After Thoughts:Chargers vs Bengals Playoff Thread

[Kazkal]

Figure instead of multiple threads have a Hub for it all.

Anywho I've Been a Bengals fan since I was 7 Years old I'm 30 now,it would be easy for me to jump ship to another team being I've lived on the west coast my entire life but that's not who I am I will support the Bengals until the day I die...I had to work today and normally I can watch the game via work computer but our Internet was out and I had my Phone shut off today so Just to be able follow the game I had to barrow a friends phone (Iphones hate Adobe Flash!!!!) but I sat there 3 hours staring at a phone watching stats and play updates as my way to follow the game...This loss hurts and unfortunately well we may not see changes we want to see this year (Marvin 1 more year Dalton 1 more year) but I will continue to support them I will continue to hope for them because at the end of the day I love the franchise as craply as it may be ran and I love our Stripes....

Go Bengals 2014

[Scottishbengal]

Always been a staunch supporter and believed/trusted in the coaches, so maybe this is a bit of knee-jerk reaction following yesterdays display :-

Marvin at 0-5 in play-off games ... this is simply not good enough .. time to move aside or be fired, no room for sentiment, thanks for getting us to where we are but time to go.

Dalton - choked again when it mattered. Always thought he'd be good enough with a good team round him but I feel he IS a weak link. Not sure what the $$ would be to cut/trade him but time to draft a more competent QB. We have so much young talent on the Offense it'd be a dang waste to see it get old and under-achieve due to Dalton holding them back.

Gruden - leaves me scratching my head at times as he abandons a successful running game to endorse a poor passing game (not talking of last night but throughout the season). What happened to BJGE ? He was having succes pounding through the middle then all of a sudden Gio was taking that role.... Gio is excellent on the outside runs and is not the big, physical back that BJGE is .... WTF???

Gresham PM - PM meaning "penalty machine". He may have skill and potential but he can also be a liability. I'd not be unhappy to see him go as his flashes of positive contributio are often equated to flashes of negative contribution.

So, to sum up my afterthoughts:-

Get rid of Marvin, HC job to Zimmer.

Get rid of Gruden ... Hue Jackson to be OC and assistant HC if that's what he wants.

Trade Dalton & Gresham and draft replacements.

[membengal]

Marvin should be gone, and we should be looking for a new quarterback.

Neither of those will happen.

As down as I have ever been as a fan. Almost at the breaking point.

[volcom69]

Gruden sucks, I said it after last week and I'm saying it again he sucks and needs to leave. This isn't arena football!!!

Dalton can't be trusted, and the defense gave him everything the past years. Yesterday showed without a good defense, he presses so much, and can't make the throws. When times get bad he makes bad decisions, he is just not a smart enough QB. The defense was like a blanket for him, but when the bengals needed him the most he failed.

Marvin Lewis failed time after time when it counts, but yet he will stll be here. Suck being a fan of a team you just can't trust, or get excited about because they will just let us down!

[cincyhokie]

Marvin should be gone, and we should be looking for a new quarterback.

Neither of those will happen.

As down as I have ever been as a fan. Almost at the breaking point.

Man, me too. Walking home after the game I said, "It's not as bad as 2005." But actually it's worse and it feels worse.

This team is about to head into one of Marvin Lewis' down cycles and I don't think he's coming out of it. Sure he'll be let go, but not after he finishes his contract.

Looking at the schedule next season with the Broncos, Colts, Patriots, Panthers, Saints, and not far removed playoff teams like the Falcons and Texans...I don't think this team makes it past 8-8.

Honestly, I don't think this team comes back from this game. Sure once Dalton and Lewis are gone and there is a new QB, new coordiator, etc, there might be some promise but that's going to be in at least 3 years.

Dark days ahead.

[cincyhokie]

Gruden has to go. The more I think about it, the more I read the players quotes, the more I can see it. You cannot abandon the run, you cannot skimp on the running game being the planning focus, you cannot panic and throw your gameplan out the window.

This team is a top 10 in many categories on both sides of the ball. They are the better team, at home, man for man. They got out coached yesterday, plain and simple.

One more thing...Kyle Cook f**king sucks. That is all.

