Week 9: Bears @ Bengals

[COB]

Love this thread.  Let the hate flow.

[ArmyBengal]

I just can’t bring myself to care all that much. Can you think of spending 3 hours watching Jake Browning and this defense and feeling good about it? If so you are a glutton for punishment.

Worse for me is if they actually win, because you just know they are going to fuck up the opportunity for a top 10 pick.

There’s literally nothing good about the Bengals. Bring on 2026. At least Burrow will be back. Then again that’s probably not enough.

[COB]

1 hour ago, ArmyBengal said:

 

There’s literally nothing good about the Bengals.

Yes, the inevitable nihilism arrives.   Yes.  Let it flow.

[gregcook69]

4 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

I just can’t bring myself to care all that much. Can you think of spending 3 hours watching Jake Browning and this defense and feeling good about it? If so you are a glutton for punishment.

Worse for me is if they actually win, because you just know they are going to fuck up the opportunity for a top 10 pick.

There’s literally nothing good about the Bengals. Bring on 2026. At least Burrow will be back. Then again that’s probably not enough.

No QB will make any difference with this defense!

[ArmyBengal]

11 hours ago, COB said:

Yes, the inevitable nihilism arrives.   Yes.  Let it flow.

If the thought of it being a person that does not believe in what exists, the Bengals are an interesting thought.

Take their defense for example.  I believe their defense exists.... but does it really?

[COB]

Bengals fandom - a meaningless void.
 

 But take heart.  Bengals fandom can actually be a beacon, a giant light, that illuminates the utter meaninglessness of sport, of commerce, of everything.  Bengals fandom can reveal to you the ultimate truth - nothingness.

“Who wants that?”, you ask.  You do.  You will be freed from the philosophical shackles of conventional thought.  The value system through which you perceive this world, that system informed by theology, artificially imposed “spirituality”, human nature, etc, suddenly cast aside.  
 

You float through a space devoid of light, sound, and meaning.  

Then, and only then, you can turn inward and discover your honest, authentic, self.  In a world that has nothing of inherent value, you can find your true purpose (don’t be discouraged if it turns out to be raking leaves and frequent trips to the nearest Arby’s drive thru).  
 

And who do we all have to thank for this painful, yet ultimately life-changing journey of self actualization?  Mike Brown.  That sage.  That Yoda.  The closest thing we have to a god in the tri-state area.  Or at least in Hamilton County.  Yes, thank you Mike.  The odyssey of pain that you’ve put us through for the last 35 years has forced self-enlightenment on us.  

 

[Saintsfan1]

On 10/28/2025 at 9:19 PM, HoosierCat said:

No real change in the timetable from what I’ve seen. Kind of a moot point right now anyway. Even Burrow can’t save them if the defense continues its nonexistence.

I read a report he was without a walking boot. He's going to be playing by week 14.

[AMPHAR]

Burrow was tossing lightly on the sideline without a Boot.  Other reports vs. Steelers had him out of the boot but wore it on the sidelines for protection.   My guess his return will be based on:

1. Playoff standings

2. Mobility,flexibility, strength return

I think IF they are in the hunt a week 12 or 13 return could happen IF they want it to.  

[HoosierCat]

Another worthwhile read from Weintraub. He has thoughts on the Bengals' defensive issues.

He's not a Golden fan.

Quote

As I warned many times after he was hired, Golden has never called plays in the NFL. That isn’t an automatic negative, but right now he’s getting worked by opposing play-callers. It was apparent that the Jets were running variations of concepts the Bengals mostly stopped in the first half, with no counter-adjustment from Golden. Watching from the press box, you could see pre-snap formations that almost guaranteed a picked defender or an unset edge.

He doesn't buy that the players are bad, but argues they are being mis-used or being asked too much.

Quote

For example, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins has actually been a solid run defender thus far, as his collegiate career would indicate. But on a line devoid of interior pass rushers, he’s asked to pressure the quarterback and is (unsurprisingly) not capable of it. Safety Jordan Battle is a solid diagnostician and hard hitter, but he’s being asked to cover in space and blitz more than he is comfortable with, and it affects his entire game. Linebacker is a hard position to learn and play well as a rookie, and both Demetrious Knight and Barrett Carter are getting worked as they learn.

