CincySportsFan

Dallas gets the Bengals at a great time, Especially with T.O. frustrated.

Couldn't agree more. Barber will run wild...Witten will own the middle...and TO will want to show Chad a new dance move (or two). Not good news for the Bengals.

I'd just like to tune in to see Marvin have the guts to keep Chris Henry on the sideline. I'd love for him to tell Mike Brown..."We may have to keep him on the roster, but it doesn't mean I have to play him."

My point is that you have to build the foundation of your team through the draft and make good decisions in free agency to add the right complementary pieces and quality depth. The opportunity to land stud free agents will always be there. The key is being in a position to take advantage...

I think we're on the same page, as you make excellent points. Unfortunately for the Bengals, they have not gotten the long-term impact we had hoped for from recent drafts (Pollack, Thurman, Irons, etc). I'm just saying that when you think you've found that one "missing piece"...money shouldn't be an issue that holds you back.

And as for Moss...duh! Brain cramp on my part!!

Has #4 ever resulted in a Super Bowl? You can buy a playoff berth by overpaying for free agents, but usually the fall is not far behind.

I'm not saying you deliberately go out and overpay on the market. But, you can't expect a low-ball bid to get high-caliber talent to come here to play for the Bengals. (Maybe to the Cowboys or Patriots, maybe)

As to whether getting a key free agent can get you to the Super Bowl, I look at Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress from last year, Rodney Harrison and Mike Vrabel (also with the Pats), Shannon Sharpe for the Ravens, just to name a few of the "stars". But, I'd be surprised that if you went through the starting offensive and defensive lines from the past 5 Super Bowls, that every single person was drafted by those clubs. So, yes, spending some money to get a free agent can get you to the Super Bowl. Will it do all the time...no. And when it does work for you, will it automatically be the next year...again, not necessarily.

Congrats to the Bearcats. The first year(s) of growing pains can be quite disheartening at times. But, it makes times like these all the more pleasant! Hope there's more this year just like it.

And the more radio stations contract out their sports announcing to people with no radio background or have no personal interest in the station, this problem will likely get worse.

:thumb:

I completely and totally agree with you on this one Jim. Also, for the HS announcers who second guess the coach blatantly I give a big thumbs down. I don't mind the occasional "I'm not sure I agree with that decision", but I have heard all too often "A very poor decision by the coach". That, to me, is bush league.

Agreed. Besides, all these "know-it-all" announcers usually end up coming off as Monday-morning quarterbacks, because they don't make these stupid comments until after a play has failed. They won't do it ahead of time, because that puts them out on a limb, where THEY can be second guessed.

People just need to remember that most, if not all, of these coaches have "day jobs". They can't/don't devote 100% of their time to the game. I'm not making excuses here, just stating facts.

Likewise, with the players, remember that they're spending 7 or so hours a day in school. This is not the pros!! These kids (and sometimes coaches) will make mistakes. Lord knows the Bengals are showing you can do it at the professional level too.

I've always thought that it was better to give credit for the team/player who played well, than to tear down the team/player who played poorly...regardless of which side you are "on".

This could be a fun thread. Let's say you're in charge in Cincy as of now...how do you re-build the team? (Note: You're in complete charge. Mike Brown does not exist...either that or you bought the team from him. :lol:)

 

1. Coaching change? Hire a GM?

2. Do you blow the team up completely, meaning anyone is tradeable or do you build around a handful of young talent?

3. Who gets sent packing (particularly among the marquee names)?

4. What is your strategy to build the roster? Will you focus more on the draft or free agency?

5. 2009 draft strategy...let's assume for arguments sake the Bengals have the #1 pick, so you can have whoever you want.

6. Anything else you want to mention that I left out?

If you're the owner, you hire a GM who knows football and let him do his job.

That being said, if you're the GM...here's what I would do.

1. Carson, TJ and even Chad go nowhere. (Despite his antics he's too good of a talent to let go.)

2. Hire a coach and/or offensive coordinator who will build their offense around these three...but will be diverse enough to not become one dimensional. But, don't outsmart yourself. If someone's got a hot hand during a game...go to them more often, even if it's outside your original game plan.

3. If you end up running a 3-4 defense, you absolutely have to have a stud in the middle up front. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Whether you get one via free agency or the draft...get one.

4. Get the owner to spend some money. More likely in free agency than with the draft. Rookies are unproven at this level. I'd rather give the extra cash to someone that has shown what they can do here.