[volcom69]

Chargers knew what plays Gruden was going to call, that's what they told reporters. It was nothing they havnt seen before

[ArmyBengal]

Few things stand out to me.

1. Gruden should go right now.

2. Marvin simply can't take this team over the hump. He's great with evaluating talent, but he should be done coaching.

3. Dalton doesn't give me any type of optimism moving forward. He might be really good at times, but i'm not optimistic.

All of the above being said, the only thing i'm hopeful of seeing happen is Gruden leaving.

Marvin and Dalton both have one season remaining on their deals and will be here to play them out at a minimum.

Where does the team going with that being the case ??

I think you move Hue into the OC spot after firing Gruden and pray like hell that Zimmer doesn't get an offer and wants to stay.

See how next season turns out and (seriously) anything less than a Super Bowl appearance or a very close, well played loss in the AFC Championship game should result in Marvin and Dalton being gone.

Nothing really changes with what has been mentioned to this point in regards to what they do in the draft.

There are no glaring holes to be filled and they aren't going to draft a high round QB.

CB, O-line, D-line, and some others.

[skyline]

I'd like to see Gruden replaced.

Otherwise, I'm pretty optimistic. We have a young team with tons of talent that can only get better this offseason. Hopefully the injury bug can be avoided next season and we'll see development out of our young offensive weapons (Eifert in particular). I blame Gruden for not being able to manage the talent we have at TE better than we did.

Dalton's an easy target (and he certainly caused his share of problems), but we had breakdowns all over the place yesterday. Gio's fumble, clearly, was huge (and he also had the drop on an easy pass in the 2nd half). AJ's drop near the goalline in the 2nd half. An offensive line that gave up WAY too much pressure, which strongly contributed to Dalton's problems in the 2nd half.

And let's not leave out the defense. They looked exactly like I expected them to look after all the injuries. Not BAD, per se, but completely without any teeth at all. They did nothing to disrupt the flow of the game. They were completely manhandled by the Chargers' o-line all day long. Very little pressure on Rivers and no ability whatsoever to stop the running game.

Everyone's on notice next season. I'm looking forward to it.

[ArmyBengal]

Agree with that Skyline.

There was certainly a lot to go around.

Those turnovers are just brutal.

I don't like hearing that all of a sudden the injuries "just caught up with them".

I call bullsh*t on that excuse. Why ??

Because I was on here worrying about that very thing and they came out and played very well. They proved me wrong.

With nothing else changing, they play poorly in the most important game and NOW the injuries caught up with them ??

Nope, not buying that one.

Yeah, i'll be right back here next season along with everyone else who is frustrated beyond belief right now.

[skyline]

I don't like hearing that all of a sudden the injuries "just caught up with them".

I call bullsh*t on that excuse. Why ??

Because I was on here worrying about that very thing and they came out and played very well. They proved me wrong.

With nothing else changing, they play poorly in the most important game and NOW the injuries caught up with them ??

Oh, I agree. I'm not blaming the injuries. They simply played flat, uninspired football on D.

At the same time, let's credit the Chargers here. Their o-line play was fantastic. Perhaps Zimmer should have tried more stunts and blitzes to dirsupt them. Or better, our offense should have scored more points to force San Diego to take more risks.

Which leads me back to Gruden. When players for the Chargers come out in post-game and say that the Bengals O did absolutely nothing that surprised them? That they were completely predictable? With all of the talent that we have? That's a serious problem.

Give me someone with a proven track record calling plays in the NFL. Please.

[ArmyBengal]

Yep, I didn't like that they kept going back to Crocker bringing the blitz from the outside with 2 LB's crowding the line.

It worked once and then each time after that, Rivers simply audibled and made a nice play. Gotta mix that up.

Gruden is my biggest issue and while i'm not inspired by Dalton, I can't say who would replace him.

They have one more season to figure out where his head is at.

I like Marvin. I really do, but after 10 seasons and an 0-5 playoff record ??

Something has to give sooner or later.

