2014 Bengals thread

[Kahns Krazy]

I know it's just preseason, but Dalton looks good. Second team looks terrible. Avoiding injuries will be a key to success this year.

Tough schedule this year too. I think 9-7 or 10-6 seems reasonable.

[gladdenguy]

If Dalton gets hurt this team is screwed. Sign Tebow?

If Dalton stays healthy this team has Super Bowl talent. Hue Jackson will help Andy Dalton and use all his weapons with much more success than Gruden (Bum) ever had. Defense is once again at worst a top 10 defense.

[waggy]

The 2nd team might not be as bad as it looks right now. But yes, an injury to Dalton could be a very big problem.


Great thread!

[bleedXblue]

LOL were talking about the Bengals..........

[Fireball]

Obviously, an injury to your starting QB is almost always the end to your team being competitive in a season, but Campbell is as capable a backup quarterback as they have had in a long time. I don't want him to be my starter, but as a guy who might have to come in to win you a game or two, it's actually not a bad guy to have, especially with the talent around him on this team.

[Kahns Krazy]

LOL were talking about the Bengals..........

LOL you took the time to click a thread called 2014 Bengals Thread to drop this pearl of wisdom.........

[Jumpy]

Gio is going to explode this year. After this year, everyone will be talking about him- not AJ- as the rising superstar on the team.

[waggy]

Bengals signed Burfict to a 4 year extension today. What a steal he has been for the organization so far.

Geno Atkins is gonna play some at Arizona. It's always a little scary when a guy first comes back. What a great thing it would be if he gets back to pre-injury form.

[waggy]

Vegas has the Bengals Superbowl odds at 20-1. Don't know that is just to get there, or if that is to win.

Also, they have the over/under for regular season wins at 9.

I'm a homer, so I say Over.

[muskienick]

Vegas has the Bengals Superbowl odds at 20-1. Don't know that is just to get there, or if that is to win.

Also, they have the over/under for regular season wins at 9.

I'm a homer, so I say Over.
I realize that no one player wins games, but Burfict signing on for an extension makes me want to take a piece of that 9+ bet of yours!

[waggy]

The Burfict deal turned out to be a 3 year extension not a 4 year extension that was first reported. Still, 4 more years with the Bengals, which is a forever in the NFL.

[waggy]

The fight to make the team at linebacker is pretty interesting. The Bengals have killed it with undrafted free agents at this position.

55 Vontaze Burfict LB 23 6-1 248 3 Arizona State
51 Jayson DiManche LB 23 6-1 244 2 Southern Illinois
53 Marquis Flowers LB 22 6-3 240 R Arizona
49 Brandon Joiner LB 25 6-3 250 2 Arkansas State
59 Emmanuel Lamur LB 25 6-4 240 3 Kansas State
58 Rey Maualuga LB 27 6-2 255 6 USC
92 Dontay Moch LB 26 6-2 257 2 Nevada
56 Sean Porter LB 23 6-1 242 2 Texas A&M
57 Vincent Rey LB 26 6-0 255 4 Duke
50 J.K. Schaffer LB 24 6-0 232 2 Cincinnati

Schaffer was released and cleared waivers and reverts to the teams out for the year injured reserve, so he's out.

If they keep 7, then 2 more have to be dropped.

I doubt Moch makes the team, but I'm not sure who the next guy would be. Someone out of Flowers, Porter, Rey & Joiner probably. All of whom are good players, or might develop into good players.

[OH.X.MI]

Bengals have released BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Probably the right move, but I've enjoyed watching him especially the 2012 season.

[Kahns Krazy]

Just got around to watching the Thursday game last night. Hard to get anything worthwhile out of the 4th preseason game other than Sanzenbacher showed why he deserves to keep a roster spot, and Margus Hunt looks like he's ready for action. Hill showed we will be OK without BJGE, and Hewitt appears to provide an option at FB/TE.

So glad preseason is over. Can't wait for Thursday, and especially can't wait for Sunday.

[waggy]

Jeremy Hill is a badazz. Hope he stays healthy. Hope everyone stays healthy.

[waggy]

“We’re proud to be one of only five teams in the playoffs each of the last three years,” Brown said. “But the fact is that sales are not as strong to date as we’d like. Even under the 85-percent plan, we will need a strong sales from this point to get games on TV. But the option is helpful, and we are continuing with a maximum sales effort.”




http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/03/bengals-choose-to-use-85-percent-rule-for-the-first-time/

[Kahns Krazy]

1-0 with a road division win against a tough team in week 1, against a team that has only lost at home 5 times in the last 4 seasons. Lots of things to get better at, but Dalton with no picks is big. Burfict and Eifert will be huge losses if they can't come back quickly. Overall, I'm thrilled with a win and most of the game.

[danaandvictory]

Glad they won but Dalton's inefficiency on third down all day was a problem. Obviously it's good that he's throwing the ball away instead of trying to thread the needle, but I saw nothing today that contradicted the frightening statistics in that Barnwell piece about his futility against pressure.

I'm concerned about the Eifert injury (which looked brutal) and I'm starting to have doubts about Atkins's status as well. Burfict hopefully will be back next week, the unit looked a bit shaky without him.

Flacco was absolute butt. The Eyebrow That Launched A Thousand Takes was decidedly non-elite today.

All in all though I really liked the offensive gameplan and expect that Hue will use the weapons at his disposal more efficiently than Gruden (although the obsession with Brandon Tate continues to befuddle me). Atlanta will be a stern test but this was a nice win to start.

[DC Muskie]

Great win guys!

[Kahns Krazy]

Glad they won but Dalton's inefficiency on third down all day was a problem. Obviously it's good that he's throwing the ball away instead of trying to thread the needle, but I saw nothing today that contradicted the frightening statistics in that Barnwell piece about his futility against pressure.

I'm concerned about the Eifert injury (which looked brutal) and I'm starting to have doubts about Atkins's status as well. Burfict hopefully will be back next week, the unit looked a bit shaky without him.

Flacco was absolute butt. The Eyebrow That Launched A Thousand Takes was decidedly non-elite today.

All in all though I really liked the offensive gameplan and expect that Hue will use the weapons at his disposal more efficiently than Gruden (although the obsession with Brandon Tate continues to befuddle me). Atlanta will be a stern test but this was a nice win to start.

No kidding. When he breaks one, he has great speed, but he never does.

[Juice]

Glad they won but Dalton's inefficiency on third down all day was a problem. Obviously it's good that he's throwing the ball away instead of trying to thread the needle, but I saw nothing today that contradicted the frightening statistics in that Barnwell piece about his futility against pressure.

I'm concerned about the Eifert injury (which looked brutal) and I'm starting to have doubts about Atkins's status as well. Burfict hopefully will be back next week, the unit looked a bit shaky without him.

Flacco was absolute butt. The Eyebrow That Launched A Thousand Takes was decidedly non-elite today.

All in all though I really liked the offensive gameplan and expect that Hue will use the weapons at his disposal more efficiently than Gruden (although the obsession with Brandon Tate continues to befuddle me). Atlanta will be a stern test but this was a nice win to start.

I don't understand some of the play calling on third down with the designed runs for Dalton.

[waggy]

I don't understand some of the play calling on third down with the designed runs for Dalton.

I couldn't watch the game, how many times did they do this? It's not a good idea to repeatedly expose the QB to getting tackled. I know it's football, and I think that sort of play has a place, but I sure as hell wouldn't try to make it some sort of staple.

[Kahns Krazy]

I couldn't watch the game, how many times did they do this? It's not a good idea to repeatedly expose the QB to getting tackled. I know it's football, and I think that sort of play has a place, but I sure as hell wouldn't try to make it some sort of staple.

There were two that were clearly designed keepers (including one on 3rd and goal from the 2), and a third that might have been but might have been a busted play. There was also a wideout option play that was just as effective as the keepers (not). I like Hue being creative with the playbook, but these are plays I would put pretty far in the back. Andy is not a running QB.

[Kahns Krazy]

Two weeks in they look pretty good, but the injuries are brutal. I can't imagine Hue has a lot drawn up for an offense missing Tyler, AJ, and Marvin. We need to get healthy quick. I thought that early bye was bad but it may turn out to be a blessing.

[bobbiemcgee]

Only upside of the injuries was seeing D Still get to play. Crowd went nuts. His little girl went home today to see him on TV. Quite a story.

[boozehound]

Nice win for the Bengals. Controlled all aspects of the game, outside of special teams. It looks like our receiving corps is going to be a Mash unit for a while though. I thought Sanu filled in admirably. Sanzenbacher left a little to be desired, but should be like WR4-WR5 on the depth chart, so it's probably not fair to expect a whole lot from him. Hopefully Gresham can pick up some of the slack in the passing game until guys get healthy.

The good news is that the Titans look very beatable at home, even with our banged-up team, so we have a very good chance of being 3-0 going into the bye week, after which we should get a lot of our injured players back.

The importance of getting out to a good start this year can't be understated, as we have some tough stretches in the schedule after the bye.

@Patriots - Carolina - @Colts - Ravens, is no walk in the park.

Closing the season with Steelers - @Browns - Broncos - @Steelers, is no joke either.

[boozehound]

Sorry to double-post, and I know that this issue has been discussed before, but I was at the game yesterday and was surprised at the amount of open seats. It was a nearly perfect day, and the home-opener for a team that I think most would agree is probably a playoff team. I wonder how much the fact that it was an NFC game impacted attendance. I know we technically were 85% sold-out, but it looked like more than 15% of the seats were empty. The 200 level seemed to have the highest concentration of empty seats.

There seems to be a lot of excitement about the team this year, so I guess it is just a financial issue for most people. Going to an NFL game is an expensive proposition. You are out at least $80 per seat for anything resembling decent seats, about $20 to park, plus concessions of approximately $10-$40 per person. Taking a family of 4 to the game can easily get north of $500, which is a lot of money for many families.

Kudos to the Bengals for opting in to the relaxed blackout rules, because yesterday's game would likely have been blacked out under the old rules.

[bjf123]

Other than in the corners, the 200 level seats don't count towards the sellout percent. Those are considered premium seats. They're quite pricey compared to everything else.


