Playoffs

[CrashDavisSports]

Playoffs? Playoffs? You're talking playoffs??

No I am not. I think this upcoming week is the end of the road. I hate Pittsburgh more than a couple draft slots, so I am hoping we win and Burrow can add to his streak, Chase continue to assault our record books. But I am not a complete dummy.

I know that KC wants nothing to do with a surging Cincinnati team in the playoffs, and if they can help it, they will. Granted, they have that BYE, but if Cincinnati sneaks in they play Buffalo who got pounded by Cincinnati a couple years ago in Buffalo, which would then setup a first match up for KC with Cincinnati. They do not want that. They are going to rest starters, they will have a very vanilla offense, they will give up a few plays defensively they normally wouldn't give up and they will play to make sure a Denver team they own makes the playoffs just in case they happen to get past Buffalo.

Our game and Miami's game means nothing right now. It was a fun way to end the season, but like usual, just enough to get fans excited before the big deflate. Too many losses to start the season. That NE game is haunting, along with the Raven's games.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

We will find out how rigged the NFL is if the Bengals make the playoffs. They are the media darlings, have one of the highest if not the highest television ratings in the NFL thanks to Burrow and Chase. If the NFL cares about ratings and prime time sponsorships and showdowns, they will pencil the Bengals in as the #7 seed. If they don't make it in, well, the NFL is not rigged, just unfortunate for some teams/fans.

 

[cincygrad]

We will find out how rigged the NFL is if the Bengals make the playoffs. They are the media darlings, have one of the highest if not the highest television ratings in the NFL thanks to Burrow and Chase. If the NFL cares about ratings and prime time sponsorships and showdowns, they will pencil the Bengals in as the #7 seed. If they don't make it in, well, the NFL is not rigged, just unfortunate for some teams/fans.

I wonder how much those ratings have to do with fantasy football. I stopped playing over a decade ago because I became annoyed by the constant focus on fantasy over the actual games - But I think it brings in a ton of ratings..... Anyway - that's over now so I wonder if the ratings will stay the same.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I don't think KC would prefer for Cincinnati to make the playoffs...but I also don't think it impacts their strategy for sitting/playing their guys. Especially since there are still more factors at play than just the KC/Denver game.

I also haven't played fantasy in roughly 10 years. I've found that I quite enjoy the NFL more now than I did then. No longer do I get annoyed because Cooper Rush threw for 300 and 3 TD's, or a backup RB gets 6 goal-line carries and 4 TD's....or some tipped pass goes right to the WR I am facing that week for an 85 yard score...etc...etc...

I enjoyed FF for a long time, and was pretty good at it. Usually finishing top 3 in my league most years...winning it a few times...but once I made the break - I found that I really enjoyed the NFL more. Biggest reason for the break though, as actually just due to draft timing for a few years...I got tired of shoehorning it in on a random Sunday night (it used to be a big deal for our group, made a full day out on it)...and I was out of town for the draft and didn't want to draft by proxy...so, I sat out that year...and never went back.

 

[DanBengalfan]

I think some of the screwing of the Bengals has to do with the Mike Brown discension votes. He often goes against the status quo that the rest of the NFL owners agree with. they want nothing to do with the Bengals becoming successful.

 

[cincygrad]

I think some of the screwing of the Bengals has to do with the Mike Brown discension votes. He often goes against the status quo that the rest of the NFL owners agree with. they want nothing to do with the Bengals becoming successful.

I agree to an extent. I don't think they intentionally fuck with the Bengals. But I also don't feel like they see any reason to cut them any breaks or give them the benfit of the doubt. Brown isn't seen as being cooperative and the new money owners are irritated by his lack of aggression in developing outside revenue streams.

 

[DanBengalfan]

the refs know who the favorites are. it's like, if you have a boss who has a favorite employee, you don't mess with that employee. that employee always gets their requests taking care of first, and so on. you're not allowed to talk about it, but you know what and how to survive. the NFL refs know how to survive.

 

[DanBengalfan]

the bengals are like "you can't have a good QB and still have a good team, because you have to pay your qb". meanwhile in the playoffs...

 

[Cincyfan78]

the bengals are like "you can't have a good QB and still have a good team, because you have to pay your qb". meanwhile in the playoffs...

Bengals FAFO'd this past off-season. Did they learn? This off-season will be VERY telling.

 

[cincygrad]

Watching these playoffs and you still see the same things that always swing close games - Turnovers matter. Most of the Bengals turnovers come when Burrow is forced to do too much due to pass rush or lack of running game threat. Even if they are lucky enough to keep their weapons, they need to address these issues. I firmly believe Baltimore was the best team in the league going into the divisional round, but they were sent home because they dropped the ball at crucial parts of the game.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Watching these playoffs and you still see the same things that always swing close games - Turnovers matter. Most of the Bengals turnovers come when Burrow is forced to do too much due to pass rush or lack of running game threat. Even if they are lucky enough to keep their weapons, they need to address these issues. I firmly believe Baltimore was the best team in the league going into the divisional round, but they were sent home because they dropped the ball at crucial parts of the game.

