Ex Post Facto: Bengals vs Patriots

[Sea Ray]

The Bengals can handle adversity, I agree.

Can the Bengals fanbase? Well I'm not sure I've seen that...

Adversity is handling an injury to Carson or Benson. This is a flat out bad performance by a football team

[Sea Ray]

Again, three TDs in the second half. Except for those two crazy plays, the Bengals didn't look ALL bad out there. Relax people. It's just one game.

No, don't give me the "except for two or three plays" stuff. That's what drives me nuts. This was as bad a butt kicking as there was yesterday. Greenie on Mike and Mike put it well this morning:

"This game wasn't as close as the score. After it was 30-3 the rest of the game didn't matter much."

Or this from this morning's Cin Enquirer:

"A worse-than-14 points butt whip, on the first day of a season supposedly of Super Bowl aspirations, says it all."

Don't dilude yourself into thinking the Patriots were only two plays better than the Bengals yesterday. That's just not reality

[Sea Ray]

Damn, we got gaped in the 1st half. Never expected that. Still, winning 24-7 in the 2nd half takes the sting out of it somewhat. 15 games to go.

Well maybe except the fact that the 2nd half score was 21-14.

Again I gotta ask, what game were you watching?

[gregstephens]

IIRC The Bengals started out 0-1 last year too and finished up pretty good! 1 game 15 to go.

Best point I've read all day.

I understand that as lifer Bengals fans our collective bars are set relatively low...but I have no idea how you guys make these statements.

Bengals won the division last year and finished 10-6...the positives.

Bengals overall played way over their heads on defense, had a subpar pass offense, used chewing gum and tape to hold together the offensive line and got blown the crap away in the opening round of the playoffs...the negatives.

Yeah, great, we can claim the whole 'Division champ' thing for 2009. I would never characterize 2009 with the words "finished up pretty good".

Just once in my life, I'd like to see the Bengals open a regular season by punching a good team square in the mouth, setting the tone for a steamroller season. After week one, I am already tired of "there's always next week."

[Spor_tees]

IIRC The Bengals started out 0-1 last year too and finished up pretty good! 1 game 15 to go.

Best point I've read all day.

I understand that as lifer Bengals fans our collective bars are set relatively low...but I have no idea how you guys make these statements.

Bengals won the division last year and finished 10-6...the positives.

Bengals overall played way over their heads on defense, had a subpar pass offense, used chewing gum and tape to hold together the offensive line and got blown the crap away in the opening round of the playoffs...the negatives.

Yeah, great, we can claim the whole 'Division champ' thing for 2009. I would never characterize 2009 with the words "finished up pretty good".

Just once in my life, I'd like to see the Bengals open a regular season by punching a good team square in the mouth, setting the tone for a steamroller season. After week one, I am already tired of "there's always next week."

There's always the week after next?

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

I'm glad this happened.

No, not that they lost. I'd obviously rather have the win. But if they were going to lose, I'm glad they got destroyed because they needed to get taken down a peg. Winning the division, getting TO, all we heard was Batman and Robin and getting to the Super Bowl. Well, now Marvin can shut that crap down. Get back to work, and earn it before you start spending it.

As has been said, we'll know a lot more next week.

[membengal]

IIRC The Bengals started out 0-1 last year too and finished up pretty good! 1 game 15 to go.

Best point I've read all day.

I understand that as lifer Bengals fans our collective bars are set relatively low...but I have no idea how you guys make these statements.

Bengals won the division last year and finished 10-6...the positives.

Bengals overall played way over their heads on defense, had a subpar pass offense, used chewing gum and tape to hold together the offensive line and got blown the crap away in the opening round of the playoffs...the negatives.

Yeah, great, we can claim the whole 'Division champ' thing for 2009. I would never characterize 2009 with the words "finished up pretty good".

Just once in my life, I'd like to see the Bengals open a regular season by punching a good team square in the mouth, setting the tone for a steamroller season. After week one, I am already tired of "there's always next week."

Yup, always seems like its the Bengals being schooled on the finer points of "big boy" football. And it gets old.

As for that abomination yesterday, nearly 24 hours later, I hope Marvin and his coaches took a good long look in the mirror last night. That was an atrociously coached game on their collective parts, and they did not have their team ready to play. Shameful.

The first pass of the year to a TE went to Coats? Really? That was almost spiteful of the coaching staff.

Dhani Jones one on one on TEs and even Wes Welker? Wtf is that kind of scheme? How, on a team with four quality corners, is Dhani Jones ever in that kind of match-up? What was the thought process there, Zim?

Stretch field over the middle, Brat? Just once? Humor me, please? Why always down the sidelines when everyone sees it coming?

On the whole, just a forgettably awful performance.

