Things we’ll have to talk through. . .
Should Joe Burrow play Sunday in Cleveland? How much should he play?
How worried should you be about the O-line?
Is the owl still there?
Who’s the preferred first-round playoff foe?
Zac Taylor said Monday he hasn’t decided what he’ll do with his pulpy quarterback. He included that in his list of “things we’ll have to talk through.’’
My guess is, Burrow will play, unless he’s more banged up than usual. Taylor dodged a question re his QB’s physical health, choosing instead to say Burrow has “a good mindset right now.’’ You guessed he might.
I wouldn’t play Burrow. At the very least, I’d treat Cleveland like the pre-season dress rehearsal game. Start him, play him a half. The obvious risk-reward is, how much does the W mean versus how big a risk are you willing to take to get it?
Answers: (1) Not much and (2) See 1.
If you’re going to “make a deep run’’ (dumb phrase) in the playoffs, every team you’ll play is going to be good. How much does it matter if you open against the Patriots or the Colts? Or even the Chargers again?
Statistically, New England has the best pass D of the three. The Pats rank 4th in yards allowed, 2nd in yards per attempt and interceptions. And they have Belichick.
Indy is 18th in yards allowed, but tied for 3rd in interceptions. The Chargers are average stats-wise across the board.
In other words, pick your poison. It should go without saying that a (relatively) healthy Burrow means more than who the opponent is two Sundays from now.
And the man is getting mugged. Sacked 51 times, five more than any other QB. Hit 48 times, not counting sacks (9th worst), pressured 145 times (6th), pressured on 24.5 percent of his dropbacks. (Thank you, profootballreference.com).
It doesn’t help that Quinton Spain’s ankle injury will keep him idle in Cleveland and possibly beyond. He has started every game at left guard this year.
The Browns aren’t good, but they still have Garrett and Clowney. And the way they're playing, the Bengals might beat them regardless of who Cincy starts at QB.
MEANWHILE. . . Has Taylor decided it’s best to ride his best player, no matter the defense he’s up against?
The last four games: Mixon 65 carries.
The previous four: Mixon 90 carries.
58 of the 90 came v. Vegas and the Steelers, two bad run defenses. But the trend is overwhelming. The Men will live and die with Burrow. It’s verrry hard to argue with that thinking.
AND THERE IS THIS: Baker Mayfield may opt for shoulder surgery now, and miss the game Sunday. Yahoo:
"I am going to have surgery,” Mayfield said via the Akron Beacon Journal. “I am going to get this shoulder fixed and be able to come back next year at 100%. That's been decided. Now when that's happening — that has not been decided. So I don't have that answer for you.’’
Hard to say which would benefit the Bengals more. Facing Mayfield or not facing him.
AND THE OWL IS STILL HERE, APPARENTLY. Snowy owls are cold-weather kids. Their preferred nesting grounds are, um, 2,000 miles north of here. Zoo people in Cleveland were pleasantly stunned to see them up there a few months ago. Now, one has found a home down on the riverfront.
Apparently, he (she/it) is a sports fan. He’s been spotted on the infrastructure of the 71-75 bridge and on the roof at GABP. The Bengals are 3-0 since the creature was first spotted.
BYE-BYE, BEN. . . Another reason to feel good about the Bengals future is, Roethlisberger won’t be part of it. He was to the Bengals postseason visits what the Grinch is to Christmas. That said, some of us not burdened by fanly obligations will miss the guy. His sand was a good fit for the town and team. Ben was never fast or swervy, but he was twinkle toes in the backfield. Better when under duress than with a clean pocket.
Around here, we focus rightfully on the bone-headedness of Burfict and Jones as the reasons for the ’15 playoff L. We forget Roethlisberger, shoulder so bad he couldn’t throw more than 10 or 15 yards downfield, managing to take the Steelers from inside their 10 into FG range.
Just because you hated the guy doesn’t mean you couldn’t admire him. His winning nature was why you disliked him in the first place.
With Ben done, the Steelers have no QB. Baker Mayfield has shown lately why he is not the answer in Cleveland. Lamar Jackson’s season was as questionable this fall as last season was brilliant. The Men have the best QB in the North, maybe for the first time since Boomer.
If you’ve been off the bandwagon, now’s a good time to leap back on. All is forgiven.
YOU SAY YOU DON’T CARE, BUT. . . The Enquirer’s baseball guy Bobby Nightengale writes of MLB’s current labor situation, “A delay to the start of the season would have devastating consequences.’’
I don’t think so.
I’ve been writing about fun-n-games for, um, four decades. Not much is certain, but this is: Every time baseball fights with itself, we predict doom for the game. Every time, it doesn’t happen.
Maybe temporarily, but never permanently. Fans say they won’t go back. Most do.
A work stoppage won’t kill baseball. Changing tastes might. But certainly not right away.
Baseball is a bus ride in an era when private citizens are flying in rocket ships. Rob Manfred has promised significant changes to speed up the game. It’s slower than ever. Baseball has made a project of getting more African-Americans engaged in the game, playing and spectating. I haven’t noticed an attendance boom fueled by Black fans.
As for non-Latino players of color, send out a search party.
Entertainment tastes are subject to change, of course. The culture constantly shifts. But baseball has been out of step with the zeitgeist for a significantly long time.
The what, Doc?
Zeitgeist: The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
It does the game no good when billionaires fight with millionaires over money. But it won’t be fatal. We just aren’t in a baseball place in this country anymore. Haven’t been for a couple decades.
PKING HAD AN ISSUE with Bart Scott dogging the Bengals, but not because Scott went off on the Men running up the score against Scott’s old club, the Ravens. Rather, because Scott used the word “we’’ when talking about his former team:
“We?” Bart Scott last played for the Ravens 13 years ago. “We?” Is he employed by the Ravens? “We?” How does ESPN feel about one of its employees saying a team he worked for 13 years ago is working to get a coach in the division fired?’’ (Football Morning in America)
Local radio and TV “personalities’’ often use “we’’ when referencing the teams whose games they talk about. Some are paid by the teams; some are beholden to the wishes of ownership. Some are just fans. Few pretend to be objective observers. If you’re expecting objective analysis from radio-TV guys, you’re gonna be disappointed.
And Marty Brennaman is still retired. Unfortunately.
AS FOR ANTONIO BROWN. . . If a person has mental-health issues, he should be dealt with compassionately and with empathy, and he should get the help he needs. What he shouldn’t do is embarrass the coach and team who took a chance on him and the quarterback who urged that chance and even put the distressed player up at his home.
No one should fault Brown for apparently having emotional issues. That shouldn’t give him a pass for the way he behaved during the game Sunday. Respect the game, your team and yourself.
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . Played this before, I’m sure. It's groovy. Discovered it on Sirius’ Underground Garage, a station that’s worth the subscription price all by itself.
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