Game Thread: Bengals Chargers - LOL

[cincygrad]

No action today?

Anyway, I think we now know why Joe didn't want to play for the Bengals.

Total Bengal game today. It's nice to know with all the changes in 2020, that some things will stay the same.

 

[GNG]

 

[alf8478]

Anyone who didn’t expect them the Bengal it at the end is lying.

 

[cincygrad]

Two points:
1) Burrow had better control of the clock than Dalton did at any point over his nine year career here. It was disorienting to watch someone that knew what they were doing. I was confused.
2) When does he officially change his name to "Poor Joe Burrow?"

 

[Be Weary of Query]

I got a little drunk during the game and the final 10:00 minutes are still a bit of a blur. Felt rather familiar however...

I am interested in watching back to confirm my optimism in spite of the the Bengal way of losing the game. I was coherent enough to know that what AJ did on the TD pass was no worse than what Mike Williams did at least 3 times during the game to Darius Phillips. This is a game that IF Joe Burrow would have a normal preseason/offseason, I think we would have won.

That said, I am pissed but optimistic for the near future. Might not be evident as soon as Thursday but should materialize as the year goes. The Defense was better against a rather vanilla offense but the Offensive line has GOT to show better or Burrow won't make it to the Bye week.

 

[DanBengalfan]

he's going to get injured. we couldn't even protect him from getting sacked repeatedly by the chargers... The Steelers and Ravens are going to put him in intensive care.

He did look true to form though. some mistakes, but his first live NFL game, so there's some learning to do.

we all knew that we were going to miss the FG at the end. they are so reliable in this regard.

 

[cincygrad]

I got a little drunk during the game and the final 10:00 minutes are still a bit of a blur. Felt rather familiar however...

I am interested in watching back to confirm my optimism in spite of the the Bengal way of losing the game. I was coherent enough to know that what AJ did on the TD pass was no worse than what Mike Williams did at least 3 times during the game to Darius Phillips. This is a game that IF Joe Burrow would have a normal preseason/offseason, I think we would have won.

That said, I am pissed but optimistic for the near future. Might not be evident as soon as Thursday but should materialize as the year goes. The Defense was better against a rather vanilla offense but the Offensive line has GOT to show better or Burrow won't make it to the Bye week.

I didn't realize that the last time a rookie won his first start was David Carr with the expansion Texans.... And Burrow didn't even have a preseason. So, my opinion of him hasn't changed - I still think he'll be a great qb in this league. He made rookie mistakes yesterday but still gave his team a chance to win.
The Chargers might have one of the least dynamic offenses in the league, so I'll save my enthusiasm for the defensive effort.... But it did look like guys actually might know what they are doing. The linebacker from Baltimore is clearly one of the best linebackers to play here in the past 4 or 5 years.... Not that that is saying a whole lot, but it's nice to have a pro back there.
The AJ call was definitely offensive PI. It also normally doesn't get called on a player like AJ. Tough call in that situation, but he extended his arms and the DB did have a point. Sucks though, because the throw was perfect, and I don't think the DB would have been able to make a play on it if AJ didn't push off.
The franchise's commitment to Bobby Hart is one of the most agonizing and confusing parts of being a Bengals fan. I get that we don't know everything. I get that PFF numbers might not mean as much as we think. But there is no way you can convince me that there hasn't been a guy available for a decent price that would be an upgrade to that position over the past 3 seasons. Not a single FA on the market that can play better RT than Bobby Hart? I just don't believe it.
Fat Randy will now kick 25 straight, meaningless field goals. He'll be 27 for 28 on the season and we'll have to hear how great he is. How does the kicker cramp up? He kicked 3 times from placement with four kickoffs yesterday. And he had a cramp? We don't have gatorade on the sideline?

 

[futballiscool]

I was coherent enough to know that what AJ did on the TD pass was no worse than what Mike Williams did at least 3 times during the game to Darius Phillips.

AJ definitely extended his arm but the defender was making the initial contact. It was a tough call.

