Hey guys!

This is my first time posting a thread, but I thought I'd just share something special from the weekend.

I'm from Australia, and on Saturday, my Richmond Tigers won the AFL Grand Final. It's been 37 years since we last won one and I haven't really slept much over the weekend so excuse my poor grammar . I'm only 22 so I wasn't alive when we last won a flag (Grand Final), so this has been a pretty special weekend for me and my family.

Anyway, my point is this:

It will happen for us. I promise you all, it will happen. There will be a day where we all sit in these boards and laugh and joke and it will be the greatest day of your lives. You'll talk about the players like they're your own children, or your own brothers.

There are a couple of similarities between the Bengals and the Tigers (Starting with the name)
- Richmond made the finals 4 years in a row and lost in the first round
- Didn't make the finals in 2016, finished 13th out of 18 teams.
- Talented first 5 or 6 players but needed middle-tier guys to stand up.
- Same 4 or 5 teams have played in the last 6 or so Grand Finals, so we were out of the loop.
- Questioned leadership and hunger of captain (Dalton-like)
- Completely different game plan brought in by new Assistant Coach (same head coach, but he was almost sacked)
- Removal of a few cancerous locker-room characters (But keep guys who love the group and want to be there)

I know you're probably thinking "Shut up kid, you've only been a Bengals fan for 8 years, what would you know about Cincinnati"... But I can tell you that I know the pain because I've felt it across 3 sporting teams, but the success is all worth it. Do not give up on them, and it'll be the best decision you've ever made :andy:

(10-03-2017, 12:01 AM)ben_lewtas9 Wrote: Hey guys!

This is my first time posting a thread, but I thought I'd just share something special from the weekend.

I'm from Australia, and on Saturday, my Richmond Tigers won the AFL Grand Final. It's been 37 years since we last won one and I haven't really slept much over the weekend so excuse my poor grammar  . I'm only 22 so I wasn't alive when we last won a flag (Grand Final), so this has been a pretty special weekend for me and my family.

Anyway, my point is this:

It will happen for us. I promise you all, it will happen. There will be a day where we all sit in these boards and laugh and joke and it will be the greatest day of your lives. You'll talk about the players like they're your own children, or your own brothers.

There are a couple of similarities between the Bengals and the Tigers (Starting with the name)
- Richmond made the finals 4 years in a row and lost in the first round
- Didn't make the finals in 2016, finished 13th out of 18 teams.
- Talented first 5 or 6 players but needed middle-tier guys to stand up.
- Same 4 or 5 teams have played in the last 6 or so Grand Finals, so we were out of the loop.
- Questioned leadership and hunger of captain (Dalton-like)
- Completely different game plan brought in by new Assistant Coach (same head coach, but he was almost sacked)
- Removal of a few cancerous locker-room characters (But keep guys who love the group and want to be there)

I know you're probably thinking "Shut up kid, you've only been a Bengals fan for 8 years, what would you know about Cincinnati"... But I can tell you that I know the pain because I've felt it across 3 sporting teams, but the success is all worth it. Do not give up on them, and it'll be the best decision you've ever made  :andy:

You are right, it will happen!....probably not anytime soon, but I do believe it will happen one day. And I'm pretty sure the best decision any of us could make in regards to our fandom would be to switch and root for the Pats. Unfortunately I could never do that, I'm stuck with an undying love (and hatred) for the Cincinnati Bengals until the day I die, or until they leave town. 

But enjoy the Tigers championship, a fan for that long deserves it!

The only thing that gives me hope of a bengal super bowl in my lifetime is the fact that mike brown will most likely die before I do.

(10-03-2017, 12:49 AM)TheUberHuber Wrote: The only thing that gives me hope of a bengal super bowl in my lifetime is the fact that mike brown will most likely die before I do.

Him and Marvin seems to be the teather that holds us back every year.

(10-03-2017, 12:01 AM)ben_lewtas9 Wrote: Hey guys!

This is my first time posting a thread, but I thought I'd just share something special from the weekend.

I'm from Australia, and on Saturday, my Richmond Tigers won the AFL Grand Final. It's been 37 years since we last won one and I haven't really slept much over the weekend so excuse my poor grammar  . I'm only 22 so I wasn't alive when we last won a flag (Grand Final), so this has been a pretty special weekend for me and my family.

Anyway, my point is this:

It will happen for us. I promise you all, it will happen. There will be a day where we all sit in these boards and laugh and joke and it will be the greatest day of your lives. You'll talk about the players like they're your own children, or your own brothers.

