Mo Egger is bored with the Bengals

[cincyhokie]

Here's a classic blog entry from Mo Egger at ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati: Read the whole article here: http://www.espn1530.com/onair/mo-egger-9170/losers-13114852/

Here's the challenge for me:

To sit here and come up with a new spin on a recycled story, a fresh angle on something that went stale long ago.

To find new ways to say the same things.

To engage an audience in played-out storylines when we're already familiar with the final chapter.

Here's the challenge for you:

To find ways to trust the un-trust-able. To find ways to avoid succumbing to the numbness that comes with sameness. To find ways to continue caring.

Do we really need to dive into the details of yet another Bengals postseason loss? Fine. Here goes:

Playing without arguably their best player, the Bengals fell behind, fought with each other, and then fought back, only to collapse in a second half filled with offensive and defensive ineptitude. Andrew Luck delivered while Andy Dalton took a dump. And the Colts overcame what they didn't do and don't have while the Bengals simply did nothing.

Save the excuses. I know who the Bengals did and didn't have. I'm familiar with how much steeper an already uphill battle became the moment AJ Green was ruled out, and I can grasp the shortcomings of the guys the Bengals had to do battle with at Lucas Oil Stadium.

And I don't care. I don't think you do either.

Is further examination necessary? Are we really going to bore ourselves with another round of the January blame game? Aren't we at the point where the details, and the how and way seem so much less significant than the result?

The Bengals are stuck, mired in a place somewhere between mediocrity and greatness. They're pretty good. Better than many, not nearly as good as the ones that matter.

You'll hear a lot in the aftermath of the 24th consecutive NFL season without a Cincinnati postseason victory about how well-run and stable the Bengals are compared to many franchises around the league. Someone will undoubtedly point out how difficult it is to return to the playoffs every single season, as the Bengals have in each of the past four years. And surely someone will remind you that losing in January beats being out of it by November.

And all of that is well and good. Most of it is true. But we're no longer talking about this organization in terms of how they stack up against the league's - or the franchise's substandard. And we're no longer talking about the Bengals in regular season terms. What happens from September through December really doesn't matter.

Does it?

Read more: http://www.espn1530.com/onair/mo-egger-9170/losers-13114852/#ixzz3O0ttjD2H

[cincyhokie]

He's got a valid point. At some point words are just words. Preseason spin is just preseason spin.

You either do or you don't. You either change the narrative or suffer the consequences of living it.

He made a comment today on his show with Rocky Boiman saying the following:

"We're going to sit here exactly a year from now looking at 2 possible scenarios. One in which the Bengals have failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 5 years and questioning whether the head coach and quarterback will be back....or the second scenario where this team in entering the playoffs AGAIN looking at breaking an 0-6 postseason streak. Do you have faith that this head coach and this quarterback can win that game. I don't. I just don't."

The narrative is firmly in place and only one thing will change it. And that thing won't come for another year...and that, frankly, sucks.

[HoosierCat]

I'm sorry Mo is bored by his job. Maybe should find another?

[ArmyBengal]

If he's bored by the Bengals, then yes, he needs to find something else to do.

I'm a fan. While I may be angry (which i'm surprisingly not) or disappointed (which I am), i'm certainly not bored with the Bengals.

They have given me more to root for over the last 6 years than I can recall at ANY point in time through the 90's.

Maybe that's it. Maybe people forget how miserable it was to try to be a fan of the Bengals when they were considered the worst for so long.

I get it, they want more from them. They want a playoff win and more. Hell, what fan doesn't ?? They want them to be thought of in the same way the Seahawks, Broncos, and Patriots are. I was watching the local news last night and they had some random fan, who was saying how she was just so done with the Bengals and Marvin Lewis and how she was basically done with them. To that I say, whatever. That's a choice every fan can make, but for someone to suggest this is boring, I just can't get behind that.

Why be all up in arms ??

I reminds me of a Motley Crue song:

"Girl, don't go away mad. Girl, just go away."

Yes, i'm an 80's hair band fan....

[gregcook68]

Just another opinion. Right or wrong it isn't going to change anything. Brown will do what he thinks is best for his team, right or wrong. I agree with Cat. Mo has two choices; Suck it up or apply in New England, Seattle, or Green Bay.

[cincyhokie]

Well, if you read the article you might be able to see his point about the staleness of the discussion, not necessarily the team. I get that. I might have mis-titled the thread.

[gregcook68]

There haven't been any reports of anyone jumping off the Cincy/KY bridge have there?

I was just browsing in the Bengals website forum for some early morning entertainment. Quite a cast of characters over there!

[ArmyBengal]

Well, if you read the article you might be able to see his point about the staleness of the discussion, not necessarily the team. I get that. I might have mis-titled the thread.

Read the article ?? C'mon. It's much more enjoyable to totally speculate about whatever the contents may be and go apesh*t crazy.

It may be a stale discussion, but what are the alternatives to what we now deal with on an annual basis ??

I'll agree with the argument that i'd rather see this team playing in January as opposed to be out of it in November.