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[boozehound]

Other than in the corners, the 200 level seats don't count towards the sellout percent. Those are considered premium seats. They're quite pricey compared to everything else.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was not aware of that. Are the 100-level seats premium as well? In that case the only seats that count toward the sellout percentage are the 300 level seats and the 200 level corners and end zones?

[Kahns Krazy]

The 100 level are regular seats. The 200 level is the "club". Many of those empty seats are actually in attendance. They just hang out in the inside area. It's weird to me to go to a game just to go inside and watch on TV, but I think a lot of those seats are corporate entertaining seats.

[ammtd34]

The 100 level are regular seats. The 200 level is the "club". Many of those empty seats are actually in attendance. They just hang out in the inside area. It's weird to me to go to a game just to go inside and watch on TV, but I think a lot of those seats are corporate entertaining seats.

Definitely corporate entertainment. My uncle's friend died and my uncle bought his season tickets for the following year. I went to 5 games. The accommodations are great, but it's a weird place. Being able to get warm in the snow was nice though.

[xu drew]

Sorry to double-post, and I know that this issue has been discussed before, but I was at the game yesterday and was surprised at the amount of open seats. It was a nearly perfect day, and the home-opener for a team that I think most would agree is probably a playoff team. I wonder how much the fact that it was an NFC game impacted attendance. I know we technically were 85% sold-out, but it looked like more than 15% of the seats were empty. The 200 level seemed to have the highest concentration of empty seats.

Kudos to the Bengals for opting in to the relaxed blackout rules, because yesterday's game would likely have been blacked out under the old rules.

The Falcons game would have certainly been blacked out under the previous rules. I think the fact that it was an NFC opponent had very little to do with it. This weekend will be an AFC opponent, albeit an unattractive one from a sales perspective, and there will be considerably more than 15% of seats empty. If you live in a 75-mile radius and are interested in watching the Titans game this weekend, I suggest you either purchase a ticket or locate one of those illegal streaming links.

[PMI]

Club level seats do not count against a sell-out, and you'll notice that in any stadium, if there are a chunk of empty seats, they're usually in the club level. There are a couple reasons for this. Most NFL stadiums have attractions inside that can only be accessed by club level seats (bars, restaurants, lounges, etc.) and those tickets are often bought by corporations for the whole season, not by die hard, rowdy fans. You do need to "sell out" the 100 and 400 levels though in order to avoid "not selling out." If the Bengals can't "sell out" a game against a solid Atlanta team in a year where they look like a contender on a beautiful day, they should be concerned.

[GoMuskies]

Those Club Level seats are insanely expensive for what you get (shorter lines to pay $10 for a beer and $30 for a piece of roast beef and a nicer table at which to drink your expensive beer and eat your expensive roast beast).

[paulxu]

The Bumbles must be playing well today.

[X-band '01]

They're playing good, but the Titans have handed over the game on a silver platter. Missed FGs, penalties in their end zone and red zone TOs are a recipe for disaster.

[X-band '01]

I should also add that it's a little breezy today, but not quite like their last meeting during 2008.

[Kahns Krazy]

3 games, zero sacks on Andy, and only 1 pick on a tipped ball. Ground game is working. AJ is working. Sanu looks good.

Bengals are one of 3 undefeated teams, and have the highest point differential.

Front office is picking up good PR points with the Devon Still jersey and moving the sellout mark down to 85%.

I'm starting to let myself get a little excited.

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

I thought Dalton was a dead man.

25 is a beast.

Great fun, so far.

[Kahns Krazy]

Both of Gio's touchdowns and Hill's touchdown were on second efforts. Those guys play hard. I like it.

[boozehound]

This Bengals Team 'feels' different than past year's teams. Dalton is looking very poised and making very few mistakes so far. The run game is looking pretty good, and I expect it to get better. Jeremy Hill is looking like the real deal. We are making very few mistakes. If we can keep this up, the sky is the limit, particularly when you factor in all the injuries we have been playing with so far. The offense could be scary-good if Jones and Eifert come back and contribute in meaningful ways.

I would like to see the defense give up fewer rushing yards, though. Atkins doesn't seem to be quite back to 100% yet so I think he will get better as the season progresses. We REALLY need Burfict to stay healthy. He makes a huge difference in the run game. Maualuga and Lamur are pretty poor tacklers, IMO. They are fine at slowing guys down enough for Burfict to come in and clean up, but they are not very sure-tackling linebackers on their own.

I think this team will win a lot of games this year. I just hope a few of them are playoff games.

[nuts4xu]

I'm starting to let myself get a little excited.

I am happy with the 3-0 start, and with the way the team has played. Any win is huge in the NFL and you have to hold serve at home. To steal a win at BMore and against the Falcons, looks much better than they did at the time. The Titans suck donkeys and will be lucky to win 5 games. The tough part of the Bengals schedule is yet to come, but this 3-0 start has been huge.

I hope this continues...I like this "winning" stuff.

[Kahns Krazy]

I hope this continues...I like this "winning" stuff.

Most of me agrees. My monday morning liver does not.

[muskiefan82]

Most of me agrees. My monday morning liver does not.

At least your liver was spared in the second half when this game was well in hand.

[Milhouse]

Next 3 games will be very telling. But to be honest I'll be thrilled with a 4-2 mark.

[drudy23]

NE is nowhere what they used to be. We're a far better team. We should be favored. However, every road game is tough in the NFL. We win a close one.

We're better than Carolina, and at home. Win.

@ Indy will be tough...toss up.

I say 5-1

[Milhouse]

Road games are always difficult especially in the likes of New England and Indianapolis. I agree though vs. Carolina we should have that one.

[bleedXblue]

Bengals showing why they are who they are. Consistently get outplayed in big games.

[paulxu]

If the Bengals played the Bengals, they would lose.

[surfxu]

This is why the ONLY sports team in cincinnati I care about is the Muskies. Bengals ALWAYS shit the bed and the Reds mostly shit the bed. Nothing against the players. I think they BOTH have good to great players..... They just play in environments where success is hard to come by. I'm just waiting for BBall season. The rest is just background music.

[waggy]

Complete beatdown.

Why do the coaches continue to allow Tate to bring the ball out of the endzone on kickoffs? And of course he puts it on the ground against the team that let him go.

[bleedXblue]

I think most alarming was the defense was gashed both in the air and on the ground. The D-line was manhandled for the better part of the night. Some big drops by Gresham(worthless) and the fumble for a TD was the ball game. This team really needs to get healthy. They sorely miss Burfict and Eifert. Jones is going to help a bunch too.

[boozehound]

Cincinnati fans love to pile on at the first sign of adversity, don't we? We are 3-1. We beat our Divisional rival Baltimore Ravens on the road in the season opener. We just happened to run into a buzzsaw this week. I would liked to have seen a more prepared team, and I do think that our defense is cause for some concern, but this is far from the end of the world.

I think the Bengals will be fine. That was a tough game, on the road, in a tough stadium, against a team that had just been embarassed on national television. We are still missing Burfict who is the heart and soul of our defense, and Brandon Thompson being out is a notable loss that isn't really being talked about, but impacts our run defense. Geno Atkins is less than a year removed from a torn ACL and is still nowhere near 100% after missing the entire offseason. We are also missing a starting guard and the only TE on the team that can catch a pass.

I do think that our linebackers need to spend the entire week on basic tackling drills, though. None of those guys seem to know how to square up against the ball carrier and wrap him up.

[Kahns Krazy]

I love how the haters can't wait until the Bengals lose to come running to post their Bengals suck and Bengals shit the bed and Bengals couldn't beat the Bengals.

3-1. 1st place all alone in the division. I think I saw last night that New England has a 37 game home winning streak against AFC opponents or something ridiculous. I'm not thrilled with the Bengals performance last night, and without Burfict in the defense, we are not close to the same, but I'm not about to throw in the towel on a team in first place because they lost to New England on the road.

As far as Andy's record in big games, last night was not Andy's problem. Two critical turnovers in New England's redzone. Tate continuing to be an idiot (why isn't Pacman returning kicks?), a defense that gave up 230 yards on the ground and Gresham's stone hands put the nails in the coffin last night.

Hopefully, this was an off night just like New England had last week, and we will show up on Sunday and throttle Carolina.

[bjf123]

When the schedule first came out, I didn't think we'd win this game. I also didn't think we'd beat the Ravens in Baltimore, so we're one win ahead of what I expected after four games.


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[Frambo]

I love how the haters can't wait until the Bengals lose to come running to post their Bengals suck and Bengals shit the bed and Bengals couldn't beat the Bengals.

Not piling on...just really tired of our performances in national games. I'm a big Bengals fan since '68....my question is do they need to re-evaluate their preparation methods? Seems like David Shula came back the past 2 weeks to help us get ready for last night.

[waggy]

That was one piss poor performance. I don't know if what I watched was a problem with tackling technique - you have to get within 5 yards of the ballcarrier first. And then the first drive of the game, 3 or 4 plays the Bengals weren't even ready at the snap of the ball. Not that it really mattered, they got gashed either way.

I've seen this movie before. So I'm very leery. I don't think a true championship contender gets beat like that.

[Kahns Krazy]

It's an interesting sports phenomenon that when your team wins, it's because they did things right, and if they lose, it's because they did things wrong. Somehow, the other team's performance isn't part of the equation.

New England was clicking last night. Brady was fired up. We got a hall of fame QB who is 39-3 at home since 2008. Very, very few teams were going to beat the Pats last night. This isn't losing a home game to Jacksonville. Seattle was held to 10 points last year in a late season loss to the Cardinals. Baltimore got drubbed 43-13 the year before by Houston. One game doesn't stop you from raising a trophy in February.

First place all alone and in control of our own destiny. I'll take it.

[paulxu]

I am a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Part of my fandom gives me license to comment on their performance. (I think)
Also...the defense is part of the group called the Cincinnati Bengals.
So, when they don't perform up to what can reasonably be expected, it's the Cincinnati Bengals who suffer...not somebody else.

[bleedXblue]

I guess I'm just waiting for them to actually do something that displays to everyone that they've turned the corner and are a serious contender. They've shit the bed in playoff games and prime time games under Lewis. Yes, they are a good young team with lots of talent. Can the coaching staff actually prepare and coach this team to perform at a higher level? Remains to be seen. This sure as hell is a lot more fun than losing all of the time.......but what fan doesn't want more?

