""A SURE BET " TTT confident in roster AS IS

[gex]

You read the history of man and you think, "boy, we've come such a long way. We understand so much and have learned from the errors of our ways".

The Salem witch trials, for example, stemmed from fear and a lack of knowledge. People did not know what they didn't know and rather than staying level headed, it was easier to assume what they wanted to believe as truth and some pretty nasty witch hunts occurred to good people.

Now, how many hundreds of years later, we're still foolishly arrogant and ignorant enough to fear and dislike what we do not understand. It's scary. Obviously it's on a different level, but that same ignorance and baseless arrogance is still present in people today.

WHAT! If it wasn't for those fine folks back then nipping our little witch problem in the bud, the witchs would have ruled the world by now.

[wist43]

We don't have a single guy on defense that an offensive coordinator has to account for.

There's that Aaron Kampman guy that OC's have had to gameplan for a tad. And our two CB's, Al Harris and Charles Woodson, are two guys that you have to plan around. You really don't wanna throw at either very often.

I think if you made this statement to an actual NFL OC you'd be laughed at.

Kamp, yeah to a certain extent; but he puts up great numbers on hustle and technique... it's not like he beats RT's around the corner on a regular basis; and Woodson and Harris are pretty good, but declining.

We should have been the #1 D in the league if you go by the consensus on this board... would have won it all if not for those pesky injuries

[KYPack]

Really, my take was that it was that it had gotten away from being football training and was more of a powerlifting weight room.

Other nuggets I've picked up were that there were lots of little contests and peer pressure to to go at it harder than the next guy, which was something the Rock encouraged, not discouraged.

Yeah, Waldo, I caught the same ideas.

Here are some quotes from Redding after he took over...

""I don't care what they can max out at," he said. "I don't care what they can do 10 times at a max load. I'm here to weight train them to make them better football players.

"This is not about how much we lift. It's about how healthy we can stay and how well we can play throughout the year. The win and loss column is all there is for me."

That pretty well jibes with the "football players, not muscle-heads" theory.

I saw Redding's Chargers come into Cincy for an opening game 6-7 years ago. The Chargers were obviously a lot stronger and in MUCH better CV shape than the Bengals. The game was 35-0 IIRC. Marty S was very complimentary of Redding and his job of getting his team in shape.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Thompson has very little in terms of savy or personal persona in front of the media. I think this is hurting him now, and it could also be a significant reason for him getting let go. He is not snotty with the media like the guy in New England, but he sure doesn't warm any hearts with goofy stare into the camera.

He is a decent evaluator of talent, but I still don't think he has built a team, just evaluated talent.

If/When he is let go, It won't be becuase fo what he does in front of the camera. Its the results on the field. Who the hell cares how he does on camera or how he treats the media? If the media don't like it, that is their problem.

Case "A", Matt Millen was a horrible GM, but how did he keep his job for so long? Of course he was good friends with the owners, but also people were still actually believing in this guy. He made people believe that he was building a winner, doing everything he can for the franchise. He covered his ass for all of his screw ups the best way he could.

Thompson hasn't and will never make that many mistakes as Millen, but you wouldn't know it talking to a good number of people in Wisconsin. His mistakes get electrified because he can't or won't use the media to his benefit.

This is the biggest bunch of bs i've ever read. Nobody believed in Millen. The only reason he kept his job was his close relationship with the owner. His son couldn't even get him fired when he wanted to do it.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

I kind of agree. Defensive line backups and depth isn't what I'd call glaring need.

How did we go from 13-3 to 6-10 in just one season? Injuries. A litany of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Devastating injuries to key starters that dramatically reduced the effectiveness of our defense.

If you ask me, depth is an EXTREMELY glaring need right now.

I respectfully disagree.

If depth is a "glaring need" then basically every team in the NFL has that glaring need.

[Gunakor]

We don't have a single guy on defense that an offensive coordinator has to account for.

There's that Aaron Kampman guy that OC's have had to gameplan for a tad. And our two CB's, Al Harris and Charles Woodson, are two guys that you have to plan around. You really don't wanna throw at either very often.

