Week 17: Broncos @ Bengals

[HoosierCat]

Early thread I know but because we finally have a date and time: Saturday the 28th at 4:30. Broadcast: NFL Network.

Final game in Pitt still TBD.

[ArmyBengal]

If the Bengals lose to the Browns, no one will give a rats ass about this game.

[HoosierCat]

1 hour ago, ArmyBengal said:

If the Bengals lose to the Browns, no one will give a rats ass about this game.

That’s what happens when you strap on your cleats for week one and then spend four quarters energetically stomping on your own dicks.

You, me, everyone here and every Bengals fan in existence spent the offseason saying they couldn’t afford another slow start. But they did so here we are again.

Fire Zac Taylor.

[COB]

Zac will not get fired and he will have them ready to play next year.  About the second week of October.  Zing!  I’m here all week.  The waiters and waitresses are made of veal.  

[ArmyBengal]

I'm all in on firing Zac.
I'm not all in on having faith the replacement would fare any better.

A strong tradition since 1968 of doing the same thing and expecting different results.
"Lather, Rinse, Repeat"

The next time anyone sees me wearing Bengals gear, claiming "This is our year", do me a favor....

 

SHOOT ME !!!

[Stripes]

If it's up to me:

Tobin is gone. Zac is gone. Lou is gone. Pollack is gone. Pitcher can stay if and only if the new HC wants him.

If you go 0-3 and then 4-8 with Joe Burrow playing like an MVP, you get fired. The end. No further questions. Don't care.

What I expect:

One firing. Probably Lou, but not even that is guaranteed. His reputation had become quite strong by 2022, and I don't know how long his leash truly is.

[Stripes]

At a certain point, however, even the change-paralyzed Bengals front office has to notice Zac Taylor's 1-11 record in the first two games of seasons.

[TJJackson]

14 hours ago, Stripes said:

At a certain point, however, even the change-paralyzed Bengals front office has to notice Zac Taylor's 1-11 record in the first two games of seasons.

its been six years

if they havent noticed it in 6 freaking years, I dont think they ever will

this is the supremely moronic SoaG, after all

[HoosierCat]

Finally something goes our way. Dallas winning last night bumped us from 15 to 14 in the draft.

We want NO to beat GB tonight. Won’t change anything immediately but keeps the Bengals in the mix for the 10th pick.

[COB]

Fully in on watching the draft spot now.  Playoffs are done, out of reach.  Stripes pointed out in the browns thread that Miami and Indy have an easy schedule left.  They both need to lose one game.  
 

miami - at browns, at jets

Indy - at giants, at jags

 

It’s just not happening.  One of them could possibly stumble, but they won’t both lose one.  It’s a shame, but when you spot the league 3 or 4 games at the start of every season, it’s going to bite you at some point.  Here we are.  
 

At least we’re a competitive team.  It was fun to watch the d line guys get it going yesterday.  

[ArmyBengal]

Go Buckeyes.

That's all I can muster after watching the NFL yesterday.

[HoosierCat]

Well, Nawlins might not win another game this decade. Dallas is also likely to get smashed down the stretch (vs Philly and DC). On the plus side Miami and Indy will win out and the Cards ought to go 1-1 at worst.

So I’m putting my marker on the Bengals losing out and getting the 12th pick. Even if they screw up and win one they might get there.

[JukeMove]

On 12/23/2024 at 6:21 AM, HoosierCat said:

We want NO to beat GB tonight. Won’t change anything immediately but keeps the Bengals in the mix for the 10th pick.

Check out this interesting factoid from the GB shutout: "Nine different Packers players picked up rushing yards for Green Bay..."
Wow!  Will the Bengals EVER engineer an attack like that? 
Can't we put Amarius Mims at Fullback for just one play to enjoy the wreckage? 

Disclaimer: Take 'er easy on this newbie... 

[JukeMove]

Quote

The Cincinnati Bengals lost 27-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon.  That’s not a typo.

That’s the staffing number difference between the football personnel departments of the franchises. The Steelers have 21 more people evaluating prospective future draft picks and free agents than the Bengals.
- Jason Williams 12/1/2024
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/columnists/jason-williams/2024/12/01/bengals-nfl-playoff-chances-steelers-schedule/76664959007/

Regarding firing Zac, etc.  This is a much better explanation of the root causes of our problems...

Disclaimer: Take 'er easy on this newbie... 

[HoosierCat]

1 hour ago, JukeMove said:

Regarding firing Zac, etc.  This is a much better explanation of the root causes of our problems...

Disclaimer: Take 'er easy on this newbie... 

Welcome aboard! And yeah, we know. People have pointed out how the Bengals skimp on scouting and evaluation for decades. They clearly don’t care and aren’t going to change.

[TJJackson]

8 hours ago, JukeMove said:

Can't we put Amarius Mims at Fullback for just one play to enjoy the wreckage? 

On the play in question, we'd still have to have someone playing ORT

I'd prefer that Amarius, a rookie, keep getting in-game snaps there

Matt Lee is pretty athletic, he'd be my choice in the role described

that said, welcome to Bengalszone newbie :-)

 

[Footballer]

On 12/24/2024 at 11:09 AM, JukeMove said:

Check out this interesting factoid from the GB shutout: "Nine different Packers players picked up rushing yards for Green Bay..."
Wow!  Will the Bengals EVER engineer an attack like that? 
Can't we put Amarius Mims at Fullback for just one play to enjoy the wreckage? 

