02-15-2022, 09:21 PM
(02-15-2022, 04:47 PM)Tomkat Wrote: Because "being better" sometimes isn't good enough.
You still need EVERY crucial break to go your way. (team health, big plays, penalties, turnovers, etc)
THIS was the year that happened, until the Super Bowl.
Even Tom Brady with the Patriots went NINE YEARS without a Super Bowl appearance - it's just so difficult to make it.
The stars somehow aligned for the Bengals, this season, and they didn't take advantage.
They'll be GOOD going forward, for sure, probably consistently in the playoffs, winning division, etc
But, make it to the Super Bowl? Eh, who knows... I'm not going to get my hopes up again. Better to be pleasantly surprised.
I've done that for the last 51 years, why change now?
EDIT: My heart says "half-full" - because I want to believe. But, I'm a math, stat, logical type thinker, so my head says "half-empty."
You captured my feeling almost word for word. I don't have to post it now because you just said it all. Excellent post. HUGE missed opportunity that may or may not come again for decades.
