Here We Are Again...

Well.... that was depressing. As a Cincinnati sports fan, there have been countless depressing losses. This one hurts more than any other. The pieces of the puzzle fell miraculously for the Bengals. Yeah, we didn't get that first round bye, but we got easily the worst team in all the playoffs to come to our house where we are unbeaten.

Could not have asked for a prettier set up to get our first playoff win under Marvin Lewis and to get the monkey off everyone's back that we cant do it.

Then the game started...

You watched the game, so there is not much need to go into the play by play. I'll use my list format to point out my thoughts about what caused the Bengals to drop this game, and then we'll move into the debacle of this organization and where we can look to from here.

1) Andy Dalton

Far and away responsible party #1 for this loss. Frankly, this guy disgusts me. He has absolutely no clue what he is doing out there. He makes awful play after awful play and just cannot get the job done here.  The second Andy feels pressure, he tucks and scrambles and the play is immediately over. His decision making is miserable, and if you read this Gregg Doyel article he refuses to take accountability for his actions.

The interceptions were abysmal. Throwing off his back foot and throwing an out route 5 yards inside right to a defender. Its not new to us, but it sure is still disgusting. The fumble maybe one of the funniest plays of this moron's career. Diving for a first down when you're 5 yards short of it and fumbling when untouched is so Dalton its ridiculous.

Even after all of that, I was still willing to just deal with Dalton because I don't feel he is going anywhere soon. He sucks, but maybe he'll mature in year four....

Until I read the Gregg Doyel article linked above. Andy Dalton is a lousy player, and an even lousier leader. When a leader shits the bed in a game and costs his team the game, he owns up to it. He says "I didn't make the play" or "I turned the ball over and really hurt us."

Dalton took zero blame, and even found an opportunity to praise himself for the good season he thinks he had.

2) Jay Gruden

The fact that Jay Gruden is a head coaching candidate somewhere is hilarious to me. Thank god he is, because maybe we will be relieved of him without the awkward firing of him. This guy is as clueless as they come and he has been all year. Tyler posted comments in his post from several players about the Bengals offense. Zero adjustments, zero wrinkles thrown in. The Chargers knew what the Bengals wanted to do, they took it away, and had nothing to worry about from an adjustment standpoint.

Jay Gruden calls a game as if he is playing a game of Madden. 30 yard passes on 4th and 3? Throwing on the goaline last week against Baltimore? The Redskins would do us a massive massive favor by getting this guy out of here as soon as humanly possible.

3) Marvin F**king Lewis

11 years.

0 playoff wins.

Really don't *need* to say any more than that. Marvin Lewis may be the single most infuriating coach I have ever witnessed in all of sports. If it isn't chuckling off hard questions, it's the simple "we just got beat today" answer to everything. 11 years, 0 playoff wins. 0-5 in the playoffs. 3 of those home games and you cant find a way to win a single one of them. I get that this team is technically still moving in the "right direction" but I'm just not sure how a team regroups after this loss and can honestly put faith in Marvin Lewis. You hear defensive players talk about how they would die for Zimmer. They'd give an arm and a leg for the guy. Have you ever heard a player suggest they'd give anything for Marvin Lewis or Jay Gruden?

Its been too long. It is time for Marvin Lewis to go.

My final comments are on this city as a whole. I love this city, and I don't intend to leave it as long as I live. That being said, my god this city has some of the dumbest sports fans I've ever encountered.

Look, I'm sure every city has its idiots, but good lord they sure find a way to make themselves heard here.

Mike Brown isn't the problem with the Cincinnati Bengals. (Yes, I realize he is in the above picture) I used to be one of the loudest voices opposing him because he was an idiot and he was out of touch. Mike Brown has come around if people have not realized this. He has lowered ticket prices (playoff prices not dictated by him), he is paying good money to keep top talent around, he has taken a step back in player personnel decisions. (Even though he wanted Kaepernick and Jay Gruden pushed for Dalton)

Someone actually called into the radio station today saying the Bengals didn't lose the owner and GM (who doesn't exist) did... okay then.

Finally, and I know I'm an extremely negative person. I am trying to work on that a bit...

But the Cincinnatians out there who are comforting yourselves by saying pitchers and catchers report in 40 days clearly have not paid attention to the Reds offseason, right? The Reds, who weren't good enough in 2013, lost 300 times on base in Choo, and replaced it with... Skip Schumacher and no clear plans to add someone else. Not seeing much to be positive about there?? I can't be alone right?

Finally, if the Bengals give Andy Dalton anything more than backup money, then I might just have to be done. I am not mentally or emotionally stable enough to watch that buffoon stink up this fine city any longer.