2020 Cincinnati Bengals - non-owner complaining thread zone

All: I have been given permission from Boss to start this thread as an alternative to the constant attempts by a few posters to turn every discussion to their hatred of the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals. At the outset, I stipulate that I, and any other conscious Bengals fan, also do not like the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals. He seems like a good person, but man, he is not a good owner of an NFL team. No one NO ONE disputes that.

That said, I am starting this thread as a place to have continuing discussions about the team going forward - the draft, the potential fanchise QB, free agency, coaching, what have you - where each post does not have to be attacked with historic stuff that we all stipulate to with regard to Mike Brown.

Simply put, if people are still fans of this team (and some of us are - even after 50 years in my case) - it means we have made peace with rooting for a team with a crappy owner. And are still fans. It is unnecessary for those who have given up being fans (which I totally get) to come into this thread and work overtime to convince us to join them in quitting. Basically, if we haven't quit being fans now, we are likely in it for better or likely worse, because that's how fandom sometimes works.

So, this is a place to discuss the team and its moves without having to constantly defend still being a fan. If you feel the need to discuss everything through the Mike Brown lens - the other thread is for you.

Thanks.

--Aaron

We'll start here - for all the attempts to stir up a Burrow-will-demand-to-play-elsewhere story, the family continues to not have it:

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Jeremy Rauch
@FOX19Jeremy
·
16h
A text from Joe Burrow's dad on the continuing thought that Joe might not want to go No. 1 (to a certain team):

"Not sure where that information is coming from. We are excited Joe has put himself in a position to be considered a possible high draft choice."
@fox19

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Which makes sense - the system is set up so the team with the worst record gets to pick first. I am not sure why this is all of a sudden news to Dan Patrick and others. If AJ Green has been healthy last year and they went 6-10 and were picking 10th, this isn't coming up. Somehow because they "lucked" into 2-14 they don't deserve to pick the best player in their opinion? Bull hockey.

And, let's be clear about what will happen if PFT and Dan Patrick get their way. The Bengals won't be bullied into trading out of a pick and a player they want. In that scenario, they pick Burrow, he sits out an entire year foregoing millions of dollars, to go back in the draft next year, now almost 26 at that point, with Lawrence and Fields and others moving into the top 5 and likely dropping him back - costing him more money. And that's assuming the CBA gets worked out, and there isn't a work stoppage costing him even more money. This is all silly.

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Matt Miller
@nfldraftscout
·
19h
QB player comps

(*suggest to change; based on style/traits not a career prediction)

Burrow - Andrew Luck
Tua - Drew Brees
Herbert - Carson Wentz
Love - Colin Kaepernick
Eason - James Winston

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- - - Updated - - -

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Curtis Patrick
@CPatrickNFL
·
Feb 4
Only 2 WRs in the 2020 class can claim the filthy trio of:

✅ Age 19 breakout w/30% Dominator
✅ Early declare
✅ Finish NFL rookie season at age 21

Jalen Reagor
and
Justin Jefferson

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Jeaux Goods
@JoeGoodberry
·
23h
If the Bengals release Gio Bernard, they'll save $2.8M in cap space.

Should they release him? Maybe, but that's not a whole lot of money. They should probably just find a way to use him.

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I'm interested in what happens with the first pick of the second round. I'm locked in on hoping it is solidified that Burrow is taken #1.

Random thoughts:

- Protect Burrow at all costs: Draft OL, blocking TE, or even a FB or hybrid TE/FB
-WR: Is Green/Boyd/Ross a strength or an uh oh weakness?
-Defense: Team needs LB, maybe look for shut down secondary defensive players

I suppose they should just take the best player available in round 2, but I hope they are thinking about how to best help Burrow rather than try and force him into their own schemes.

I very badly want them to trade back in the 2nd to pick up an additional pick (or picks) in the 3rd through 5th rounds. At least, that's my current hope. This is a deep draft in the middle - a LOT of players that can help - would lke more bites at the apple.

Dane Brugler's Burrow prospect summary in the Athletic:

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1. Joe Burrow, LSU (6-3, 212, 4.88)
The Plains, Ohio (Athens), redshirt senior. Age: 23.37

A two-year starter at LSU, Burrow steadily improved throughout his first season in Baton Rouge in 2018, but he thrived in passing game coordinator Joe Brady’s scheme in 2019 — a spread, RPO offense that features the team’s weapons and makes the quarterback the point guard. He set the FBS records for passing touchdowns (60) and total touchdowns (65) in a single season, finishing with the second-best completion percentage (76.3, just behind Colt McCoy’s 76.7).