There are a couple of similarities between the Bengals and the Tigers (Starting with the name)
- Richmond made the finals 4 years in a row and lost in the first round
- Didn't make the finals in 2016, finished 13th out of 18 teams.
- Talented first 5 or 6 players but needed middle-tier guys to stand up.
- Same 4 or 5 teams have played in the last 6 or so Grand Finals, so we were out of the loop.
- Questioned leadership and hunger of captain (Dalton-like)
- Completely different game plan brought in by new Assistant Coach (same head coach, but he was almost sacked)
- Removal of a few cancerous locker-room characters (But keep guys who love the group and want to be there)

I know you're probably thinking "Shut up kid, you've only been a Bengals fan for 8 years, what would you know about Cincinnati"... But I can tell you that I know the pain because I've felt it across 3 sporting teams, but the success is all worth it. Do not give up on them, and it'll be the best decision you've ever made  :andy:

Congratulations to your Richmond Tigers sir. 

Us Bengals fans will never give up if we have not already. In it for the long haul. 

But we do "vent" a lot !

Thinking about the 'It will be the greatest day of your lives' part that the OP threw in there.

I follow other sports and over my lifetime:

The Pistons have won - 3 championships.
The Penguins have won - 5 Stanley Cups.
The Dodgers have won - 2 World Series.
UCLA Bruins basketball has won 1 Championship.
Miami Hurricanes have won 5 Championships.

Plus, I have a lot of stuff going on in my life. I seriously doubt that IF the Bengals win the Super Bowl that it will be the best day of my life. Just because a team was mismanaged for far so long that they finally overcome themselves to win...doesn't make it any sweeter.

(10-03-2017, 09:54 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Thinking about the 'It will be the greatest day of your lives' part that the OP threw in there.

I follow other sports and over my lifetime:

The Pistons have won - 3 championships.
The Penguins have won - 5 Stanley Cups.
The Dodgers have won - 2 World Series.
UCLA Bruins basketball has won 1 Championship.
Miami Hurricanes have won 5 Championships.

Plus, I have a lot of stuff going on in my life. I seriously doubt that IF the Bengals win the Super Bowl that it will be the best day of my life. Just because a team was mismanaged for far so long that they finally overcome themselves to win...doesn't make it any sweeter.

My goodness man! No wonder you're so critical of the Bengals. You root for all the heavy hitter of sports outside of the NFL. And boy what a radius of teams. You go from Miami, to Pitt, to detroit all the way over to LA. It must be difficult to watch them play. 

(10-03-2017, 09:54 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Thinking about the 'It will be the greatest day of your lives' part that the OP threw in there.

I follow other sports and over my lifetime:

The Pistons have won - 3 championships.
The Penguins have won - 5 Stanley Cups.
The Dodgers have won - 2 World Series.
UCLA Bruins basketball has won 1 Championship.
Miami Hurricanes have won 5 Championships.

Plus, I have a lot of stuff going on in my life. I seriously doubt that IF the Bengals win the Super Bowl that it will be the best day of my life. Just because a team was mismanaged for far so long that they finally overcome themselves to win...doesn't make it any sweeter.

Hurricanes?  GTFOH with that shit.  






Seminoles
Louisville Cardinals (eek!)
Reds
Lakers
EKU Colonels
Brad Keselowski

I've seen my share of titles too......and my two beautiful children are my greatest victory.

(10-03-2017, 10:01 AM)Hoofhearted Wrote: My goodness man! No wonder you're so critical of the Bengals. You root for all the heavy hitter of sports outside of the NFL. And boy what a radius of teams. You go from Miami, to Pitt, to detroit all the way over to LA. It must be difficult to watch them play. 

Yeah...they're all generally extremely well managed. For the Dodgers and Bruins I follow their scores mainly daily...but catch them on TV a decent bit.

The NBA is a crazy league. Since the 1980 there have been like 10 teams that have won titles.

Spurs, Lakers, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, Bulls, Heat, Cavaliers, Warriors, 76ers

The Penguins have won 5 Cups in my lifetime and I was old enough to root for them during that span. (I was a kid for the 1st 2.) The Bengals have won 5 playoff games in 50 years!

Congratulations on the Richmond Tigers winning. It was fun to read your post.

Did they (the Tigers) happen to lose their first three games before winning the flag?

(10-03-2017, 12:37 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yeah...they're all generally extremely well managed. For the Dodgers and Bruins I follow their scores mainly daily...but catch them on TV a decent bit.