[HoosierCat]

I think the injuries did catch up with them on the o-line. Remember the injury report from earlier in the week, it was almost the whole line plus our TEs. That really just developed in the last couple of weeks. And it showed up yesterday in pass protection: no one could really move. Melvin Ingram was in the backfield so much I though he was our new RB. The TD pass was a perfect example. Dalton drops back looking for Sanu over the middle. Sanu isn't open. So he looks to his outlet, Gresham, and delivers the throw. But even as his arm is in motion he is hit and slammed to the turf. Whole play took about three seconds and was nearly a sack-fumble. No QB would have been very successful behind our line yesterday.

[skyline]

I think the injuries did catch up with them on the o-line. Remember the injury report from earlier in the week, it was almost the whole line plus our TEs. That really just developed in the last couple of weeks. And it showed up yesterday in pass protection: no one could really move. Melvin Ingram was in the backfield so much I though he was our new RB. The TD pass was a perfect example. Dalton drops back looking for Sanu over the middle. Sanu isn't open. So he looks to his outlet, Gresham, and delivers the throw. But even as his arm is in motion he is hit and slammed to the turf. Whole play took about three seconds and was nearly a sack-fumble. No QB would have been very successful behind our line yesterday.

Yes, agree completely.

I was only referring to injuries on D.

[ArmyBengal]

I was only referring to the D as well, because that's how it was spun.

The o-line ?? Yeah, there were concerns there for sure.

Sacks and pressure all day. We know how that story ends.

[cincyhokie]

God, please, please take Gruden.

/>http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/06/report-redskins-wish-to-interview-mike-zimmer-jay-gruden/

[skyline]

God, please, please take Gruden.

http://profootballta...mer-jay-gruden/

Honestly, I don't see Zimmer and Snyder getting along too well.

[ArmyBengal]

"Hey Washington, Jay Gruden is an awesome coach and we don't know what we would do with out him."

Bye Gruden.

[cincyhokie]

Another thought on the game.

Can you imagine what kind of fallout, on every level, we'd be seeing if we lost to the Steelers?

Make no mistakes, they would have wiped the floor with this team.

[gregcook68]

Another thought on the game.

Can you imagine what kind of fallout, on every level, we'd be seeing if we lost to the Steelers?

Make no mistakes, they would have wiped the floor with this team.

I said it in here more than once cincy, that until we can start at least splitting with the Steelers and Ravens to contend for this division, a SB appearance is highly unlikely IMHO!

[Sea Ray]

Another thought on the game.

Can you imagine what kind of fallout, on every level, we'd be seeing if we lost to the Steelers?

Make no mistakes, they would have wiped the floor with this team.

I said it in here more than once cincy, that until we can start at least splitting with the Steelers and Ravens to contend for this division, a SB appearance is highly unlikely IMHO!

We did split with every team in our division. So what?

[gregcook68]

Another thought on the game.

Can you imagine what kind of fallout, on every level, we'd be seeing if we lost to the Steelers?

Make no mistakes, they would have wiped the floor with this team.

I said it in here more than once cincy, that until we can start at least splitting with the Steelers and Ravens to contend for this division, a SB appearance is highly unlikely IMHO!

We did split with every team in our division. So what?

On a consistent basis Sea! Year in, year out. Not just once every ten years or so.

That's what has made both of those teams playoff contenders. This is the first year since 1999 that BOTH have been out of the playoffs in the same year!

[ArmyBengal]

They split with each team in the division this season.

They need to play better on the road and in big games.

[Sea Ray]

They split with each team in the division this season.

They need to play better on the road and in big games.

Honestly it boils down to yesterday's game and we've known that the entire yr. We all were saying that in order to show improvement the team needed to win a playoff game. If they'd won yesterday, everything else this season would have been acceptable. Instead they looked like the only playoff team that wasn't prepared. Every other team looked OK this weekend.

[icehole3]

After cooling off and realizing Marvin, Andy and the rest of the coaches are here until they retire. My thoughts are they should use free agency and the draft on O Linemen and the pass rush. Hope and pray that Atkins comes back 100%. It would make no sense drafting another running back since he wont get used, WRs and TEs are set, if they draft anyone new he wont touch the field because Marvin believes guys should move up the totem pole. So just keep drafting for both lines. If they draft a CB he'll sit for 2 years, the same thing with a safety. So I'll be spending the next 4 months looking at linemen and pass rushers.