About an hour ago I drove past a dark Paul Brown Stadium on my way home from a birthday party* at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse. There were no lights on at the stadium at all and I thought about what a metaphor for the 2016 season a dark, cold, and lifeless stadium was -- and in the dark the place looks like an abandoned facility. Two days from now the Ravens will visit the Bengals at that same stadium with nothing on the line except a small scintilla of pride as neither team will see action in the post-season.

My memories turned to better times when Paul Brown Stadium would shake from thunderous roars from the crowd as the Bengals scored at will and shut down nearly every offense in the NFL. Palmer to Johnson. Dalton to Green. Interception by O'Neal. Sack by Burfict. Touchdown, Rudi Johnson. Then my smile dissipated when I thought of all the heartbreaking playoff losses in that stadium, especially last season and of course in January 2006.

Many teams would happily trade for Cincinnati's record but here in the Queen City we're not satisfied with mediocrity. We want the Super Bowl teams of the 1980s just as much as we want the Reds to be reborn as the Big Red Machine 2.0. We're a city of champions and we need to reclaim that title.

Then the light turned green.




*No, it wasn't my birthday.

We can't even say we're mediocre. We haven't won a playoff game in 26+ years. EVERY single team in the NFL has won one over that time period.

(12-31-2016, 10:57 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: We can't even say we're mediocre. We haven't won a playoff game in 26+ years. EVERY single team in the NFL has won one over that time period.

Every.Single.One.

Paul Harvey couldn't have said it better.

Apparently they had acid at the birthday party.

I think the pain that goes with being a Bengals fan is we had an awesome team with so much potential, talent and strength, which was pissed away by bad coaching and owner decisions. We were not "snake bitten." We just made bad decisions. With the frustration often running over onto the players who busted their ass, every game, to watch it slip away at the end. This frustration bled into the games causing penalties, fines and soon to be bad perception from referees and NFL. This created a hole so deep, No matter how hard we might have tried, could not have recovered. Only a coaching change can right the path of this organization. However, even if this was to happen, you still have the ownership.

The FO will not change soon. Our dreams of a championship team will not be answered soon either. So, every time you drive by that stadium, even if it's 90 degrees, there will be a cold, dark feeling caused by disappointment, lost dreams and the void of a playoff victory. Fans put more into their teams than just 3hrs a week. We talk about it at work and with family. We read and research often and in many cases invest hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year into a team which soon finds itself as a big part of our lives.

Our investments turn to love and dedication to the team. Our hearts beat with passion as we near the beginning of each season with confidence and devotion in our beloved Bengals, only to have our dreams crushed at the end of each season. Bengal fandom is a tough road and not prescribed for the weak of hearts. One day there will be warmth and hope in that stadium again. Yet most of us know in our guts, it won't be immediate. A few things must happen before the dream is real again. Unfortunately, it won't be next year, and the darkest, coldest feeling about it all, is there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

Ehem.. Nostalgia is a seductive liar... ~George Wildman Ball, Newsweek, 1971

Buck up fellas. Should be plenty of light and good seats available Sunday. The game's shaping up to be a good ol' AFC North slobber knocker between two rivals. A lot on the line, and we're gonna learn some things about both of these teams headed into the off-season.

(12-31-2016, 11:10 AM)bfine32 Wrote: Apparently they had acid at the birthday party.

Microdot was kicking in.

(12-31-2016, 11:10 AM)bfine32 Wrote: Apparently they had acid at the birthday party.

Just acid indigestion. Usually Montgomery Inn is fantastic but last night the chef on duty must have been Salvatore "Sal" Monella.

As Monty Hall would ask: Door number one, door number two or door number three? Or would you rather have the cash? 

(12-31-2016, 11:00 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Every.Single.One.

Even the Browns...Who didn't exist for 3 seasons during that span.
Even the Jags and Panthers, who didn't exist for the first 4 years
Even the Texans, who came into existence 11 years after our last playoff win

(12-31-2016, 05:47 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Even the Browns...Who didn't exist for 3 seasons during that span.

Any Bengals fan who feels inferior to the Brown's because they won a single playoff game 18 years ago needs some therapy.

