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Post by Rodneck on Jan 19, 2016 5:18:59 GMT -5
No need to add up all your thoughts and feelings directly on the heels of the end of the season which unless it results in a Superbowl win is never fun. So after 10 days of not thinking about it here's where I'm at.
We had it. We had it. We had it....But we didn't play enough of this game early or it would have been there more readily and unblowable. Once Andy Dalton got hurt I think whatever was reflected in the eyes of Marvin Lewis spelled defeat because the playcalling got timid, it took forever in each game to find any groove, and other than Paully G's D I didn't see much aggressive football especially out of the O-Line. They prepared in games prior like a team that was ready to lose a playoff game IMO and nothing will change my mind about it. I said as much with a write up after the SF game. I don't like Marvin Lewis as a head coach. I don't think he manages the game well, in a crisis situation he reflects apprehension, and he does not have the it factor. But onward...
I do like that Hue Jackson is gone. After witnessing Jay Gruden essentially call his QB a lifeless nerd and treating him like the proverbial red headed stepchild he had to go. How can you expect a guy to buy in like that? So Hue Jackson to me wasn't Superman. He just had the confidence of his QB and it made all the difference. But his addiction to gimmicks IMO was unnecessary with the talent on this squad. Don't believe me? Why was he using Sanu as a QB in the middle of games during a playoff run? Absurdity in my eyes. Zampese is not an eye popping hire but for Dalton's and playcalling language in general continuity I think it will work. Fix this ass broken offensive line and I think they pick up where they left off.
As disconnected and "What the fuck ever.." as I felt last spring(and definitely on January 10th) I don't feel so bad now. The big thing going into this season was the QB play being elevated. We got that. I stood back in the shadows eyeing this team with suspicion. But after the comeback vs the Ravens and some wow factor of QB play in the Chiefs game I was won over. And even after the loss to the Cardinals which I felt we should have had with some better playcalling(no details now,please), I thought we were becoming the best team in the AFC. I tell you right now I have never even surmised that thought since maybe 2005, I can't remember. Longstory short to go from one extreme to the other I think says a lot about this team and what they accomplished up to the point of the injury. Hell this was as fun of a ride as we have had in a long time! Sundays were colored in and fun again! I can't turn my back on that. It might have ended the same but it wasn't the same old same old overall. This team did elevate itself. But there is still plenty to fix though.
The Future. With Marvin admitting in so many words that he is about at the end of his tether as a head coach personally I think bodes well for the near future for all the reasons above. This team has proven it can't coach a whole team to win shit once the playoffs start but it has proven that it can assemble talent. That can't be 1 man. Marvin Lewis' imminent departure won't undo our ability to assemble the talent but it could usher in a new era for a team that has always been on the cusp.It all adds up to intrigue enough for me...
What say you?
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Post by clinz on Jan 19, 2016 12:12:02 GMT -5
Sometimes I think people give Marvin too much credit for evaluating talent. He should get some. When the college season is happening, Marvin and his coaches are preparing a game plan, watching film, practicing, etc. Yes they'll be at senior bowl, combine and those things but the bulk of scouting is done through the season. Duke Tobin and his staff are doing the in season game scouting. Without Duke who knows where this team would be. He's the unsung hero IMO. So I believe the incoming talent will always be there. Stick with the plan of drafting talent first instead of need. Competition brings out the best in everyone. As long as they stick to that plan the Bengals will be very competitive. I heard the Bengals made an offer to Hue about a head coach in waiting. We don't know how long the waiting part would be. If that's the case it sounds like Marvin would head to the front office. Having his eyes would help this team even more. 5 years ago this team was lost. It usually takes 5 years to put players and a system in place to be competitive. We're going through our 3rd O coordinator and 2nd D coordinator in the 5 year span. That's the success this team is having. Marvin has his coaching downfalls but this team will be in the hunt for a super bowl with or without Marvin at the helm until he decides to head to the front office. The future looks bright. Even though the Steelers beat us last week. I still think we have more talent than them and any other team in this division. The future looks bright. We're going to ride this till the end till we raise that super bowl trophy. Who Dey brother.