5. Pray that you don't have the same luck at Matt Millen.

The really good broadcasters don't have a problem with this; but a lot of them do.

If you can still find them, here's a quick little tip for those "beginning" broadcasters that I picked up "back in the day"...head to the kitchen supply store (or maybe even Walmart) and pick up one of those egg timers. It's a little hourglass, maybe 4 inches tall or so (so, it'll fit in your briefcase easily), and filled with some sort of sand. It'll run completely "empty" in 3 minutes. When it does, give a little update of the game. Then flip it over and go back to your broadcast. When "time's up" again, you guessed it...another update.

And the best part about the update, is you don't HAVE to give the same wording each time. There's plenty of ways to inject the information without it sounding like your repeating yourself. Such as...

"Carroll County leading Owen County 21-7 with 2:10 left to play in the first, now facing a third and two from their own 43."

can also be said...

"Panthers, on third down, need to get to their own 45...as they lead the Rebels by 14 with just over two minutes to play here in the opening quarter."

(My appologies to Owen County fans, it was just an example!)

In the end, it's vital information that should be passed along constantly, no matter whether it's to "new" listeners or those that have been with you since kickoff. Too often I hear radio broadcasters that imitate tv announcers. Hey, there's a reason they can carry on a conversation like that...it's called VIDEO! You can turn the sound down and not listen to anything they've said, and still have an idea of what's going on. Radio is not that way. The sooner those announcers realize it, the better their broadcasts will be.

Getting rid of Carson, or Chad, and especially both of them...would NOT improve the Bengals. That's just the ultimate in frustration from some armchair, Monday morning quarterbacks IMO. That'd be like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

I think a more serious problem is at the "management" level. I like Zimmer at D coordinator (at least he gets ticked off when things go bad)...but Bratkowski's got to go. And while a lot of people are calling for Marvin's head, I'm still not sure just how much control he's been given over the team. Whether that's his fault, or it's come from above...I don't know. My worst fear is that Marvin gets shown the door, and ol' Bobby gets promoted. Yikes!

Here's the way I see it...

IF Grant County limits the turnovers (especially those that cost them scores), and...

IF Grant County's offensive line allows the backs to run the ball the way they did against Owen County, and...

IF Grant County keeps away from the "stupid" penalties (especially those that keep the opponent's drives alive)...

Braves win it 24-13.

If they don't execute...could be a disheartening loss against a team they could/should beat.

Nice rebound win for the Braves, especially after 2nd half at Anderson the week before. Hope they carry the momentum over to this week against the Dragons.

Anybody know about the Owen County player that got injured during the game?

I understand there frustration, but Selig didn't hit the town with the Hurricane, I highly doubt Selig thought, "man this would help the Cubs out". Cubs didn't need any help

I agree with the fact that Selig wasn't worried about the Cubs. His "former team" ...the Brewers...is another thing!

I believe the Rangers were out of town that Sunday, before returning home for a night game against Detroit. What, two day games at a stadium 250 miles away wasn't a possibility? Or heck, do a doubleheader on an open night later on. But, this stinks. And I'm not even an Astros fan!

Just another reason why ol' Bud doesn't belong in that seat, IMO.

The bottom line is that Phillips is not a #3 or #4 hitter. If he's in the 2-hole or somewhere later in the lineup he'll do well. QUOTE]

 

That IS the bottom line when you're comparing BP to just about any other second basemen...the Reds made the ingenious move to make him a cleanup hitter. No other 2nd basemen is being asked to do what he is...especially after Dunn and Griffey were dealt. I always thought that was a stupid move to put him at the #4 spot.

 

He has the potential to be a right-handed version of what the Reds had with Joe Morgan...great defense, speed on the bases, and a little pop in the bat. I don't know that he'd ever hit for the average that Joe did, but even that might improve somewhat if he wasn't swinging for the fences.

Gotta respect him for that.

Amen! :thumb: When most officials duck and hide from blame, having someone step up and admit they blew it is refreshing.

Pryor needs to be starting and taking the snaps IMO. I think that if Pryor was to start now next year IF Wells stay that would be one nasty combo of those two.

I wish we knew how everything went in practice. But, based upon what we've seen in the past couple of games...I think Pryor is deserving of more playing time, if for nothing else...the lack of production by Boeckman.

