What was the demise of the Bengals?

[walzav29]

They were 7-9 in 07 which was a horrible year. Rudi was on the decline, the defense was non-existant, and then Chad started flaking out. Then in 08' the team decided to not have a RB to start the season and got rid of their best OT because he was old. How do we take care of these issues? I have decided to read between the lines and I think Housh was not 100% with the team, they signed Ced and now they either need a tackle or a RB 1st. I'm going back and forth on tyhis RB thing 1000 times. I haet to take one that high, but aren't you glad you did once you have a great one? Adrian Peterson with Carson? for ex. I think Palmer has looked bad the last 2 seasons because of no running game. What do you think?

[ArmyBengal]

I don't think you take a RB in the 1st, I do know that. I think they go OT if they can't trade down. If they can trade down, it opens up much more. DE would be a big consideration, MLB, even RB at that point. I think the decline of the o-line has been the biggest demise of this team. I've said this a ton and was arguing it when it was going on, but will say it again.

When the team gave Big Willie the big money deal, letting Steinbach walk, it was a mistake.

When the team gave Andrews the tag, letting Big Willie go, it was a mistake.

Having nothing to show now that Andrews is gone is just plain horrible.

They lost Keift to injury and Ghiaciuc is probably not coming back either (not that I think that is a problem). I just view the horrible turnover and bad decisions in regards to the players as being the key reason for the decline.

[combatbengal]

Here is how I see it! Poor management, lack of discipline, injuries, and poor decisions on key players released, did I say lack of discipline? Another contributing factor to the bad performance was problem players who spent time in and out of jail, suspended, or acting like rich cry babies. It really doesn't matter who the Bengals select in the draft; bottom line is they need obedience and team work. We can put a bunch of second string guys on the field and still win football games. All they need to have is heart, commitment to the coaching scheme, desire to win, and discipline! You put a guy out there who wants to play because he loves the game instead of a guy who’s worried about his finances or contract; you’re going to see results.

[walzav29]

At least Keith Rivers and Leon Hall appear to be great character guys. 2006 was when they really got stung by the scumbags, so it seems they learned some type of lesson.

[ArmyBengal]

Oh yeah, the years of either bringing in 5th round projects or some over the hill old dude to man the defensive line and then wondering why they couldn't stop the run had a part to play in that as well.

[Clackwoods]

They were 7-9 in 07 which was a horrible year. Rudi was on the decline, the defense was non-existant, and then Chad started flaking out. Then in 08' the team decided to not have a RB to start the season and got rid of their best OT because he was old. How do we take care of these issues? I have decided to read between the lines and I think Housh was not 100% with the team, they signed Ced and now they either need a tackle or a RB 1st. I'm going back and forth on tyhis RB thing 1000 times. I haet to take one that high, but aren't you glad you did once you have a great one? Adrian Peterson with Carson? for ex. I think Palmer has looked bad the last 2 seasons because of no running game. What do you think?

Does everyone not understand what kind of teams we played last year? Everyone talks about Carson not doing any good before his injury, well lets review:

With Carson

Week 1- Baltimore (AFC Championship game)

Week 2- Ten. Titans (AFC Number 1 seed)

Week 3- New York Giants (Defending Champs, NFC number 1 seed)

Week 5- Dallas Cowboys (Lots of talent, almost won the game)

Now the rest of our notable losses without Carson:

Week 6- New York Jets- (9-3 at one point, only fell off because of injury to Favre)

Week 7 and 12- Pitt Steelers- (Superbowl Champions)

Week 13- Baltimore (See above)

Week 14- Indy Colts (12-4, won like 10 games in a row to finish the season)

That is 9 games against top tier superbowl contenders not including the Eagles (See below)

When we finished strong we played against:

A Struggling Eagles team (Who went to the NFC Championship game)

A Garbage ass Browns team twice (Split the games)

A injury depleted, struggling Jacksonville team

A horrible (Fell of the wagon) version of the Redskins and

The garbage Chiefs

Leaving only the Texans, an improved team that is dangerous one week and horrible the next.

In Closing:

Ten of our games were against Superbowl contending teams

All but the Chiefs and Texans (even they had an outside shot) were actually predicted to go to the playoffs (Meaning Cleveland, Washington, and Jacksonville were all disappointments)

We won the games we should have and lost against our ridiculous schedule, mostly with a backup QB. I predict that the 2009 Bengals will make the Playoffs and if their offense improves, they can make a run at a title!

[agreen_112]

It's easy. Give Carson the protection he needs to be comfortable in the pocket once again. If we had an O-line, none of this would be an issue. Our demise was Carson's injury and losing our freaking O-line after.

Only way I would trade Chad is if we could NOT take a huge hit on the cap and we got a nice top 5 OT out of the draft + our #6 pick (which I hope would be Rey Rey).

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Benson and Carson would do just fine with a good o-line.

They absolutely need at least 2 "upgrades" on the o-line. If they ignore that again, look for another 4-12 or 5-11 season.

And I do mean "upgrade" not another Gay-chick or mid-round project they can't develop. They need bonifide day one types at center and tackle or guard.

[Wraith]

The demise of the Bengals coincided with the demise of Paul Brown

[gregstephens]

Only way I would trade Chad is if we could NOT take a huge hit on the cap and we got a nice top 5 OT out of the draft + our #6 pick (which I hope would be Rey Rey).

I actually agree with you on the Fredo Ochocinco-de mayo issue. At this point, we're not going to get a better offer than we did last year. We need him to distract from Coles while we see if we have any current youngsters that can be poised as his successor. Unlike last year where he was being a butt in the off-season, and with our other obvious needs/issues, I put moving Fredo fairly far down the list of priorities--unless someone makes us an offer we can't refuse.

That being said, I still don't like him and still agree with Army's typical closing opinion of Fredo (you long-timers will know to what I reference).

[Clackwoods]

It's easy. Give Carson the protection he needs to be comfortable in the pocket once again. If we had an O-line, none of this would be an issue. Our demise was Carson's injury and losing our freaking O-line after.

Only way I would trade Chad is if we could NOT take a huge hit on the cap and we got a nice top 5 OT out of the draft + our #6 pick (which I hope would be Rey Rey).

I think we are in the perfect spot to trade down a couple of picks and take Rey Rey. Also, I think it is pretty much Garunteed that we take a center in round 2. Actually, look for us to trade up into Round 1 to ensure we get our guy. Our possible trade partners could be Indy (27) and New York at (29) which would jump us ahead of Pitt which needs Oline help. I think they would take Unger though because of his ability to play multiple spots!

[ArmyBengal]

That being said, I still don't like him and still agree with Army's typical closing opinion of Fredo.

Chad is not really what I consider the problem as much as I think the organization handled him completely wrong. He was given a different set of rules to play by and by the time they wanted to change those rules it was to late. All they can hope for is that Chad comes back around to being a good team player kind of guy. I still would have no issues trading Chad, if for no other reason than to move on. Along the lines of not minding seeing TJ gone. He will probably still be here and I will be happy when he helps us win and will be more than happy to give my typical when he acts like a bitch.

F*CK YOU CHAD !!!

[HAPPYJAQ]

The demise of the Franchise can be traced back to the Bengals gambling and missing more than they hit on players drafted this decade. Teams that expect to be competitve year in and year out don't miss as often on early-rounds as we have. People should understand that in the 2005 Season, the stars all aligned correctly; We had a healthy, Pro Bowl QB, a solid run game, an explosive pass game and a opportunistic defense in the same season. We've had no more than two of those factors present in the same season since then.

[BengalszoneBilly]

The demise of the Bengals coincided with the demise of Paul Brown

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