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Post by Rodneck on Jan 19, 2016 15:07:55 GMT -5
Sometimes I think people give Marvin too much credit for evaluating talent. He should get some. When the college season is happening, Marvin and his coaches are preparing a game plan, watching film, practicing, etc. Yes they'll be at senior bowl, combine and those things but the bulk of scouting is done through the season. Duke Tobin and his staff are doing the in season game scouting. Without Duke who knows where this team would be. He's the unsung hero IMO. So I believe the incoming talent will always be there. Stick with the plan of drafting talent first instead of need. Competition brings out the best in everyone. As long as they stick to that plan the Bengals will be very competitive. I heard the Bengals made an offer to Hue about a head coach in waiting. We don't know how long the waiting part would be. If that's the case it sounds like Marvin would head to the front office. Having his eyes would help this team even more. 5 years ago this team was lost. It usually takes 5 years to put players and a system in place to be competitive. We're going through our 3rd O coordinator and 2nd D coordinator in the 5 year span. That's the success this team is having. Marvin has his coaching downfalls but this team will be in the hunt for a super bowl with or without Marvin at the helm until he decides to head to the front office. The future looks bright. Even though the Steelers beat us last week. I still think we have more talent than them and any other team in this division. The future looks bright. We're going to ride this till the end till we raise that super bowl trophy. Who Dey brother. You know I have to have my mandatory Rodneckian tantrum/fit of rage and then brood on it while the hatred bubbles down for a few weeks then I let the overall thoughts and observations to start sifting back in! Seriously looking back on this season dispassionately and at the landscape of now and the near future it's not even remotely as grim to me as it was last spring. Dalton stepping up his game is obviously the key piece to that. Anyway I'm pleasantly surprised at what I found waiting for me in my subconscious Bengals related this morning!  |
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Post by Rodneck on Jan 19, 2016 15:10:42 GMT -5
Man when I sat down to the computer and turned on music choice heard this song. I don't know why but this is one of my favorite songs from the entire fuckin 90's! HAHA!!
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Post by lostwou on Jan 20, 2016 8:05:04 GMT -5
I don't give as much credit to Lewis as far as evaluating talent in the draft. I think where the credit goes is his philosophy of building through the draft and keeping key players. Not spending insane amounts of money in FA but using FA mostly to add depth.
Its shown to be a smart and effective approach as other teams are now using it. You only see a handful of teams now hitting that first wave of FA. And they are usually the teams with losing records. Its enabled us to have the money to keep our own instead of half the team being lost to FA. Its not about spending its about spending wisely.
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Post by 77bengal on Jan 21, 2016 13:36:01 GMT -5
Marvin Lewis is good in some areas, bad in others and excellent at none.
The good: 1) Lewis brought stability to a terribly ran organization, but in all do respect, there are a lot of football coaches that could've done the same. 2) Evaluating talent seems to be a good asset of Lewis, but the organization did state a few years back that when they draft a player it's more of a collaborative effort than one person calling the shots so how much credit does Lewis deserve?
The bad: 1) My biggest beef with Lewis; playing veterans instead of rookies and/or younger players when a rookie/younger player is the better player. Domata Peko is the poster child per this problem. 2) Time clock management. I brought this up several years ago when clock management was at an all time low. In the years since, it has improved but it's still inconsistent. 3) Passive attitude. Remember last year when Steeler head coach Mike Tomlin confronted Reggie Nelson after the game because Nelson's tackle of LeVeon Bell caused Bell to sustain a hyper-extended knee? I do. Lewis immediately came up to Nelson and directed him away from the rather irate Tomlin. Under most circumstances I would agree with Lewis' actions but not this time. Lewis has been far too passive since becoming the Bengals head coach. It would've been nice to see Lewis stick up for Nelson by getting in the face of Tomlin and telling him to back off instead of ordering Nelson to do so. (Besides, Tomlin has demonstrated time and again that he's a horses ass by tripping opposing players, yelling at Nelson, etc.) 3) Discipline. A) Lewis has allowed players to take time off for all kinds of frivolous reasons and most of the time he doesn't inform the media of the details. B) His inability to control Chad Johnson, Adam Jones nor Vontaze Burfict. Burfict has the talent and personality to become the games best linebacker in the mold of Ray Lewis. This is why I brought Burfict up a few months before the 2012 draft. It was obvious that he was a good player that had the ability to lift an entire defense. C) Not preparing the team properly during practices prior to a game. From the outside looking in, it appears that the team isn't repetitive nearly enough concerning plays during practices and that practices aren't as demanding as they should be. Lackadaisical practices produce lackadaisical play on Sundays.
