Well there was that.
Everything's on the table and nothing's on the table.
We have an owner/GM who basically undercuts the pick of the starting QB before the playoff game saying he liked another player (one who won today). (Of course he forgets that really he had eyes for Ryan Mallet, but I digress).
We have a QB that has stopped taking blame for a loss - and in this one he did a lot (not everything) but a lot to help this loss along.
There are other issues here and lesser held opinions lurking that I will get to (like is #18 really worth the contract he's gonna want?)
Oh and Kyle Cook gets a shout out here b/c he hasn't gotten it enough - the middle of our line was a disaster and it starts at center.
Go.
-QG
So many tough decisions IMO. Before I get into specifics about players, the main problem this week and really in the games we lost was turnovers. It is getting tiring to try to overcome that each week. You could also add consistency to that. I know a lot of that is Dalton, but I'm also sick of Dalton having a bad game meaning that AJ runs half-### and catch the ball and Gio drops passes and puts the ball on the ground, etc, etc. When things start to go badly, the whole team seems to implode.
It sounds like Gruden may move on and that is fine with me. I don't think he deserved fired or anything, but I haven't been overly impressed either. I have been surprised all year that all we heard about for Dalton was how many weapons he had, but somehow the same case wasn't used against Gruden. If our weapons are as good as people seem to think, then Gruden should be held accountable as well. I'm starting to question it though. Some of our skill guys are good, but it looks like all of them really need Andy to play well to do anything. That makes them just guys IMO. Tons of teams have skill guys that can make plays when the QB is on. Maybe guys like AJ, Sanu, Eifert, Gio, Gresham have been overrated relative to their production and Dalton/Gruden just haven't been good enough to win anyway. I really don't know.
Of course with all that said, the main question is what to do with Dalton. I believe he cost himself a ton of money on Sunday. I thought they would go ahead with the extension, but I now I think they may wait and see. I would at least consider drafting another QB in either case. Our backup situation isn't good enough and if Dalton struggles this year, having a plan B would be pretty important.
We are going to lose a lot in free agency and possibly even cut some good players (Hall?). That is OK with me. We're starting to get into being a good enough team that we lose good players to attrition because we can't sign everyone. It's a good problem to have and the Bengals have done their best to keep their own and I'm sure they will continue to do so. Losing Johnson and Collins seems like a lock. I'm not sure about some of the others, but those are 2 spots I think we can assume need filled.
The center position needs addressed (again) and I think we are getting pretty old at 2 positions they value (OT and CB). I would assume those are the areas they look for in the draft (besides maybe QB).
If Gruden leaves, I think Hue Jackson has a chance to be promoted. If Zimmer leaves, I think they would try to get Kevin Coyle back here. I am still a supporter of Lewis, but I will admit this one hurt. Consistency of performance falls largely on the head coach and rising to the occassion of a big game could also be on the coach. Both have been weak points for a while.
The list of issues is long, but let's keep perspective. We've become a pretty consistent playoff team and we should get our best player back healthy for next year. It's hard to stay good for long, so let's not take it for granted. I am just as ready as any of you for that playoff win though.