Another place where end of the game stats can be misleading. The play calls were 50/50 run to pass in the first three quarters.

 

Should've been at least 60/40 in favor of the run. BGE was running hard. They had no answer for him, and they went away from him.

As always with personnel decisions you have to ask a few questions:

 

1. Where are we as a team? Can we contend next year for a playoff spot?

2. IF 1 is "yes" which QB gives us the best chance of getting there? Current or someone we don't know if we can get or afford.

 

 

I say "yes" is the answer to the first question so #2 makes me think Andy is the still the answer.

 

If I step back from the disappointment of yesterday and realize that Dalton has QB'd this team for 3 years and each year they've made the playoffs then I still lean towards him being the QB. The Bengals aren't finding an Andrew Luck in the 2014 draft who can step right in and perform at a high level.

 

The NFL is a league where you take your best shot while you have the talent. Bengals have the talent for a while. It might not be there long. I say you ride with Andy.

I understand you saying Yes to Andy if you answered yes to question #1 but in reality it doesn't have to be that way. Teams win all the time with new QB's including rookie QB's these days. Look at Luck with the Colts, look at Kapernick with the 49ers, look at Flacco with the Ravens (he won his rookie year in the post season also)

 

There is no reason you have to be stuck with Andy Dalton especially when you already know his limitations which have not improved and if anything digressed over the last 3 years.

 

The real question you should ask is Do we have as much of a chance or better to win next year with a different qb than Dalton? The answer is a resounding yes. We may not win in the post season with a different qb next year, but we can't do worse than we would with Andy at the helm.

Guess you're taking Gio over Pete Johnson? Dalton over Anderson? This years O line over 81? Sacrilige!!! Hey I got it. Nugents better than Breech!!! Crocker over Kemp? Pac man over the Ratller?? Good stuff right there...

 

Why don't you go overboard a little? You said they couldn't hold their jocks. I think the talent is a little closer than that. I do think the rb crew is close to 81 overall but Johnson is the best of the lot but Archie and Alexander were not much in 81. I do think overall the WR crew is close to 81. Green is the best of all of them all and after Curtis and CC 81 did not have much while we have 3 talented after Green. TE's are not all that far apart, although Ross was the best and 81 used the TE more in their offense. Oline was better in 81 in total but a couple from this year are close in talent. Defense is very close overall with this year better I think by a little bit when the injured players are factored in, which I alluded to. Punter is all this year when Huber played. The rest of special teams I don't remember but I'm fine with giving them all to 81. I liked Breech but don't remember what kind of year he had in 81. The biggest thing between the two are at QB and Head Coach where 81 was light years ahead of this year. Unfortunately, those two positions are the most critical ones by a lot, hence the difference in results.

Ok, when the talent on this teams wins a playoff game, not to mention get to a super bowl, I'm on board. Until then the two SB teams have it on this and any other team the Bengals have put on the field. Darn shame that such a talented squad can't win a home playoff game. For most franchises the window for opportunity closes pretty quickly. I was pretty ticked yesterday, and today realize AGAIN this franchise isn't worth getting all worked up about. Too bad, especially for anyone who has never experienced the thrill of your team excelling in the post season. That would be all Bengals fans under the age of 25?

^An interesting debate one of my friends started up after the game was, what about Mike Vick? Do you sign him this offseason and see if he can take the rest of the team over the hump that Andy can't? His theory was, if Vick can stay healthy, worst-case it's another 1st round exit, if he can't stay healthy, they've got Dalton who has proven he can make it to the postseason.

 

I feel like if nothing else a guy like Vick could motivate Dalton, as could the "slight" of not getting his contract re-upped this offseason. Best-case scenario is Dalton ups his play to protect his job and because he's a good competitor, and if he doesn't play well you can use Vick and still have a capable backup.

I dont think Mike Vick doesn't get enough credit for what Nick Foles did this year. Even though he lost the starting job to him, he kept being a mentor and leader for the QB. That goes a long way in the NFL.

While I am completely on board with Dalton and Marvin not being the answers in Cincy (thought this since day 1). But why does it seem there is not much blame going to Gio, whose fumble completly changed the momentum of the game or to Green, whose drop when it was still a 1 posession game was crucial? Or the defense losing their cool and getting some really stupid penalties against them. Again before anybody gets their panties in a bunch, I agree Dalton and Marvin are NOT the answer. I just dont think it was as much on Dalton and Marvin yesterday as it was an entire team.