If the Bucks ever get Wells back healthy, their best plays might involve off-tackle handoffs (or fakes) to Wells, with Pryor on a naked boot with run or pass options (to Robiske or Hartline). Could cause confusion throughout the defense. HOWEVER, that all depends on who's at RB, and whether Pryor can recognize when to tuck it, and when to throw it. We've seen more of his legs than his arm so far.

But, one things for certain, no matter who's at any of the key positions...the offensive line NEEDS TO BLOCK SOMEBODY!!

Just remember that the UK Football team went through years of embarrassment until they won back-to-back bowl games. BELIEVE!

I understand what you're saying as far as perseverance...but I hope you don't think back-to-back Music City Bowls qualifies as the pinnacle of success. It's certainly a step in the right in the right direction...but at least it's more than what the Bengals seem to be doing right now.

On the flip side. I played on a team that had a running back that would've broke most state rushing records at the time. He averaged just over 2 quarters per game. Come playoff time and the state semi's, we hadn't played a full game but twice in the previous 13 games. We were exhausted after that game.

 

The next few years is when Dale left his guys in for at three quarters and was lambasted for it. But, as usual, he was doing what was best for his program.

Then maybe it's time to up the schedule a bit. Granted, nowdays you're looking to save gas money and schedule as many teams as close to home as possible. But, in theory, if you're beating teams that badly...perhaps you're playing the wrong teams to begin with.

I realize some of the scheduling is already done for you, with the district opponents. But, that still leaves several spots open. If you're a coach, do you want an easy "W", or do you want to improve you team? Could Trinity have scheduled an "easier" game than one with St. X out of Cincinnati? Sure. But, you can prepare your team (for the postseason) sometimes with a loss, better than you can with a win. That's all I'm saying.

Together, they might get the Reds a bag of baseballs and a sharded maple bat or two.

Come to think of it...it might be worth it!:laugh:

I don't have time to pour over stats every week to do FF, so I pretty much live and die each Sunday with "my" team. It's been sickening to watch the talent we've had, underperform so much.

I thought things would change with Marvin at the helm, but I'm wondering just how much control he has. Mike Brown pulled the rug out from underneath him with the whole Chris Henry deal. And, IMO, they should have fired BOTH coordinators last year. Considering that the defense this year has basically held the opposition to 17 points in each of the first two games...they should be jumping up and down. There's no reason a team with this talent shouldn't win EVERY game that they hold the opponent to 17 or less. This isn't the Bears for Pete's sake!!!

And yet, with all of that said. I'll still be watching this weekend.

The only ones I'd be willing to bet will be at the same spot next year would be Phillips and Bruce. I think some serious consideration of EE and Votto at different positions could be possible. (People talk about Dunn and Griffey's bad D...there's still a lot of room for improvement at the corners!)

Keppinger and Hairston should both be back...although starting is not guaranteed. Likewise, Dickerson has proved worthy of having a role, but perhaps it's still too early to write him down for 162 games.

But, I do agree that Freel and Gonzales should have played their last game in a Reds uniform. Package them together in a deal for someone who can play 150 games a year.

Hopefully he goes to Europe and plays.

Hopefully he gets cut by the team and has to get a "real" job. (You don't see too many Wal-Mart greeters getting invited to a charity event like that.) Just goes to show you that money can't buy brains.

I think the better question would be "when". As in, when should a coach pull his starters? I understand, and agree with, the arguments that the 2nd and 3rd stringers should be allowed to benefit from some varsity experience. So, I'm not for any "run-limit" that would suddenly stop the game.

My question, though, is why do some coaches wait until the score is 45-0 until they start looking to pull the first teamers? Obviously it's waaaaaaaaaaaay past the point where you'd have any doubt as to your competition's ability to move the ball and score. So, why not pull them when you're up by 28 (or whatever) instead? Pulling them in the 2nd quarter just gives those backups even more time to play...and it gets them into dealing with the halftime break.

And obviously, there are going to be circumstances where you may still stick with your starters a little bit longer (turnovers/special teams returns for TD's) just to get them a little "work". But, I don't think you have to run through your entire game plan with them before they get pulled.

Grant County could benefit from some good field position in this one. If "D" comes to play and gets a few sacks and some more TFL, Owen will be forced to punt to Grant's dangerous return men. Majority of game could be played on Rebels' half of the field. Not good for Owen County.

Grant wins it 33-7

Congrats to the Bearcats! Always nice to win...and the first one is always sweet. Enjoy it!!