At least TO and the others said the right things in the aftemath. Let's see if the coaches can make good on it. I am not overly optimistic they can.

[Wraith]

Look we played badly and the Patriots played great, not sugar coating anything. At the beginning of the season if I had asked any of you what concerns you had going into the season, would any of you have said the pass defense? I would have said I was worried about the passing game and the offensive line. The passing game looked strong for it being the first game of the season and the offensive line gelled in the second half and only allowed one sack. I still am confident the defense will pull it together, next week is going to be the tell all and I was pleased to see that the Bengals came out in the second half playing hard when they could have mailed it in.

New England is a REALLY good team and they will make alot of teams look bad at Foxboro this season, lets wait til next week to put a tombstone on the season.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

At the beginning of the season if I had asked any of you what concerns you had going into the season, would any of you have said the pass defense?

No - and I still don't. (EDIT - I assumed you meant secondary when I first posted this, so scratch that first line).

I don't blame the secondary, just the lack of rush. If you have a secondary of Revis, Bailey, Reed, and Polamalu, but you give Brady that long to throw, he'll still pick them apart.

Same story we've been hearing for a few years now: if you don't get rush, you'll make any scrub QB look like an All Pro. And if he already is an All-Pro, you'll get what happened yesterday.

[COB]

Not the coaches, not the quarterback, not the secondary.

The game was lost in the trenches. Our O and D lines got their asses handed to them. One side of the line played with violent purpose, and it wasn't our side.

Football plays are like pyramids. The line play is like the first row of block. If not done right, nothing else will work.

Inject some intensity and purpose into these guys and things will look a lot different. Can Alexander do it? (Cue Shula)

[cHaD711Johnson]

The game was lost in the trenches. Our O and D lines got their asses handed to them. One side of the line played with violent purpose, and it wasn't our side.

Exactly. There were plays that I witnessed Domata Peko getting completely blown of the ball. We didn't touch Tom Brady at all the entire game. I don't care if Revis Christ was every man in our secondary if there is no pressure Tom Brady is going to find the open man.

[kingwilly]

Damn, we got gaped in the 1st half. Never expected that. Still, winning 24-7 in the 2nd half takes the sting out of it somewhat. 15 games to go.

Well maybe except the fact that the 2nd half score was 21-14.

Again I gotta ask, what game were you watching?

The second half score is irrelevant, simply window dressing for a building on fire.

Second half starts 24-3. NE runs back kick, 31-3.

What game were you both watching?

[BengalByTheBay]

The second half score is irrelevant, simply window dressing for a building on fire.

Can't agree here -- everything is relevant at this point. Belichick never takes his foot off the pedal (as evidenced by going for the TD at the end of the game up 14 well under 2:00) and the Bengals played the second half even or better. Could have been REALLY ugly. Yeah, it doesn't make a difference in the W/L column, but everything matters to some degree. I think the building on fire take (as expected as it is on this board) is a little much. Does anybody remember last year? Week 2 means much more than week 1 did. It remains to be seen whether the second half Bengals show up in the first half this coming Sunday. Obviously, there are things they need to work on in every phase of the game, and we're all disappointed, but a lot of things happen in the course of the season and it just doesn't make sense to be out on the ledge already.

[Sea Ray]

Damn, we got gaped in the 1st half. Never expected that. Still, winning 24-7 in the 2nd half takes the sting out of it somewhat. 15 games to go.

Well maybe except the fact that the 2nd half score was 21-14.

Again I gotta ask, what game were you watching?

The second half score is irrelevant, simply window dressing for a building on fire.

Second half starts 24-3. NE runs back kick, 31-3.

What game were you both watching?

I don't argue that the 2nd half score was irrelevant, but for those who disagree, let's at least agree on what the 2nd half score was. The game I was watching it was 21-14, Bengals, not 24-7

[ArmyBengal]

I'm not making an argument either way and have already said I will wait to see how the team responds.

This is what I keep thinking about. Belichick made the comment that you can't expect to get plays like the pick 6 from Carson and the kick return at the beginning of the second half. They simply don't consider those types of plays when game planning. With that thought in mind, the Patriots game plan equated to 24 points. Obviously having a lead like that changes game planning from that point, but the Bengals were able to keep pace in the second half, and then some, when the Patriots knew what the Bengals were going to do. With how bad the Bengals played in that game and I'm not denying that, I really do think there are some things we saw that will keep me thinking positively heading into next weeks game.

Again, there are a bunch of things they need to fix, but I think it's possible for them.

[bwillycuse]

I was really upset in the first half. The second half made me feel a little better. We weren't the bad news bears in the second. So we seemed to show a little pride and fight.

I had already come to peace with the loss while the second half was unfolding.