[Kahns Krazy]

Paul, when your previous comments in the thread are "The Bumbles must be playing well today" and "If the Bengals played the Bengals they would lose", I'm going to interpret that you really aren't that much of a fan. There are several people that didn't make a single comment on this thread until they lost a game, and then basically showed up to say "See, I told you so. The Bengals suck."

I know there are haters, and I know a lot of them like to claim they are Bengals fans. Maybe they are, but they aren't the same kind of Bengals fans I am or like to hang out with.

As far as "waiting for them to show they are a contender", I find that logic puzzling. Aren't we all here because we are Xavier fans? If fandom is tied to winning championships, then we are all in the wrong place. The reality is that the odds of Xavier winning a basketball championship in any of our lifetimes are extremely long. If we can't celebrate the success our teams do have without winning a championship, then we are in the wrong place.

[paulxu]

Kahns,
I respect your comments and opinion, but grouping me with haters or non-fans is just a little off base.
I don't comment too much on the Bengals because its harder to follow down where I am. Not a lot of news feed or in-depth coverage.
But don't interpret my occasional (and obvious poor attempts at humor) to indicate a lack of true fan support.
My wife is from Cincinnati. We lived there when the Bengals were created.

I had club level seats in Riverfront about 50 feet from the booth where Howie and Dandy Don did their thing on Monday night, and could chat with them during commercial breaks.
And we keep up our following here in Panther country. (She is die-hard. Puts on the garb to watch the games on TV)

It's difficult sometimes supporting a team where the ownership seems to be often out of touch with the fans and might be viewed as taking advantage of their support. And I don't have all the recent ins and outs at my fingertips because of the distance factor. But I'm still a fan.

All that said...Go Bungles. Who dey anyway.

[Kahns Krazy]

That's sort of like saying I went to Times Square in 1991, so I know it's a hooker ridden shithole. The Devon Still story is the absolute feel-good story of the year in the NFL. The Bengals lowered the sell-out requirement this year in an effort to get more games on TV at the expense of sharing revenue with the opposing team. The core of the team is built around players who play without egos and off field trouble. They are in first place, and their only loss is to a team at a field that 93% of opponents have lost in for the last 8 years. What more do you want at this point?

If the fanbase is not going to give them any credit for the changes that they make, then why would they bother to make changes, especially where they come out of the ownership's pockets?

I like what they are doing. I have also said in the past that I largely don't care what the owners do, any more than I care what the owners of a movie studio do when I pay outrageous ticket prices to watch movies and get gouged for $8 popcorn and $5 drinks. Having said that, I can't think of anything ownership could have done better so far this year.

[boozehound]

That was one piss poor performance. I don't know if what I watched was a problem with tackling technique - you have to get within 5 yards of the ballcarrier first. And then the first drive of the game, 3 or 4 plays the Bengals weren't even ready at the snap of the ball. Not that it really mattered, they got gashed either way.

I've seen this movie before. So I'm very leery. I don't think a true championship contender gets beat like that.


I think that almost every year a championship contender has some chink in their armor in the regular season. With the exception of the 15-1 Patriots who didn't win the Super Bowl.

Kahns mentioned Seattle and Baltimore recently. If you go back and look at the Super Bowl winners before that you will see many more examples of a 'true championship contender' getting beat.

The Giants won the Super Bowl in the 2011 season with a 9-7 record in the regular season. At one point they went on a mid-season 4 game losing streak including a 24-49 loss to the Saints.

The Packers won the 2010 Super Bowl and had a 10-6 regular season record. At one point they lost 3-7 to the Lions.

The Saints won the 2009 Super Bowl with a regular season record of 13-3 and lost the last 3 games of the regular season, although I believe that they rested their starters for the final game.

The Steelers won the 2008 Super Bowl with a 12-4 record that included 2 home losses.

The Giants won the 2007 Super Bowl with a 9-7 regular season record that included a 41-17 home loss to the Vikings and a 31-20 home loss to the Cowboys.

The data would seem to contradict your opinion.

[blobfan]

Paul, when your previous comments in the thread are "The Bumbles must be playing well today" and "If the Bengals played the Bengals they would lose", I'm going to interpret that you really aren't that much of a fan. There are several people that didn't make a single comment on this thread until they lost a game, and then basically showed up to say "See, I told you so. The Bengals suck."

I know there are haters, and I know a lot of them like to claim they are Bengals fans. Maybe they are, but they aren't the same kind of Bengals fans I am or like to hang out with.

As far as "waiting for them to show they are a contender", I find that logic puzzling. Aren't we all here because we are Xavier fans? If fandom is tied to winning championships, then we are all in the wrong place. The reality is that the odds of Xavier winning a basketball championship in any of our lifetimes are extremely long. If we can't celebrate the success our teams do have without winning a championship, then we are in the wrong place.

How can a team claim to be a 'contender' when they haven't won a post-season game in how many decades? Comparing the Bengals chances at the SuperBowl to Xs chances at winning the NCAA just isn't fair. We play in the tourney and advance.

And the Bengals should get kudos for milking a story about a kid with cancer? How much is it really costing the the organization? Seems aside from keeping a borderline guy on the team they haven't done much except forgo profits on sales of a jersey that probably wouldn't have sold many units anyway without the cancer story. That this is considered a sea change in the way the organization welcomes the community says a lot about how crappy they've treated fans for the past couple decades.

See, I told you so. The Bengals suck.

[paulxu]

That's sort of like saying I went to Times Square in 1991, so I know it's a hooker ridden shithole. The Devon Still story is the absolute feel-good story of the year in the NFL.

If you google Devon Still in my local paper...you get zero hits. It's a great story, and has gotten national pub, but it's primarily a local story.

It's not the same as Times Square unless you were buying hookers there in '91. I supported the team in its beginning. Had season tickets until I moved back South, and had my company buy a large block which I believe they still have. Traveled to Miami to watch Montana carve us up in the last minute and a half. All of this before many here were even born.

But it's still just a game (unless it's Xavier BB; then it's life or death). And fans will support, and criticize; love and hurt, yell and scream.

If you grow up in a town that has professional sports, you are (I think) fortunate. I didn't. So it was the Reds on the radio, and the Colts until I went to X and the Bengals came to town.

I'd like to see the Bengals get over the hump in post-season. The talent seems to be in place. Some of the in-game moves leave me scratching my head, but I'm cheering...not getting paid the big bucks to make the coaching decisions. Should be a fun season with a lot of potential.

[waggy]

The data would seem to contradict your opinion.

These are some good examples.

Can you make me feel better about Hue Jackson and his stupid trick plays? One of these is going to backfire in spectacular fashion.

[Kahns Krazy]

These are some good examples.

Can you make me feel better about Hue Jackson and his stupid trick plays? One of these is going to backfire in spectacular fashion.

It would be easier to compile a list of game winning trick plays that Pittsburgh executed on their way to Super Bowl wins in 2005 and 2008. I guess it was different because they had a former quarterback as a wide receiver. Oh wait....

[bleedXblue]

Paul, when your previous comments in the thread are "The Bumbles must be playing well today" and "If the Bengals played the Bengals they would lose", I'm going to interpret that you really aren't that much of a fan. There are several people that didn't make a single comment on this thread until they lost a game, and then basically showed up to say "See, I told you so. The Bengals suck."

I know there are haters, and I know a lot of them like to claim they are Bengals fans. Maybe they are, but they aren't the same kind of Bengals fans I am or like to hang out with.

As far as "waiting for them to show they are a contender", I find that logic puzzling. Aren't we all here because we are Xavier fans? If fandom is tied to winning championships, then we are all in the wrong place. The reality is that the odds of Xavier winning a basketball championship in any of our lifetimes are extremely long. If we can't celebrate the success our teams do have without winning a championship, then we are in the wrong place.

You gotta be kidding me? This noble blabber all the time is nauseating. You think X would have half the season ticket holders they have today if they had no wins in the tourney the last 20 years? People follow this program b/c of its winning tradition. Its FUN to follow a winner. The Bengals have scarred so many die hard fans over the years they still cant sell out regular season games after 3 consecutive playoff appearances. I haven't seen a single thread claiming the Bengals "suck". I think the general response has been disappointment at the ass whooping the took on national TV. 0 for the last 11 I believe. I don't hate the Bengals. I follow them and watch just about every game. They owe this town and many of its loyal fans MORE than they have delivered. Until they pay up, you're going to see posts like this after an embarrassing loss. Its that simple.

[paulxu]

On the road today. Just now at a TV.
Bengals holding on with 2 minutes to go. Wife is going nuts (Panthers her second favorite team).
Nice return by Pacman.

[GoMuskies]

It's been a pretty great game no matter how it turns out in OT. My survivor pool entry would prefer the Panthers to pull it out and knock out about 20% of the remaining entries, though.

[GoMuskies]

Weird decision by Carolina to kick a FG on 4th and 1 with 2 and a half minutes left. Playing for the tie?!?

[GoMuskies]

Sisters kissed.

[Porkopolis]

If you wrote a script to sum up the Bengals' history, it might look like that overtime period.

[Xavgrad08]

Exciting game to watch,but a frustrating ending. The Bengals D has got to get better on 3rd down. Seems like the last two weeks the defense has had trouble getting off the field. Loved the Ickey Shuffle.

[paulxu]

Sisters kissed.

This..but an exciting kiss.

[GoMuskies]

This..but an exciting kiss.

Yes, we call that a West Virginia.

[bleedXblue]

Exciting game to watch,but a frustrating ending. The Bengals D has got to get better on 3rd down. Seems like the last two weeks the defense has had trouble getting off the field. Loved the Ickey Shuffle.

Just 3rd down? They haven't put pressure on the QB the last two weeks. The D line has gotta get better. Another huge test next week against Luck. The silver lining is the play of Dalton and Sanu. Thankfully Gio wasn't hurt today.

[boozehound]

Exciting game to watch,but a frustrating ending. The Bengals D has got to get better on 3rd down. Seems like the last two weeks the defense has had trouble getting off the field. Loved the Ickey Shuffle.