The NBA is a crazy league. Since the 1980 there have been like 10 teams that have won titles.

Spurs, Lakers, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, Bulls, Heat, Cavaliers, Warriors, 76ers

The Penguins have won 5 Cups in my lifetime and I was old enough to root for them during that span. (I was a kid for the 1st 2.) The Bengals have won 5 playoff games in 50 years!

Being a Bengals fan has been brutal.....no doubt.  I grew up during the "Showtime" era of the Lakers.  They sport the same colors as my grade/middle/high school, and I loved Kareem and Magic.  Those series with the Celtics were some of the best basketball ever.  I don't watch much NBA these days, but I still keep up with the Lakers.  I'm a Reds/Bengals fan by default and location.  At least the Reds have won a World Series in my lifetime.  I suffered many a "wide right" in my days as a FSU fan, but we finally put it all together a few times.  I'm in the heart of Big Blue Nation, so it stands to reason I'm a Cards fan....lol.  I went to EKU, they had some very good teams through the 80s and early 90s....and are on the rebound, looking to move to D1.  

I hope someday, I'll get to see a Lombardi in the Queen City.....hope springs eternal I reckon....

(10-03-2017, 12:55 PM)Wyche Wrote: Being a Bengals fan has been brutal.....no doubt.  I grew up during the "Showtime" era of the Lakers.  They sport the same colors as my grade/middle/high school, and I loved Kareem and Magic.  Those series with the Celtics were some of the best basketball ever.  I don't watch much NBA these days, but I still keep up with the Lakers.  I'm a Reds/Bengals fan by default and location.  At least the Reds have won a World Series in my lifetime.  I suffered many a "wide right" in my days as a FSU fan, but we finally put it all together a few times.  I'm in the heart of Big Blue Nation, so it stands to reason I'm a Cards fan....lol.  I went to EKU, they had some very good teams through the 80s and early 90s....and are on the rebound, looking to move to D1.  

I hope someday, I'll get to see a Lombardi in the Queen City.....hope springs eternal I reckon....

When I started following sports, I was in like 3rd grade and told my dad I liked the team with the orange helmets. It was either Bengals or Browns I suppose.

What a disastrous decision!

Some 23 teams have appeared in the Super Bowl since we last won A SINGLE playoff game.

(10-03-2017, 12:58 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: When I started following sports, I was in like 3rd grade and told my dad I liked the team with the orange helmets. It was either Bengals or Browns I suppose.

What a disastrous decision!

Some 23 teams have appeared in the Super Bowl since we last won A SINGLE playoff game.

I know what you mean.  My grandmother was a die hard Reds/Bengals fan.  I have many a fond memory sitting in her carport listening to games while I played around outside.  So, of course, I wound up a fan of both.  I barely remember the Super Bowl in '81, but I was all in in '88.  I attended my first Bengals game that season, an OT thriller against the 'skins to seal homefield advantage for the playoffs.  Been hooked ever since.....lol.

Interesting side note, my first live MLB game was in '85 against your Dodgers and Fernando Valenzuela.  Eric Davis had a break out game that day as well.  We had great seats behind the Dodgers dugout, and my pop snapped some great photos of some of that crew, Fernando, Steve Sax, Mike Sciosscia, Mariano Duncan (a key element in the Reds '90 WS win), Franklin Stubbs, Pedro Guerrero, Kenny Landreaux, Mike Marshall, etc.  Lots of shots of the Reds of that time too.

(10-03-2017, 01:06 PM)Wyche Wrote: I know what you mean.  My grandmother was a die hard Reds/Bengals fan.  I have many a fond memory sitting in her carport listening to games while I played around outside.  So, of course, I wound up a fan of both.  I barely remember the Super Bowl in '81, but I was all in in '88.  I attended my first Bengals game that season, an OT thriller against the 'skins to seal homefield advantage for the playoffs.  Been hooked ever since.....lol.

Interesting side note, my first live MLB game was in '85 against your Dodgers and Fernando Valenzuela.  Eric Davis had a break out game that day as well.  We had great seats behind the Dodgers dugout, and my pop snapped some great photos of some of that crew, Fernando, Steve Sax, Mike Sciosscia, Mariano Duncan (a key element in the Reds '90 WS win), Franklin Stubbs, Pedro Guerrero, Kenny Landreaux, Mike Marshall, etc.  Lots of shots of the Reds of that time too.

I have pictures of me as a baby wearing Steelers gear. My family is huge Steelers fans. I remember those Dodgers.