Its over. The Ravens will be coming into our house on a short week. Lets smack them in the mouth and turn this ship around.

The Jungle will be rocking.

[Sea Ray]

With how bad the Bengals played in that game and I'm not denying that, I really do think there are some things we saw that will keep me thinking positively heading into next weeks game.

Again, there are a bunch of things they need to fix, but I think it's possible for them.

I agree with the above. There are some things to build on and I like their chances of winning vs the Ravens. We'll be the home team and the Ravens will have a short week. That's traditionally a big advantage for the home team in week 2.

But we weren't just a couple plays away from tying the Pats. That's not reality and some have said as much...

[volcom69]

There was a big difference between last years opening day and this one. At least last year they came out throwing punches, and played very physical defense. After that game i knew the defense was going to be a good one. They were flying around to the ball, guys in the back field knocking Orton down. They looked like a defense that came ready to play. Offense another story, but at least they were still in it to win.

This year opening day, im not even sure the Bengals defense will be ranked in the teens!! I dont like it when the players and coach Zim said they were standing around scrathing there heads because THEY DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO DO! This dosnt sound like a very confindent bunch right now. If you look at the end of last year they were giving up 154 yards of rushing a game, they were not playing physical like they were in the begining of the year. Then this preseason the defense came out and sucked, 1st string defense didnt even get a sack. Im not liking this at all, when your coach and players have no clue what to do.....not good. Last year we saw the young guys flying around to the ball making tackles, getting pressure, heck even Rey was in the backfield. CBs were fighting for positon, playing tight to the recievers jaming them at the line. This the whole defense is playing tenative. Now comes the question can Zimmer find a way to put this back toghter again???? I hope so!

When will the bengals actully have a balanced team. Every year either the offense sucks, or the defense sucks, or special teams suck. Can they just once have a balanced team!!!!!!

[BengalByTheBay]

When will the bengals actully have a balanced team. Every year either the offense sucks, or the defense sucks, or special teams suck. Can they just once have a balanced team!!!!!!

It's a little early to say the defense sucks and the offense is great. I tend to think neither of those statements will be true for the season as a whole, or maybe even by next week. Comparing this game to last year's opener you are discounting where the Pats are at right now. They got huge production from Welker underneath and are simply a much better team than Denver was last year. The defense had to deal with very complex formations (I tend to think the Pats shot their wad a little on this game offensively) and got rocked early. The offense was better this year than last, albeit demonstrating the same pattern of starting very slow and taking essentially a half to get going at all. Finally, there's a big difference between opening at home and opening at Gillette. If you had this game chalked-up as an easy win for the Bengals, you were clearly fooling yourself. If nothing else, it looks to me like the Pats are much better than expected.

[Kazkal]

Mathis ?? Who cares ?? They both blow.

How did Mathis blow when he wasn't even playing / barley played at all? I Don't recall seeing him in once though I did see 62 being blown up & wiffing on blocks all day long....The guys like a ghost people just go threw his blubber arse.

Not seeing Mathis doesn't mean the guy is some all pro. I'm acknowledging the fact the Bengals interior o-line is an issue and yes, Mathis is a part of that equation. While he might be the best option at this point in time, being the best option, doesn't make you a great player. See one Mr. Daniel Coats...

Well I'm not talking about not noticing the guy but how is his play terrible when he didn't even take a single snap at LG???(I just rewatched every offensive snap until it switched to the bills game) So unless he was so terrible on a field goal attempt I don't see what your judging the guy off of? You seemed down on him last year too even though he was rated as one top guards in football and made clear impacts on cedrics runs..

[Stripes]

I'll wait until the game tonight to really make a serious judgment, but my initial irrelevant gut feelings are that the Bengals will beat the Ravens next week, and probably by a decent margin if Sunday's second half offense carries on.

[volcom69]

Just read on Bengals.com, that the defense is going to simplify there playbook. I think this is a good thing, let these young players play loose, and fly around to the ball. They were just playing to tenative, and too stiff to be any good. So i hope this works, but i like what i heard.

[membengal]

For those thinking that the Pats eased off in the second half, remember what they did to the Titans a year ago up there...59-0.

The Bengals showing life in the second half might have a little more meaning against the Pats than against other NFL teams.

[JoeMama]

I wouldn't sweat an opening day loss, on the road, to a very good team.

Based on these forums, it doesn't seem like many Bengals fans are panicking yet, which is good.

[cincyhokie]

Just read on Bengals.com, that the defense is going to simplify there playbook. I think this is a good thing, let these young players play loose, and fly around to the ball. They were just playing to tenative, and too stiff to be any good. So i hope this works, but i like what i heard.

I think this is a good idea and it sounds like what they were doing last year.

The question that I have is how this is not discovered in the pre-season. We had 5 games. wtf?