As a lifelong Ohioan, I demand they stop billing these games as the "Battle of Ohio". Fallen Timbers was a battle. This is more like watching the Marx Brothers vs the Bowery Boys on Quaaludes.
It's the only time I wish the NFL would ENFORCE the black-out rule. I don't want to see this crap (LOL).
Every time these two teams line up, the fans of Cincy and Cleveland get ready for this "Titanic Struggle". It's the Titanic alright. Watch these games with your kids as an abject lesson on how football is not to be played. I actually think these two teams try to play down to, or out do, the opposition when it comes to the level of head-shaking ineptness. If there is a trophy it should be a Bobble-head.
Yes. These are two bad teams. But IMO, one has a far better excuse/reason (Bengals) then the other (Browns), because the Browns are loaded with talent, while the Bengals are trying to "rebuild". Especially on the offensive side of the ball. They cannot consistently put it together, and we've played 13 weeks of football. I only take consolation in the fact that I know GM Dorsey doesn't like what he sees, and it won't stay this way going into next season. Earlier in the year, when asked about the Brown's erratic play on offense, he said we still have a lot of football to play. Fine. But you've now reached that point. And after watching that spectacle in Pitt, then vs the one-win Bengals yesterday, IMO, I think Dorsey knows he's going to have to make a change with Kitchen/Monken in the off-season.
This is not the same Brown's team that beat up on the Ravens the first time. Injuries and a suspension has really hurt this defense. When the Ravens clean our clocks here in a couple weeks that will be the nail in the coffin IMO.