I found nothing more deflating as a fan, than to be talking about our high pick in the draft before November ended.

What happens from September to December matters greatly. If they don't play well, people won't be able to bitch about losing a playoff game.

I do get the point he's trying to make, I just don't think I can buy off on it. Seems kinds of defeatist to me.

[ArmyBengal]

Let me address some of what he mentioned, in my own opinion of course.

Do I care what the coaches have to say ?? Well, I liked hearing Geunther calling out our "superstar" Atkins. That kind of talk was not found around here too often in recent years. However, no, I don't really care what Marvin has to say, but when has he ever said anything memorable ??

No, I don't care what the players say about Andy Dalton. I know what he is for better or worse and know he's going to be here at least through the 2015 season. Does it matter to me what ANYONE says about him, let alone the players ?? Not really.

Do I care right now who the Bengals draft ?? HELL YEAH I do !!! That's the one place fans who are so tired of the same old same old can turn do when looking for hope that the team makes a playoff run. It's where fans of teams that finished 2-14 look in the hopes their team can get to 8-8 the following year and then build from there. The draft IS hope for fans and yes, I care. We've already spent much time discussing it on this very forum.

We've discussed roster moves, who they should bring in for free agency, and how players (Gio) should be utilized within the scheme they run. I think fans DO care about all of that stuff regardless of the outcome of the season. Do I care to discuss if Dalton can win a playoff game ?? Only about as much as I care to discuss if the rest of the team wants to show up in a playoff game.

Does anything the Bengals do outside of a playoff victory matter ?? Why should we trust there to be different results ?? Are the discussions going to be any different heading into the 2015 season than they were heading into this season ?? To that I simply ask, are you a fan of football ?? The team seems irrelevant to me. Are you a fan ?? If so, then what the team does will always matter. Do I worry about things being different or what the discussion might be ?? Not really. I'm a fan and there are things I simply acknowledge are part of being a fan.

Does anyone think other teams fans have different conversations than Bengals fans ?? Is the football experience somehow different for us ??

I don't think so and I don't think any of it is so overwhelmingly important in the grand scheme of things to really matter.

I'll just enjoy being a fan and the experiences i've had with my father in going to games and doing the same with my kids.

Maybe it's perspective. I don't know.

[gregcook68]

Let me address some of what he mentioned, in my own opinion of course.

Do I care what the coaches have to say ?? Well, I liked hearing Geunther calling out our "superstar" Atkins. That kind of talk was not found around here too often in recent years. However, no, I don't really care what Marvin has to say, but when has he ever said anything memorable ??

No, I don't care what the players say about Andy Dalton. I know what he is for better or worse and know he's going to be here at least through the 2015 season. Does it matter to me what ANYONE says about him, let alone the players ?? Not really.

Do I care right now who the Bengals draft ?? HELL YEAH I do !!! That's the one place fans who are so tired of the same old same old can turn do when looking for hope that the team makes a playoff run. It's where fans of teams that finished 2-14 look in the hopes their team can get to 8-8 the following year and then build from there. The draft IS hope for fans and yes, I care. We've already spent much time discussing it on this very forum.

We've discussed roster moves, who they should bring in for free agency, and how players (Gio) should be utilized within the scheme they run. I think fans DO care about all of that stuff regardless of the outcome of the season. Do I care to discuss if Dalton can win a playoff game ?? Only about as much as I care to discuss if the rest of the team wants to show up in a playoff game.

Does anything the Bengals do outside of a playoff victory matter ?? Why should we trust there to be different results ?? Are the discussions going to be any different heading into the 2015 season than they were heading into this season ?? To that I simply ask, are you a fan of football ?? The team seems irrelevant to me. Are you a fan ?? If so, then what the team does will always matter. Do I worry about things being different or what the discussion might be ?? Not really. I'm a fan and there are things I simply acknowledge are part of being a fan.

Does anyone think other teams fans have different conversations than Bengals fans ?? Is the football experience somehow different for us ??

I don't think so and I don't think any of it is so overwhelmingly important in the grand scheme of things to really matter.

I'll just enjoy being a fan and the experiences i've had with my father in going to games and doing the same with my kids.

Maybe it's perspective. I don't know.

Yes

[HoosierCat]

Well, if you read the article you might be able to see his point about the staleness of the discussion, not necessarily the team. I get that. I might have mis-titled the thread.

No, I think you hit the nail on the head. Speaking as the journalist I once was, when someone starts talking like this about the subject they are paid to cover, it's generally time to move on. If that isn't an option (and for many, if not most, people just picking up and leaving isn't) then he's got two choices: one, find something different (like other sports) to talk about and let the Bengals lie fallow and regenerate for a while. Or two, quit bemoaning his fate, suck it up, and find other stuff to write about than the playoff loss.

Again, note that this is directed at Mo from a professional viewpoint. As to whether the discussion is actually stale, that depends on the people having the conversation. If you're of the mindset that all that matters is Dalton and/or Marvin and/or Mikey and nothing else matters because we can't win while some or all of them are around, well, yeah, the discussion is going to get stale pretty quick. It also tends to turn sour and get angry and personal and insulting. You can find plenty of examples around the Bengals-o-sphere.

