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Just do what Andy Reid does for the preseason games: the KC Chiefs are competing for it all at the end of most every season.
The Chiefs starters always see some significant time during preseason games so they can get up to the speed of the NFL for the start of the season. Yes, there's risk of injury. But I think the Bengals sitting of the starters almost the entire preseason schedule has been tried and failed spectacularly, costing them the postseason the last two years.
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They are overthinking this entire thing.
The main reason the Bengals have struggled early in the season is because Burrow has been injured, rusty, or coming back from injury.
One of ZTs biggest strengths is how he conserves guys so that they play their best ball later in the year.
Don't change a thing. Burrow is finally healthy and ready to go. That alone should make them better to start the year.
The boys are just talkin' ball, babyyyy
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Burrow admitted his struggles to start the season comes from a slowed down release clock in his head that causes timing issues in the offense. He believes that preseason live action with the threat of being hit will help speed his internal clock up and be ready for the season.
I'd just like to point out that Zac's prior preseason plan isn't bad at all. Take the Steelers for example. They play a lot of their starters in the preseason and come out firing on all cylinders to start the season. But by November they have nothing left in the tank and look like it. No energy, no physicality... It's led to them ending the season on long losing streaks.
So there is a happy medium. All the great teams (NE, KC) lose their games (if they lose) in September before going on 10 game winning streaks. Teams knew if you wanted to catch them sleeping your bests shot was at the start of the season. We can't start 0-3, or 1-3, but great teams have suffered losses (some bad) to start the season if it means ending the season strong.
Quote:"Success doesn’t mean every single move they make is good" ~ Anonymous
"Let not the dumb have to educate" ~ jj22
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They are making several canges in addition to playing starters in the preseason. Practice times have been moved to the morning with meetings and walk-throughs in the afternoon. They believe that will help the players be 100% focused on the task at hand including fueling properly for practice beforehand
It's next season and I'm hopeful