I'm starting to get concerned about the defense as well, although Cam Newton can be a tough matchup for many defensive groups. We didn't apply much pressure on the QB at all (although again, Newton's mobility was likely a factor there) and we gave up more rushing yards than I would like to see. This defense just hasn't looked elite over the past few weeks.

The defense really hasn't been great this season in terms of yards given up, even when they were something like the #1 or #2 scoring defense in the league earlier this season. The points given up are starting to follow the yards, which we all knew they would.

The offense continues to look very good, even without Green, Eifert, and Jones.

[Kahns Krazy]

This..but an exciting kiss.

http://www.haro-online.com/stuff/joedirt.jpg

[Xavgrad08]

Not a good showing for the Bengals today. The offense looked horrendous and Burfict found a way to hurt himself again. Hopefully, we can get AJ green back fast because we need him. Giovani took some nasty hits today.

[waggy]

Hue Jackson is a loser and an imbecile.

Blow it up.

[bleedXblue]

Ahhh. Welcome to Bengalville. Where it's always wait until next year. "We just need better execution".........from Marvin Lewis. The list of excuses and reasons why this team can't take the next step are endless. They've had a slew of injuries.....not doubt hurting this team. Can someone please help me understand why Burfectt keeps tackling leading with his helmet? Has he not had multiple concussions? What the hell are the coaches telling him? I would yank his butt off the field the next time he does it. It's pretty simple, make the f'ing tackle. He's gotten hurt twice this year tackling the QB with his helmet. What the hell is he doing? Can we please see some more Jeremy Hill ? I thought they were going to mix it up with he and Gio? And what's happened to the o- line and d- line? They are both getting absolutely blown up. I think the defense might be ranked last in the NFL. What the hell happened? Is Guenther that bad? Was Zimmer that good? You can't let Luck sit back like that and pick you apart. Was he even sacked today? Oh well, Musketeers Madness is Friday.

[Kahns Krazy]

I don't think anyone is saying wait until next year. This is supposed to be the team that can put it together.

Andy looked like shit. The lines looked like shit. We dropped more balls than a spay and neuter clinic. The only Bengal who had a good day was Kevin Huber, and ain't nobody gonna go out and brag about a punter who punts 11 times. I can't imagine what Lapham sounded like yesterday.

If they don't respond on Sunday, the first 3 games is looking like the fluke part of the season.

[XU 87]

I'm not sure I'd say Dalton looked like shit. I don't think anyone was open out there. The 3rd receiver, Sanu, is now the top receiver. Eifert is out. I'm going to guess that we'll see a different team if Greene is back next week.

More concerning is the defense. They have been awful the last three games.

[Kahns Krazy]

When your only first half first down that was not from a penalty comes against a prevent defense, you're 18-38, and several of your completions were for no gain, losses, or hung out your star running back risking an injury, you had a bad day. Even the 4th and goal throw near the end of the game shouldn't have been thrown. With a free play on a defensive offsides in that stand, Andy threw it away. I can't think of a single good play Andy made yesterday.

He was checking down too quick, and looked panicked. He looked like playoff Andy, and I'm an Andy fan.

[waggy]

The Indy defensive backs were running better routes than the Bengal receivers.

On the flipside, I don't remember Leon Hall ever having a worse game. He looked lost out there at times. Unprepared. Not a good omen imo. You could pretty much always count on him to play well.

[bleedXblue]

I see the nagging injuries not going away anytime soon. If you look at it: Burfict, Jones, Green, Eifert and Atkins are easily 5 of the top 10 players on the roster. You cant sustain injuries like they have and still win consistently in this league. I see this team finishing at 7-9, 8-8 or at very best 9-7.

[boozehound]

I see the nagging injuries not going away anytime soon. If you look at it: Burfict, Jones, Green, Eifert and Atkins are easily 5 of the top 10 players on the roster. You cant sustain injuries like they have and still win consistently in this league. I see this team finishing at 7-9, 8-8 or at very best 9-7.

Unfortunately, I think you are probably right. I expect Atkins to continue to get better. Eifert *should* be able to come back with little/no lagging issues. Green's toe is definitely the type of injury that can linger.

I'm not sure what to make of the Linebackers. Burfict's injury history this season suggests that we shouldn't count on him to stay healthy, and the linebacker unit is much worse without him on the field. Throw in injurys to Maualuga and Lamur (neither of which are very good, IMHO) and you have some definite issues on the defensive side of the ball. I think Brandon Thompson's injury is also hurting the run defense more than we all think.

I expect some more losses from this team, but I remain optimistic that we can get some guys healthy and make a run at the playoffs.

[Kahns Krazy]

Stealing a second win from the Ravens was huge. We need AJ back, and Andy needs to get more comfortable in the pocket. He really needs to get comfortable getting sacked here and there. Let the damn play develop a little bit. Jacksonville should be a good game to work on that.

If we continue to hold serve at home and get two more road wins, we finish at 10-5-1. Worse than that gets dicey in a division with everyone currently posting winning records. Baltimore will be right behind us the rest of the way, I think. If you look at their non-Bengals games, they are 5-1, only losing at Indy, and easily handling Shittsburgh, Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay.

[Kahns Krazy]

Roethlisberger and the Steelers have never looked better than they do right now, and we have two games left with them. Sweep or split, and I think we are playoff bound. Lose them both and we are out.

Andy needs to tighten up his check downs. Nearly had a couple picked off this week. At this point, I still have doubts that he can step up and make the big plays in the big games.

Sanu is a stud.

[nuts4xu]

Andy needs to tighten up his check downs. Nearly had a couple picked off this week. At this point, I still have doubts that he can step up and make the big plays in the big games.



He definitely needs to get his check downs right, and he needs to figure out how to pump fake without losing the ball.

Good win against a feisty Jaguars team. Any win in the NFL is special and not to be taken for granted. We have just 3 days to prepare for the Browns, and can't overlook them either. If The Bengals don't come to play on Thursday, the Browns will beat us.

We win against the Browns, and sit 6-2-1 which is a good position. Lose to the Browns, and we will begin chasing the rest of the division for any playoff spots left. Our schedule gets brutal with 3 straight road games against New Orleans, Houston, and Tampa Bay. It is even more difficult in December...2 games against Pittsburgh, at Cleveland, and home against the Broncos.

Winning 5 of the first 8 is about what I had hoped for. It is a shame we couldn't hang on to that win against Carolina, that tie could bite us in the ass at the end of the season.

We didn't execute our offense well, but I liked the way Jeremy Hill played, the line blocked well at times, special teams was very good, and overall it was a good day to be a Bengals fan. I like winning....

[Masterofreality]

Right about now, I'm glad the Browns are finished with the Steelers.

[bleedXblue]

Has anyone looked at the remaining schedule? 5 away games and 3 at home. The 3 home games are the Browns, Pittsburgh and Denver. If this team gets to 10 wins that would be huge. The still cant stop the run, which is going to be a problem moving forward. At NO, Houston and Tampa. Gotta win 2 of those 3.

[boozehound]

Right about now, I'm glad the Browns are finished with the Steelers.

No kidding. The scheduling for the AFC North has been very strange this year. Cleveland and Pittsburgh play 2x early in the season. Cincinnati plays Cleveland 2x in about 5 weeks and Pittsburgh 2x in less than a month to finish the season. Totally bizarre and unbalanced scheduling.


Has anyone looked at the remaining schedule? 5 away games and 3 at home. The 3 home games are the Browns, Pittsburgh and Denver. If this team gets to 10 wins that would be huge. The still cant stop the run, which is going to be a problem moving forward. At NO, Houston and Tampa. Gotta win 2 of those 3.

I'm afraid we might be in trouble unless we get something figured out fast. Run defense is what concerns me the most right now. We need Burfict back ASAP and we need Thompson and Atkins to return to form over the next few weeks. Teams with terrible run defenses don't usually make the playoffs, and if they do they don't win in the playoffs.

Andy is a worry for me as well. His 'fumbleception' in the Baltimore game was a huge mental error that I can only assume was due to Andy panicking. We were winning, at home, and had decent field position. I believe it was 2nd down as well. There is no reason not to just take the sack. His pass into Whitworth's back yesterday was buttfumble-esque. It's tough to figure him out. Sometimes he can look very good, while other times he is a total spaz when pressured. He is here for a while though, so as a fan I just have to hope he progresses.

[paulxu]

This should be fun on Thursday night.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11820889/greg-little-cincinnati-bengals-says-playing-ex-team-cleveland-browns-personal

[Masterofreality]

This should be fun on Thursday night.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11820889/greg-little-cincinnati-bengals-says-playing-ex-team-cleveland-browns-personal

Trust me. He may torch us on Thursday night, but no one up here in Brownstown is missing Greg Little with his dropped passes and alligator arms.

Plus, the next block he makes will be his first.

Up here, we're loving us some Andrew Hawkins and Miles Austin...at least until Josh Gordon comes back in two weeks.

[Kahns Krazy]

I would trade Little back for Baby Hawk in a heartbeat.

Tomorrow will be an interesting game. Which team will show up on either side? Depending on the team, this could be an overtime grind-it-out or a 30 point blowout either way.

[XUOWNSUC]

It's torture being a Bungles fan.

[xu82]

It's torture being a Bungles fan.

There's plenty of room on my Buffalo Bills bandwagon. We had a good first half of the season, but we veterans know the collapse is nigh. They torture us all...

[Masterofreality]

"Andy Dalton is awesome!" -- Andy Dalton's Bank

[XUOWNSUC]

"Andy Dalton is awesome!" -- Andy Dalton's Bank

I can't defend him anymore. He sucks.

I hope Geno is ok.

[Masterofreality]

I won't rub it in, other than this. ...and only because he is such an ass...

Greg Little is a piece of crap.

[bleedXblue]

10 of 33 for 80 yards and 3 interceptions

[DC Muskie]

Who's Greg Little?

[paulxu]

That was very hard to watch. Not sure we have an O line.
Perhaps the Bengals could trade for Conner Shaw.

[bleedXblue]

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2014/11/06/bengals-lose-browns-primetime/18631921/

In my opinion, Lewis cant take this franchise any further is his current capacity.