A “competitive maniac,” according to Urban Meyer, Burrow plays with the fiery intensity of Philip Rivers, and much of his success comes from channeling his competitive juices in a focused, motivational manner. He shows the ability to quickly identify the void or vulnerable matchup, and he doesn’t miss once he finds it. He doesn’t have top-shelf arm strength, which could be an issue in certain weather conditions, but he plays with terrific timing and ball placement to make up for his lack of RPMs. Overall, Burrow is the ultimate competitor and orchestrates the offense with poise, processing skills and accuracy, projecting as an immediate NFL starter with Pro Bowl skills worthy of the No. 1 overall pick.

...

All-22 Takeaway: This throw against Texas early in the season sold me that this was a very different version of Burrow from his 2018 tape. It is third-and-17 with 2:38 remaining in the fourth quarter and LSU up by six — and if the Longhorns get the stop, their offense would get the ball back with two minutes to try to orchestrate a winning drive. Not only does Burrow convert, but he also delivers the touchdown, extending the lead and locking up the victory. His composure to climb in the face of pressure with his eyes elevated and fire an accurate strike on the crossing route is a big-time play.

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For anyone still advocating about trading back for a haul and hoping to get Herbert - here is Brugler on Herbert (just confirms for me my desire to stay put no matter what and roll the dice with Burrow):

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3. Justin Herbert, Oregon (6-6, 227, 4.68)
Eugene, Ore. (Sheldon), senior. Age: 22.12

A four-year starter at Oregon, Herbert was groomed in offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo’s spread, shotgun scheme, finishing with a 29-13 career record and second behind Marcus Mariota in most school passing categories. Most 6-foot-6, 230-pound quarterbacks have awkwardness to their athleticism, but not Herbert, who frequently escapes trouble with the foot quickness of a much smaller player, making the threat of his athleticism a lethal part of his game.

Each of his game tapes contained NFL-level throws with examples of “wow” plays. However, he has the tendency to leave you wanting more with his inconsistent reads and decisions. While he is highly intelligent, that doesn’t always translate to on-field processing speed for him — at quarterback, being book smart is great, but you need quick-minded players, and he isn’t always that (you would rather have a “Jeopardy” champion at quarterback than a 4.0 student). Overall, Herbert is a dynamic dual-threat passer with an elite combination of size, athleticism and arm talent, but he must sharpen his decision-making and instincts, especially under duress, to live up to his immense potential as an NFL starter.

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I just want to say thank you for starting this thread. The constant trolling made the other one unreadable.

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Originally Posted by Danny Serafini

I just want to say thank you for starting this thread. The constant trolling made the other one unreadable.

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Thanks to Boss for the go ahead. I just want to discuss the upcoming season, fully acknowledging the difficulty that comes with being a Bengals fan.

Here's something else on Burrow ( I can't get enough of these stats):

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Mike Renner
@PFF_Mike
·
50m
Joe Burrow faced 4 teams that finished with top-10 ranked defense for
@PFF
. His stats vs. them

72.6% comp
381.5 yards per game
9.1 YPA
13 TDs
1 INT

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My biggest fear is that they think they are set at offensive line.

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Originally Posted by RiverRat13

My biggest fear is that they think they are set at offensive line.

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I have heard Glenn is as good as gone, but I also believe the Bengals will be better with him than without him. If Jonah Williams is legit at T, they may not be that far off from having an acceptable line.

The first pick in the second round gives them a ton of leverage. I think trading it make sense only if they get tremendous value. There are too many first round talent players who slip out of the 1st due to a run at certain positions. Heck there will probably be guys who are in their top 20 who fall out of the first round waiting to be picked at 33. If there is a guy you like, you have to take him there, if you can trade down a few picks and still get the guy you want, then that makes sense. I do think they need to look, WR, OL, LB and even CB with their 2-5 picks.

I hope Glenn is as good as gone - he was mostly useless when he did deign to play last year. One free agent and a high drag pick and a qb who can maximize competence and this will potentially look very different.

I do desperately hope there will be a new RT but still worry that Turner has beer goggles for Hart.

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Originally Posted by bucksfan2

I have heard Glenn is as good as gone, but I also believe the Bengals will be better with him than without him. If Jonah Williams is legit at T, they may not be that far off from having an acceptable line.

The first pick in the second round gives them a ton of leverage. I think trading it make sense only if they get tremendous value. There are too many first round talent players who slip out of the 1st due to a run at certain positions. Heck there will probably be guys who are in their top 20 who fall out of the first round waiting to be picked at 33. If there is a guy you like, you have to take him there, if you can trade down a few picks and still get the guy you want, then that makes sense. I do think they need to look, WR, OL, LB and even CB with their 2-5 picks.

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Jonah is certainly going to be crucial to the Bengals and hopefully Burrow's success. We need him to be one hell of a OL.