IOL has to be a focus in F/A. I don't see a ton in this draft on OL, but I could be wrong. Just doesn't seem like a ton for the Bengals as most are listed as OT's, though I'm sure a few of those OT's are better suited for IOL - do they want to spend a 1st round on someone for Guard? Not sure that's the best use of a draft pick.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

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Speaking of the o-line…

Not sure what our fascination is with the 2024 New England Patriots coaching staff.

On the surface this seems very underwhelming. The Patriots had the worst ranked OL in the NFL this year. But they also had less talent than our 2021 offensive line. Michael Jordan started 12 games for them.

Hopefully Peters can get the guys we have turned out. And this isn’t us hiring yet another turd who had 1 good performance against us.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

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Speaking of the o-line…

Not sure what our fascination is with the 2024 New England Patriots coaching staff.

On the surface this seems very underwhelming. The Patriots had the worst ranked OL in the NFL this year. But they also had less talent than our 2021 offensive line. Michael Jordan started 12 games for them.

Hopefully Peters can get the guys we have turned out. And this isn’t us hiring yet another turd who had 1 good performance against us.

What I like about him, he was Callahan's assistant line coach for 3 to 4 years in Cleveland. There is no better OL coach than Callahan, and 3-4 years under him had to have grated him some great knowledge. Question is, can we get the players up front to allow him to build the right unit to perform his scheme? Right now, we have the worst guards in the NFL.

 

[cincygrad]

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Speaking of the o-line…

Not sure what our fascination is with the 2024 New England Patriots coaching staff.

On the surface this seems very underwhelming. The Patriots had the worst ranked OL in the NFL this year. But they also had less talent than our 2021 offensive line. Michael Jordan started 12 games for them.

Hopefully Peters can get the guys we have turned out. And this isn’t us hiring yet another turd who had 1 good performance against us.

My understanding is that he would have been our top target had we moved on from Frank before the '24 season. I think all of our fans will concentrate on his work with the Patriots from this season, but that is probably unfair. They had less talent on their line than we do, they had no weapons on the outside, and they played with a statue for part of the year and a rookie for the second part. I would also caution against expecting too much out of a coaching change in one year, unless they significantly address the liabilities they have at guard. Add two solid pros at guard and the line will be fine.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Agreed - you can't focus on just 1 year - I think if all you ever did was look at what someone did last year, you would miss out on a lot of potentially good coaches.

As already mentioned - I like that he was in Cleveland under Callahan when that OL was just road-grading guys and really doing well. He's familiar with the AFCN - and hopefully he can come in, asses - and we can identify and target guys that will grow under his scheme - which to me is the biggest thing. If you get a great guy, but don't fit the scheme you take a B+ guy and turn him into a C- or worse. However, you can get a C+ guy and get him to B+ level in the right fit/scheme.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Willie Anderson is on board with the OL hire - so that is a good sign.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Willie Anderson is on board with the OL hire - so that is a good sign.

Not even sure Willie Anderson knows who he is. Willie is a mouth piece for the front office hires. He gave Frank Pollack a thumbs up as well back in the day as well. I love Willie, but his nod of approval means very little to me unless he has worked directly with Scott Peters. I do like the fact he knows the AFC North, and he worked under Callahan, for me, that is enough right now until I see more out of him. Callahan is the big positive to me.

 

[Cincyfan78]

x.com

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Speaking of the o-line…

Not sure what our fascination is with the 2024 New England Patriots coaching staff.

On the surface this seems very underwhelming. The Patriots had the worst ranked OL in the NFL this year. But they also had less talent than our 2021 offensive line. Michael Jordan started 12 games for them.

Hopefully Peters can get the guys we have turned out. And this isn’t us hiring yet another turd who had 1 good performance against us.

From Twitter/X:

Once the Pats turned to Drake Maye, things got better. From week 6 on, they produced a better pressure rate and knockdown rate with way less talent than the Bengals. They were also 5th in explosive run rate during this time and 13th in QB hit rate (Bengals were 31st).

 

[Cincyfan78]

Not even sure Willie Anderson knows who he is. Willie is a mouth piece for the front office hires. He gave Frank Pollack a thumbs up as well back in the day as well. I love Willie, but his nod of approval means very little to me unless he has worked directly with Scott Peters. I do like the fact he knows the AFC North, and he worked under Callahan, for me, that is enough right now until I see more out of him. Callahan is the big positive to me.

I get it - but Anderson has had some beef with the FO in the past - and while Frank didn't work out, I don't wonder if it was more about the fit he prefers compared to the offense that is being run. Frank has a lot of support around the NFL as a good OL coach.

But, I digress - more:

League source, approving the Bengals' hiring Scott Peters:- Expert pass pro technician- Well versed in run scheme, will fit it to personnel- Super detailed- Takes no shit, but players will enjoy his demeanor

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Worst case scenario, Peters can just suit up and play guard, dude is jacked.