Disclaimer: Take 'er easy on this newbie... 

It's honestly hard to gauge a team injured from head to toe like my Saints. I think because the Packers knew it was going to be an easy win they were gonna give the other backs chances. Our run defense has been our main weakness from the start. 

[AMPHAR]

If they beat the Broncos.   The hardest part about the Bengals playoff scenario will be needing to win with Lou's defense vs. the Pitt offense.   They've owned him recently with QBs Pickett and Rudolph.     I think their only 400 yard games last year were against the Bengals.     Then Wilson had a career best 1st half vs. them a few weeks ago.

Kenny Pickett has played in 4 games this year with Eagles and has a 68 rating.   Rudolph has played in 6 games with Titans and a rating of 79 (Of course that's with 100+ vs the Bengals this year).

Lou's has run out of magic.  They know what he's running.  They know what patterns/passing concepts/formations his zone coverage has problems adjusting to.    Fans bought into blaming Dax Hill last year.    In reality, his failure probably going to cost them a playoff appearance with Jake Browning and most likely costing them a playoff appearance with a MVP year from Chase and Burrow.    Horrible.

The Bengals will probably need 35+ points the next two weeks in order to win.  

[ArmyBengal]

IT'S NOT OVER YET !!!

lol

So to recap...

We are Giants and Browns fans for a few hours on Sunday.
The Colts play on the road in New York at 1:00pm.
The Dolphins play on the road in Cleveland at 4:05pm

Indy is favored by 7.5 and have only won 3 road games this year.  Unfortunately, the Giants are winless at home. First time for everything !!
Miami is favored by 6.5 and have only won 2 road games this year.  2 of the Browns 3 wins have come at home.  Go stupid elves !!

Just for awareness, we are favored over the Donks by 3.5 at home.
If we lose, nothing else matters.  It would be nice to have even the slimmest of chances heading into the last week of a long season.
Then and only then will I worry about what else needs to happen.

[AMPHAR]

There's once was a time not too long ago the Bengals build rosters that got Andy Dalton to the playoffs multiple years in a row.   It was so good, that people actually thought Andy Dalton was on the level of a top 5 QB.    Since he has moved on,  I assume he made the playoffs as a backup with the Cowboys but that's it.

The biggest issue front office wise will be the willingness to fire coaches.  I'm not sold on firing Zac just yet.  Pollack and Lou should be gone at a min.   With Zac I do think you must consider Burrow and Chase performance given the assumed amount of Cap these two will command.

 

Talent?  They were 1 game from the playoffs with Jake Browning starting and dog shit defense last year.   They'll probably 1 game from the playoffs this year losing a handful of games less than 1 score vs. playoff contenders with a dog shit defense.

Call me crazy.  They don't need more bodies scouting East Dumptruck U.   They need somebody that isn't going to drop linebackers into zone behind the first down maker all game long.    I don't think its a stretch a coach like Zimmer could have gotten them the handful of plays they needed on D with the same cast. 

 

 

[ArmyBengal]

I don't think the Bengals will fire Zac even though I believe they should.

With that being my line of thought, I don't think either Pollack or Anarumo get the axe either.
I'll save my irritation with that and simply say, that I believe people do what's comfortable for them and Zac won't want to change.
Instead they will focus on how the contracts will impact the team, how to handle free agency and then who to target in the draft.

Again, assuming this is what happens with the coaches, I don't expect much to change except hoping whoever the players are have better results.
Without obviously having inside knowledge, the outsider looking in doesn't believe I see a coach who desires excellence in his approach or accountability for failure.
I think I see doing the same thing with the same people, with minor changes made, while hoping for better outcomes.

Who knows?  Maybe that's the best they can do?  It's not like we've seen high level front office action through the years that has dried up.
Pumpkin has already let fans know we don't know how hard it is to run a football team, so I have no real reason to expect much more. (No I haven't forgotten)
My hopes as I have gotten older and remaining a fan are that I hope for a few more seasons of catching lightning in a bottle before I die.

Oddly, should they ever win a Super Bowl, I no longer know how it will make me feel.  I want to say happy, but something tells me I will be equally sad.
Sad that it has taken so long and all the years of "what could have been" lost to time.

Happy New Year everyone !!!
lol
 

[ArmyBengal]

Well for what it's worth, Anthony Richardson hasn't practiced all week for the Colts and Flacco looks to get his 5th start of the season.
In his other 4 starts, Flacco is 1-3.

[HoosierCat]

Apparently Mims broke his hand last week. That seems to be what the sideline kerfuffle between him and Pollak was about. Mims didn’t want to come out. Reportedly will be playing tomorrow.

OBj also slated to return, Ford to LG.

(In other words OL news took the pff draft simulator out for a first spin this time around, ended up with a TJ Special: LT in the first and RT/RG in the third. Took the whiz kid ND safety in between.)

[COB]

I’d be very surprised if Lou doesn’t move on, one way or another.

[ArmyBengal]

I’d be very happy if Lou moves on, one way or another.