If Brown were smart (LOL) he would move Marvin to the front office and make him GM.

Hire a new guy who can win some big games.

[RealDeal]

"Dalton was especially poor Thursday. In the first half, he threw the interception, and several other balls that fluttered in the wind. Once, he ran five yards past the line of scrimmage, then threw a pass. That's against the rules. It's also mindless. Another time, he dropped back and simply spiked the ball, as if he believed the play had been blown dead. It hadn't been." - PD

Hilarious. Remember the movie "The Natural"? Maybe Andy needs that psychologist that they would bring in after losses.

Mo puts it best: "The Browns. Give 'em credit. They didn't continually punch themselves in the face. They didn't have a quarterback wearing the look of a guy whose wife just walked in on him watching midget porn."

Read more: http://www.espn1530.com/onair/mo-egger-9170/brown-is-the-color-of-turds-12944706/#ixzz3IOKwRptW

[Frambo]

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2014/11/06/bengals-lose-browns-primetime/18631921/

In my opinion, Lewis cant take this franchise any further is his current capacity.

If Brown were smart (LOL) he would move Marvin to the front office and make him GM.

Hire a new guy who can win some big games.

thought I had this idea copyrighted!!!!

agree 100%

[SlimKibbles]

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2014/11/06/bengals-lose-browns-primetime/18631921/

In my opinion, Lewis cant take this franchise any further is his current capacity.

If Brown were smart (LOL) he would move Marvin to the front office and make him GM.

Hire a new guy who can win some big games.

He should have done that this past offseason making Marvin GM and Mike Zimmer the HC.

[bleedXblue]

"Dalton was especially poor Thursday. In the first half, he threw the interception, and several other balls that fluttered in the wind. Once, he ran five yards past the line of scrimmage, then threw a pass. That's against the rules. It's also mindless. Another time, he dropped back and simply spiked the ball, as if he believed the play had been blown dead. It hadn't been." - PD

Hilarious. Remember the movie "The Natural"? Maybe Andy needs that psychologist that they would bring in after losses.

Mo puts it best: "The Browns. Give 'em credit. They didn't continually punch themselves in the face. They didn't have a quarterback wearing the look of a guy whose wife just walked in on him watching midget porn."

Read more: http://www.espn1530.com/onair/mo-egger-9170/brown-is-the-color-of-turds-12944706/#ixzz3IOKwRptW

now thats pretty funny

[Xville]

when are nfl teams going to realize that paying an average qb elite type money is a death sentence in the NFL? Just off the top of my head Cutler, Dalton, Ryan, are paid ridiculous money for being extremely pedestrian.

[PMI]

I love how you guys think the owner can just "move the coach to the GM position," as if Marvin Lewis doesn't have any say in the decision.

Last night was the first time in awhile I watched an entire Bengals game. Man, Andy Dalton was a big problem. He was missing the easy throws by a mile. I know Cincinnati has had its primetime game issues (which I'm all too familiar with too) but I was surprised to see them come out that flat and bad at home in a division rivalry like that. That division is a hell of a battle. Someone is going to be the Arizona Cardinals of last year and miss the playoffs with a good record.

[Masterofreality]

The Bengals only have 2 of their remaining 7 games at home. Wow. That is a big problem.

[XU 87]

I still cant get past how bad Dalton was last night. He had a QB rating of 2. I think the guy just panics and chokes in big games- national tv games and playoff games. He had multiple passes that were nowhere even close to being completed. He couldn't even make short throws last night. The play that I thought epitomized his day- when he was about 4 yards past the line of scrimmage, he threw the ball out of bounds and got the penalty instead of getting the 4 yard gain. The guy had no clue where he was and just panicked.

[bleedXblue]

I love how you guys think the owner can just "move the coach to the GM position," as if Marvin Lewis doesn't have any say in the decision.

Last night was the first time in awhile I watched an entire Bengals game. Man, Andy Dalton was a big problem. He was missing the easy throws by a mile. I know Cincinnati has had its primetime game issues (which I'm all too familiar with too) but I was surprised to see them come out that flat and bad at home in a division rivalry like that. That division is a hell of a battle. Someone is going to be the Arizona Cardinals of last year and miss the playoffs with a good record.

MB calling ML after the end of the season....ring....ring...

ML: Hello.

MB: Marvin, I'd like for you to become the first GM in team history. I value your opinion, guidance and leadership and think the next step in our relationship is moving in this direction. I'll pay you through your current deal at your current salary and we can renegotiate when that contract expires.

ML: Answer 1: Great.... Mike that sounds like a wonderful plan. I'm all in.
Answer 2: I'm not a GM Mike, I'd like to continue coaching.

MB: Answer 1: Awesome, lets get to work
Answer 2: That's too bad. We're going to move in a different direction then. Please come to my office immediately.

In all seriousness, businesses make these moves all the time. It's really not that difficult...unless your the Bengals and Mike Brown.

[Xville]

The Bengals only have 2 of their remaining 7 games at home. Wow. That is a big problem.

I don't think it will happen, but I would not be shocked if they only win one more game..the back half of their schedule is really tough...the only "guaranteed" win would be tampa...they could lose the rest of their remaining games no problem.

[PMI]

MB calling ML after the end of the season....ring....ring...

ML: Hello.

MB: Marvin, I'd like for you to become the first GM in team history. I value your opinion, guidance and leadership and think the next step in our relationship is moving in this direction. I'll pay you through your current deal at your current salary and we can renegotiate when that contract expires.

ML: Answer 1: Great.... Mike that sounds like a wonderful plan. I'm all in.
Answer 2: I'm not a GM Mike, I'd like to continue coaching.

MB: Answer 1: Awesome, lets get to work
Answer 2: That's too bad. We're going to move in a different direction then. Please come to my office immediately.

In all seriousness, businesses make these moves all the time. It's really not that difficult...unless your the Bengals and Mike Brown.

Businesses may make these kinds of moves routinely, but that comparison is apples to oranges in this circumstance. It is by no means a common occurrence in the NFL that a head coach is asked to stop coaching and join a front office. There are guys who have gone from coaching to front offices, but I doubt it's ever happened the way you describe. I think the more likely scenario is that Lewis, an accomplished coach for many years at this level, would be offended by his owner essentially telling him, "we think you provide value in the area of your job where you evaluate talent, but not in the other areas." Coaches tend to have egos and pride, and that would not fly over well with virtually any coach. If Lewis wants to get out of the grind of coaching and into a front office, I'm sure he could get the opportunity, but it will be HIS decision. Again, you really can't just decide to move a coach like that. Save the time and awkwardness and just fire him if that's what you want.

[XU 87]

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2014/11/06/bengals-lose-browns-primetime/18631921/

In my opinion, Lewis cant take this franchise any further is his current capacity.

If Brown were smart (LOL) he would move Marvin to the front office and make him GM.

Hire a new guy who can win some big games.

Why would it be smart to make Marvin the GM? Why would Marvin be a good GM? I think our de facto GM (Duke Tobin) is doing a good job.

[boozehound]

I still cant get past how bad Dalton was last night. He had a QB rating of 2. I think the guy just panics and chokes in big games- national tv games and playoff games. He had multiple passes that were nowhere even close to being completed. He couldn't even make short throws last night. The play that I thought epitomized his day- when he was about 4 yards past the line of scrimmage, he threw the ball out of bounds and got the penalty instead of getting the 4 yard gain. The guy had no clue where he was and just panicked.

This is just another example of why Dalton will never win a playoff game. The moment is too big for him. At one point they had him Mic'd up on the sidelines talking to the team and you could hear the panic in his voice. He's not a leader, and he's not the kind of player who makes big time plays in big time games. He seems like a very nice guy, and I don't have anything against him personally, but I can't imagine why we are paying him what we are paying him to play like this. When he starts playing badly, he just cannot pull himself out of it. I don't recall one good, crisp, pass from Dalton last night. He struggled with basic screens and short routes. It looked just like the Indy game.

I don't think the Bengals are going to make the playoffs this year, but if they do we can count on Dalton to throw up a sub-50 passer rating game in a blowout loss. Book it.

[XU 87]

I was in a bar watching the game with no sound on. What did Dalton say when he was mic'd?

[bleedXblue]

Why would it be smart to make Marvin the GM? Why would Marvin be a good GM? I think our de facto GM (Duke Tobin) is doing a good job.

Continuity. I think Marvin's done a pretty good job stabilizing the organization. Prior to him it was a mess. I just think he's gotten us as far on the field as he possibly can.

[bleedXblue]

Businesses may make these kinds of moves routinely, but that comparison is apples to oranges in this circumstance. It is by no means a common occurrence in the NFL that a head coach is asked to stop coaching and join a front office. There are guys who have gone from coaching to front offices, but I doubt it's ever happened the way you describe. I think the more likely scenario is that Lewis, an accomplished coach for many years at this level, would be offended by his owner essentially telling him, "we think you provide value in the area of your job where you evaluate talent, but not in the other areas." Coaches tend to have egos and pride, and that would not fly over well with virtually any coach. If Lewis wants to get out of the grind of coaching and into a front office, I'm sure he could get the opportunity, but it will be HIS decision. Again, you really can't just decide to move a coach like that. Save the time and awkwardness and just fire him if that's what you want.

From what I recall MB had to do one hell of a selling job just to get Marvin to re-up for his last contract. I think Marvin would be really open to this...his fingerprints are all over the organization. I don't think he wants to walk away. He has to be frustrated with where things are.

[boozehound]

I was in a bar watching the game with no sound on. What did Dalton say when he was mic'd?

He was basically just telling people to calm down while not sounding very calm himself. It was weird. The guy was in the midst of a total spaz-attack of a game and he is telling his line and receivers etc. to calm down. To be fair to Andy, he did acknowledge that he needed to calm down as well.

[PMI]

From what I recall MB had to do one hell of a selling job just to get Marvin to re-up for his last contract. I think Marvin would be really open to this...his fingerprints are all over the organization. I don't think he wants to walk away. He has to be frustrated with where things are.