I think if you made this statement to an actual NFL OC you'd be laughed at.

Kamp, yeah to a certain extent; but he puts up great numbers on hustle and technique... it's not like he beats RT's around the corner on a regular basis; and Woodson and Harris are pretty good, but declining.

We should have been the #1 D in the league if you go by the consensus on this board... would have won it all if not for those pesky injuries

Almost did the year before, remember, when we didn't have those pesky injuries

[Gunakor]

I kind of agree. Defensive line backups and depth isn't what I'd call glaring need.

How did we go from 13-3 to 6-10 in just one season? Injuries. A litany of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Devastating injuries to key starters that dramatically reduced the effectiveness of our defense.

If you ask me, depth is an EXTREMELY glaring need right now.

I respectfully disagree.

If depth is a "glaring need" then basically every team in the NFL has that glaring need.

I respectfully agree. That's why each team participates in the draft. I never said it was a need we had that other teams didn't.

[Bretsky]

BTW some of you need to stop acting like this isnt pretty much the same team that was a play away from going to the SB alittle over a year ago. Injuries had A LOT to do with our record last season, not the freaking talent.

Injuried Schminjuries

It was year one of Da Curse

[Tyrone Bigguns]

I kind of agree. Defensive line backups and depth isn't what I'd call glaring need.

How did we go from 13-3 to 6-10 in just one season? Injuries. A litany of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Devastating injuries to key starters that dramatically reduced the effectiveness of our defense.

If you ask me, depth is an EXTREMELY glaring need right now.

I respectfully disagree.

If depth is a "glaring need" then basically every team in the NFL has that glaring need.

I respectfully agree. That's why each team participates in the draft. I never said it was a need we had that other teams didn't.

Then, it isn't really a glaring need.

Glaring needs are for starters.

[The Shadow]

BTW some of you need to stop acting like this isnt pretty much the same team that was a play away from going to the SB alittle over a year ago. Injuries had A LOT to do with our record last season, not the freaking talent.

Injuried Schminjuries

It was year one of Da Curse

No, we got a 3rd round pick for sending it to the Jets.

[bobblehead]

Re: Thompson

To say we have no "glaring" holes is the dumbest statement a GM has EVER made. After 1.5 seasons of ZERO pass rush, a BLIND man can see we are weak at DE. After Pickett, we have NOTHING at NT. I would challenge ANYONE to look at the other 3-4 teams and show me a D-line weaker than ours right now, and please don't put Jenkins or Harrell in the mix. Neither has stayed healthy and I don't play the "may-be" game that others here seem to live for.

Just curious. If you are going to hand select a starter and a potential starter that I don't get to include and then try and compare them to other 3-4 teams do I get to eliminate 2 DE's from their roster before I make the comparison?? I mean, its only fair.

[Bretsky]

BTW some of you need to stop acting like this isnt pretty much the same team that was a play away from going to the SB alittle over a year ago. Injuries had A LOT to do with our record last season, not the freaking talent.

Injuried Schminjuries

It was year one of Da Curse

No, we got a 3rd round pick for sending it to the Jets.

sure; worked out great year one. Hopefully we'll overcome the curse in the future; another 12 draft picks won't hurt this year. You know the old saying.............if you throw enough shit against a wall..........

[SnakeLH2006]

I think TT has definitely proven that he believes he owes the media nothing and nothing is what they're going to get and if they still want to interview him then nothing is what they're going to like.

His job is to build a team he has confidence in and he believes can win games on Sundays. If he says he doesn't have confidence in the team, he might as well do the press conference or interview with a "Fire Me" sign around his neck.

Exactly. It just shows how gullible people are that they automatically take what he says as truth. TT would have to be the biggest idiot on the planet to say his team sucks.

So you're saying the team does, in fact, suck... and that TT is smart enough to know that, but also smart enough to deny it publicly???

Myself, I actually believe Ted when he says he likes his team the way it is...

CPK for GM I tell ya.

<<Snake shoots himself in head.

Sorry...bad dream....