On the other hand, if you're willing to consider that there may be other issues than the Big Three (and maybe even ones that are more important than those usual suspects, maybe not) and other things that need to be addressed going forward, then there's lots of room for discussion. There's been lots of talk like that around here over the last couple days and it's been pretty good, right? I say we keep it up, whether Mo is bored or not.

[cincyhokie]

Well, if you read the article you might be able to see his point about the staleness of the discussion, not necessarily the team. I get that. I might have mis-titled the thread.

No, I think you hit the nail on the head. Speaking as the journalist I once was, when someone starts talking like this about the subject they are paid to cover, it's generally time to move on. If that isn't an option (and for many, if not most, people just picking up and leaving isn't) then he's got two choices: one, find something different (like other sports) to talk about and let the Bengals lie fallow and regenerate for a while. Or two, quit bemoaning his fate, suck it up, and find other stuff to write about than the playoff loss.

Again, note that this is directed at Mo from a professional viewpoint. As to whether the discussion is actually stale, that depends on the people having the conversation. If you're of the mindset that all that matters is Dalton and/or Marvin and/or Mikey and nothing else matters because we can't win while some or all of them are around, well, yeah, the discussion is going to get stale pretty quick. It also tends to turn sour and get angry and personal and insulting. You can find plenty of examples around the Bengals-o-sphere.

On the other hand, if you're willing to consider that there may be other issues than the Big Three (and maybe even ones that are more important than those usual suspects, maybe not) and other things that need to be addressed going forward, then there's lots of room for discussion. There's been lots of talk like that around here over the last couple days and it's been pretty good, right? I say we keep it up, whether Mo is bored or not. :cheers:/>/>

I wonder if a lot of it is that he has to deal with the staleness of the generated content by the callers. Who doesn't get tired of talking about Dalton and Lewis?

Me personally? I'll be really interested in FA and see if it matches Guenther's words and threats. I'll go from there. The draft? Maybe it's a ways away but it doesn't excite me.

There's a lot to the situation or the context of where the team is, it seems. An up and coming team that's 8-8 with a promising QB and a team that hasn't made the playoffs in several years is exciting to the fan base.

A team that looks like it's maintaining the status quo is subject to fan disengagement. That's just the way it goes. Change is good. Will the offseason bring newness in the way of significant player changes? We'll see.

[ArmyBengal]

I can see that Hokie. If a fan really isn't into the draft, the offseason probably seems hellish.

Like I said though, i'm just not that person as most already know here.

I love everything about the offseason. The combine, free agency, pro days, the draft, OTA's, mini camps, camp, preseason, regular season, etc.

Football just never ends and I like it that way. If nothing else, the offseason is a way for me to purge the disappointment.

31 of 32 teams end the season disappointed, so the odds aren't in our favor.

[HoosierCat]

It comes down to whether you're a diner or a cook. A cook enjoys the whole process of making a meal, a diner just wants a good plate of food at the end.

Right now, the conversation is being led by the diners because the food was just served, and while it was better than average it wasn't the five-star plate they wanted.

It will be time to start cooking again soon, and I'm always ready for that.

[cincyhokie]

Spice that shit up. I'm all about cooking but don't serve me Bob Evans and tell me it's 4 star quality.

Sure Bob Evans is pretty damn good but I don't want to eat it all the time.

Show me something new. Show me some change. Free agency is a chance to begin to change the narrative. Let's see what happens.

[redsbengalsbucks]

Spice that shit up. I'm all about cooking but don't serve me Bob Evans and tell me it's 4 star quality.

Sure Bob Evans is pretty damn good but I don't want to eat it all the time.

Show me something new. Show me some change. Free agency is a chance to begin to change the narrative. Let's see what happens.

Something new is always nice. I recently was able to enjoy a big fresh bowl of Coos Bay, OR steamed clams. Right off the boat at a nice little Restaurant on the coast. Wish I had some right now.

[skyline]

I'm sorry Mo is bored by his job. Maybe should find another?

I wish he would. I'm bored with Mo Egger, personally.

He needs to start taking calls and he needs a co-host. I tune in only to hear Mo ramble for 15 minutes on a random topic. When he's done, I'm never really sure if he's said anything at all. You can basically just take his first sentence, reword it in as many ways as humanly possible for 15 minutes, and BAM. You've got the Mo Egger routine.

[cincyhokie]

I'm sorry Mo is bored by his job. Maybe should find another?

I wish he would. I'm bored with Mo Egger, personally.

He needs to start taking calls and he needs a co-host. I tune in only to hear Mo ramble for 15 minutes on a random topic. When he's done, I'm never really sure if he's said anything at all. You can basically just take his first sentence, reword it in as many ways as humanly possible for 15 minutes, and BAM. You've got the Mo Egger routine.

Agreed. He's much, much better with a co-host. A lot of times I can't stand the endless ranting. I turn him off too.