how stupid we were to let him go. Oh and by the way Dick Lebeau is a defesive genius, and they're glad they got him too. I'm glad they got the both of them. I always ask the same question when they make those comments. " If they're so great, why have you guys been beating us like rented mules for the last 5 years?" I get everything from "The other players" to " whole organiztion is bad". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 See if any of this sounds familiar.Heh heh heh. Ohhhhh, yeah. Same sheot, different team. Poor Buffalo. Can't say I feel sorry for them, tho. I spent the offseason on another message board listening to Bills trolls crow about how awesome their D was going to be with Takeo (and once they got Adams, well, heck, rest of the league might as well go home, they had the Lombardi all sewn up!). I tried to tell them that Spikes was a very good LB but not a playmaker who deserved franchise-level bucks. Oh, well. Funniest thing I've heard is that if they don't get better, Greg Williams may get the axe, and be replaced by...(wait for it)...Dick LeBeau!Going into this season, I thought 6 and 10 would be a good start towards the turnaround. The way they seem keep playing better every week, I'm starting to believe that 8 and 8 is very likely and that 9 and 7 is very possible. I'd also rather see a winning season at 9 an 7 and still not make the playoffs than I would to see them squeaking in and getting creamed in the first round. In that case I think it would be preferrable to make the playoffs next year and be on a more equal footing with the competetion they will have to face. Before anyone says I'm being negative, remember we're talking about the playoffs and the Bengals.I wouldn't say you're being negative at all. I have mixed feelings about the playoffs myself. IF they get in legitimately, and by that I mean they continue to improve, play their hearts out, beat "better" teams, get to 9-10-11 wins...bring on the postseason. But if they're a 7-9 or 8-8 team winning it on a divisional tiebreaker and likely to get murdered in the first round, well, I'd rather not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 But if they're a 7-9 or 8-8 team winning it on a divisional tiebreaker and likely to get murdered in the first round, well, I'd rather not.What would be so bad about going out in the first round? Getting murdered in the first round last year hasn't hurt the Colts, if anything they are more motivated. If they would win the division with a 8-8 record(there is now way a 7-9 record would win it) A playoff game a PBS would do wonders for the Bengals, win or lose. It's not like it would hurt there draft position much, a few spots at best, but this draft will be deep enough that it won't matter(besides, picking early has never helped before this year) I just can't see the downside to a playoff game, sorry...At least then the stadium may be filled with Bengals fans, not 10000 of the other teams fans....(I'd go to every game I could, except I live in New Zealand)Okay...The Bills-Takeo rant.........If Takeo was so damn good how come the only game he helped win the entire time he was a Bengal was the game he wasn't even their for?!?!!!! Come on now, if he was so bloody good how come he didn't go to the Pro Bowl? Don't give me that because he was on a bad Bengals team...Corey Dillon did and he was on the same team, Lorenzo Neal did, and he was on a very bad Bengals team....Takeo is fiery competitor, and a good leader, he is not a playmaker, he is not someone to build defense around, and Coach Lewis letting him leave and putting Brian Simmons in his spot was pure genius. I can only hope that Simmons goes to the Pro Bowl this year, and poor Takeo is home come January. As for making Dick LeBeau head coach of the Bills....Well he was a damn good player, and a damn good Defensive coordinator, but he's a bit of a fossil when it comes to players nowadays. He doesn't have a clue about todays players, he's from a different age. A lot of people want to blame Mike Brown for the Bengals sucking so bad the last few years especially, but I think Mr LeBeau deserves a large amount of the blame for the past few years as well. He made the game plans, he chose to have the endless QB competitions, he let players practice soft, he tried to be there buddy....You put Dick LeBeau in charge of the Bills, they would be lucky to win 4 games, I don't care what kind of talent they have.(cause currently they have overated talent)That's the end of that rant...I feel better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 What would be so bad about going out in the first round?I don't want to see a team that backs into the playoffs and is still learing how to win get hammered in a high-pressure game, that's all. Imagine what happened to the Bills Sunday night happening to the Bengals in the playoffs. They don't need to dwell on that all offseason, IMHO. They get to the playoffs honestly, by playing their way there and not getting in just because they are the least crappy team in a crappy division, that's another story.Okay...The Bills-Takeo rant.........Welcome to the party! I can't disagree with anything you say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsfan2 Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Joisey - If you think they're bad on a message board, try living with them. For the most part they are decent people. Our teams don't do well and our city gets ripped. Buffalo gets ripped no matter what the teams do, they get ripped just for being Buffalo .... and they are VERY thinned skinned about it. Remember the comment about who cares what a back up qb says ??? They do in Buffalo. Rob Johnson said an off the cuff remark to the affect that the Bills were all they had in Buffalo, and that was it. They played that on every news channel about 30 times and put it in the newspaper as well. The reaction was just unreal. I've tried to tell them the same thing about Spikes. They just won't hear it. Same with Sam Adams. They were crowing about signing him, and I finally got fed up and told them that they were Adams's 2nd choice. He had already tried to get a deal in Cincy and hadn't. Their take was Cincy was too cheap to pay him. Brings us to LeBeau. When he was hired, there was no job for him. They created the position of assistant head coach to give him a title. Again, everybody was telling me what a genius he was. Of course I pointed out that he had been fired. I then had to tell them that it was the 2nd time he had been fired from the Bengals. He was fired when he was defensive coordinator because he sucked back then too. I've said before that I don't relish in other teams misfortunes, but sometimes you get what you ask for.kevnz - Not to sound too Buffaloish, but The Bengals have a loser rep that they need a complete good year to start to dismantle. If they sneak into the playoffs and then get buried, the vultures will come out of nowhere. Bengals finally reverted to form. Kitna finally blew . You just knew they would it was just amazing it took this long etc etc etc. Your points are well taken, but they need this year and next to dispel that type of attitude. If it weren't for that, I'd agree with every thing you said. I'm also glad you got all of that Spikes / Buffalo rant out of your system. Are you OK ?? Man, that had to hurt having that all bottled up. Glad I could be here to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitnasBengals Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 The Bills miss Peerless Price, he really was what made Bledsoe and the rest of the Bills offesnse so succesful last year. And in Atlanta he's doing poorly, so both sides got a bad deal. Price should of stayed in Buffalo, Josh Reed just can't start. Bledsoe is making the best of what he has, which is a good reciever who is double covered every down because they have no other threat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Imagine what happened to the Bills Sunday night happening to the Bengals in the playoffs. They don't need to dwell on that all offseasonAgain I'll use the Colts as an example of that happening, and I think that has helped them. Marvin Lewis is too good of a coach to have that be a negative impact. Besides, unless they were to play the chiefs I don't really see a whooping like that happening. But any playoff appearance will help the Bengals image, even a hammering loss. People will not be able to say the Bengals haven't made the playoffs since 1990, the Bengals haven't done this, haven't done that and it would go a long way towards Marvin Lewis being coach of the year(a title I think he should already have earned before they played their first game).... But at this point it's not really important, they have to beat the Cardinals then play 8 more games, so lot's could happen by then. cheersalso, it's funny to read on some sites that are asking for Tricky Dick Lebeau to be the head coach of the Bills. And Yeah, it feels good having that Spikes Rant.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnz Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 KitnasBengals, the Bills biggest offensive problem is their Offensive coordinator. Kevin Gilbride is terrible, he calls the dumbest plays at the dumbest times and doens't know how to make adjustments during a game. Everyone made a big deal about their offense, but last year their first 8 games they were really good, defenses figured it out the second half of the year and whammo, their stats went into a freefall. so this year they don't bother making adjustments, lose their number 2 reciever, call more passes never mind that they have a great running back. But hey, Takeo is getting what he wanted so I ain't complaining Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 But any playoff appearance will help the Bengals image, even a hammering loss.Sorry, but I have to agree with redsfan2. A playoff blowout and all you'll hear is how we got in by accident, the whole division sucked, we just had an easy sked, blah, blah, blah. I'm just not a big fan of the "beatings build character" theory. But again, you're right, plenty of time between here and there, and we have to get out of AZ with a win first. With any luck, they just keep on winning and getting better so that at season's end they belong with the league's elite in the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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