I'm about to take some melatonin...

[DanBengalfan]

this should be the straw that breaks the camel's back. fire the dumb-ass coaches. appoint an interim coach and start your search. we have to have at least a few coaches that aren't utterly moronic. start working towards 2025 to be the best team they can be.

to have this much talent and get such poor results

also, how they didn't know we needed better people on defense.

such bullshit

 

[BKBroiler9000]

Lou Anaraumo should’ve been fired a month ago. Yet here we are.

Season on the line (again)…defense looks completely lost.

Offense sucks tonight too. Bring on the ass kicking.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Lou Anaraumo should’ve been fired a month ago. Yet here we are.

Season on the line (again)…defense looks completely lost.

Offense sucks tonight too. Bring on the ass kicking.

if they f around burrow is going to be injured until week whatever of next year.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

Evan McPherson being the only player the Bengals re-sign…then immediately turning to shit is the most on brand this for this franchise ever…LOL

 

[DanBengalfan]

yep. There is meaningless stat padding after they lose the game—the Bengals treadmill of almost progress.

 

[alf8478]

I went to bed at the 2 minute warning, when it was 21-6. I was blissfully hoping when I woke up to see the final score be something like 38-13, so that it would be a total embarrassment on national tv.

Seeing the actual score made me even matter.

 

[DanBengalfan]

our defense gets scored on more than a french whore.

 

[cincygrad]

I went to bed at the 2 minute warning, when it was 21-6. I was blissfully hoping when I woke up to see the final score be something like 38-13, so that it would be a total embarrassment on national tv.

Seeing the actual score made me even matter.

Even as they tied the score and even when watching the Chargers hand them the game repeatedly, I still knew they would lose. This season is almost comical in that way. Nobody will talk much about this, but the Chargers were really bad for long stretches late in that game. They couldn't pass against our 4th and 5th corners. It was the classic case of falling asleep at halftime. But the Bengals refuse to accept gifts from other teams.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Even as they tied the score and even when watching the Chargers hand them the game repeatedly, I still knew they would lose. This season is almost comical in that way. Nobody will talk much about this, but the Chargers were really bad for long stretches late in that game. They couldn't pass against our 4th and 5th corners. It was the classic case of falling asleep at halftime. But the Bengals refuse to accept gifts from other teams.

The defense didn't "lock down" - Herbert and his WR's got way off track. Multiple WR's that were open were missed with bad throws. When Herbert did make the throw, the WR dropped the ball. Happened for most of the 3rd/early 4th quarter. Once they got their heads out of the butts - the defense went right back to looking like it has all season.

Nothing sums up this defense more than this play, though. It was a 3rd down, I think it was like 8 yards or 10 yards...not sure, but the Bengals rushed 3 and dropped 8. McConkey was WIDE OPEN on the sideline. Not a single defender within 5 yards of him. Herbert missed him and sailed the ball over his head - so it was a stop ... but the issues on this play run so much deeper.

How do you drop 8 and leave ANYONE open? How do you drop 8 in zone - and somehow leave a large chunk of the field WIDE OPEN. How do you have guys who have been in this system for 2-3-4+ years STILL not able to know where they should be?

Lou's scheme only worked in 21/22 because of the vast amount of turnovers this team got - but the yards/teams moving the ball up and down, always remained the same. It never really worked, it only worked because of an attribute you can't control. This is more than just not having the "right" guys or "talented" guys on the field. The DC/coaches are not putting their players in the right spots to make plays. CTB looked really good last year - after a full year removed from his college coaching he looks like he has never played DB before. I refuse to accept that guys like Hill and CTB and Turner (who has played decently) suddenly showed up and forgot how to play football. They came from really good programs and really good coaching.

Lou's scheme isn't just bad or broken. It's a house of cards built on an attribute that can't be controlled or replicated. Guys are getting worse under him. At some point, it's more than just the players, and if you go back to those early years - you'll see the trends develop. The system was never good - it got hidden.

 

[DanBengalfan]

lot of fans on social media blaming evan Mc for the loss....
as if the defense giving up a shit ton of points wasn't most of it.


he's just being a human kicker, law of averages. he has done great things for us. will he reach a day when he's useless, sure. it's not today.

 

[Cincyfan78]

lot of fans on social media blaming evan Mc for the loss....
as if the defense giving up a shit ton of points wasn't most of it.


he's just being a human kicker, law of averages. he has done great things for us. will he reach a day when he's useless, sure. it's not today.

I mean - he is a part of that. Yes, I agree the defense deserves the majority of the game, but this dude just got PAID and is hitting 72% on the year. He's 10-19 from 50+ since the start of 2023, which is a big part of WHY he got PAID...

He may yet rebound....and unlike the defense, it rest solely on him to figure out why for the last 2 seasons he's been way off target, but I get why fans are upset with him and blame him in part for the loss.

 

[alf8478]

The defense didn't "lock down" - Herbert and his WR's got way off track. Multiple WR's that were open were missed with bad throws. When Herbert did make the throw, the WR dropped the ball. Happened for most of the 3rd/early 4th quarter. Once they got their heads out of the butts - the defense went right back to looking like it has all season.

Nothing sums up this defense more than this play, though. It was a 3rd down, I think it was like 8 yards or 10 yards...not sure, but the Bengals rushed 3 and dropped 8. McConkey was WIDE OPEN on the sideline. Not a single defender within 5 yards of him. Herbert missed him and sailed the ball over his head - so it was a stop ... but the issues on this play run so much deeper.

How do you drop 8 and leave ANYONE open? How do you drop 8 in zone - and somehow leave a large chunk of the field WIDE OPEN. How do you have guys who have been in this system for 2-3-4+ years STILL not able to know where they should be?

