Random Thoughts About the Season w/ Nowhere Else to put them...

[AMPHAR]

2 hours ago, membengal said:

The defensive line play across the board completely caught me off guard. Especially when Ossai went down. I had bought into the narrative that Hendrickson was a compiler and needed help. I’ve never been so led astray by the various NFL talking heads about a player than I was on him. He brings genuine pressures on his own with his own array of moves. We were totally not told about that. If you had told me back two days before week 1 that he would set the non-Coy Bacon team record for sacks with. 14 I would have thought you loony.

I am surprised by Hendrickson's pass rush ability.   He simply beats the tackles several times a game getting hits, pressures,  causing holds.    Has to be the most consistent Bengal pass rusher I've watched as a fan.

I don't think he got a sack vs. KC but that was more a function of Mahomes scrambling.  He was getting pressure.   

 

 

 

[AMPHAR]

1 hour ago, ArmyBengal said:

I really don't think there's an above average RT in this draft class from what I have been reviewing.
Some may have had time there, but not considered their natural spot or didn't play the position consistently.
Those that have had the consistency at the position aren't really considered to be above average athletes.
I cannot say for sure that any draft eligible RT is going to be better than what we currently have on the roster.
With that being my thought process (at this time) I don't want anything to do with a RT in the early rounds.

 Kinnard from Kentucky is one to keep an eye on.  He'll be a the Senior Bowl and that will be 1 prospect to review to see after they test, measure etc where they think he fits.

Has a bunch of SEC snaps at LT and RT.    As always arm length will be the big measurement on whether or not he projects as tackle or guard.

Would not be surprised to see him shoot up after the Senior Bowl.

[HoosierCat]

As important as improvements in-house were, I can also think of a couple things completely beyond their control that contributed to the Bengals' success this season.

The first was covid. Specifically, the covid-induced elimination of fans from games in 2020, which led to very tight cap space around the league in free agency last March. This created an opportunity for the Bengals to get some players who normally would have found bigger or longer-term deals elsewhere. To their credit, the Bengals took advantage of that opportunity, even breaking some of their usual rules to do so, so kudos. But cap space is set to explode again this year. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the return to normalcy.

The second was the rest of the division. Every other AFCN team regressed this season. In some cases it was due to injury (Baltimore). In others, a vet QB finally ran out of gas (Pittsburgh). Still others are Cleveland, which needs no particular cause to suck, it just comes naturally. Their two biggest blowout wins this year came against Pitt (+31) and Balti (+24) and only the hapless Lions got in the way of that being three of the top three. At worst they finish 4-2 in the North after this weekend's preseason tilt. That's their best division record since 2015. How long it takes for each team to bounce back will be something to watch. My gut says it might take Pitt a while and god only knows what follies are yet to come in Cleveland.

[membengal]

1 hour ago, Stripes said:

Returning to the random thoughts about the 2021 Bengals:

I've been thinking a lot about Zac Taylor (and Anarumo et al). We've already heard numerous times this year that many of us might need to eat crow and/or apologize for our pitchfork rage before the season, and I have generally kept quiet about that. I wanted to let things play out first. Well, here we are with a division title and at the very least a home playoff game. This comes with some important implications:

1) This is absolute proof that it is perfectly possible for a Mike Brown owned team, or more generally a post-Paul Brown family owned team, to produce a successful NFL season without the involvement of Marvin Lewis. That might not sound like much, but it has to mean something. This regime is now squarely separated from Shula, Coslet, and LeBeau. Any further references to the '90s or early '00s when discussing the merits of this staff are just inexcusable trash from this point forward. Period. We shouldn't let that stand whenever we see it (which thankfully isn't frequent here, but it happens often on other forums).