While I am completely on board with Dalton and Marvin not being the answers in Cincy (thought this since day 1). But why does it seem there is not much blame going to Gio, whose fumble completly changed the momentum of the game or to Green, whose drop when it was still a 1 posession game was crucial? Or the defense losing their cool and getting some really stupid penalties against them. Again before anybody gets their panties in a bunch, I agree Dalton and Marvin are NOT the answer. I just dont think it was as much on Dalton and Marvin yesterday as it was an entire team.

I can answer that and it's actually a pretty simple answer. It is also the same answer to those that blame AJ instead of Dalton because some say AJ dropped the ball and ignore the fact that it was hit out of his hands by the safety, but I digress.

 

The reason no one is blaming Gio is because Gio is not one that game after game makes big time mistakes. Dalton makes them in just about every game, and it's not just interceptions, it's the throws he makes that leads to interceptions, they are either after he stares down the receiver so the defender can jump the route, or it's him throwing the ball so badly (under-thrown or whatever) that the defender has to be dead not to make the interception. Gio had a fumble...yea it hurt but in the end it didn't cost us anything, shoot the Bengals still were able to kick a FG before the half so all it costs us was 4 points. to say that was a back brekaker or a momentum changer, that couldn't be more wrong.

 

To say it wasn't on Dalton but shouldbe on the whole team...I'll leave you at this. In 3 consecutive possessions in the 3rd quarter (with the Bengals leading I might add) Dalton in all 3 consecutive offensive series turned the ball over. The rest of the team didn't....Andy did and the next thing you know the Bengals are losing and Dalton isn't good enough to come from behind in crunch time. It's all on Dalton.

I dont think Mike Vick doesn't get enough credit for what Nick Foles did this year. Even though he lost the starting job to him, he kept being a mentor and leader for the QB. That goes a long way in the NFL.

The only credit Mike Vick should get is by staying on the sidelines where he doesn't suck as much as he does when he's on the field playing.

Steven A. Smith and Skip Bayless on First Take both said Marvin should be fired today!!!!!

Tough to form an argument for either one, at least today.

Steven A. Smith and Skip Bayless on First Take both said Marvin should be fired today!!!!!

 

......................................ahh. (the sound you just heard was me holding my breath)

Lets not let this little nugget be forgotten.

Going into Wildcard Weekend there was only 1 game not expected to be close. The game that had the biggest point spread of 7.

Well they got one thing right and one thing terribly wrong. They were right that the game they said wouldn't be close was the Bengals/Chargers game. The problem being that it was the Bengals who were favored by 7 points, the biggest point spread of all the games this past weekend.

 

So we got that going for us

As always with personnel decisions you have to ask a few questions:

 

1. Where are we as a team? Can we contend next year for a playoff spot?

2. IF 1 is "yes" which QB gives us the best chance of getting there? Current or someone we don't know if we can get or afford.

 

 

I say "yes" is the answer to the first question so #2 makes me think Andy is the still the answer.

 

If I step back from the disappointment of yesterday and realize that Dalton has QB'd this team for 3 years and each year they've made the playoffs then I still lean towards him being the QB. The Bengals aren't finding an Andrew Luck in the 2014 draft who can step right in and perform at a high level.

 

The NFL is a league where you take your best shot while you have the talent. Bengals have the talent for a while. It might not be there long. I say you ride with Andy.

 

But SF had the same choice a couple years ago. Harbaugh looked at it and said sure we can make the playoffs with Alex Smith. However when the draft rolled around he liked Kaepernick so he used a really high pick to get him. Smith played pretty well Kaep's rookie year. Well enough that without some special teams flukes they would have played in the SB. The following year Smith was playing really well again and got injured. When he got injured he came back fully healthy but Kaep was so good they never gave him back his job and traded him following the season. At the very least the Gals need to try to get Murray/Mettenberg in this draft so Dalton has someone to challenge him. Once those guys are healthy you get to see them in practice and see if they can be better. Harbaugh praised Kaep all along and it has paid off. Gals have to try something.

Dalton had a turnover on 3 straight posessions in the 2nd half of a very close game. All 3 turnovers gave the Chargers the ball in Bengals territory including one time at the 3 yard line. The D held them to 6 points. The blame of the game falls squarely on Dalton. Some can be attributed to Gruden who isn't great, but all the rules favor the QB. The QB was terrible so they lost.