Lou's scheme only worked in 21/22 because of the vast amount of turnovers this team got - but the yards/teams moving the ball up and down, always remained the same. It never really worked, it only worked because of an attribute you can't control. This is more than just not having the "right" guys or "talented" guys on the field. The DC/coaches are not putting their players in the right spots to make plays. CTB looked really good last year - after a full year removed from his college coaching he looks like he has never played DB before. I refuse to accept that guys like Hill and CTB and Turner (who has played decently) suddenly showed up and forgot how to play football. They came from really good programs and really good coaching.

Lou's scheme isn't just bad or broken. It's a house of cards built on an attribute that can't be controlled or replicated. Guys are getting worse under him. At some point, it's more than just the players, and if you go back to those early years - you'll see the trends develop. The system was never good - it got hidden.

The "success" of the prior years' defense was really just getting turnovers and red zone stops.

 

[alf8478]

I mean - he is a part of that. Yes, I agree the defense deserves the majority of the game, but this dude just got PAID and is hitting 72% on the year. He's 10-19 from 50+ since the start of 2023, which is a big part of WHY he got PAID...

He may yet rebound....and unlike the defense, it rest solely on him to figure out why for the last 2 seasons he's been way off target, but I get why fans are upset with him and blame him in part for the loss.

Maybe they should bring Robbins back to be the designated holder.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Maybe they should bring Robbins back to be the designated holder.

Other than, I think, 1 hold - this hasn't been an issue.

Bounced Check Mac is just missing kicks. He's either got the yips, drunk, or got really lucky those first 2 years and isn't as good as he was..not sure which is true at the moment...though I lean towards being drunk....at least it's the "easiest" fix...LOL

 

[cincygrad]

The "success" of the prior years' defense was really just getting turnovers and red zone stops.

This is a recurring theme in the history of the Bengals. Many of our good teams were smoke and mirrors on D. The 88/89 Super Bowl team did not have a particularly good D. They just forced a bunch of turnovers and were good at playing in the lead. Our fans insist that the 2005 team was going to the Super Bowl, but the Colts exposed the D late that season. If they didn't get turnovers, they couldn't stop you. The only years with sustained success on D were under Mike Zimmer..... And that just happened to be the Andy Dalton era, so we had some different problems.

 

[Cincyfan78]

This is a recurring theme in the history of the Bengals. Many of our good teams were smoke and mirrors on D. The 88/89 Super Bowl team did not have a particularly good D. They just forced a bunch of turnovers and were good at playing in the lead. Our fans insist that the 2005 team was going to the Super Bowl, but the Colts exposed the D late that season. If they didn't get turnovers, they couldn't stop you. The only years with sustained success on D were under Mike Zimmer..... And that just happened to be the Andy Dalton era, so we had some different problems.

The reality is - this team doesn't need to "finish" it needs wholesale changes, especially on defense.

If you took away Burrow's ability to drag this team offensively to where he does, this team would be losing by 17-21 pts every week. The fact that they are losing by 1 score is more of a testament to just how dang good Burrow is, and less about finding ways to "finish".

 

[DanBengalfan]

I mean - he is a part of that. Yes, I agree the defense deserves the majority of the game, but this dude just got PAID and is hitting 72% on the year. He's 10-19 from 50+ since the start of 2023, which is a big part of WHY he got PAID...

He may yet rebound....and unlike the defense, it rest solely on him to figure out why for the last 2 seasons he's been way off target, but I get why fans are upset with him and blame him in part for the loss.

there should always be a college free agent kicker who is part of training camp, doing his best to make a name for himself, that we can call at a drop of a missed tackle.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Other than, I think, 1 hold - this hasn't been an issue.

Bounced Check Mac is just missing kicks. He's either got the yips, drunk, or got really lucky those first 2 years and isn't as good as he was..not sure which is true at the moment...though I lean towards being drunk....at least it's the "easiest" fix...LOL

luck has something to do with it.

also, he proved himself, got a contract, and probably relaxed a little bit.

 

[Cincyfan78]

luck has something to do with it.

also, he proved himself, got a contract, and probably relaxed a little bit.

Very possible. The reality is - he's been a good, not great, kicker.

His 1st year, the SB run year, he was 15-21 from 40+. He hit the big ones, though, and that carries a lot of weight in the memory of everyone.

The next year, he was actually better going 14-18 from 40+ including a 5-5 from 50+, though he did have his only career miss from under 30 that season, and was technically down on FG%...his leg, and distance accuracy, was better.

Last year he was 15-20 from 40+ and was 7-12 from 50+. That's still a pretty good clip from 50+, I'm guessing in the grand scheme of NFL kickers.

This year is where he's really struggled because, maybe, a lot of his misses have been in tight spots/game on the line kind of situations (see 1st year big kicks made) and are fresh in the memory. If he kicks a few more from 40+ and makes them, he'd be right in line with his usual numbers. Where he's seen the biggest hit is from 50+ where he's 3-7 this year, and from last year. His first 2 years he was 14-16 from 50+. The past 2 years he's 10-19. That's a big time drop, and isn't just this year.

Now, can he get back into that 90% range? Maybe, but he's going to have to make his next 3 from 50+ just to get to 60% on the year. The numbers aren't in his favor since I don't know how you can continue to have him kicking from 50% when a miss from the 38-40-ish means the other team is starting darn near mid-field.

If he was in that mid/high 80% or into the 90/100 that he was in years 1 & 2 - you can give it a go...but being 75% last year, and 42% this year....

Also an interesting caveat: There is an "out" clause in the contract after this year - apparently the Bengals can cut without any dead money - so maybe they do let him kick to see if he can right himself, or if they want to simply move on.

I don't know...but the misses from 50+ started last year, and has crept into this year in a big way.

 

[Cincyfan78]