Also not a fan of coaches having as much say as they do on draft day.

Quote

It seems like a good idea in theory: You want your football ops and personnel departments on the same page. But coaches always believe they can take the talented guy who may not have shown production equivalent to his traits and bring out his best. That’s a fundamental part of being a coach, especially ones who are practicing at the highest level.

Over the last decade or so, however, that hasn’t happened, leaving the Bengals with a raft of players with nice measureables but not much in the way of football smarts, hunger, or capacity to improve. The high value placed on being a good dude from a big school is proving dubious as well.

Not that any of it really matters though...

Quote

If you want to replace Tobin, I’m with you. But who is taking this job under the current circumstances? You need to think about him less as a traditional player personnel man and more like a commissioner. Roger Goodell is essentially a front for the owners, taking all heat and complaints to his office while allowing his 32 bosses to make ungodly amounts of money in the shadows. Tobin is similarly valued by the Browns/Blackburns, who have their incompetent hands all over roster construction, personnel evaluations, and salary administration while letting Duke serve as the public face for it all.

Would any potential GM worth his or her salt want to operate under these conditions and constraints? Sure, someone would take the job, and they’d probably manage the same ups and downs in draft and free agency as Sir Duke. But anyone who could really make a difference won’t come close to Cincinnati because the system is set up to work against an independent front office operator.

This is why I drink...

[HoosierCat]

They're shuffling some more deck chairs on the S.S. Bengaltanic...

Giles-Harris signed to the active roster. No surprise with Heyward down.

DE Myles Cole released.

Two LBs signed, Liam Anderson and Brian Asamoah.

Quote

Anderson (6-3, 230), a first-year player out of the College of the Holy Cross, originally was a college free agent signee of Indianapolis in 2023. He played in four games for the Colts over his first two seasons (2023-24), and spent the majority of that time on the team's practice squad. He was waived by Indianapolis on Aug. 12, and was not with an NFL team through the first eight weeks of the season.

Asamoah (6-1, 230), a fourth-year player out of the University of Oklahoma, originally was a third-round draft pick of Minnesota in 2022. He played in 46 games over three seasons (2022-24) with the Vikings and totaled 20 tackles, two FFs and one FR, along with 10 special teams tackles. He spent the first eight weeks of this season on Las Vegas' practice squad.

 

[ArmyBengal]

I really liked Asamoah coming out of Oklahoma.
Clearly he's still playing and making money, but not the career I saw for him.

[AMPHAR]

50 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

Another worthwhile read from Weintraub. He has thoughts on the Bengals' defensive issues.

He's not a Golden fan.

He doesn't buy that the players are bad, but argues they are being mis-used or being asked too much.

Also not a fan of coaches having as much say as they do on draft day.

Not that any of it really matters though...

This is why I drink...

Last part is a reach.  Any GM that isn't a majority owner faces the same issue and there's plenty of examples.   Owners can and do pick and choose when they listen to "football people" and when they don't.   

Shit Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson still piss and moan over who's idea it was to trade Herschel Walker.     Doesn't matter it was obviously Jerry because he owns the team, doesn't matter what the facts/truth were.  Jerry says it was his idea, If you want to coach the Dallas Cowboys you better agree. 

[ArmyBengal]

I think the reason people would/will go coach the Cowboys is because despite the obvious craziness you get with Jerra, they have won.
The Cowboys are "America's Team", which I hate that comment and coaches will continue to want to go there.

Cincinnati?  Not so much.  Because at the end of the day, the ownership hasn't won and their craziness is amplified.
Had Burrow and company beat the Rams in the Super Bowl, old Zac would be a Cincinnati hero forever instead of on the hotseat.

[HoosierCat]

4 minutes ago, AMPHAR said:

Last part is a reach.  Any GM that isn't a majority owner faces the same issue and there's plenty of examples.   Owners can and do pick and choose when they listen to "football people" and when they don't.   

Shit Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson still piss and moan over who's idea it was to trade Herschel Walker.     Doesn't matter it was obviously Jerry because he owns the team, doesn't matter what the facts/truth were.  Jerry says it was his idea, If you want to coach the Dallas Cowboys you better agree. 

I wouldn’t say it’s a reach but I agree, it’s not a problem unique to Cincy.