The Defense was better against a rather vanilla offense but the Offensive line has GOT to show better or Burrow won't make it to the Bye week.

Hopefully at least some of the pressure was the Bosa/Ingram factor and it gets better from here. I thought Burrow showed a lot of poise other than the one bad play.

 

[DanBengalfan]

the upside and potential with Burrow appears to be greater than it was with Dalton. I'm reminded when we upgraded from Kitna to Palmer.

anyhow, although he didn't win, Cam newton threw for over 400 yards in both of his first 2 games in 2011, I didn't expect that to happen yesterday though.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Burrow was impressive all things considered. The shovel-pass for an INT was peak 90's Bengals, though.

John Ross still can't catch a deep ball, why is he on this team? I would roll with Boyd, Green, Tate, and Higgins full time, no TE, and 1-back set with either Bernard or Mixon. Burrow is clearly much better when the field is spread out.

Bobby Hart is still one of the worst NFL linemen to have a starting job, and they have a potential young replacement in Fred Johnson (who played well at LT down the stretch last year) sitting behind him. Why is Hart still on this team?

The defense, sans Atkins, I thought played well enough. Williams beat Phillips a few times, but that call on AJ is exactly what Williams was doing to Phillips all day long. Bull-shit call, but it is what it is. The personal foul on Bates early on was also bull-shit, as was the double off-setting foul on him late in the game. They need to start realizing that when a defensive player goes low, and an offensive player lowers his head into the target zone, there is NOTHING the defensive guy can do about this. They are penalizing the defensive guy for doing the right thing. Just another thing that the NFL seemingly cannot get correct.

Before the last FG attempt, I said he would shank it. With 7 seconds left, coming off a 2-14 season, with Burrow ROLLING down the field in that drill - there is ZERO reason to not try for 1 more shot at the endzone. A high corner fade to Tate on one side with AJ green on the other, and Higgins going with a post to the middle of the field not only would have spread the defense out with 3 big WR's can that can high-point the ball, but also would have taken no more than 4 seconds, 5 max. Of course, when you have the human turnstile at RT - there is reason to be worried about getting the play off.

 

[DanBengalfan]

lack of a preseason leads to them not realizing when a player can no longer play at a pro level.

but, it is the bengals, they hold on to players for years after most teams would have a player retire.

 

[alf8478]

Last night's game was a preview of what the bengals' 2 games vs the Steelers are going to look like.

 

[cincygrad]

Burrow was impressive all things considered. The shovel-pass for an INT was peak 90's Bengals, though.

John Ross still can't catch a deep ball, why is he on this team? I would roll with Boyd, Green, Tate, and Higgins full time, no TE, and 1-back set with either Bernard or Mixon. Burrow is clearly much better when the field is spread out.

Bobby Hart is still one of the worst NFL linemen to have a starting job, and they have a potential young replacement in Fred Johnson (who played well at LT down the stretch last year) sitting behind him. Why is Hart still on this team?

The defense, sans Atkins, I thought played well enough. Williams beat Phillips a few times, but that call on AJ is exactly what Williams was doing to Phillips all day long. Bull-shit call, but it is what it is. The personal foul on Bates early on was also bull-shit, as was the double off-setting foul on him late in the game. They need to start realizing that when a defensive player goes low, and an offensive player lowers his head into the target zone, there is NOTHING the defensive guy can do about this. They are penalizing the defensive guy for doing the right thing. Just another thing that the NFL seemingly cannot get correct.

Before the last FG attempt, I said he would shank it. With 7 seconds left, coming off a 2-14 season, with Burrow ROLLING down the field in that drill - there is ZERO reason to not try for 1 more shot at the endzone. A high corner fade to Tate on one side with AJ green on the other, and Higgins going with a post to the middle of the field not only would have spread the defense out with 3 big WR's can that can high-point the ball, but also would have taken no more than 4 seconds, 5 max. Of course, when you have the human turnstile at RT - there is reason to be worried about getting the play off.