2) We can reasonably wonder about how much credit Zac should receive when it's so clear that a giant portion of the good vibes follow in the wake of Joe Burrow. Still, that is on its own power a pretty weak argument against Taylor and demands a deeper dive. Is Zac Taylor any good? I think we knew when this thing got started that it was going to come with growing pains. Rookie quarterbacks throw interceptions and take sacks. Rookie head coaches, especially those jumping straight from the quarterback room, are going to eat shit sometimes and have to grow into the job. Most NFL franchises aren't even willing to try that, and I can understand why. There's no guarantee that boy wonder is going to get over those growing pains and amount to anything good, so it can easily end up being 2-3 years wasted. So we have to consider then whether or not Taylor has truly improved. Is there evidence of that? I believe there is. His game plans, while sometimes seeming a bit nebulous or bizarre, have produced the #5 offense in the league. The only game this season where I found myself really frustrated with the plan was in Chicago. Otherwise, even in losing efforts, I wouldn't say I thought the entire offensive strategy was misguided or beyond understanding. As the season has progressed, Burrow has become more comfortable post-injury (and as he has grown himself), the game planning and play-calling have legitimately made a lot of sense to me. This isn't just an offense that has been completely Burrow-reliant either. Taylor has been criticized by national outlets for running the ball too much, rightly or wrongly -- but he has absolutely built (with the aid of Frank Pollack) a viable running attack that has won games. This offense brings a diverse array of possibilities that cannot be easy to plan for, and Taylor needs his share of credit for that. He is a better head coach now than he was a year ago.

3) The free agents we have brought in the past two offseasons have said, almost to a man, that a major motivator for their decision to join the Bengals was that they were impressed by Zac Taylor. A lot of folks are inclined to pooh-pooh that as the things anyone would say when getting a new job, but I don't think that's fair or even true. I tend to believe them for the most part when they say that. So if Taylor has this skill in recruiting free agents and the front office continues to be willing to spend accordingly, then the sky is the limit when it comes to roster building moving forward. The Joe Burrow allure has already helped us attract key names. Imagine then, how that effect can blossom on the heels of a division title and a season in which Burrow's name is tossed around in MVP conversations. Now, instead of free agents merely being drawn by the opportunity to play with college superstar Joe Burrow, they may be drawn by the notion that "I can win a Super Bowl here". Who knows how true that statement would be, but you better believe it will be a part of the thought process. This doesn't necessarily mean that another free agent superwave is coming, but it bodes well. And Zac Taylor has been key in forging that culture.

This isn't all to say that Zac Taylor is a great NFL head coach right now. I don't know that. I still am not really clear on how good he is. But I do think there are legitimate reasons for optimism that extend beyond just the team is 10-6 right now.

good god, great stuff. Thanks Stripes, for the effort to organize and share the thoughts. I am gonna chew on all that. Point one CANNOT be emphasized enough, by the way.

[ArmyBengal]

Regarding Zac Taylor, I didn't really make many comments regarding his abilities as a coach.
There was simply too little to go on and his time here was such a small sample size and included a terrible injury to Burrow.

That being said, there were times that have made me question things, but again, I think that was to be expected.
He's being given time and resources to be a successful coach and we have seen improvement.
While it's fair to still question things, we have gotten what we hoped for at this point and I would argue far more.

Gone (seemingly) are the days of Veterans having a lock on starting roles and youngsters having to wait until the end of their rookie contract to see playing time.  Gone are the terribly poor character risk guys that consistently got every opportunity x10 to make this roster.  Gone are the stupid ass attempts at motivation and say nothing interviews at every given chance when Marvin spoke.  Bad contracts are no longer handed out like candy to aging players that have passed their productive value. No more fostering poor organizational culture and a need to be a father figure to players with two cent heads from the coach.

In his third season he has seen his team go from worst in the league to AFC North champions.
Does this mean he's the next HOF coaching candidate ??  No, but as a fan, I am pleased at this point.
He IS a coach of the year candidate and that cannot be understated when considering where most had us pegged for 2021.