I won't pretend to have any idea what Marvin Lewis is thinking. I am just very skeptical that any head coach would take too kindly to being asked by his owner to stop coaching and move into a management spot. One thing I know about most coaches is that they have big egos and are very competitive. For him to basically learn that his owner thinks he's good at part of his job, but not the coaching part, and then accept/agree with that and work for the guy in a less hands on role, seems to me to be about as unlikely as it gets.

[bleedXblue]

He was basically just telling people to calm down while not sounding very calm himself. It was weird. The guy was in the midst of a total spaz-attack of a game and he is telling his line and receivers etc. to calm down. To be fair to Andy, he did acknowledge that he needed to calm down as well.

He looked like a rookie out there....total deer in the headlights.

Valium was needed

[SlimKibbles]

Why would it be smart to make Marvin the GM? Why would Marvin be a good GM? I think our de facto GM (Duke Tobin) is doing a good job.

Doesn't matter whether he'd be good at it. He's a good company man. A "yes" man. He's been with the franchise a long time now. He'd be a good figurehead to take heat off of Mikey Boy, despite the fact his kids are really running things now. That's all The Family would care about. BleedxBlue made a good post about it above. If they were to get an official GM, I'd want someone better than that though.

PMI, regarding your post, I didn't make mine with the thought that they could just move Marvin to the GM. I honestly was making the comment under the assumption that if offered that position he'd just say yes, like in scenario 1 mentioned above.

[waggy]

Making Marvin GM would be great as long as he's not allowed to hire Hue.

[Juice]

Doesn't matter whether he'd be good at it. He's a good company man. A "yes" man. He's been with the franchise a long time now. He'd be a good figurehead to take heat off of Mikey Boy, despite the fact his kids are really running things now. That's all The Family would care about. BleedxBlue made a good post about it above. If they were to get an official GM, I'd want someone better than that though.

PMI, regarding your post, I didn't make mine with the thought that they could just move Marvin to the GM. I honestly was making the comment under the assumption that if offered that position he'd just say yes, like in scenario 1 mentioned above.

Why would they pay for a yes man? If he's going to just make the same decisions that the Browns would make, what's the point? Everyone suggesting Marvin as a GM is just trying to be too cute with it instead of just suggesting that he's been pretty average as a coach and should be fired.

[SlimKibbles]

Why would they pay for a yes man? If he's going to just make the same decisions that the Browns would make, what's the point? Everyone suggesting Marvin as a GM is just trying to be too cute with it instead of just suggesting that he's been pretty average as a coach and should be fired.

Cute with it? Ok. He has been pretty average and should be fired. I'm not a member of the Brown family though. Mike Brown learned how to run a football team from a man who thought it was too expensive to go to Super Bowls and it was better to win just enough to keep the fans coming back.

[GoMuskies]

That Saints fan who stole the ball from the female Bengals fan is a real piece of shit.

[bleedXblue]

That Saints fan who stole the ball from the female Bengals fan is a real piece of shit.

Yeah, little does he know that the 150.00 football that was so important to him is now going to humiliate the hell out of him. They were showing him elbowing her on ESPN. Classic A-hole.

Who is this team? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for sure. We may lose 48-3 next week and it wouldn't surprise me.

[gladdenguy]

Bengals dominate Saints. Cleveland loses at home to a Ryan Mallet led team. First place again by ourselves. Dalton looked great today. Defense looked great today. Who knows. If they win the next 2 (Houston, Tampa) it is looking real good. That Carolina win would have been huge.

[Kahns Krazy]

That Saints fan who stole the ball from the female Bengals fan is a real piece of shit.

It's a bit of a stereotype, but that is my experience with the city of New Orleans. It looks like it's dressed all golden and fancy, but underneath, it's just a piece of shit.

[Kahns Krazy]

Bengals dominate Saints. Cleveland loses at home to a Ryan Mallet led team. First place again by ourselves. Dalton looked great today. Defense looked great today. Who knows. If they win the next 2 (Houston, Tampa) it is looking real good. That Carolina win would have been huge.

Maybe we need to build a dome. The 3rd and 18 pass and then the touchdown pass to AJ in the same possession were 100% perfect passes. I don't understand how that same ginger turd that stunk up PBS 10 days ago walks into the Superdome and does that.

Sure would be nice to have good Andy show up for a primetime game or a playoff game or two.

The defensive stop on 4th and goal from the 1 was the game changer.

[waggy]

It was ginger mist!

[waggy]

Hue Jackson is a baffoon.

[bleedXblue]

Where is Jeremy hill

[XUOWNSUC]

Thank God we played Ryan Mallet today.

[XU-PA]

Hue Jackson is a baffoon.

perhaps you want Jon Gruden back?

[Kahns Krazy]

Andy looked good again yesterday, with the exception of the bad throw on the pick 6. Defense only gave up 6 points. Guys stepping up left and right when the man in front of them goes down.

7-3-1 with a brutal December schedule coming up. I'm worried about the 12/7 game getting flexed to the primetime spot.

[boozehound]

December is going to be crazy.

You really hope the Bengals can take care of business at Tampa Bay to get to 8-3-1. Then it gets interesting. I don't love the Bengals' chances in any one of the remaining 4 games individually, however I don't see them losing all 4. My prediction is that they get to 9-6-1 and make the playoffs.

Pittsburgh is never easy and we have to play them 2x. Beating Cleveland on the road will be no easy task. Denver, while not looking as good as they did earlier in the season, is going to be a tough game. Finishing on the road in Pittsburgh with the possibility of both teams playing for a playoff spot will be a very tough game.

I really hope that the Carolina game doesn't come back to bit us.

[waggy]

Other than the pick, the offense looked great yesterday. Hill is playing some ball right now. Hue is still closely related to a baboon.

I don't know what to think of the D. Did the Texans QB suck just because he does, or because the Bengals D was so awesome?

[boozehound]

Other than the pick, the offense looked great yesterday. Hill is playing some ball right now. Hue is still closely related to a baboon.

I don't know what to think of the D. Did the Texans QB suck just because he does, or because the Bengals D was so awesome?

The Texans have the #3 ranked rushing offense in the NFL this season. It's not really about the passing game, IMHO, as much as seeing the Bengals stop the run against a team that runs the ball very well.

[Kahns Krazy]

Run defense was strong. Pass defense did benefit some from Mallet missing on some throws, but also seemed to be playing pretty good coverage. When the line couldn't put pressure on him though, we were getting shredded.

They are now saying Mallet played through a pec injury.

[waggy]

Did I hear the annoucer yesterday say that the Bengals D has the fewest sacks in the entire league?

[D-West & PO-Z]

Did I hear the annoucer yesterday say that the Bengals D has the fewest sacks in the entire league?

Watching the Giants inept defensive line I might have to question that. The Giants have to be near the bottom.

[Kahns Krazy]

Tied for second least.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/defense/sort/sacks/order/false

We also have the second most tackles total. Is that just a straight function of the number of plays run against us?

[bleedXblue]

Some luck yesterday with Arian Foster being out. Their QB was dreadful. I'll take the W.

[muskiefan82]

Other than the pick, the offense looked great yesterday. Hill is playing some ball right now. Hue is still closely related to a baboon.

I don't know what to think of the D. Did the Texans QB suck just because he does, or because the Bengals D was so awesome?

I swear on the pick 6 play that Houston had a player lined up in the neutral zone. I kept waiting for the flag, but it never came.

[usfldan]

Andy looked good again yesterday, with the exception of the bad throw on the pick 6. Defense only gave up 6 points. Guys stepping up left and right when the man in front of them goes down.

7-3-1 with a brutal December schedule coming up. I'm worried about the 12/7 game getting flexed to the primetime spot.

The pick-6 should have been negated by an offsides flag on Jadaveon Clowney that was overlooked. I don't know whether Dalton noticed or it had any effect on the play, but it should have come back:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24834260/refs-miss-jadeveon-clowney-way-offsides-on-texans-pick-6-vs-bengals

I doubt the Dec. 7 game will get flexed over NE at SD (the current game) - Tom Brady at a San Diego team that is in a four-way tie for the final playoff spot in the AFC. Tomorrow is the deadline for them to switch, and I don't see anything happening in the next day to change that.
The Week 17 Bengals-Steelers is a real possibility, though. They don't pre-determine a Sunday Night game then, they just let NBC choose the one game that will most likely still be relevant as the final game of the season. As of now, that's probably either Bengals-Steelers or Lions-Packers.

I just noticed in the "if the season ended today" outlook, as it now stands the Bengals would play the Chiefs in the first round- those are the two teams that have gone the longest without winning a playoff game in the AFC (Chiefs 0-8 since 1992, Bengals 0-6 since 1990).

[waggy]

I swear on the pick 6 play that Houston had a player lined up in the neutral zone. I kept waiting for the flag, but it never came.

Yup, I remember that and was thinking the same thing.

[GoMuskies]

The Week 17 Bengals-Steelers is a real possibility, though. They don't pre-determine a Sunday Night game then, they just let NBC choose the one game that will most likely still be relevant as the final game of the season. As of now, that's probably either Bengals-Steelers or Lions-Packers.


They should go ahead and just mark Week 17 in ink as Dallas at Washington. Dallas loses in week 17 every year to miss the playoffs while the nation watches.

[PMI]

They should go ahead and just mark Week 17 in ink as Dallas at Washington. Dallas loses in week 17 every year to miss the playoffs while the nation watches.

We can certainly hold out hope for that, but I'm not sure the FCC would allow the whole nation to have to see the Washington Redskins play. There are children still awake at that hour!

[Kahns Krazy]

The pick-6 should have been negated by an offsides flag on Jadaveon Clowney that was overlooked. I don't know whether Dalton noticed or it had any effect on the play, but it should have come back:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24834260/refs-miss-jadeveon-clowney-way-offsides-on-texans-pick-6-vs-bengals

I doubt the Dec. 7 game will get flexed over NE at SD (the current game) - Tom Brady at a San Diego team that is in a four-way tie for the final playoff spot in the AFC. Tomorrow is the deadline for them to switch, and I don't see anything happening in the next day to change that.
The Week 17 Bengals-Steelers is a real possibility, though. They don't pre-determine a Sunday Night game then, they just let NBC choose the one game that will most likely still be relevant as the final game of the season. As of now, that's probably either Bengals-Steelers or Lions-Packers.

