The Cincinnati Bengals have to go through another offseason answering why the team can't start the season correctly. Those questions will not cease until the problem is solved.
In the six years Zac Taylor has been Cincinnati's head coach, the Bengals are 1-11 between Weeks 1-2. It's a recipe for missing the playoffs more times than not, as evidenced by just two playoff appearances compared to four seasons ended before the playoffs began.
There's no sense in sugarcoating the problem anymore, and Ja'Marr Chase knows it.
While partaking another Pro Bowl this past weekend, Chase gave an honest answer as to why the Bengals started slow out the gate once again.
"I want to say just locking in," Chase said. "I don't think we were ready to really get into the season when we got into the season, if I'm being honest. But, you know, we locked in when it was time to but it wasn't, you know, early enough."
Chase's perspective on this topic is unique considering he played a notable role in how the team stumbled at the start. The 24-year old declined to practice throughout the entirety of training camp as a way to push negotiations toward the goal line. Unfortunately for both sides, a deal wasn't reached before Week 1, which rendered Chase's leverage tactic fruitless in the end.
Failing to extend Chase's contract before the start of the season was a major blunder by the Bengals not only in the sense that it will be more expensive to do so this offseason, but the fact that it took one of the team's best players for several critical weeks leading up to Week 1. Chase, of course, didn't have to withhold himself from practicing, but it’s difficult to fault him for looking out for himself while he was trying to secure well over a hundred million dollars.
Chase's answer not only points to the Bengals needing to prepare for the season better, it also acts as a message to the front office. Having contract negotiations bleed into training camp can have unintended consequences for both the player and the team as a whole. Chase had just 10 receptions for 97 yards during the first two weeks of the season. He eclipsed that stat-line in four of the next 15 games that followed.
A lot needs to happen before the Bengals start up camp again in the summer. For their sake, Chase and everyone else looking to get paid better have signed on the dotted line by then to avoid going through all this again.
