Bengals @ Chargers Game Thread

[ShulaSteakhouse]

8-4, SB caliber defense and ST's, solid running game, solid WR corps with great upside...the on-going drama is how much will their QB hold them back, or will he again. Without all those mistakes every week, Gruden's offense is "good enough" I think.

[volcom69]

In the second half Dalton was pretty good. It's almost like he dosnt know how to start a game as of late. They should really give him screens, and short passes to help him settle down.

I don't know about you guys but I hope they keep this O-Line going. I love that Collins was at tackle, Whit is a better guard. Hell even Pollack has looked good at Guard!

So in my opinion I know money is a big issue, but for the teams sake this is how the o-line should be!

[cincyhokie]

In the second half Dalton was pretty good. It's almost like he dosnt know how to start a game as of late. They should really give him screens, and short passes to help him settle down.

I don't know about you guys but I hope they keep this O-Line going. I love that Collins was at tackle, Whit is a better guard. Hell even Pollack has looked good at Guard!

So in my opinion I know money is a big issue, but for the teams sake this is how the o-line should be!

Whit being the team captain will have something to say about this. I bet if it helps the team he won't care.

[volcom69]

Marvin not very encouraged about Boling injury, could be an IR. That sucks, but I do like the o-line the way it is.

[HoosierCat]

I don't know about you guys but I hope they keep this O-Line going. I love that Collins was at tackle, Whit is a better guard. Hell even Pollack has looked good at Guard!

So in my opinion I know money is a big issue, but for the teams sake this is how the o-line should be!

They may not have a choice. Early word is that Boling's knee injury is serious and he may be headed to IR.

[volcom69]

In the second half Dalton was pretty good. It's almost like he dosnt know how to start a game as of late. They should really give him screens, and short passes to help him settle down.

I don't know about you guys but I hope they keep this O-Line going. I love that Collins was at tackle, Whit is a better guard. Hell even Pollack has looked good at Guard!

So in my opinion I know money is a big issue, but for the teams sake this is how the o-line should be!

Whit being the team captain will have something to say about this. I bet if it helps the team he won't care.

I doubt it, as long as he starts and helps this team. Today was the best I have seen him play. The way he was pulling today was awesome, blocking 10 yards down the field, I love it!

[gregcook68]

I think this was a huge win!! Four games left, 3 at home!!

Andy was 14/23, 190 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

He wasn't stellar, but he didn't need to be with the run game they had. 164 rushing yards.

We only had 3 penalties for 30 yards.

Yes we had the pick and the fumble, but we won the turnover war as our defense caused 3 turnovers for them.

For me, it was one of those wins where we had good, not great, but good play on both sides of the ball, and special teams!

What's nice about here, is I don't have to listen to posts from 20 members, saying the following:

"We won in spite of Dalton! He's still not a SB QB! 17 points isn't enough to win a playoff game! I still predict we will give the division away to the Ravens! etc etc etc"

Nice to be here guys! Thanks for the welcome!!

[TJJackson]

This latest development could pave the way to a nice contract for Collins

oh wait, he was headed for a nice contract anyway - I'm saying the contract would be HERE

oh, and....We won in spite of Dalton! He's still not a SB QB!

*dodges multiple objects thrown by GregCook*

[volcom69]

I think this was a huge win!! Four games left, 3 at home!!

Andy was 14/23, 190 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

He wasn't stellar, but he didn't need to be with the run game they had. 164 rushing yards.

We only had 3 penalties for 30 yards.

Yes we had the pick and the fumble, but we won the turnover war as our defense caused 3 turnovers for them.

For me, it was one of those wins where we had good, not great, but good play on both sides of the ball, and special teams!

What's nice about here, is I don't have to listen to posts from 20 members, saying the following:

"We won in spite of Dalton! He's still not a SB QB! 17 points isn't enough to win a playoff game! I still predict we will give the division away to the Ravens! etc etc etc"

Nice to be here guys! Thanks for the welcome!!

Heres the thing about Dalton in the last couple of weeks, he starts off so slow. Which is why I think they need to find a way to get him settled down, some screen passes, short boot leg passes, things like that. He comes out throwing high, and is off the mark on a lot of his throws.

The second half seems to be a different story, he is more accurate, and looks more comfortable. In this game he had a lot of time to throw the ball, which is why im surprised he didn't do better. I think they need to go back and look at Dalton on that hot streak, and figure out why he was, and try to do the same thing. Im hoping he gets on a hot streak this week, and goes into the playoffs playing that way.

[HoosierCat]

Random thoughts...

Andy was Average Andy, bad in the first half, good in the second. We saw something similar against the Browns. Key to stabilizing Dalton was getting the run going.

Lap was hammering on Gruden to run more all game, pointing to success on the first TD drive. He was right. But if we are going to pound the rock we can't fumble.

