Same Old, Same Old

Same old Bungles, same old Bungles.

(Sorry, Mom. You are NOT going to like this post).

The Bengals 8-0 start is now nothing but a distant memory and more than that, it was an aberration. The Bengals have come back to earth with a deafening thud. I'm not down on them because they are getting beaten. That's going to happen to all NFL teams (unless you happen to be the Patriots). I'm down on them because the same thing is sinking them that has sunk them since year one of the Marvin Lewis coaching regime. I'm referring to stupid penalties and lack of halftime adjustments.I'm not talking about your run of the mill penalties. Those happen to every team. I'm talking about personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Those penalties are a result of a lack of discipline and that starts with the coach. Marvin talks every week in his press conference about eliminating mistakes... but they never do. Same old, same old. Halftime adjustments (or lack thereof) have always been a problem for Marvin too. For some reason, the Bengals always seem to hold their own in the first half and come out in the second half and get outplayed every time. Look no further than tonight's game. The Bengals held the Cardinals to 7 points in the first half. Then the Cardinals came out in the second half and scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. Same old, same old.

The first half of the season was fun. There's no doubt about it. However, the honeymoon is over now. The hard road is here and also lies ahead. I'm not confident enough in Marvin Lewis' ability as a coach to think that he will right the ship. I'm not saying the bengals will lose the rest of their games. They won't. I'm not even saying the Bengals won't win the division. They will. I'm saying this team is not disciplined enough and does not have a head coach that is competent enough to take them to the level of the NFL elite. They are a good team, but they are not a great team.

Same old, same old!