Success

Baseball opening day is 60 days away....

Did he ever get Fred Jackson's name right? I can't remember...

Not sure if I would have signed up to be a sports fan if I knew a guy like this would torment my team for the better part of 2 decades. No going back now - it is what it is. But he certainly was a happiness-remover for the prime of my life.

TOP. The Bengals had long drives, and both kept Allen off the field, and limited our # of possessions.

Great post & thoughts. The question around "what it takes to win a Super Bowl" is one that is vexing - it's much more of a mystery to me now than it was when I first started watching football, and really, for decades after that. You have to have a very good or great team, of course - but there are injuries, psychological factors, "getting hot at the right time," et al. On the latter, I felt we did in '20 for sure, and also in '21 to an extent. We were derailed in '20 by injuries to the receiving corps., and last year by bad coaching decisions with less than a quarter of a minute to go. This year, we had the unfortunate luck of playing the team that "got hot at the right time." I'll always wonder how it all would have gone if Huntley didn't try that leap to the endzone from the 2. And no doubt - this team was emotionally spent. People will say that all teams deal w/ adversity, and winning a title is about overcoming that - but adversity can hit a critical mass at a certain point.

I think it's possible we only get the WC - but I wouldn't say it's likely, and certainly wouldn't say that's the ceiling. Even though the Jets & Phins both beat the Bills this year, neither was ready to take the division from us, and we were a few plays from being undefeated. My concern comes more from our limitations this offseason. If the other 3 teams play their cards right, they can improve more than we can. But all 3 still have questions surrounding their starting QB's, and have flaws that might be difficult to overcome. The Bills should still be favored for the division title.

Almost everything the NFL does has a goal of parity. It's fair the way it is. You want an elite QB? Cool - but you'll have to cut corners elsewhere. Can't find an elite QB? Spend your money on other impact players. Theoretically, it gives every team a chance to contend. But we're in good shape. JA's contract will seem cheap the year after next.

That is a LOT to give up. It will improve their outlook - but probably only enough to be a concern for KC as a division opponent.

That's a great point. Even w/ Brees, he only snuck one SB win in - and I still feel like the Colts should have won that game. The grass is always greener. We have a solid coach in McD - I'd easily put him in the top 10. Our coordinators aren't near there, but Dorsey still has a chance to emerge as a strong OC.

I'm okay w/ losing Poyer & Singletary - but I think they should really try to keep Edmunds. He & Milano make for a pretty formidable combo, and I think Edmunds is still getting better. He dominated a few games this year. We'd miss his presence. Big RB, more help on the O-line, and another receiver. Doable.

I certainly had higher hopes going into the season. The last half of the season last year, this unit had really picked up and was starting to look solid. And it made all of the difference. The regression is concerning. But like Dorsey, it might just be a rookie year thing.

I'm not as worried about the Bengals in the years ahead as I was about a week ago. We really made them look better than they are. Not dismissing them as a contender, but the game Sunday showed me that they have roughly as many flaws as we do (the Bills just couldn't take advantage), and I'd take Allen over Burrow 10x out of 10.

Well, for all of "this is why KC is still ahead of us" sentiments - we DID beat them at their place this year. I would have loved to see the match-up in the AFCCG. I think we're a better team now. I like our '22 draft. Elam has the skillset to be as good as Tre was at his peak. Cook came on strong and could easily be our starter next year. Shakir will be our starter at slot. Benford could easily be a starting safety (and a good one). And who knows w/ Bernard. He could end up being an ace on ST, and providing good depth at LB.

I was thinking more "hot at one time, a long time ago." But I'm open to interpretations.

The Tampa 2 is kind of the Madonna of defenses.

It is. I don't think we have BAD coaching - but it's not elite, or championship level. You can get a lucky run or 2 w/ our kind of coaching. But that's probably it.

They might today. KC can actually play defense.

There is a movie called "Cocaine Bear." How about that.

So, it looks like rushing the passer is really a thing....

Games can really come down to a few plays. We've been hand-wringing about "what went wrong" all week, but if Allen hits Diggs when he's wide open in the 1st quarter, or if Cincy doesn't bat down a few balls at the LOS, that game could have unfolded much differently.

No offense - but this is sort of a classic "hot take" evaulation. Elam is likely to be our #1 corner in the next few years. Cook came on strong at the end of the season - someone said he could be our Kamara w/ a bit more work, and I'd agree w/ that. Shakir also came on strong at the end, and will be a starter for this team in pretty short order. Benford was a late-round find and I'd bet he's starting at safety next year.

Lower expectations - but still winning the division. Get in the playoffs & anything can happen. But I don't expect a SB berth like I did this past year. And that's probably not a bad thing.

I had (and still have) very high hopes for Brown, but he didn't break out this season like we had hoped. I don't know enough about offensive line play to make a good judgment on the question in the OP. For the guys who have a better understanding on that stuff - does he get a pass on '22 because of the injury? Can he be part of a revamped & stronger line? Or is this a position Beane has to look at filling this offseason or next?

I hate everyone today. Side note: obviously, you want to advance in the playoffs 10x out of 10. But if there is any silver lining to today, it's that I can't be devastated.

We DO have guys who are more physical. I'd probably add Phillips, Dane Jackson, Edmunds & Knox. It's a "team thing", though - overall, we don't play a physical, hard-hitting style of football. You could see it against Cincinnati, who does play that way. I don't know what makes for the distinction, but I'm sure coaching plays a part of that. I don't think Cincy has more physical players - but they play a more physical style. I suppose a bruiser sort of RB would help, at least on O.