TIME OUT!!!!!

[walzav29]

Ok. I'm freaking out about the state of the team. I seen Cedric on Rome and he was talking about guys getting frustrated, which is exactly what he was doing. The O-line, WR's, and QB all look clueless. BUT! The Bengals are 2-1. They aren't going to tell us what they're doing, but we have to assume the coaching staff knows. If this doesn't work. Marv, T.O., and Chad will be off the team anyway and Zimmer will be in charge. I figure we have 3 weeks for this team to figure it out, and then the schedule gets crazy. They have the talent. The coaches have to put it together.

[ArmyBengal]

I'm not trying to tell people not to discuss it, but I can't remember a time our Bengals started a season 2-1 and I was as irritated as I am. Thing is, I'm sick of talking about it. I just want to see the next game get here and hope to see the improvement we know should be happening.

[walzav29]

I know what you mean. At least we're in the position to talk about what needs to be done to win a Super Bowl and not just get to the playoffs.

[Sea Ray]

I do think there's too much panic going on right now. The Bengals are right where they should be after 3 games, 2-1. They won on the road by 13 pts. They had no road wins by that many last year and only one in 2008 (14-0 over hapless Cleveland).

The truth is this team does not blow folks away on the road. It just doesn't happen. A lot of teams are making mistakes on the road. Look at all the mistakes GB had on Monday night at Chicago (17 penalties) or SD at Seattle (two KO return TDs). Things happen and yes they need to improve but not much has surprised me about our Bengals in 2010. I knew our O-line would struggle. We've got 4 undrafted FAs on it. I knew we still had Bratkowski. It is what it is and 2-1 is not underachieving

[ArmyBengal]

I'm not saying 2-1 is underachieving, nor do I mind winning on the road or being 1-0 currently in the division.

What I do mind is the apparent lack of motivation and the lack of execution from a team that should be further along.

NO, I'm not happy with that and that shiny 2-1 record won't remain all shiny if they continue to play that way as we go.

The entire offense has gotten by and the team has won in spite of their poor play.

The offense needs to take the defense out to dinner.

Does that mean they can't right the problems ?? No, but there are problems nonetheless. I'm not in a panic by any means.

I just want to see them perform to their capabilities. They haven't done that yet.

[HoosierCat]

I do think there's too much panic going on right now. The Bengals are right where they should be after 3 games, 2-1. They won on the road by 13 pts. They had no road wins by that many last year and only one in 2008 (14-0 over hapless Cleveland).

The truth is this team does not blow folks away on the road. It just doesn't happen. A lot of teams are making mistakes on the road. Look at all the mistakes GB had on Monday night at Chicago (17 penalties) or SD at Seattle (two KO return TDs). Things happen and yes they need to improve but not much has surprised me about our Bengals in 2010. I knew our O-line would struggle. We've got 4 undrafted FAs on it. I knew we still had Bratkowski. It is what it is and 2-1 is not underachieving

What the boat said.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Look at all the mistakes GB had on Monday night at Chicago (17 penalties) or SD at Seattle (two KO return TDs).

True. One potential difference: let's see if those teams make the same mistakes this week. That is what distinguishes our Bengals under Marvin/Brat from other teams - not that they don't make mistakes, but they don't do a fantastic job learning from them.

[HairOnFire]

Does that mean they can't right the problems ?? No, but there are problems nonetheless. I'm not in a panic by any means.

I just want to see them perform to their capabilities. They haven't done that yet.

Honestly, I think the only Bengal fans reaching for the panic button right now are those who sincerely think something is seriously wrong with Palmer. But if you believe, as I do, that the problems are limited to too many new faces being worked into a passing game then the problems seem less critical. Furthermore, if you also believe that the Bengals are actually compunding their misery by deliberately forcing things....then maybe you attempt to calm yourself by reminding yourself that solving the problem may be as easy as simply stop doing what isn't working for awhile.

IMHO this team needs to grind Cleveland down, and if it looks ugly nobody will care very much as long as they win. So do whatever it takes to survive until the passing game can stop s**tting itself. If that happens to be this week, well that's just fine. But if things play according to script they may not need to open things up for weeks to come.

[derekshank]

I think the only Bengal fans reaching for the panic button right now are those who sincerely think something is seriously wrong with Palmer. But if you believe, as I do, that the problems are limited to too many new faces being worked into a passing game then the problems seem less critical.

I mostly agree... but I also remember prior to the draft loudly voicing my concern that the problem with the passing game wasn't the quality or depth of the pass catchers nearly as much as the O-Line. I fear the last three games is evidence that I may have been correct.

Perhaps I was worn down by the number of people outright giddy about the additions of T.O. Gresham, and Shipley. Perhaps I was foolishly lulled into forgetting about the O-Line problems myself because of all the shiny new toys.

Regardless... I am now reminded of my opinion at the end of the '09 season that the primary problem with Palmer and the WRs had more to do with protection than anything. And if it turns out that I'm correct, nothing short of Andre playing up to his potential with Cook and Livings pulling their heads out of their own asses will be able to correct it this season.

So at this point I'm left with two options: 1) Hit the panic button (whatever that means), or; 2) Hope I'm wrong about the pass protection.

For now I'll go with option 2, because it is far more comforting.

[HairOnFire]

I think the only Bengal fans reaching for the panic button right now are those who sincerely think something is seriously wrong with Palmer. But if you believe, as I do, that the problems are limited to too many new faces being worked into a passing game then the problems seem less critical.

I mostly agree... but I also remember prior to the draft loudly voicing my concern that the problem with the passing game wasn't the quality or depth of the pass catchers nearly as much as the O-Line. I fear the last three games is evidence that I may have been correct.

Well, I should concede that the very reason I'm not reaching for the panic button is precisely because I don't really know what to make out of the offenses struggles. Because as many things as I've called correctly...(ahem)...there are several other problems on display that I most definately didn't see coming.

For example, I wasn't one of the crowd bleating about Palmer breaking down physically, and I still see no evidence of that to this day. But had someone told me the passing offense would be inept due to poor timing I would have guessed Palmer would be the least of our problems, and that clearly hasn't been the case. So I'm not only suprised by what I'm seeing...I'm forced to accept the idea that I don't really know what it means in the grand scheme of things. Does Palmer regain what has been lost this week or next month? When does he begin playing with "confidence" again. Simply put, I don't know because I've never seen him play indecisively before...even at USC.

As for the O-line itself, I'm still seeing plenty of the same things that prompted me to pimp Andre Smith for RT, and it kills me to think about how much of a difference he could be making. Not to mention my puzzlement over why a player like Mathis no longer gets a snap or why a young player like Collins seems to have no defined role. But mostly I don't understand why the offesnive coaches themselves are in such a hurry to abandon their hard-earned identity as maulers and mashballers.

I still say it's a better fit.