Weird thing is...Wikipedia says Tiger Johnson and Bill Walsh both started coaching with the Bengals in 1968. Is that not accurate? It looks like the dudes were there for the exact same amount of time heading into Paul Brown's retirement. It also looks like Bill Walsh was a far more experienced coach than Tiger Johnson before 1968.
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They're not living off beating the Chiefs but they're not good. Defense is horrid most times.

Right before the opening game, with the Tee "injury" and the Ja'Marr drama it felt like there was this black cloud over the team and they've done nothing to change that. Soft, bad defense, bad play calling and an overinflated ego.

The annoying thing is, the rest of the AFC won't pull away so the Bengals are still in contention for the playoffs, having to face the teams directly in front of them.

We'll see if they have the balls and ability to get it turned around or if they're just soft bitches that talk too much.
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Mims and All look good. Burton can't seem to get on the field for whatever reason but when they go his way, he usually produces.

They totally fucked up the Higgins sitch and the defense is really far away from being competitive. Letting Bates and Reader walk were killers. They brought back Bell, but he looks done. Geno Stone was smoke and mirrors, Battle looks good but they won't give him significant snaps and their Dline can't get pressure other than Hendrickson. Wilson and Pratt are always out of position and are way overrated by PFF and the like. IDL might turn out ok with the rooks but Murphy looks like a bust, along with Ossai.
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No, he's a decent HC masquerading as an OC. He can help build it and lead it but he's not a good playcaller.
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It could be. I'm going off memory. Tiger Johnson fit the mold of what Brown thought a coach should look and act like. Brown didn't butt heads with Johnson but he did with Walsh.
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Sure, Jan.
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I don't know if he meant it this way but I think it's more that their reputation in the media and amongst like the casual fan is built on beating the Chiefs. They haven't had as much recent success but they were the only team that could beat us with any consistency and Burrow is the only QB currently playing to have beaten Mahomes in the playoffs so I think that's bought them a lot of leeway with the media.

I think that the Bengals are a one dimensional team but that one dimension happens to be really really good. They could still eek out that 7th playoff spot, I don't believe in the broncos and I don't think like Indy gets it.

I get the impression that you think a WC loss would be like an unsuccessful season and if I were a bengals fan I'd agree
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Yep to all of it.
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That fluke little AFCC 2nd half against the Chiefs is the high point of their franchises existence. Think about it a second. It's true.
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They had a real squad but you have to start paying big money a some point and you make cuts. Mixing and Boyd were important. They have cut some defense as well. Team is not the same. Joe needed that max talent and now he doesn't have it.
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They had an SB in their reach and blew it. Defense gave up the lead and Joe failed.
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Lol. Yeah okay. I'm old enough to remember 70s and 80s though.
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The only asset they have that can get a haul needed to do what KC did is Chase. I genuinely don’t see anyone else on that roster who could do that (not counting Burrow of course). I believe Trey is gone after this year.
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Wasn’t Ossai pretty good as a rookie? I swear that I remember hearing great things about him prior to the infamous RTP. If so has he regressed? I know he was injured on that play so I am curious if that’s part of why he’s starting to look like a bust.
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I agree. Those 2 SBs that the Bengals blew against the 49ers were HUGE disappointments. Bengals should have won both of them. I think the expectations for those 2 teams were higher than the team that beat us a couple years ago.
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