Steelers @ Bengals Pregame Talk/Game Thread

[volcom69]

So true, but in my mind its this whole coaching staff, including Gruden who had lost that awesome game plan he had to start the season! Sorry but plans the last 3 weeks have been horrible.

Really hard anymore to watch this team knowing Marvin is still here. This is his team his players the ones he wanted, yep and he still can't win with them. Still can't put back to back winning seasons toghter!

[rwjcgc]

I hate to admit it, but I think that Big Ben and his O-line w/ the the Univ of Cincinnati receivers and backs could

with a week of practice reliably score on this defense.

I think the blueprint to consistently beat this offense is to take away Green and dare anyone else to step up.

Is it the players or scheme? I'm starting to come around to agree that it has to more with scheme/coaching.

Is anyone else kind of tired of the smirking Collingsworth? I wish the players cared enough to wipe that

look off his face by winning a big game once in a while.

[cincyhokie]

Hate to say it...BUT...Dalton is VERY VERY limited. He's a middle of the pack QB at best. Against good defenses he is just not able to move the ball.

Dalton would be fine if he had any weapons, but there's Green and...nothing.

You guys can rail about the coaching all you want, but in the end the problem is a lack of talent. I spent the whole offseason pointing that out, and for my troubles was labeled a "hand wringer and a "panty buncher."

What the coaching staff does need to be canned for is thinking that guys like Tate and Binns were NFL caliber WRs, or that Still and Thompson could just plug right in for Frostee and Fanene with no loss, or that Taylor Mays belonged in an NFL uniform, or that they didn't need to draft a running back...and on and on. Add in the FO's usual incompetence in FA and this is what you get.

Yep, and without Pro-Bowl playmakers Dalton is not good enough. Need an elite defense, one more stud WR, and a stud RB. Just need an elite 3/4 of the team for Dalton to be consistent. Dalton's an ok QB and yes, he needs more but this team needs a top tier QB to get any, any consistency. I'm not holding my breath on the playmakers coming when this organization COMPLETELY ignores CRUCIAL positions like safety in the AFCN. And the beat goes on.

[cincyhokie]

So true, but in my mind its this whole coaching staff, including Gruden who had lost that awesome game plan he had to start the season! Sorry but plans the last 3 weeks have been horrible.

Really hard anymore to watch this team knowing Marvin is still here. This is his team his players the ones he wanted, yep and he still can't win with them. Still can't put back to back winning seasons toghter!

Nope. Sure can't. Marvin has maxed out his potential.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Marvin Lewis couldn't coach himself out of a wet paper bag.

[HoosierCat]

Need an elite defense, one more stud WR, and a stud RB. Just need an elite 3/4 of the team for Dalton to be consistent.

I wouldn't say that. Dalton doesn't need to be surrounded by all-pros, but it would help if he wasn't surrounded by garbage. BJGE came into this game ranked dead last -- 32nd -- in the league among RBs per football outsiders. Green is the only Bengals WR in the top 64 WRs; last year both he and Rome were. The only other Bengal WR who ranks is Binns and he's down about where Bubba finished last year.

Give Andy a legit No. 2 wideout who can take advantage of single coverage and an average RB and things would improve significantly. I had hopes that Marvin Jones could be the WR, but it looks like the injury bug bit him tonight. Hopefully it isn't serious.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Hate to say it...BUT...Dalton is VERY VERY limited. He's a middle of the pack QB at best. Against good defenses he is just not able to move the ball.

Dalton would be fine if he had any weapons, but there's Green and...nothing.

You guys can rail about the coaching all you want, but in the end the problem is a lack of talent. I spent the whole offseason pointing that out, and for my troubles was labeled a "hand wringer and a "panty buncher."

What the coaching staff does need to be canned for is thinking that guys like Tate and Binns were NFL caliber WRs, or that Still and Thompson could just plug right in for Frostee and Fanene with no loss, or that Taylor Mays belonged in an NFL uniform, or that they didn't need to draft a running back...and on and on. Add in the FO's usual incompetence in FA and this is what you get.

Green and Gresham and 5 other WR's aren't weapons? He has one of the top 3 WR's in the NFL! He's not very good right now, keep waiting for him to improve or grow, but he is regressing.

I agree with the rest, but this avoidance of Dalton's faults shouldn't be glossed over. He didn't make a single good throw the entire 2nd half. Can't have that.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Need an elite defense, one more stud WR, and a stud RB. Just need an elite 3/4 of the team for Dalton to be consistent.