 

[membengal]

Stripes with the great point that ZT was selling a vision (successfully) to FAs the last few years and getting buy-in without results. That has to mean...something. Because NOW that the results have arrived, the sales job should be so much easier. I just feel like ZT has grown in the all the ways as a head coach that you would want someone to grow. He had to oversee an almost complete overhaul of the roster, for godssake. That is not easy...

[AMPHAR]

MVP Burrow 2021.   Unlikely he'll get it.    Its still important to get his name out there this year so it plants a seed next year (2022).   

[HoosierCat]

I'm not going to play the Taylor versus Lewis game except to note that the two of them were/are, by all appearances, operating under different front office constraints. As Mike Brown remarked, Marvin had one vote and he had two. However, it seems this time the doddering old fogey has finally actually handed off his votes to his daughter, and she and Tobin have gone to bat in support of Taylor on levels never seen before.

In fact, I might go as far to say that the relationship between the FO and the head coach right now is the best we've ever seen in Cincy. Historically the FO's relationship with its head coaches, no matter their success, has been at best...umm, shall we say, delicate?...and at worst downright fractious (see Wyche, Sam).

[ArmyBengal]

Again, I'm not suggesting Taylor is going to end up in the Hall of Fame however, fuck Marvin Lewis.
I was so sick of his shit I couldn't stand it.

[HoosierCat]

I hear ya. I think the best thing to do right now is just enjoy the moment. These times don't seem to come around all that often for us and there's no guarantee they will any time soon again. I remember being just as fired up as I am now back in 2005, and it turned out that instead of the start of a dynasty it was the peak of Palmer era. Womp womp. So after next Sunday's battle of the backups, I'm going to load up on booze, pile my ass aboard the playoff express, and see which packs it in first, the Bengals' luck or my liver. Who Dey!

[AMPHAR]

Marvin/Tobin built great rosters.    Just couldn't get it done and with the league built for parity there's only so much time you spend at the table.

 

[ArmyBengal]

Oh I remember 2005 and how disappointing it all turned out.
It was the last time I was as excited about this team as I am at this moment.
I have a decent bottle waiting on me and I believe you and I may be on the same trip.

[101Airborne]

Here are my random thoughts for the season so far:

"Fuck me, another losing season. Guess I'll drink a fifth every game and pretend to die of alcohol poisoning on the couch until my wife pokes me with the broom and tells me to sweep up all the snack dust in the kitchen."

"Hey, look at that. Preseason shit. Who Dey and such. We totally won the preseason super bowl against the Bucs."

"Yay, 1-0. Glad to be able to say we didn't have a losing record the whole season. Guess I'll drink extra to celebrate."

"Da Bears. Guess my celebrating was premature. Here's to beating the Steelers next week or punishing my liver like I want to punish Zac Taylor's face."

"24 to 10, heh. Suck it, chumps. I know the wife is asking at work if she's going to come home to a pissed off husband who's going to pout all evening. Lucky her the Steelers suck!"

"Welp, lost to Cracksonville, worst team in the league. Time to go back to watching Football anime. What's that, there's a second half in a football game?"

"Welp, lost to A-Aron and the Pack. I'm so shocked I could fall over and die. Wonder if the wife will bring me another beer or tell me if I want another one, to get up off my ass and go get it myself. Least my daughter will cheer me up."

"Hey, another win. One more of these and we'll be incrementally better than last season! Who Dey think gonna something, something, beer and pretzels."

"Jesus, that was actually impressive. Maybe Zacchy boy can get us to like, 8-9 this season. Time to kiss the wife!"

"Fuckkin fuck fuck FUUUUCK!"

"Good damned mother fucking Browns. Okay, well, my football calculous says that we can and will win and lose against absolutely anyone. What a talented bunch of losers. We've seen this show before and I hate the ending."

"I hate the fuckkin Radiers and all that 'bad boy' shit they used to represent. Oh wait, that was like, 30 years ago. Wait, how old am I now? Good thing my wife looks like she's 20 years younger than me! I should reward myself with alcohol."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Eat it Steeler fucks! Swept! Rot in hell Worthlesberger you perennial dickhead! I'm gonna call my brother in law and rub it in his face! C'mon, answer the phone so I can make fun of you. Amber! Put your husband on the phone so I can make fun of him! He's too pissed to take the call? Then tell him he's a bitch and give him my love."