I can't blame Taylor for going for the 3. As much as I bag on Randy Bullock, he's been a good kicker here (after that bad start in Houston several years ago). Aside from him wearing a Bengal uniform and me expecting the worst, I didn't have much reason to think he'd miss. It was a pretty, windless day and he had just nailed a 50 yarder a few minutes prior. I think there was a lot that could go wrong if he let Burrow pass from his 18 with no timeouts left on the clock. And I also get what Taylor was thinking about momentum. Burrow was just starting to get hot...The defense was getting a pretty good rest and Tyrod Taylor isn't the biggest threat for a quick strike in overtime. I liked our chances. Things just didn't go well.

 

[DanBengalfan]

this was a home game right?

turf care. Bullock was limping after the kick, something obviously went wrong and broke his routine. he most likely stepped into a hole in the turf. same old shit though, it's quite inexcusable to have big holes in the turf, but the divot could have been created during the game.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I can't blame Taylor for going for the 3. As much as I bag on Randy Bullock, he's been a good kicker here (after that bad start in Houston several years ago). Aside from him wearing a Bengal uniform and me expecting the worst, I didn't have much reason to think he'd miss. It was a pretty, windless day and he had just nailed a 50 yarder a few minutes prior. I think there was a lot that could go wrong if he let Burrow pass from his 18 with no timeouts left on the clock. And I also get what Taylor was thinking about momentum. Burrow was just starting to get hot...The defense was getting a pretty good rest and Tyrod Taylor isn't the biggest threat for a quick strike in overtime. I liked our chances. Things just didn't go well.

I don't disagree that it was the "right" call - I'm going for more of the angle of "What do you have to lose"? If this year is about getting Burrow set up for the future, why not instill an aggressive attitude right away. They were 2-14 last year. Going into overtime is a crap-shoot, and really who cares. You win, you lose, you draw - I would have liked to have seen more aggression with 7 seconds left. But again, I don't fault the call either, really.

 

[gob]

I don't disagree that it was the "right" call - I'm going for more of the angle of "What do you have to lose"? If this year is about getting Burrow set up for the future, why not instill an aggressive attitude right away. They were 2-14 last year. Going into overtime is a crap-shoot, and really who cares. You win, you lose, you draw - I would have liked to have seen more aggression with 7 seconds left. But again, I don't fault the call either, really.

He's coaching for his job. That's what he has to lose.


For the team itself, I agree. If you lose, you lose. We're not making the playoffs this year, so who cares

 

[Cincyfan78]

He's coaching for his job. That's what he has to lose.


For the team itself, I agree. If you lose, you lose. We're not making the playoffs this year, so who cares

Well, I mean - if we already know he's not making the playoffs - he's not really coaching for his job. It's safe. Why not go for the W and spark something?

Again, I get the decision - I just think at this stage of the season/team/rebuild - it doesn't hurt to gamble a little bit and roll the dice. I think they could have gotten at least 1 more play off. Oddly enough, maybe 1 more play would have allowed fat randy to warm up a bit more so he didn't pull up lame? lol

 

[MaximumSam]

I can only watch the Bengals for the humor anymore

 

[cincygrad]

I think Taylor has pretty good job security. It's clear that this team's roster was in terrible shape when Marvin left. At this point, I don't know why Duke Tobin doesn't get more criticism in the media. He clearly whiffed on Dennard, Price, Cedric O, Billy Price, and Jon Ross. His free agent signings (linebacker and tackle from Buffalo) have been nothing special and the roster went from one with great young talent in 2015 to one of the worst in the league when Marvin left.

I think they've made a few solid moves over the past two years and I expect that Taylor should have something to show for it by next year. I think this year will be a lot of ups and downs.... The team is much better than last year's version, but still too many holes to consistently compete

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I don't think that would have been a offensive pass interference on Green if the Ref was not standing right there, and it wasn't for a game winning TD. It was too critical of a play. I do agree it was offensive pass interference, and I think overall, the game was really well called by the refs for not having any preseason either. They let the guys play. But they couldn't not call that play an offensive pass interference at that stage of the game in the end zone.