It gets forgotten that Whit was drafted as a left guard and only got moved over to LT after Levi Jones fell to pieces. He is still a better LG than LT. If I am the team I have to give keeping him there the rest of the way serious consideration, even if he is making 10 bills a year.

Sign Collins ASAP.

The unsung hero of this D is Wallace Gilberry.

Clearly the Chargers thought they could pick on Jones and they did. Nice strip by Dre. We need him to develop ASAP.

Still flashed on a few plays. Another good name to hear.

Did anyone else notice that Eifert and Alex Smith were lining up at FB? What happened to Hue's pet project Charles? And what happened to that O that wasn't going to use a FB on many plays?

Good point by gregcook68 about penalties. Clean game.

Does anyone else think Huber's ankle injury was an early April fools joke.

[gregcook68]

I think this was a huge win!! Four games left, 3 at home!!

Andy was 14/23, 190 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

He wasn't stellar, but he didn't need to be with the run game they had. 164 rushing yards.

We only had 3 penalties for 30 yards.

Yes we had the pick and the fumble, but we won the turnover war as our defense caused 3 turnovers for them.

For me, it was one of those wins where we had good, not great, but good play on both sides of the ball, and special teams!

What's nice about here, is I don't have to listen to posts from 20 members, saying the following:

"We won in spite of Dalton! He's still not a SB QB! 17 points isn't enough to win a playoff game! I still predict we will give the division away to the Ravens! etc etc etc"

Nice to be here guys! Thanks for the welcome!!

Heres the thing about Dalton in the last couple of weeks, he starts off so slow. Which is why I think they need to find a way to get him settled down, some screen passes, short boot leg passes, things like that. He comes out throwing high, and is off the mark on a lot of his throws.

The second half seems to be a different story, he is more accurate, and looks more comfortable. In this game he had a lot of time to throw the ball, which is why im surprised he didn't do better. I think they need to go back and look at Dalton on that hot streak, and figure out why he was, and try to do the same thing. Im hoping he gets on a hot streak this week, and goes into the playoffs playing that way.

There's not a thing here I don't agree with V. Spot on! What I'd like to see for the rest of the year, including and most importantly the playoffs, is the running game we saw today.

With that in place, Andy doesn't need to throw ball 30 or 40 times!! He threw it 24 today, because of that ground game.

The one thing I thing Andy could also improve on, is selling the play action better.

If they get a ground game like today, that play action passing would be brutal on the opposing defense. He really doesn't sell that very well!

[volcom69]

As was Burficts ankle......really with an ankle problem still got 13 tackles!

Yep keep Whit pulling from that Guard spot I love it

Keep Collins at LT, he looks good there.

Loved Lap getting on Gruden, and he should! Gruden has a play with Whit pulling and was working that whole drive, didn't use it again till the fourth quarter, and it worked again. Sometimes Gruden just needs to keep using plays that work.

We all said need better from Andy and they need to go back and find out what they did on that hot streak, and hope he gets back on that streak.

[gregcook68]

As was Burficts ankle......really with an ankle problem still got 13 tackles!

Yep keep Whit pulling from that Guard spot I love it

Keep Collins at LT, he looks good there.

Loved Lap getting on Gruden, and he should! Gruden has a play with Whit pulling and was working that whole drive, didn't use it again till the fourth quarter, and it worked again. Sometimes Gruden just needs to keep using plays that work.

We all said need better from Andy and they need to go back and find out what they did on that hot streak, and hope he gets back on that streak.

I said it before and I'll say it again V, I still don't understand this. They come out with the no huddle from the first play against the Jets and use it until they get so far ahead, the subs go in.

They score 35 offensive points with it, and never try it again from the get go.

Someone needs to explain to me why? Why not try it again until it proves otherwise????>

[Sea Ray]

In the second half Dalton was pretty good. It's almost like he dosnt know how to start a game as of late. They should really give him screens, and short passes to help him settle down.

I don't know about you guys but I hope they keep this O-Line going. I love that Collins was at tackle, Whit is a better guard. Hell even Pollack has looked good at Guard!

So in my opinion I know money is a big issue, but for the teams sake this is how the o-line should be!

I couldn't believe how quickly the line picked it up after Boling went out. Without a doubt, that line with Collins/Whit was better than the line we opened the game with. That was a powerful line and it addresses a key weakness of this team and that is weakness up the middle. The Boling injury was a blessing in disguise. An Andy Dalton led offense has to have a power run game. This bit about Andy throwing it 45-50 times a game has to stop

My thoughts exactly.

[ArmyBengal]

Collins shouldn't surprise anyone.

I made the comments before they signed Dre to the new deal that the team would feel comfortable having Collins in that spot.

As it turns out, they are also comfortable with him on the other side as well. There really isn't much else to discuss except how to keep him.

I agree with liking the lineup more when Whit slid inside. Get Zeitler back and Cook won't be such a liability.

Kudos to Pollak, who I think got the start at RG today.

Loved seeing the run today, but not loving the bad INT.