I used to be like the other Homers on this board through the 90's and maybe early 2000's. I'd be on message boards talking about how the Bengals drafts were bad luck. Injuries, etc. How they had talent and were underperforming. How they'd turn it around. I was an endless optimist.

Now I just see them as woefully mismanaged. It lowered my stress. Over the years people turned on Pickens, Dillon, Spikes, Palmer. Now they're turning on Marvin Lewis. While I don't think he is a great coach...ultimately ownership allowed him to go 0-7 in the playoffs and stay. Not spending in free agency. Letting guys walk and stating we do it for comp picks. Teams that want to win a championship just aren't managed this way.

(10-03-2017, 12:37 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yeah...they're all generally extremely well managed. For the Dodgers and Bruins I follow their scores mainly daily...but catch them on TV a decent bit.

The NBA is a crazy league. Since the 1980 there have been like 10 teams that have won titles.

Spurs, Lakers, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, Bulls, Heat, Cavaliers, Warriors, 76ers

The Penguins have won 5 Cups in my lifetime and I was old enough to root for them during that span. (I was a kid for the 1st 2.) The Bengals have won 5 playoff games in 50 years!

Yeah, shit happens. I really just like watching football, especially with my son. Like Wyche perfectly stated, I live my life thru my two beautiful kids, and to a lesser extent my ball and chain    

And to the credit of the OP, once it (hopefully) does happen, it's that much sweeter. But if it doesn't, there's so many more things to fret over. 

Yeah, someday...

When Mike Brown passes and the team goes to Katie who dies in 2054 and then passes the team on to one of her kids, who then decides to sell the team. Then after 21 years under new ownership, we might win one. So in 2073 I'll be celebrating from my casket I guess. Unless CTE concerns and failing ratings (due to forced injection of politics) brings an end to the NFL.

Yeah, I'm just a smidge jaded at this point.

(10-03-2017, 01:17 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote:
I have pictures of me as a baby wearing Steelers gear. My family is huge Steelers fans. I remember those Dodgers.

I used to be like the other Homers on this board through the 90's and maybe early 2000's. I'd be on message boards talking about how the Bengals drafts were bad luck. Injuries, etc. How they had talent and were underperforming. How they'd turn it around. I was an endless optimist.

Now I just see them as woefully mismanaged. It lowered my stress. Over the years people turned on Pickens, Dillon, Spikes, Palmer. Now they're turning on Marvin Lewis. While I don't think he is a great coach...ultimately ownership allowed him to go 0-7 in the playoffs and stay. Not spending in free agency. Letting guys walk and stating we do it for comp picks. Teams that want to win a championship just aren't managed this way.

You poor soul.


It lowered my stress a ton too.....until I try to explain to people that Mike Brown is still the issue when they're blabbing on about Dalton (or Palmer before).  That's the only time my stress goes up a smidge.  

(10-03-2017, 01:17 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: I have pictures of me as a baby wearing Steelers gear.

Hey, same here.  I was born in 81 and my ol' man was a die hard Steelers fan from the early 50's until 83 when he got sick of local fans cheering for Bradshaw to get injured.  Local fairweather fans are very difficult to swallow when it comes to football, a sport where it's exceedingly easy to be a super causal and misinformed fan. 

(10-03-2017, 01:49 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Yeah, someday...

When Mike Brown passes and the team goes to Katie who dies in 2054 and then passes the team on to one of her kids, who then decides to sell the team. Then after 21 years under new ownership, we might win one. So in 2073 I'll be celebrating from my casket I guess. Unless CTE concerns and failing ratings (due to forced injection of politics) brings an end to the NFL.

Yeah, I'm just a smidge jaded at this point.  

I'm cynical too. We're extremely poorly managed in a league where parity rules so it's skipped us over. We're so beaten down as a fan base that making the playoffs 5 out of 6 years had fans thinking that we were a model franchise that other teams copied.

Losing so bad we think we're winning.

(10-03-2017, 12:01 AM)ben_lewtas9 Wrote: Hey guys!

This is my first time posting a thread, but I thought I'd just share something special from the weekend.

I'm from Australia, and on Saturday, my Richmond Tigers won the AFL Grand Final. It's been 37 years since we last won one and I haven't really slept much over the weekend so excuse my poor grammar  . I'm only 22 so I wasn't alive when we last won a flag (Grand Final), so this has been a pretty special weekend for me and my family.

Congrats on you team having won.  Given their management at this point in time, the Bengals have a better chance of winning the AFL Grand Final then they do a Super Bowl.