I wouldn't say that. Dalton doesn't need to be surrounded by all-pros, but it would help if he wasn't surrounded by garbage. BJGE came into this game ranked dead last -- 32nd -- in the league among RBs per football outsiders. Green is the only Bengals WR in the top 64 WRs; last year both he and Rome were. The only other Bengal WR who ranks is Binns and he's down about where Bubba finished last year.

Give Andy a legit No. 2 wideout who can take advantage of single coverage and an average RB and things would improve significantly. I had hopes that Marvin Jones could be the WR, but it looks like the injury bug bit him tonight. Hopefully it isn't serious.

If I didn't see him turning the ball over, making poor decisions and bad throws constantly, along with 2-3 batted-down passes per game at the line, I would say a couple of offensive "skill" players would be the key. AJ makes him look good with his high throws and inaccuracy.

[volcom69]

Could this team use more talent sure, but so could alot of other NFL teams, but they find someway to win the games. How many times year in and year out has this team gone into halftime with the lead only to come out and blow it, I think alot! Other teams go in and adjust to what the bengals are doing, and the bengals can never figure out how to adjust to the other team. It shows last night, and the week before. I'm so freaking sick of this coaching not finding ways to adjust to the other team, it's there job and they fail week in and week out. I'm done with these coaches, blame talent all you want, and I agree they need more, but they also need coaches who can adjust to what other team is doing, and how to utilize the guys that are here, which they don't.

[ArmyBengal]

I don't even know where to start with this team. I'll give it a shot though.

Marvin Lewis, please just stop. Stop with your stupid comments, stop with you stupid challenges, stop with your stupid game time management. Come to think of it, just stop coaching. It's time to address the fact he sucks at it.

Gruden, please pull your head out of your ass and put a gameplan together that doesn't resemble the same sh*t this team was running when Bratkowski was here. WHERE THE F*CK IS THE WEST COAST OFFENSE ?? Does he even know what the hell that is ?? Is there a reason we didn't take any shots downfield with the Steelers secondary hurting ?? Polumalu is out and they take like one shot. Bet he won't be getting any head coaching gigs this coming offseason.

Zimmer, maybe you need to cuss more than you already do because your players have an inner core with the consistency of oatmeal. Soft and mushy. They can't stop the run, there is always someone left wide open running down the field, and exactly how long are we going to pretend that Maualuga deserves to be on the field ?? He never takes the right angle, can't shed a block, can't cover, and is found on his back more than a German whore in the red light district. Stop the stupidity.

Andy Dalton pisses me off. I know the ball just slipped out of your hand, happened to bounce off a players helmet and into the defensive players hands, but that's just the start. Stop staring down your WR's for Christ sake. Oh yeah, you know those big arms and hands of the defensive players you see up in the air when you drop back to pass ?? Don't throw the ball at them.

Jermaine Gresham ?? F*CK YOU...

Sorry, I just hate almost everything about this team right now. Almost everything. Burfict can stay.

I would like to adjust my projected record to 4-12, because they will be lucky to win one more.

Between their inability to execute, the way they are coached, and the schedule, I am dead serious.

[cincy9275]

all in all just not a good team period! coaches players the whole nine yards.

[volcom69]

Yep the team has fallen apart! Marvin Lewis manages to take a bright future, and ruin it! I agree Army Gruden promised alot before he got hired, and he is coaching like he is back in the UFL! First couple games he had some creativity, not so much anymore! I think this whole team needs a make over, all new coaches and let them decide whether Andy is good enough or not! Oh Burfict is my only bright spot.

[ArmyBengal]

Riddle me this, how up until almost the end of the game do Green and Hawkins only get thrown to 5 times total ??

Great game plan right there.

[COB]

and exactly how long are we going to pretend that Maualuga deserves to be on the field ?? He never takes the right angle, can't shed a block, can't cover, and is found on his back more than a German whore in the red light district. Stop the stupidity.

All Pittsburgh had to do was protect Ben long enough for a slot guy or a tight end to run over the middle. Rey was beat every, and I mean every, time. The middle of the field was open all night and they took advantage of it. Then when they got tired of doing that, they ran it right at Rey. He could usually be found 10 feet to one side or the other getting blocked as the running back blasted through the middle. Our safeties and corners had to take on their 240 lb back because Rey sucks so bad. I've got to believe that if Thomas Howard had not gotten hurt, we'd hardly be seeing Rey. I hope we never see him again.

Find someone on the street who wants to play and give it a try, show Rey the exit because he's as bad as it gets in the middle. His play is costing us games. Seriously, the confidence these teams gain through the game as they consistently punch us in the face up the middle is killing us.

[ArmyBengal]

Hopefully we can find another OLB next draft, move Burfict to the middle, and tell Maualuga to go f*ck himself.

You know, the same way he has f*cked this team. HARD...

[HoosierCat]

If I didn't see him turning the ball over, making poor decisions and bad throws constantly, along with 2-3 batted-down passes per game at the line, I would say a couple of offensive "skill" players would be the key. AJ makes him look good with his high throws and inaccuracy.

Dalton is the same guy we saw last year, good and bad. Two things have changed. One is that he has less talent around him than he did last year. The second is that defenses have figured out that the "mush rush" is effective against him.

I have been surprised this year at how well the offensive line has held up. We have a rookie, a second-year guy, a junk center added at the last minute and, last night, yet another rookie thrown into the action (Trevor Robinson). Yet while Dalton's taken some sacks he hasn't gotten pounded nearly as badly as I thought. Why finally came clear last night: defenses aren't really trying to get to Andy all that hard. What the are doing is hemming him in and getting their hands up. Since Dalton's not especially tall, they are successfully blocking his line of sight and getting their hands on passes. Gruden needs to do a better job scheming to counter this, but I have seen nothing from him this year.

[ArmyBengal]

I liked seeing Sanu in the backfield last night and then as soon as you saw them utilizing him:

POOF and he was gone. I don't why they don't keep trying to mix things up with players of his ability.

[cincyhokie]

I liked seeing Sanu in the backfield last night and then as soon as you saw them utilizing him:

POOF and he was gone. I don't why they don't keep trying to mix things up with players of his ability.

The Bengals are only allowed one change of pace, misdirection, or trick play per game. That's it. It must be the answer.

[Sea Ray]

You can make a case that a LB can't be much more productive than Burfict was last night. He was credited with 13 unassisted tackles. The 2nd best total on either team was 5.

/>http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012102110/2012/REG7/steelers@bengals#menu=highlights

[kingwilly]

You can make a case that a LB can't be much more productive than Burfict was last night. He was credited with 13 unassisted tackles. The 2nd best total on either team was 5.

/>http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012102110/2012/REG7/steelers@bengals#menu=highlights

Burfict was the lone shining spot on the field last night for Bengals. He is extremely talented. You could tell from his composure that he dislikes to lose ad that he really cares about the outcome. Same does not to appear from most of the others on the team.

He is so vastly superior to Rey M., they are not even in the same galaxy. Rey M needs to not play anymore. I honestly think Rey directly has cost this team two of their 4 losses. He is worthless.

Burfict is special.

[ArmyBengal]

I love Burfict and I love Atkins. There are others I like and then the rest.

[Scottishbengal]

all in all just not a good team period! coaches players the whole nine yards.

I'm raging ..... yet another poor television performance by Cincinnati .... i can't remember the last time we won a game that was televised over here.

Not sure I'll bother watching another Bengals game on tv .... why should i bother staying up til 4:30am and burning a days annual leave - just to witness mediocre displays and the painfully embarrassing 3rd and long situations being converted against us.

Raging so I am !!! :frustrated:

[ArmyBengal]

I don't think we will have to worry about getting many more sellouts, so that should free up my time on Sundays moving forward. To be honest, i'm thankful because I have a lot of projects I was wanting to get done before the winter.

Thanks for sucking Marvin !!!

[HoosierCat]

Just kicked my dog. Rey Maualuga might as well just leave town now. He can't play nfl football.

Maybe if his next deal is for league minimum with the jags and he's used as a wedge breaker on special teams, but more likely he gets a look next year and doesn't make it a season.

He's Ghuicec all over again. Attention Mike Brown: Don't draft any more players who's names I can't spell, because so far that s**t isn't working out.

OK, COB, now Mike Brown is just f*ckin' with you. The Bengals today tried out this guy, a running back originally drafted by Jax in the 6th round back in 2010:

Abdul-Gafar Olatokumbo Ayodeji Lamar "Deji" Karim

[kingwilly]

I love Burfict and I love Atkins. There are others I like and then the rest.

I think we can add Nelson, Johnson, Dunlap, Still and Thompson to the list. I'd really like to see what Kirkpatirck can do, too.

There is young talent but the guys who now needed to step up *cough* Rey Maulasucka *cough* don't.

f**king injuries, too. Sims, Howard, Leon Hall...