I still simply long to see a consistent offense.

[volcom69]

As was Burficts ankle......really with an ankle problem still got 13 tackles!

Yep keep Whit pulling from that Guard spot I love it

Keep Collins at LT, he looks good there.

Loved Lap getting on Gruden, and he should! Gruden has a play with Whit pulling and was working that whole drive, didn't use it again till the fourth quarter, and it worked again. Sometimes Gruden just needs to keep using plays that work.

We all said need better from Andy and they need to go back and find out what they did on that hot streak, and hope he gets back on that streak.

I said it before and I'll say it again V, I still don't understand this. They come out with the no huddle from the first play against the Jets and use it until they get so far ahead, the subs go in.

They score 35 offensive points with it, and never try it again from the get go.

Someone needs to explain to me why? Why not try it again until it proves otherwise????>

Yep I think sometimes they are afraid to stick with what works, and I don't understand it either.

[volcom69]

I also noticed Vinney Rey playing a lot of Nickle today, so I was happy to see that. I think after Rey M let that TD happen they took him out of the nickel package, Zim was pissed about that TD.

[gregcook68]

I also noticed Vinney Rey playing a lot of Nickle today, so I was happy to see that. I think after Rey M let that TD happen they took him out of the nickel package, Zim was pissed about that TD.

Did Harrison play today, and why was Smith on the bench at the start of the game?

[HoosierCat]

Collins shouldn't surprise anyone.

I made the comments before they signed Dre to the new deal that the team would feel comfortable having Collins in that spot.

On that note Collins started at RT today, not Moobs. After the game Marvin said it was a "coach's decision." Since I didn't see anything about him being hurt all week I can only assume he did something to land in Marvin's doghouse. No idea what tho.

[HoosierCat]

I also noticed Vinney Rey playing a lot of Nickle today, so I was happy to see that. I think after Rey M let that TD happen they took him out of the nickel package, Zim was pissed about that TD.

Did Harrison play today, and why was Smith on the bench at the start of the game?

Yeah, Harrison played, I think he got called for a penalty hitting Rivers.

[COB]

I saw Orson Charles in the game on kickoff coverage. Which these days means you run down to the 20 and stop because almost every kickoff is a touchback. Orson Charles is not a player. He's so versatile, he's useless.

[COB]

Dalton threw a few nice passes in the second half, that's all I can say. He got into his patented miss in the first half, throwing it like 8 feet too high. Hopefully Andy will feel compassionate and be the donor when AJ needs a new kidney in about ten years. And shouldn't that hit have been "defenseless receiver" type personal foul?

[kingwilly]

I'm happy for the win. Big to go west and come back with a victory.

Andy settled down and it looked like they adjusted to more short throws. Also, his protection was good (no sacks) and the run game was crushing.

One glaring mistake on D but that's gonna happen here and there. Rey M played well.

Huber had the punt of the year.

Whit moving inside looks excellent. If Zeitler can come back, this line looks like maybe the best part of the O.

Dalton does not read the play, seems to go after primary target despite others being open. I think that might be his issue. He's not finding open guys, just lock on and throw. That's a bad habit and hard to break.

[HoosierCat]

Dalton does not read the play, seems to go after primary target despite others being open. I think that might be his issue. He's not finding open guys, just lock on and throw. That's a bad habit and hard to break.

You're right, he isn't reading the play. But I don't think it's a habit, it's the system. Everything is based on the pre-snap read. It's not a post-snap progression system. He isn't looking at receivers post-snap, he's looking to see of the defense is doing what he thought it was pre-snap. And as long as it is he fires to the main guy. It's why he doesn't see open receivers and why he sometimes doesn't seem to see defenders. The upside is that it gets the ball out quick, compensating for our oline's shaky pass protection. The downside is missed opportunities and the occasional wtf toss right to a defender. I think it's also why Dalton is poor at improvising when things go south.

[Dimster28]

As was Burficts ankle......really with an ankle problem still got 13 tackles!

Yep keep Whit pulling from that Guard spot I love it

Keep Collins at LT, he looks good there.

Loved Lap getting on Gruden, and he should! Gruden has a play with Whit pulling and was working that whole drive, didn't use it again till the fourth quarter, and it worked again. Sometimes Gruden just needs to keep using plays that work.

We all said need better from Andy and they need to go back and find out what they did on that hot streak, and hope he gets back on that streak.

I said it before and I'll say it again V, I still don't understand this. They come out with the no huddle from the first play against the Jets and use it until they get so far ahead, the subs go in.

They score 35 offensive points with it, and never try it again from the get go.

Someone needs to explain to me why? Why not try it again until it proves otherwise????>

Yep I think sometimes they are afraid to stick with what works, and I don't understand it either.

well, if i was the coaches, i know my team can win without it, i would not use it and save it for playoff so my team can catch other team unprepared. instead of use it all time and have nothing for playoff when all team know what is coming and prepare well for it.