Seriously some of you obsess a little too much on the lack of a playoff game.  I mean, seriously, we have been to 2 Superbowls but a bunch of you are whimpering about how the Browns are superior to us.  That is just ridiculous.  It is like you are looking as hard as you can for something to cry about.

(12-31-2016, 11:00 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Every.Single.One.

We have been to more Super Bowls than a dozen other teams but we are not even mediocre?

Oh, that's right we have to ignore everything good in our history so that we can all be huge whiny drama queens.

(12-31-2016, 12:00 AM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: About an hour ago I drove past a dark Paul Brown Stadium on my way home from a birthday party* at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse.  There were no lights on at the stadium at all and I thought about what a metaphor for the 2016 season a dark, cold, and lifeless stadium was -- and in the dark the place looks like an abandoned facility.  Two days from now the Ravens will visit the Bengals at that same stadium with nothing on the line except a small scintilla of pride as neither team will see action in the post-season.

My memories turned to better times when Paul Brown Stadium would shake from thunderous roars from the crowd as the Bengals scored at will and shut down nearly every offense in the NFL.  Palmer to Johnson.  Dalton to Green.  Interception by O'Neal.  Sack by Burfict.  Touchdown, Rudi Johnson.  Then my smile dissipated when I thought of all the heartbreaking playoff losses in that stadium, especially last season and of course in January 2006.  

Many teams would happily trade for Cincinnati's record but here in the Queen City we're not satisfied with mediocrity.  We want the Super Bowl teams of the 1980s just as much as we want the Reds to be reborn as the Big Red Machine 2.0.  We're a city of champions and we need to reclaim that title.

Then the light turned green.




*No, it wasn't my birthday.

Mike Brown is saving on electricity by turning off the lights. That's his MO. Saving money in any way he can regardless of the outcome.

(12-31-2016, 06:02 PM)fredtoast Wrote: We have been to more Super Bowls than a dozen other teams but we are not even mediocre?

Oh, that's right we have to ignore everything good in our history so that we can all be huge whiny drama queens.

We have plenty to be proud about from the Paul Brown era. The Mike Brown era though, not so much other than having some good regular seasons.

(12-31-2016, 11:58 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: I think the pain that goes with being a Bengals fan is we had an awesome team with so much potential, talent and strength, which was pissed away by bad coaching and owner decisions. We were not "snake bitten." We just made bad decisions. With the frustration often running over onto the players who busted their ass, every game, to watch it slip away at the end. This frustration bled into the games causing penalties, fines and soon to be bad perception from referees and NFL. This created a hole so deep, No matter how hard we might have tried, could not have recovered. Only a coaching change can right the path of this organization. However, even if this was to happen, you still have the ownership.

The FO will not change soon. Our dreams of a championship team will not be answered soon either. So, every time you drive by that stadium, even if it's 90 degrees, there will be a cold, dark feeling caused by disappointment, lost dreams and the void of a playoff victory. Fans put more into their teams than just 3hrs a week. We talk about it at work and with family. We read and research often and in many cases invest hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year into a team which soon finds itself as a big part of our lives.

Our investments turn to love and dedication to the team. Our hearts beat with passion as we near the beginning of each season with confidence and devotion in our beloved Bengals, only to have our dreams crushed at the end of each season. Bengal fandom is a tough road and not prescribed for the weak of hearts. One day there will be warmth and hope in that stadium again. Yet most of us know in our guts, it won't be immediate. A few things must happen before the dream is real again. Unfortunately, it won't be next year, and the darkest, coldest feeling about it all, is there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

Yup

And here we go for season 15 of more of the same. It hasn't worked for 14 years so let's be different and try it again. 

"That raccoon dump of a stadium". From the "Why your team sucks" article from a few years ago.

(12-31-2016, 06:24 PM)Millhouse Wrote: We have plenty to be proud about from the Paul Brown era. The Mike Brown era though, not so much other than having some good regular seasons.

Yep, there's a hell of a lot to be proud of up to and including January 6, 1991. For those feeling nostalgic about what a playoff win looks like, enjoy: