A players perspective on the Bengals game

[Magox]

Sort of goes against the grain of the mainstream thinking.

 

 

[Momma Pecoraro]

Just stare - relive the nightmare.

[Einstein]

Excuses.

 

We lost because the Bengals are the better team right now. From coaches to players.

[DrDawkinstein]

Yeah, pretty much what a lot of us saw. They were spent.

[SCBills]

4 minutes ago, Einstein said:

Excuses.

 

We lost because the Bengals are the better team right now. From coaches to players.

They probably were in that moment .. but that doesn’t change the fact that we played the most lifeless game ever seen from this iteration of the Bills. 

[mrags]

So…. The players had no fire and no urgency in the game at all. The coaches apparently didn’t notice this like some of the players did and did nothing about it. I understand the players need to play the game. But when things like this happen on a grand scale, when it’s not just one player, it’s a coaching issue. At the very least the coaches needed to rein it in and change something. 

Edited March 22, 2023 by mrags

[Last Guy on the Bench]

It was just so strange. I still have a bad hangover from that game - I'm not as into the draft as I usually am, I'm following the news less avidly. I'll spring back, I'm sure. I love this effing team too much. But it was almost inexplicable. Not losing. Just the way they lost. I can see why Taiwan is baffled. I'm sure a lot of the players are. Humans are complicated. Human collectives are even more complicated.

 

I do think there is something to the fact that the year finally caught up with them and against a team that was primed and energized and a bad matchup anyway. It happens in sports. It happens in life. I expect them to come out swinging again. McD has his weaknesses, but leaning into adversity and jumping back up off the canvas is not one of them. So I'm very keen to see how they respond and what their vibe is to start the year.

[mushypeaches]

6 minutes ago, mrags said:

So…. The players had no fire and no urgency in the game at all. The coaches apparently didn’t notice this like some of the players did and did nothing about it. I understand the players need to play the game. But when things like this happen on a grand scale, when it’s not just one player, it’s a coaching issue. At the very least the coaches needed to rein it in and change something. 

 

I think that what you said right here is the thing that fans have latched onto all off-season, and frankly what scares us more than any personnel losses or future salary cap constraints.  

 

When you have a staff that isn't capable of reading the room or properly adjusting to these types of in-game circumstances, that's when it's hard to envision a Super Bowl victory no matter how great our QB is or how much talent we acquire

 

I was in the stands that day, and it absolutely stood out to be the most lifeless performance I've seen in the 50 or so games I've been to over the past 30 years

It felt like the game was over in the first quarter and we were just waiting for it to officially end.

[Cray51]

2 minutes ago, mrags said:

So…. The players had no fire and no urgency in the game at all. The coaches apparently didn’t notice this like some of the players did and did nothing about it. I understand the players need to play the game. But when things like this happen on a grand scale, when it’s not just one player, it’s a coaching issue. At the very least the coaches needed to rein it in and change something. 

I think that’s an oversimplification of a really nuanced situation.

 

the Bills team went through a more tumultuous season then any I can remember, along with an incredibly grueling schedule as well.  The team looked like they lost steam after the hot start in the wild card game, and that obviously carried over to the Bengals game.  The coaches impact in two ways - 1) mid week prep and coordination and 2)in game management.  I personally put a lot more weight into mid week prep than I do the in game impact a coach makes.

 

how many times do you see a coach bring the entire team together to address a situation in game?  That’s a halftime closed door situation usually.  But I haven’t seen it happen on the sideline.  If you do see sideline conversations happening, it’s usually the team captains.

 

frankly, this team really struggled with execution throughout the entire season.   You could point to a LOT of execution breakdowns that were huge, and the bengals game was a culmination of those errors and struggles.  I don’t blame the coaches all that much for our struggles in that game, I blame the players who were likely exhausted and strained from a long long season

[Einstein]

  

11 minutes ago, SCBills said:

They probably were in that moment .. but that doesn’t change the fact that we played the most lifeless game ever seen from this iteration of the Bills. 

 

If you fought Mike Tyson in his prime, you would look uninspired too.

 

It doesn't mean you weren't focused. Or that you were drained before the fight. It would be because he's that much better.

 

We all like to ignore it, but the Bengals were well on their way to blowing us out BEFORE the damar injury. They were up 7-3 and driving with ease again.

[JohnNord]

But I was told the loss was “100% on coaching” by multiple members of this forum.  

[Straight Hucklebuck]

14 minutes ago, SCBills said:

They probably were in that moment .. but that doesn’t change the fact that we played the most lifeless game ever seen from this iteration of the Bills. 

Well when the Coaches run around the whole week saying that nothing can be taken away from the Monday Night game I wasn’t surprised we came out with the same prevent defense and got shredded again. 

[SCBills]

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

  

 

If you fought Mike Tyson in his prime, you would look uninspired too.

 

It doesn't mean you weren't focused. Or that you were drained before the fight. It would be because he's that much better.

 

We all like to ignore it, but the Bengals were well on their way to blowing us out BEFORE the damar injury. They were up 7-3 and driving with ease again.

I won’t argue with you about our defense.  Frazier and the personnel we had were likely never going to slow them down unless the Bengals went on one of their random quarter long swoons. 
 

Our Offense that day though … disaster.  
 

In the game you referenced, they looked crisp af on our one drive before Allen and Beasley were inches off from a short walk in TD. 

[BBFL]

Isn’t Taiwan the same guy who spoke candidly about the 13 seconds meltdown and informational errors on the sideline during a podcast appearance?

 

 

YUP. 

Edited March 22, 2023 by BBFL

[Jauronimo]

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

I won’t argue with you about our defense.  Frazier and the personnel we had were likely never going to slow them down unless the Bengals went on one of their random quarter long swoons. 
 

Our Offense that day though … disaster.  
 

In the game you referenced, they looked crisp af on our one drive before Allen and Beasley were inches off from a short walk in TD. 

They Bengals offense did go on a quarter long swoon and then some.  Our offense had nothing all day.  It looked like a bunch of guys who did not believe in the game plan.  

[DaggersEOD]

IMO, not finishing the Damar Hamlin game had a lot to do with the result of this game. 
 

It seemed to me that the playoff game was just a continuation of what seemed to be happening before DH got hurt. 
 

If we finished that game, and got our asses handed to us, we would’ve come into the playoff game with a different game plan. 
 

I’m not AT ALL saying that we should’ve finished that game. There was no way. 
 

Im just saying that if we were able to finish that game, we would’ve been much better prepared for the playoff rematch

[Aussie Joe]

4 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

But I was told the loss was “100% on coaching” by multiple members of this forum.  

I think you have also been told that it’s not all just about this one game…

 

They performed below expectations over the second half of the season and almost lost a playoff game at home to Skylar Thompson..

[Goin Breakdown]

That game was a continuation of what was happening in the "Hamlin Game". In the limited amount of play you could tell that Cinci was on a whole different level than the Bills (that includes some dirty play as well). That being said, I really do think (defensive) coaching didn't help in either game. 

[Mr. WEO]

Emotionally exhausted....

 

 

Anyway, who is the real leader on this team--in that locker room?  Does a leader get caught, like a deer, in the headlights?

 

 

[John from Riverside]

13 minutes ago, Einstein said:

  

 

If you fought Mike Tyson in his prime, you would look uninspired too.

 

It doesn't mean you weren't focused. Or that you were drained before the fight. It would be because he's that much better.

 

We all like to ignore it, but the Bengals were well on their way to blowing us out BEFORE the damar injury. They were up 7-3 and driving with ease again.

You know you cannot be proven wrong on this which is why you’re gonna stick to it but I say you have absolutely no idea what was going to happen in that first game
 

Could’ve been a shoot out, which we have been well capable of winning in the past

 

At this point, it doesn’t matter the only thing that matters is how we respond with the season