Hendrickson stopped, put his hand on Ossai's chest, got close & told him that 1 play didn't decide the game, that the Bengals had plenty of plays where they could have won. Trey made sure Joseph was looking at him, remarking that Ossai had balled out ... (2)

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

not just on Sunday, but all year. Then he hugged him. And what followed was a steady stream of teammates approaching Ossai, reminding him to keep his head up & telling him they loved him. Then, lastly, 1 more man entered the room: Zac Taylor. He shook hands and hugged every...(3)

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

and the locker room. Most of you saw teammate BJ Hill standing up next to Ossai when he did his postgame interview (credit to Ossai btw. I've seen many players dip and duck rather than answer) but there was so much more to appreciate in those moments than just that,

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

(02-07-2023, 02:58 PM)pally Wrote: I thought this was a remarkable thread for a couple of reasons.  One is because he waited more than a week to post which means he's been thinking about it and it wasn't just a knee-jerk reaction.  Two, because NFL reporters are in locker rooms all the time, the fact that this stood out to him enough to post about it a week later tells us just how unusual the Bengal's locker room really is.

It is a testament to Zac, his assistants, and the players on our team.  They represent our city well

Hendrickson stopped, put his hand on Ossai's chest, got close & told him that 1 play didn't decide the game, that the Bengals had plenty of plays where they could have won. Trey made sure Joseph was looking at him, remarking that Ossai had balled out ... (2)

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

not just on Sunday, but all year. Then he hugged him. And what followed was a steady stream of teammates approaching Ossai, reminding him to keep his head up & telling him they loved him. Then, lastly, 1 more man entered the room: Zac Taylor. He shook hands and hugged every...(3)

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

 

and the locker room. Most of you saw teammate BJ Hill standing up next to Ossai when he did his postgame interview (credit to Ossai btw. I've seen many players dip and duck rather than answer) but there was so much more to appreciate in those moments than just that,

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

(02-07-2023, 02:58 PM)pally Wrote: I thought this was a remarkable thread for a couple of reasons.  One is because he waited more than a week to post which means he's been thinking about it and it wasn't just a knee-jerk reaction.  Two, because NFL reporters are in locker rooms all the time, the fact that this stood out to him enough to post about it a week later tells us just how unusual the Bengal's locker room really is.

It is a testament to Zac, his assistants, and the players on our team.  They represent our city well

Hendrickson stopped, put his hand on Ossai's chest, got close & told him that 1 play didn't decide the game, that the Bengals had plenty of plays where they could have won. Trey made sure Joseph was looking at him, remarking that Ossai had balled out ... (2)

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

not just on Sunday, but all year. Then he hugged him. And what followed was a steady stream of teammates approaching Ossai, reminding him to keep his head up & telling him they loved him. Then, lastly, 1 more man entered the room: Zac Taylor. He shook hands and hugged every...(3)

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

 

and the locker room. Most of you saw teammate BJ Hill standing up next to Ossai when he did his postgame interview (credit to Ossai btw. I've seen many players dip and duck rather than answer) but there was so much more to appreciate in those moments than just that,

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 5, 2023

(02-07-2023, 03:19 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Nice thread alright Pally. That is what is great about this team is it is a family. We will be back and this might have been needed
for players like Ossai and others to really grow. That was about as tough of a way for a Championship game to end for a young
player, but I love how BJ and Trey had his back and the way Zac Taylor and Lou coach this team.

As Luvnit said, great times to be a Bengals fan. Been a long time coming.

(02-07-2023, 06:15 PM)tms Wrote: I always think it's interesting to consider the fan's position in something like this. In the moment- at least online- there was nobody more vocal in their criticism of Ossai than the typical Bengals fan. They/we were really letting him have it. I'm sure if you checked the game thread here you'd see some extreme takes. For that matter it was reflected by the team themselves as we saw with Pratt (who to this credit at least apologized). Presumably many of those critics are now celebrating the team's culture as shown by leaders like Hill and Hendrickson standing by Ossai post-game. And then you have idiots like me who are forcing us all to look in the mirror lol. Life is one wild trip down Hypocrisy Blvd

(02-07-2023, 06:23 PM)Rubekahn29 Wrote: I was much more aggravated at Pratt’s sorry attempt at Pacheco than Ossai’s mistake. But you’re right, most fans were all over Ossai. I did say to my dad who I watched it with, “well I’ve seen worse not called, but that’ll likely do it.”

(02-07-2023, 06:55 PM)GodFather Wrote: Not to pick on Marvin, but this is the biggest difference between head coaches. Zac has created a great culture where Marvin thought other things were more important(raw talent, etc) and ultimately bit him in the ass in the big games.

(02-07-2023, 03:02 PM)bfine32 Wrote: It's a culture.

(02-07-2023, 03:39 PM)Nepa Wrote: Agree with everything you said.

The loss hurt big time. But it also showed the world -- and Bengals fans once again -- the character of this team. I've been a Bengals fan since '68 and this current incarnation is my favorite team by far.