"Alright, no one we can't beat... except all the guys we lost to. Including these guys. Godamnit!"

"Great, 7-6. Maybe we land on 8-9 and miss the playoffs again? Maybe I shoot myself instead? Let's flip a coin and find out!"

"Hey! I'll take that shitty ass win. Maybe we land on 9-8 and barely make the playoffs this year? Maybe I drink this 8oz glass of vodka straight up instead? Let's flip a coin and find out!"

"Hahahhaha eat it you Baltimore bastards! So much for the AFCN lead, eh fuckers? We're number 1! This beer is number 12!"

"Hooooooooly shit! Now THAT was some fucking football! Zac Taylor if you were my wife I'd kiss you! I don't know if you have balls of steel or brains of a lizard but that dumb ass shit worked! I want to talk to another Bengals fan! But where to find one in Ohio? Wasn't there some on that message board I used to post on? The fuck was my password again? Oh hey, remembered first try! I'm sure they'll remember me, I mean I last posted in.... 2014? Wait what? How old am I again? What year is it?"

"Bengals vs. Browns, both teams are playing whoever they could find in the ticket lines or cleaning the floors. This should be an epic contest to remember."

And my latest thoughts on the season were, "Huh, a thread about our random thoughts. I should post something insightful, full of pertinent statistics breaking down my intricate considerations for each game so far and where the team is headed next... or, OOOORRRRR, I could drink more whiskey and shitpost instead. Fuck yeah!" 

Feel free to ban me. 

[HoosierCat]

Ban you? For that I could kiss you, but it’s seven in the morning and I haven’t had enough vodka yet!

[AMPHAR]

7 hours ago, 101Airborne said:

Here are my random thoughts for the season so far:

"Fuck me, another losing season. Guess I'll drink a fifth every game and pretend to die of alcohol poisoning on the couch until my wife pokes me with the broom and tells me to sweep up all the snack dust in the kitchen."

"Hey, look at that. Preseason shit. Who Dey and such. We totally won the preseason super bowl against the Bucs."

"Yay, 1-0. Glad to be able to say we didn't have a losing record the whole season. Guess I'll drink extra to celebrate."

"Da Bears. Guess my celebrating was premature. Here's to beating the Steelers next week or punishing my liver like I want to punish Zac Taylor's face."

"24 to 10, heh. Suck it, chumps. I know the wife is asking at work if she's going to come home to a pissed off husband who's going to pout all evening. Lucky her the Steelers suck!"

"Welp, lost to Cracksonville, worst team in the league. Time to go back to watching Football anime. What's that, there's a second half in a football game?"

"Welp, lost to A-Aron and the Pack. I'm so shocked I could fall over and die. Wonder if the wife will bring me another beer or tell me if I want another one, to get up off my ass and go get it myself. Least my daughter will cheer me up."

"Hey, another win. One more of these and we'll be incrementally better than last season! Who Dey think gonna something, something, beer and pretzels."

"Jesus, that was actually impressive. Maybe Zacchy boy can get us to like, 8-9 this season. Time to kiss the wife!"

"Fuckkin fuck fuck FUUUUCK!"

"Good damned mother fucking Browns. Okay, well, my football calculous says that we can and will win and lose against absolutely anyone. What a talented bunch of losers. We've seen this show before and I hate the ending."

"I hate the fuckkin Radiers and all that 'bad boy' shit they used to represent. Oh wait, that was like, 30 years ago. Wait, how old am I now? Good thing my wife looks like she's 20 years younger than me! I should reward myself with alcohol."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Eat it Steeler fucks! Swept! Rot in hell Worthlesberger you perennial dickhead! I'm gonna call my brother in law and rub it in his face! C'mon, answer the phone so I can make fun of you. Amber! Put your husband on the phone so I can make fun of him! He's too pissed to take the call? Then tell him he's a bitch and give him my love."

