@miktoxic said:

Well, times they are a changin', and we'll just have to hope the new guys do it better

@the-gipper said:

I think it's the QB. Weeden tried and failed to get him involved, Hoyer tried and succeeded, Campbell apparently doesn't even try. When you have a 6'5" TE that's running nice underneath routes, you'd think it's fairly easy for a QB to hit him a couple times.

Also, credit the defences a little for taking him out of the game with double teams.

@hoorta said:

Well, that would be surprising of Norv didn't utilize his TEs as well as possible given his track record with the likes of Antonio Gates and Jay Novacek and others. Cameron should fit into that groove. (Perhaps it is the QB?)

@shep said:

That might be on Norv. The announcers did say the Bengals were taking away all the deep routes, so did we see any intermediate slants over the middle? Comebacks? Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't think so.

Yeah- those cheap scores fired up the Bengals- but you have to forget it, suck it up and play harder, not get down and give up.

And I agree with your take on Campbell- he has to trust his receivers to get open, not become captain checkdown.

I was WAY more concerned about not bouncing back from it when we got down 14-13 and just needed to put together a drive, settle things down. All the 3rd down checkdowns with zero shot at moving the chains... one of my biggest pet peeves. You've got a bunch of big receivers (Gordon, Cameron, Little and his 42" vert), let them compete for the ball.

How many looks did Cameron get? He needs twice that, maybe more. Habitual checkdown constipates everything. Read, set, plant, throw on time. I think that's what we loved about Brian "2.9 seconds" Hoyer, and those were actual patterns, not dumpoffs.

@cuwoohio said:

yes he may very well be in college this year and he might be coming out this year, but what happens if the front office doesn't get it right. that's the big elephant in the room.

only good QB this franchise has drafted since '99 was tim couch. too bad they didn't draft an OL.

you know that half the draft challenge is like rolling dice and if you don't get it right, that throws everything back years and years

BECAUSE

there is a timeframe of when you've got 80% of the pieces of a winning team set BUT some of these guys will want to test FA or let's say some of the guys are getting long in the tooth and they want to at least , in their football career play for a perennial contender. how long do you think joe thomas is going to last?

once you've found all the pieces and they are all working, then it becomes a game of timing. how many years can you keep that GOOD team together? is the coaching staff up to the task of making it to championship games year in and out? then you got your injuries...................man it's enough to make you sick just thinking about it.

hell people have been picking the cowboys for years now to win it all because everyone feels they've got all the pieces. then a major talent goes down with an injury and continuous brain farts from the sideline to the QB and what that spell???

squadoosh.

@d-bone said:

The one TD pass to Gordon was perfect. Why he couldn't keep that up I don't know.

@d-bone said:

He never seemed to even look down field. He was just really, really bad.

@kbndawg said:

2 picks in the 1st quarter with one being a pick six is not normal either. Can't have it both ways.. we didn't really create those turnovers.......more like Dalton just plain sucked.

Redzone offense was pathetic but JC did miss wide open receivers in the endzone in the first two series.

Yeah, it's very unusual for a top 5 defense to record multiple interceptions in one quarter.

I didn't realize that Dalton just calmly walked the ball over to Haden and put it in his hands, saying "This is for you. Now run it back, I'll block".

If you believe that blocking two punts in a game is just as common as a top-five defense recording a multi-interception quarter, then you have no place discussing football.

I'm probably the last person to make an excuse for a loss, but those two plays completely changed the game. It was not nearly as one sided as the score presents.

@lbc-mike said:

He never seemed to even look down field. He was just really, really bad.

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:

2 picks in the 1st quarter with one being a pick six is not normal either. Can't have it both ways.. we didn't really create those turnovers.......more like Dalton just plain sucked.

Redzone offense was pathetic but JC did miss wide open receivers in the endzone in the first two series.

@kbndawg said:

Take away 2 ints one resulting in a FG the other a pick 6 then whatcha got? It goes both ways.

Take away all scores and it's a tie.

The point that was being made is: take out the things that don't normally happen against us (two blocked punts that led to TD's) and it's a much closer game.

We have a good defense, so taking away those two picks doesn't necessarily fit, since our defense is what is consistently good this year.

The only things we can really rely on are redzone stalls, strong defensive plays and a big TD from Gordon. The same things we got today.

Had we not tried to force the pass as much, it may have been a different story. But, alas.

It sucks to come out of a BYE week and look so crappy on offense.

@mddawg said:

Take away 2 ints one resulting in a FG the other a pick 6 then whatcha got? It goes both ways.

WSS

@westside-steve said:

great song lyrics steve. must be to a country tune.

take away all the faith an owner has in these so called football professionals and advice from fickle friends and you'd prob have a winning team.

My wife: You.

WSS

The Brown pants are still stupid.

A franchise QB is still needed.

Z