I just noticed in the "if the season ended today" outlook, as it now stands the Bengals would play the Chiefs in the first round- those are the two teams that have gone the longest without winning a playoff game in the AFC (Chiefs 0-8 since 1992, Bengals 0-6 since 1990).

Thanks for that. I had lost track of how well San Diego is doing this year.

I would love to host the Chiefs. I would also love to win out and take the bye from Denver.

[xu drew]

The Steelers @ Bengals game on December 7th CANNOT be flexed. CBS elected to protect this game from being flexed.

[Kahns Krazy]

Awesome sauce. I don't really believe in the primetime jinx, but I'd prefer to have a different game to break it.

[Xavgrad08]

Dalton looked awful in the first half, but he made some solid throws in the second half. Bengals have a tough schedule remaining.

[usfldan]

Hopefully, Bill Leavy will be retiring soon. That was the worst officiated game I've seen in a while, even before that mess at the end. It looks like he has a history of blunders:

http://espn.go.com/blog/san-diego-chargers/post/_/id/2869/nfl-official-bill-leavy-strikes-again

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9708840/bill-leavy-downgraded-nfl-referee-makes-another-mistake-penalty-call%22

[bleedXblue]

Bengals finding a way to win. 3 straight wins on the road......are you kidding me? We probably haven't done that in the last 25 years.

We'll know what kind of team we really have in the next 2-3 weeks.

Atkins is looking better. Maualuga wiffed on multiple tackles today....badly. When is Burfict coming back? This team really needs him badly.

[Snipe]

Three straight on the road is just what the Doctor ordered. We can end Pittsburgh's season next Sunday. Anytime we do that is a good time by me.

[usfldan]

Bengals finding a way to win. 3 straight wins on the road......are you kidding me? We probably haven't done that in the last 25 years.

We'll know what kind of team we really have in the next 2-3 weeks.

Atkins is looking better. Maualuga wiffed on multiple tackles today....badly. When is Burfict coming back? This team really needs him badly.

This is the first time they've ever won three straight road games in consecutive weeks. They did win four straight road games (over a six-week stretch) late in 2012.

[Kahns Krazy]

Four games left. We win all four, and we are guaranteed at least a two seed and a bye, with a reasonable chance at a one seed. We lose a couple, and we could easily miss the playoffs in this conference.

Crazy year in the AFC.

I think I witnessed something I never thought I'd see yesterday - Marvin Lewis making a smart move as the head coach that won us the game.

The surprise onside kick would have worked if we had executed better. Stay onside and lay one block down and Nugent will recover that ball. You can't let the front guy come through unblocked.

[waggy]

I think they are definitely in with 2 wins, because with the one tie it takes 11 wins to be a better record.

[usfldan]

Four games left. We win all four, and we are guaranteed at least a two seed and a bye, with a reasonable chance at a one seed. We lose a couple, and we could easily miss the playoffs in this conference.

Crazy year in the AFC.

I think I witnessed something I never thought I'd see yesterday - Marvin Lewis making a smart move as the head coach that won us the game.

The surprise onside kick would have worked if we had executed better. Stay onside and lay one block down and Nugent will recover that ball. You can't let the front guy come through unblocked.

I know this is backwards thinking, but I'd rather play KC in the first round (a team with a history of playoff failures to match our own) than get a bye and then host Denver in the second round, assuming that is how it would fall. It would be easier to at least end the playoff jinx, and then they'd have some momentum and confidence going into the second round.

The onside kick was a terrible idea. I don't mind the bravado, but at that point Tampa was not moving the ball at all. If the Bengals don't give up a field goal at that point, they are up four at the end and Tampa has to score a TD, not just get in FG range on the last drive.
The Bengals gift-wrapped two scores for them (the Dalton INT to start the game and the onside kick), and fortunately Tampa settled for two field goals instead of two touchdowns (or even one of each). The Buccaneers did not gain a first down on either of the drives that ended in field goals.

[Kahns Krazy]

They said they saw an exploitable hole in the kickoff coverage from TB, and I think they were right. If that kick goes toward the left side where the blocks were picked up well, we recover that ball with no problem. Lemon was the only one that reacted in time, and he was also the only one that was unblocked. He went straight to the ball.

[XU 87]

I could see doing the onside kick if this game was a shootout with both teams scoring a lot. But it wasn't. Neither team was moving the ball, particularly Tampa. If Bengals recover, based on the their game so far, odds are they aren't going to score. If Bengals kick to end zone, overwhelming odds are that Tampa isn't going to score.

So why take the risk?

It was a decision that almost cost them the game.

[paulxu]

Down to the wire, and my #1 and #2 teams are both in the playoff hunt, leading their respective divisions by virtue of a tie game between themselves.
Awesome.
Gives me a lot to look forward to.
Time for the Bengals to test the waning arm of Peyton.
Panthers took care of JF. On to winning the division with a losing record.

[waggy]

If I calculate correctly the final game against Pittsburg with be for the North Div., regardless if the Bengals win or lose to the Broncos.

[usfldan]

Nice to see NBC is already counting tomorrow night's Bengals game as a loss.

[BENWAR]

Nice to see NBC is already counting tomorrow night's Bengals game as a loss.

Why do you say that? Winning or losing tomorrow night has nothing to do with the division title.

[RoseyMuskie]

Why do you say that? Winning or losing tomorrow night has nothing to do with the division title.

NBC was choosing from three games - Det/GB, Atl/Car, and Cin/Pit.

Both GB and Det have clinched. Atl and Car isn't that appealing given their records. So it's thought that Cin/Pit was selected since Cincinnati could still miss the playoffs with two straight losses. In short, NBC was able to a put out quality matchup with the potential for an elimination. And that is predicated on tomorrow night's game.

[waggy]

The two factors imo.. 1. The Pit/Cin game will have meaning. 2. Pittsburgh draws well nationally.

[usfldan]

Why do you say that? Winning or losing tomorrow night has nothing to do with the division title.

If the Bengals win tomorrow, both they and the Steelers are in the playoffs and the game is simply for the division title.

Detroit-Green Bay is already a match-up like that, only the winner in that game could potential get the #1 seed in the NFC while the loser will have to go on the road in the first round of the playoffs. That's more than would be at stake in the Bengals-Steelers game if the Bengals win tomorrow.

NBC is counting on the Bengals losing to set up a scenario where they have to win to get in.

[BENWAR]

So NBC is counting on three things to happen.

1- Bengals have to lose to Broncos
2- Baltimore has to lose to Cleveland
3- San Diego has to lose to Kansas City

If ANY of the above go the wrong way, the Bengals have clinched a playoff spot.

I would of thought they would of taken the sure thing which is Atlanta-Carolina which is like a playoff game.

[drudy23]

So NBC is counting on three things to happen.

1- Bengals have to lose to Broncos
2- Baltimore has to lose to Cleveland
3- San Diego has to lose to Kansas City

If ANY of the above go the wrong way, the Bengals have clinched a playoff spot.

I would of thought they would of taken the sure thing which is Atlanta-Carolina which is like a playoff game.

Its a game between two bad teams...why would they pick that?

[BENWAR]

Its a game between two bad teams...why would they pick that?

Loser goes home!

Who doesn't want to watch that?

[drudy23]

Loser goes home!

Who doesn't want to watch that?

Me.

There's also plenty of ways to watch it. Doesn't mean it has to be the premier game.

[bleedXblue]

Hmmm.

Which way will tonight go?

Bengals 0-8 all time against Manning.

Haven't won a prime time game in how many years/decades?

I want to say that things are gonna change sometime soon.

If they can run the ball tonight, they have a shot at it.

Bengals 28-24

[X-band '01]

They did beat the Steelers at home on Monday night last year - it did keep Pittsburgh out of the playoffs last year.

And it's not like the Bengals played the Colts on prime-time earlier this year.

[usfldan]

Pittsburgh was in Week 2 last year. Since then, they have...

Lost to Miami, 22-20, on Thursday Night on a safety in overtime (in a game Dalton threw three INTs, including a pick-six)
Lost to Pittsburgh, 30-20, on Sunday Night in a game they trailed 21-0 after one quarter (and their punter got his back broken)
Lost to San Diego, 27-10, in the playoffs (not at night, but a nationally televised playoff game at home against a team they had beaten on the road during the regular season)

Lost to New England, 43-17, on Sunday Night, falling behind 20-3 in the first half.
Lost to Cleveland, 24-3, on Thursday Night in a game where Dalton had the lowest passer rating of any QB in the past three seasons.


I'm not entirely sold on the "Can't win in prime time" narrative, but at the same time I can't argue that there isn't at least a bad trend. I just hope it's more correlation than causation.

If they can win these two games, or at least the Pittsburgh game, I think it will give them a huge shot of confidence and momentum going into the playoffs.

[danaandvictory]

We may have seen the last of Afternoon Andy for the season. Afternoon Andy is a genial fellow, a family man with a quick smile who generally gets the job done.

But you don't want to see Andy After Dark.

[boozehound]

This one scares me. Great opportunity for Andy to silence some of the doubters by playing a great game. I'm not sure if he will though, and I don't think our defense in it's current state is capable of carrying the load without a solid performance from the offense.

[paulxu]

Well, there goes the Peyton Can't Throw the Deep Ball theory.

[waggy]

The defense is good when it gets pressure. And not good when it doesn't.

[bleedXblue]

Bengals showing why they can't win big games. Fumbles on the 5 yard line and dumb ass taunting penalties. That's giving away at least 6 points......just not good enough to do that.

[OH.X.MI]

Wohhh!!!!!!!

[Xavgrad08]

Bengals had some big plays on special teams that really helped. 4 consecutive years in the playoffs is nice, but it is time to win a playoff game.

[waggy]

Looks like Kirkpatrick is the new starting corner.

[waggy]

But does anyone got a spare wideout we can have?

[OH.X.MI]

Looks like Kirkpatrick is the new starting corner.

@FOX19Joe Dre Kirkpatrick walking into locker room holding INT ball: "I'm out there changing s***."

Haha a much needed change! Hope he keeps it up!

[waggy]

Hope he doesn't turn into the guy like the mouth from Seattle, but whatever, if he can lock guys down...