"Alright, no one we can't beat... except all the guys we lost to. Including these guys. Godamnit!"

"Great, 7-6. Maybe we land on 8-9 and miss the playoffs again? Maybe I shoot myself instead? Let's flip a coin and find out!"

"Hey! I'll take that shitty ass win. Maybe we land on 9-8 and barely make the playoffs this year? Maybe I drink this 8oz glass of vodka straight up instead? Let's flip a coin and find out!"

"Hahahhaha eat it you Baltimore bastards! So much for the AFCN lead, eh fuckers? We're number 1! This beer is number 12!"

"Hooooooooly shit! Now THAT was some fucking football! Zac Taylor if you were my wife I'd kiss you! I don't know if you have balls of steel or brains of a lizard but that dumb ass shit worked! I want to talk to another Bengals fan! But where to find one in Ohio? Wasn't there some on that message board I used to post on? The fuck was my password again? Oh hey, remembered first try! I'm sure they'll remember me, I mean I last posted in.... 2014? Wait what? How old am I again? What year is it?"

"Bengals vs. Browns, both teams are playing whoever they could find in the ticket lines or cleaning the floors. This should be an epic contest to remember."

And my latest thoughts on the season were, "Huh, a thread about our random thoughts. I should post something insightful, full of pertinent statistics breaking down my intricate considerations for each game so far and where the team is headed next... or, OOOORRRRR, I could drink more whiskey and shitpost instead. Fuck yeah!" 

Feel free to ban me. 

The emotional swings everyone experiences with this team!

[ArmyBengal]

101, you had me looking back on the season after reading that.  Trying to remember how I took those games week in and week out.

Vikings-  Went to that game and when Burrow hit Chase, my son and I exploded.  Then the rookie with the kick for the win. HAPPY !!
@Bears- WHAT. THE. FUCK !?!?  Nothing more.  PISSED !!
@Steelers- Did we just kick the shit out of the Steelers ??  Didn't see that coming.  HAPPY !!
Jaguars- Went to that game and down 14 at halftime.  Then Burrow happened.  That was the game for me.  Something was different.
Packers- Went to that game thinking we could win.  Should have won.  Didn't win, but we hung.  KINDA PISSED !!
@Lions- Win. Duh. HAPPY !!
@Ravens-  There it is again.  What I felt during the Jags game.  In Baltimore? Suck it Ravens.  HAPPY !!
@Jets- HOLY SHIT ME TO TEARS.  The Jets ?!?!  What a letdown.  PISSED !!
Browns- Jesus help us.  What the hell is going on with this team ??  SUPER PISSED !!
@Raiders- Did our rookie kicker really hit three 50 yard FG's in that game and we won on the west coast ??  HAPPY AGAIN !!
Steelers- We not only kicked the dogshit out of the Steelers, we swept them for the season.  FUCKIN' FUCK YEAH HAPPY !!
Chargers- Went to that game and then Mixon NOOOOOOOO !!  PISSED !!
49er's- FUCK YOU 49er's.Damn it Bengals.  Did I say FUCK YOU 49er's ??  Well that again.  WAY PISSED !!
@Broncos- Rookie kicker at it again.  Can we please score TD's ?? Are we really 8-6 at this point ??  Interesting.  HAPPY !!
Ravens- GOD BLESS AMERICA, we swept both the Steelers and Ravens in the same season.  Do we have a shot at the playoffs ??  STUPID HAPPY !!
Chiefs- GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, we beat the Chiefs and clinched the AFCN ??  Dream season.  OVER 15 YEARS SINCE THIS BENGALS HAPPY !!

I still am at a loss as I did NOT see a 10 win season, let alone 10 wins getting us to the playoffs, let alone AFCN champs.
This team and organization are different.  Expectations have changed.  Please let this continue God !!
So nice to go to the playoffs instead of the highlight of the year being us helping some other team get to the playoffs.
What a roller coaster ride 2021 has been !!

[membengal]

Matt Miller in his notebook this week had some Bengals thoughts that might be of interest...

    
  

 

Quote

 

—The Cincinnati Bengals owned the No. 1 overall pick just two years ago. Last year they selected at No. 5 overall. And now the Bengals have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs and won the AFC North after being in the basement the last two seasons. What changed?

One theory is that the Bengals’ emphasis on drafting offensive weapons and essentially “buying” a defense through free agency while back-filling with Day 2 and Day 3 picks has equated in a fast turnaround.

In the last five drafts, the Bengals’ premium selections were:

2021: WR Ja’Marr Chase (Rd 1), OG Jackson Carman (Rd 2), DE Joseph Ossai (Rd 3)

2020: QB Joe Burrow (Rd 1), WR Tee Higgins (Rd 2), LB Logan Wilson (Rd 3)

2019: OT Jonah Williams (Rd 1), TE Drew Sample (Rd 2), LB Germaine Pratt (Rd 3)

2018: C Billy Price (Rd 1), S Jessie Bates (Rd 2), DE Sam Hubbard (Rd 3)

2017: WR John Ross (Rd 1), RB Joe Mixon (Rd 2), LB Jordan Willis (Rd 3)

What stands out to me:

The Bengals haven’t missed on many premium picks in the last five years. Sample, Price and Ross are the only ones you could really call “misses”—with Ross being the standalone “bust”.

The Bengals hit big-time in 2020 with three high-impact starters. This turnaround can and should be credited with starting right there.

NFL teams with openings at GM should see if Duke Tobin is interested in finally carrying the title of general manager with a hefty pay raise to run their team.

 

 

[HoosierCat]

I was today years old when I found out JT O’Sullivan (‘member him?) has a YouTube channel. He loves him some Burrow.

https://youtu.be/ODV-8yEOwf0

 

[Stripes]

1 minute ago, HoosierCat said:

I was today years old when I found out JT O’Sullivan (‘member him?) has a YouTube channel. He loves him some Burrow.

https://youtu.be/ODV-8yEOwf0

 

Yep, his QB School reviews are always pretty cool. He takes it a step further sometimes than the better known guys like Kurt Warner or Chris Simms doing the same stuff.

[Wraith]

10 hours ago, 101Airborne said:

Here are my random thoughts for the season so far:

"Fuck me, another losing season. Guess I'll drink a fifth every game and pretend to die of alcohol poisoning on the couch until my wife pokes me with the broom and tells me to sweep up all the snack dust in the kitchen."

"Hey, look at that. Preseason shit. Who Dey and such. We totally won the preseason super bowl against the Bucs."

"Yay, 1-0. Glad to be able to say we didn't have a losing record the whole season. Guess I'll drink extra to celebrate."

"Da Bears. Guess my celebrating was premature. Here's to beating the Steelers next week or punishing my liver like I want to punish Zac Taylor's face."

"24 to 10, heh. Suck it, chumps. I know the wife is asking at work if she's going to come home to a pissed off husband who's going to pout all evening. Lucky her the Steelers suck!"

"Welp, lost to Cracksonville, worst team in the league. Time to go back to watching Football anime. What's that, there's a second half in a football game?"

"Welp, lost to A-Aron and the Pack. I'm so shocked I could fall over and die. Wonder if the wife will bring me another beer or tell me if I want another one, to get up off my ass and go get it myself. Least my daughter will cheer me up."

"Hey, another win. One more of these and we'll be incrementally better than last season! Who Dey think gonna something, something, beer and pretzels."

"Jesus, that was actually impressive. Maybe Zacchy boy can get us to like, 8-9 this season. Time to kiss the wife!"

"Fuckkin fuck fuck FUUUUCK!"

