2020 Bengals Thread Part 3: Let's just rename it Joe Burrow Stadium

[Redsfaithful]

Joseph could work, in general I like the idea of getting a guy on their second go-round. You have to dig into why it didn't work for them as HC the first time, but I think often a coach will have a lot of ideas on what they could do differently and better. So long as there is a genuine growth mindset, I think it's the way go for a small market team like Cincinnati, unless you can get a can't miss hot coordinator or something.

[Wonderful Monds]

Maybe if the Bengals get lucky, the Vikings will can Zimmer in January/February and they can bring him back in

[WVRed]

Maybe if the Bengals get lucky, the Vikings will can Zimmer in January/February and they can bring him back in

This would be my dream scenario.

[Hillsdale87]

Maybe if the Bengals get lucky, the Vikings will can Zimmer in January/February and they can bring him back in

I would much prefer an offensive guy to Zimmer or Joseph. Zimmer is a solid coach, but IMO his teams have a ceiling because of his outdated views on offensive game plans. I'm of the opinion that you should lean toward an offensive coach because QB is the most important position on the team, and so continuity there is most important. A defensive coach could obviously bring in good offensive coordinators, but a good offensive coordinator is going to get hired away, so the team will have to start over. There are obviously teams who make it work in other ways (Brian Flores and Sean McDermott are recently hired counter-examples), but I think it's more likely to work with an offensive coach.

None of us really know what's going on in the Bengals locker room. It's clear that some players are unhappy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If Taylor has lost the locker room, then yes he needs to go. But none of us can know that right now. The Bengals are a bad team, there are players that need to go, and so those players could be upset because Taylor is doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing and getting rid of some bad apples. The fact that Dunlap is playing well with the Seahawks is not a good look for the Bengals coaches, but it also seemed like the Bengals players were sick of Dunlap, so who knows who bears more fault there.

I would only fire Taylor if you knew you could get Joe Brady to come here. Taylor has shown some positive signs this year IMO. He's pretty aggressive, I think his play calling is usually pretty good, he clearly pays attention to analytics. He's not perfect, but I think he's getting better, and you still don't really know what you have because the personnel is so bad. If you fire him, unless you can get a home run hire (which is unlikely for the Bengals outside of Joe Brady who might want to work with Burrow again), you're likely not getting a significantly better coach and throwing off Burrow's development.

[Kingspoint]

It starts and ends with Eric Bienimy.

[KoryMac5]

Zimmer...love they guy to death and he can sure coach the heck out of a defense but man his offense leaves a lot to be desired he would have to hire the right OC and allow the OC to do his thing.

Bieniemy is interesting as I think Andy Reid's offense would fit Burrow well..but he like Taylor never called plays and the years he did in college his offense was awful much like Taylor.

My prediction Bengals stick with Taylor and hire Joe Brady at the end of next season

[redsfanmia]

If I were Mike Brown and Co I would look at Jim Caldwell, he’s an adult, is a good man and worked with Peyton Manning.

[KoryMac5]

Dehner spoke with 2 surgeons for an article today in the Athletic, both said don’t expect the surgery for a few weeks as the swelling needs to subside. The surgeons also liked the 9 to 12 month time frame for recovery.

[Boss-Hog]

Dehner spoke with 2 surgeons for an article today in the Athletic, both said don’t expect the surgery for a few weeks as the swelling needs to subside. The surgeons also liked the 9 to 12 month time frame for recovery.

I found those interviews relatively encouraging, but each injury and athlete heal differently, so who knows. I'd have to think Burrow is going to do everything he can to get back as soon as humanly possible, and hopefully the Bengals resist the urge to rush it.

[Kingspoint]

I found those interviews relatively encouraging, but each injury and athlete heal differently, so who knows. I'd have to think Burrow is going to do everything he can to get back as soon as humanly possible, and hopefully the Bengals resist the urge to rush it.

...and hopefully, this gets the Bengals to do due diligence to protect him better than what they did coming into the season (reduce the number of dropbacks, better quality O-Line, etc.).

[RiverRat13]

...and hopefully, this gets the Bengals to do due diligence to protect him better than what they did coming into the season (reduce the number of dropbacks, better quality O-Line, etc.).

Your guy Sewell won't just help protect Burrow, he'll make the screen game so much better as well. Sign Thuney to play alongside him and Joe won't have much to worry about on his blindside for a long time.

[GAC]

I know it's a fool's errand to be optimistic about this franchise, but here's an optimist's scenario:

- Burrow's injury - regardless of when he comes back in 2021, the beginning of the season or mid-season - isn't career threatening and doesn't damage his ceiling potential
- The Bengals are able to draft Penei Sewell, something that almost certainly wouldn't have been possible without Burrow's injury. In many years, Sewell would be a #1 overall pick, which is also a stroke of luck, with two very good QB prospects on the board and two QB-hungry teams likely to be drafting 1-2. Sewell/Hopkins/Williams provides a base for a top-10 offensive line over the next several years.
- Having the #3 pick in each round leads to another solid draft with several hits, similar to the 2020 draft
- The Bengals are active again in free agency and continue turning over the roster. Too much money in the past several years has gone to players who haven't delivered on their contracts, and this continues to shift in a positive way, hopefully with better injury luck.
- Smart moves are made with new contracts, like a Bates extension.

I think this is a recipe that would see an open window starting in 2022 that would last for several years, at least, and it's all fairly plausible, even for a franchise with very dumb ownership like the Bengals.

Good post, and here's the thing ... Bengal fans have been told that there has been a changing-of-the guard so to speak, they see the empty stadium and are just as frustrated as the fan base is with the losing, so they're changing things up with this "new" leadership.... Then this off-season is now the time to prove it. By now, any coaching staff worth it's weight can see where their strengths and weaknesses are on the O-line. Address it. That's your #1 priority. Along with defense (LBer).

But as mentioned, they're going to have to go through a learning curve once they assemble that line going into next season. It's inevitable as those players try to gel, learn assignments, etc, etc. There is some patience involved. But it looks like Joe could return sometime next September, a few weeks into the season. That's good news. But the bad news is - will the offensive line situation be better? IMO, it would be too early to tell that early in the season. But the bigggest issue is protecting a young QB who just went through some major knee surgery. You have to do it.

[JaxRed]

Mike Garafalo reports Bengals are going to start Brandon Allen at QB and not Finley.

[WVRed]

Mike Garafalo reports Bengals are going to start Brandon Allen at QB and not Finley.

Wow, must be going for the full tank.

At least Allen does have experience starting. Started three games for Denver last year.

[membengal]

Wow, must be going for the full tank.

At least Allen does have experience starting. Started three games for Denver last year.

If they were going for the full tank they would keep playing Finley.