[X-band '01]

I wonder what the odds are on 2 straight games against the Steelers. That will provide ample fuel for all the fans who are secretly pissed the Bengals won last night.

[Muskie in dayton]

But does anyone got a spare wideout we can have?

So by that it means Dalton needs to throw the ball. I'm not sure that's a good idea...

[usfldan]

I wonder what the odds are on 2 straight games against the Steelers. That will provide ample fuel for all the fans who are secretly pissed the Bengals won last night.

I could be wrong, but if Denver wins next week (at home against Oakland), the winner of the Bengals-Steelers game will be the #3 seed and the loser will be the #5 seed, meaning they will not play each other in the first round (the winner will host whoever gets the last playoff spot among SD, BAL, HOU, and KC; the loser goes to Indy).
If Denver loses next week, the Bengals could get a first round bye by beating Pittsburgh and then end up hosting the Steelers in their next game.
I guess if the Bengals and Steelers tie and Indy wins, the Bengals could host the Steelers in the first round.

[paulxu]

Screw the Steelers.

[blobfan]

Screw the Steelers.

I think that's the plan.

Doesn't matter. They are in the playoffs. I said if the Bengals can beat the Broncos in prime time I'd stop bad-mouthing them, at least until the playoff game. So go Bungl, errrr, Bengals!!!

[Masterofreality]

Nuts 4 XU was at the game last night with his good luck charm- Mini-Me.

I wish he'd bring that same good luck charm to Cintas for the rest of the games this year.

If he doesn't, he's a piker and a nondescript scofflaw.

[BENWAR]

I
So NBC is counting on three things to happen.

1- Bengals have to lose to Broncos
2- Baltimore has to lose to Cleveland
3- San Diego has to lose to Kansas City

If ANY of the above go the wrong way, the Bengals have clinched a playoff spot.

I would of thought they would of taken the sure thing which is Atlanta-Carolina which is like a playoff game.

I sure hope NBC likes their decision on flexing a game for home field advantage instead of a playoff like game where the loser goes home!

[ammtd34]

I

I sure hope NBC likes their decision on flexing a game for home field advantage instead of a playoff like game where the loser goes home!

They will.

[X-band '01]

If they just wanted a winner-take-all game, they would have taken the Falcons-Panthers game on Sunday night.

The Rams-Seahawks booby-prize game was one they telecast a few years ago.

[paulxu]

Have no idea if there are field advantages to the winner of this game.
So, I hope the Bengals open a can of whoop a$$ in Pittsburgh.
Just because.

[paulxu]

I hope Good Andy plays in the second half. They are going to need him.

[bleedXblue]

If they don't pressure Rothlisburger, its going to be a long night.

Bad Andy so far. He's cost them 10 points already.

Jeremy Hill needs to carry the ball 30 times. He's a stud.

[Mel Cooley XU'81]

Hi!

Thanks for taking my call.

Why aren't Opie and AJ Green more simpatico?

I mean after all these years and millions of dollars.

I'll hang up and listen for my answer.

[XUFan09]

That was a great drive by the Bengals.

[danaandvictory]

I rip Dalton plenty and he was predictably lackluster tonight but my God was that a horrific effort from AJ Green.

[XU-PA]

Interesting look at Dalton

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GCAVsjDz-zwQqna0N8k9Z85g7aaBBLMzWMUR0PqYP4k/edit#gid=0

[Kahns Krazy]

Interesting look at Dalton

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GCAVsjDz-zwQqna0N8k9Z85g7aaBBLMzWMUR0PqYP4k/edit#gid=0

I would much rather see that on a "first 64 games played" basis. Andy is statistically a good QB, but not all statistics translate to wins.

My take on Andy is that he is one of the better second tier quarterbacks, but that he lacks the ability to really make a big play. From a technical skills standpoint, he's a better QB than say Roethlisberger, but he will finish his career with at least 2 fewer super bowl rings than Ben. His long ball has gotten worse, if that's possible. He makes up for it by making fewer big mistakes than most, but that mentality doesn't win big games. He also seems to take the "oh well" attitude too quickly. I would love to see some fire from Andy like we saw from Brady in New England.

I'd love to have Andy as my backup quarterback, but I think he's probably better than half of the current starting quarterbacks out there, so that's not going to happen.

I would rather have Andy than any of the 22 QB's the Browns have trotted out since Tim Couch.

[Kahns Krazy]

I rip Dalton plenty and he was predictably lackluster tonight but my God was that a horrific effort from AJ Green.

Agreed. A better game from AJ and we win that game.

[Smails]

Agreed. A better game from AJ and we win that game.

x3...He needs to be more of a playmaker ALA Dez Bryant (I just threw up in my mouth). Just look at the first deep ball of the game...his effort to go up and get that ball was pathetic. With his size he should be able to win a lot more 50/50 balls than he does.

[bleedXblue]

AJ is a good player. He could be a great player if he really wanted it. Something is up with him and the QB. He's got to get over the fact that Dalton is going to throw some bad balls his way.

[drudy23]

The BIG difference is that Dez Bryant is built like a brick sh*t house....AJ can't overpower DBs like Dez can. He needs to get stronger.

[Kahns Krazy]

Losing Jones and Eifert for the season really hurts in a lot of ways. Burfict hurts too. Sanu has stepped up big and Hill twice as much, but the fact that we made the playoffs with some big injuries from the projected starting lineup is fairly amazing to me.

AJ was on the injury report for at least half the games this year, maybe more. I hope he gets healthy and stays that way.

[waggy]

Line is Colts -4.5 (ESPN line). If I were betting I'd take the points.

[waggy]

BTW, with Baltimore winning at Pittsburg the Bengals are still alive to host the AFC championship game.

[xubball1993]

I hate the Bengals. I hope they get their asses beat down again.

[Xville]

The Bengals have gotten away from what worked offensively in the first half. Now they are trying to throw the ball down the field which is mind boggling to me. They don't have the personnel to do that today and Dalton is awful without aj green. I mean I think he is awful anyways but he is less awful when aj is in there. They should go back to the run and then compliment that with screen plays. Dalton can't do much more than that.

[DC Muskie]

My god man run out of bounds! Why did Dalton stay in play on that last run? He ran another minute off the clock.

[RoseyMuskie]

My god man run out of bounds! Why did Dalton stay in play on that last run? He ran another minute off the clock.

Clock doesn't stop fully on out of bounds until under 5 in 2H, so wasn't a big deal.

[DC Muskie]

Clock doesn't stop fully on out of bounds until under 5 in 2H, so wasn't a big deal.

Shows what I know. That's kind of a crazy rule.

[mohr5150]

Would running out of bounds really have mattered? It was actually a good move to hopefully end the misery that is the Bengals. Just good enough to squeak into the playoffs but not good enough to truly compete with good teams. I was happy when they drafted Dalton. I'll be happy when they draft another QB. He just doesn't have what it takes to be a winner at this stage.

[RoseyMuskie]

Shows what I know. That's kind of a crazy rule.

Definitely goes against what you'd naturally think. By the same token, games would be unbearably long if that wasn't the case.

Under 2 in the 1H.

[waggy]

The one area where the Bengals didn't have the injury bug this year is the D line; but the D line has been way below average.

[bleedXblue]

I would love to see a coaching change but that isn't going to happen. Mikey Boy is just giddy with making the playoffs.

In all seriousness, this team is simply decimated with injuries. You can't lose your two best wide receivers, starting tight end and two starting line backers and win consistently.

They found themselves a really good running back this year.

Not sure what you do about Dalton. Knowing this organization, they'll do nothing.

[Juice]

The Bengals have gotten away from what worked offensively in the first half. Now they are trying to throw the ball down the field which is mind boggling to me. They don't have the personnel to do that today and Dalton is awful without aj green. I mean I think he is awful anyways but he is less awful when aj is in there. They should go back to the run and then compliment that with screen plays. Dalton can't do much more than that.

It's not like the Colts would expect that and load the box.

[Xville]

It's not like the Colts would expect that and load the box.

They expected that in the first half and still had some problems stopping it. Getting away from what has worked before them stopping it is just awful awful coaching.

[Juice]

They expected that in the first half and still had some problems stopping it. Getting away from what has worked before them stopping it is just awful awful coaching.

It was one drive. Other than that the Colts owned the Bengals offense when they ran or threw the ball.

[THRILLHOUSE]

It was one drive. Other than that the Colts owned the Bengals offense when they ran or threw the ball.

Hill only had 5 carries after the first quarter. Hue called a pretty poor game, especially in the 2nd half. Thought maybe we would see Hill and Gio on the field at the same time, but never happened. Burkhead had some key moments in the first half but barely saw the field in the 2nd. Sure, with the injuries it was gonna take a near perfect effort to win today, but hated that 2nd half play calling.

[waggy]

It's gonna be interesting what changes are made, if any. I hope they change both coordinators, but at least hopefully Hue.

[xubball1993]

The Bengals have gotten away from what worked offensively in the first half. Now they are trying to throw the ball down the field which is mind boggling to me. They don't have the personnel to do that today and Dalton is awful without aj green. I mean I think he is awful anyways but he is less awful when aj is in there. They should go back to the run and then compliment that with screen plays. Dalton can't do much more than that.

Imagine how good AJ could be if he were playing with an elite quarterback.

[danaandvictory]

No pass rush.
No linebackers healthy.
Sub-mediocre quarterback play.
No receivers healthy.

Poo.

[Xavgrad08]

I don't have faith that Marvin Lewis is the coach to get the Bengals to the next level. I don't have faith that Mike Brown would find a better replacement than Marvin. It is a very interesting predicament to be in.

[bleedXblue]

I don't have faith that Marvin Lewis is the coach to get the Bengals to the next level. I don't have faith that Mike Brown would find a better replacement than Marvin. It is a very interesting predicament to be in.

I'll add to that..........Is Mike Brown qualified to understand coaching talent (he whiffed on so many hires prior to Marvin).....also would really anyone with a bright future want to coach in Cincy for Mike Brown? I think the latter is more probable. The Bengals have some really good talent. What sucks is the D line was a strength last year and it was a huge weakness in many of our losses this year.