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Post by Rodneck on Jan 21, 2016 15:54:34 GMT -5
Marvin Lewis is good in some areas, bad in others and excellent at none. The good: 1) Lewis brought stability to a terribly ran organization, but in all do respect, there are a lot of football coaches that could've done the same. 2) Evaluating talent seems to be a good asset of Lewis, but the organization did state a few years back that when they draft a player it's more of a collaborative effort than one person calling the shots so how much credit does Lewis deserve? The bad: 1) My biggest beef with Lewis; playing veterans instead of rookies and/or younger players when a rookie/younger player is the better player. Domata Peko is the poster child per this problem. 2) Time clock management. I brought this up several years ago when clock management was at an all time low. In the years since, it has improved but it's still inconsistent. 3) Passive attitude. Remember last year when Steeler head coach Mike Tomlin confronted Reggie Nelson after the game because Nelson's tackle of LeVeon Bell caused Bell to sustain a hyper-extended knee? I do. Lewis immediately came up to Nelson and directed him away from the rather irate Tomlin. Under most circumstances I would agree with Lewis' actions but not this time. Lewis has been far too passive since becoming the Bengals head coach. It would've been nice to see Lewis stick up for Nelson by getting in the face of Tomlin and telling him to back off instead of ordering Nelson to do so. (Besides, Tomlin has demonstrated time and again that he's a horses ass by tripping opposing players, yelling at Nelson, etc.) 3) Discipline. A) Lewis has allowed players to take time off for all kinds of frivolous reasons and most of the time he doesn't inform the media of the details. B) His inability to control Chad Johnson, Adam Jones nor Vontaze Burfict. Burfict has the talent and personality to become the games best linebacker in the mold of Ray Lewis. This is why I brought Burfict up a few months before the 2012 draft. It was obvious that he was a good player that had the ability to lift an entire defense. C) Not preparing the team properly during practices prior to a game. From the outside looking in, it appears that the team isn't repetitive nearly enough concerning plays during practices and that practices aren't as demanding as they should be. Lackadaisical practices produce lackadaisical play on Sundays. Basically all the intangibles that are the difference between playoff contender and playoff pretender. He's not "the guy". I'm glad he intonated that he's just about done coaching a few weeks ago. We keep giving this team an infusion of talent on top of our QB stepping his game up,adding a coach with some will and some fire in him could take this team to not only the next level but above and beyond. Good to hear from you 77. |
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Post by lostwou on Jan 22, 2016 7:05:32 GMT -5
Too bad we can't get a guy like Nick Saben.
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Post by Rodneck on Jan 22, 2016 11:51:55 GMT -5
Too bad we can't get a guy like Nick Saben. Yeah we need someone of that caliber definitely. |
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Post by 77bengal on Jan 22, 2016 14:26:24 GMT -5
Too bad we can't get a guy like Nick Saben. The talent is there, it's just being poorly managed. It's a shame to see all this talent squandered away. |
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Post by lostwou on Jan 25, 2016 17:48:04 GMT -5
Exactly. WE have a great team. I hate getting rid of a coach who turned this team around. But you have to wonder, is that what we need to get us over? Or would it set us back? Seems like this team has plateaued with Lewis.
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Post by 77bengal on Jan 25, 2016 19:08:34 GMT -5
Exactly. WE have a great team. I hate getting rid of a coach who turned this team around. But you have to wonder, is that what we need to get us over? Or would it set us back? Seems like this team has plateaued with Lewis. It's as if Lewis is only capable of getting around eighty to ninety percent of a players abilities to show up on Sundays. A disciplinarian type coach is what this team needs along with cutting edge assistants. |
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