[volcom69]

Well you know it’s getting pretty bad when even there shitty players want traded. So Mckinnley Jackson wants traded, and once again is he any good? Was he even given a chance to do anything? Maybe Al Golden does suck at coaching guys up! 
 

You know you brought up Marvin Lewis and I will say he sucked in the playoffs, but they at least drafted good defensive players, man that D-Line at one time was awesome, so somewhere along the line Tobin, or this new coaching staff has no idea how to draft guys. Maybe they need Marvin back in the building for help drafting defense guys

[HoosierCat]

I think Lewis had a good eye for defensive talent and so did Zimmer. And they were both on the same page about things starting up front. If I’m in charge fixing the line is job one, but no one listens to me.

[volcom69]

14 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

I think Lewis had a good eye for defensive talent and so did Zimmer. And they were both on the same page about things starting up front. If I’m in charge fixing the line is job one, but no one listens to me.

They don’t listen to any of us 

[COB]

McKinley Jackson seems to be inactive for most games so I don’t know what his market would be.  Defensive “leader” Trey Hendrickson  publicly asked for a trade, so when Logan Wilson and McKinley Jackson don’t get the snaps they want, they’re just following the lead of our defensive captain.  

[ArmyBengal]

This defense is a botched abortion.

[TJJackson]

4 hours ago, HoosierCat said:

If I’m in charge fixing the line is job one, but no one listens to me.

GIMME A LINEMAN

[COB]

Army call in to a WLW radio show, “Bengalsline” or something like that.

Host: “You’re on the air caller!  We’ve had some negative Nancys on here complaining about Al Golden’s second half adjustments.  What is your opinion on the defense as a whole?”

Army: “Hi, first time long time.  My opinion on the defense?   It restates the negativeness of the universe, the hideous lonely emptiness of existence.  Nothingness.  The predicament of man, forced to live in a barren, godless, eternity, like a tiny flame flickering in an immense void with nothing but waste, horror, and degradation forming a useless bleak straight jacket in a black, absurd, cosmos.”

Host: “What?”

Army: “What I mean is we should play more zone, help our rookie linebackers adjust to the speed of the game.”

[ArmyBengal]

4 minutes ago, COB said:

Army call in to a WLW radio show, “Bengalsline” or something like that.

Host: “You’re on the air caller!  We’ve had some negative Nancys on here complaining about Al Golden’s second half adjustments.  What is your opinion on the defense as a whole?”

Army: “Hi, first time long time.  My opinion on the defense?   It restates the negativeness of the universe, the hideous lonely emptiness of existence.  Nothingness.  The predicament of man, forced to live in a barren, godless, eternity, like a tiny flame flickering in an immense void with nothing but waste, horror, and degradation forming a useless bleak straight jacket in a black, absurd, cosmos.”

Host: “What?”

Army: “What I mean is we should play more zone, help our rookie linebackers adjust to the speed of the game.”

Sounds about right.

Either that or just a bunch of "F" bombs and the WTF's.  It could go either way with me. 
However, the philosophical viewpoint seems even more depressing than the reality of the situation.
Maybe I'll just stick to cussing.

[ArmyBengal]

When giving further thought to the Bengals, I am reminded of a quote from Epicurus.  (No I didn't make that up)

"The pain is neither intolerable nor everlasting, if you bear in mind that it has its limits, and if you add nothing to it in imagination."

The pain and suffering we as fans have endured through the seasons does have limits and will not last forever.
With that in mind, it should allow us to better manage the stress caused by the Bengals.
Since this has been ongoing for many years for most of us, the negative thinking associated can make it worse.

Just make all efforts to be at peace with what is and find joy in the experience of life.

The meaning of all of that??
Don't let those fucking idiots running the team get in your head and dick with your thoughts to such a degree if fucking wrecks you.
Hope that helps...
 

[AMPHAR]

I would take Zimmer in a heart beat.  But I think he'd go secondary first because he was always flush with highly drafted guys in his DB room.  Newman, Nelson, Roy W, Pac, J.Joe, Hall, Clements, Mays, Doss      It was a parade of former 1st rounders at times and he could always get something out of them.

 

 

[ArmyBengal]

I loved Zimmer and his hard nosed approach.  He has been missed since he left.