"Good damned mother fucking Browns. Okay, well, my football calculous says that we can and will win and lose against absolutely anyone. What a talented bunch of losers. We've seen this show before and I hate the ending."

"I hate the fuckkin Radiers and all that 'bad boy' shit they used to represent. Oh wait, that was like, 30 years ago. Wait, how old am I now? Good thing my wife looks like she's 20 years younger than me! I should reward myself with alcohol."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Eat it Steeler fucks! Swept! Rot in hell Worthlesberger you perennial dickhead! I'm gonna call my brother in law and rub it in his face! C'mon, answer the phone so I can make fun of you. Amber! Put your husband on the phone so I can make fun of him! He's too pissed to take the call? Then tell him he's a bitch and give him my love."

"Alright, no one we can't beat... except all the guys we lost to. Including these guys. Godamnit!"

"Great, 7-6. Maybe we land on 8-9 and miss the playoffs again? Maybe I shoot myself instead? Let's flip a coin and find out!"

"Hey! I'll take that shitty ass win. Maybe we land on 9-8 and barely make the playoffs this year? Maybe I drink this 8oz glass of vodka straight up instead? Let's flip a coin and find out!"

"Hahahhaha eat it you Baltimore bastards! So much for the AFCN lead, eh fuckers? We're number 1! This beer is number 12!"

"Hooooooooly shit! Now THAT was some fucking football! Zac Taylor if you were my wife I'd kiss you! I don't know if you have balls of steel or brains of a lizard but that dumb ass shit worked! I want to talk to another Bengals fan! But where to find one in Ohio? Wasn't there some on that message board I used to post on? The fuck was my password again? Oh hey, remembered first try! I'm sure they'll remember me, I mean I last posted in.... 2014? Wait what? How old am I again? What year is it?"

"Bengals vs. Browns, both teams are playing whoever they could find in the ticket lines or cleaning the floors. This should be an epic contest to remember."

And my latest thoughts on the season were, "Huh, a thread about our random thoughts. I should post something insightful, full of pertinent statistics breaking down my intricate considerations for each game so far and where the team is headed next... or, OOOORRRRR, I could drink more whiskey and shitpost instead. Fuck yeah!" 

Feel free to ban me. 

I am worried about your liver....

[ArmyBengal]

Livers are overrated.  Pretty sure I lost mine that year after returning from Afghanistan.
In all seriousness, it's probably what's going to be the death of me

Who am I kidding, i'm going to live forever.  Next round's on me boys !!!

[AMPHAR]

Last 3 Qbs this franchise has drafted to be the future have had a chance to win a playoff game at home.    Just a note for the national media that still clings to the Akili Smith days.

 

[101Airborne]

5 hours ago, Wraith said:

I am worried about your liver....

People should thank my liver for its service. I know I sure do! 

[101Airborne]

4 hours ago, AMPHAR said:

Last 3 Qbs this franchise has drafted to be the future have had a chance to win a playoff game at home.    Just a note for the national media that still clings to the Akili Smith days.

 

I can't really blame them, I know I'm still clinging to decades of ineptitude and obscenity rarely seen with a football. It drives me crazy watching us swing between almost really great to bed-wetting dysfunction on a cycle. Even this year the talking heads say shit like, "But is this Bengals team really any different?" I want to call it out as horseshit but half the fucking time I half believe it myself. At least we aren't the Browns or Lions though!

[101Airborne]

6 hours ago, membengal said:

Matt Miller in his notebook this week had some Bengals thoughts that might be of interest...

    
  

 

Woah woah woah.... woah! Are you telling me that leveraging FA to shore up important positions with proven vets while also drafting impact players who are not nutcases and yet still have high ceilings is a recipe for a football team to improve? I've been watching the Bengals for far too long to believe in that mumbo jumbo! *Clearly* over spending on keeping our own moderately decent guys around while drafting lunatics and project guys is how one builds a franchise, right? Surely we've already reached out to Antonio Brown and offered him a sick deal, right?