Best Bengals Team Ever?

[MTBengalsFan]

Fivethirtyeight has up an article arguing this is the best Bengals team ever...and that was before last night's game.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/these-bengals-may-be-the-best-in-franchise-history/

[Eraserhead]

They have never been 8-0 before, doesn't speak for itself?

[wolfkaosaun]

(11-06-2015, 05:07 PM)SB50Champs Wrote: They have never been 8-0 before, doesn't speak for itself?

butplayoffwins

[XenoMorph]

(11-06-2015, 05:12 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: butplayoffwins

its not playoff time yet so cant really speak on that now can we?

[wolfkaosaun]

(11-06-2015, 05:14 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: its not playoff time yet so cant really speak on that now can we?

Then how can we say it's the best Bengals team ever?

It has a chance to be.

[Interceptor]

(11-06-2015, 05:22 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: Then how can we say it's the best Bengals team ever?

It has a chance to be.

^^^ This. ^^^

[*Awful Llama*]

We have two AFC Championship teams in this franchise's history. If the '15 team wants to be considered the best, they'll have to at least get to a Super Bowl to do it. A 14-2 record and early exit in the divisional round of the playoffs won't mean jack shit. Get to the big dance, then I'll happily talk best ever. Until then: '81 & '88 > '15.

[Sovereign Nation]

(11-06-2015, 05:22 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: Then how can we say it's the best Bengals team ever?

It has a chance to be.

Now I know how the media will portray it.  However I like to think our fans might be a little bit more level headed.

So if the Bengals get a 1st round Bye, and the Patriots are the 3rd seed, and we had to play them in the divisional round and we lost to them, would that lower your opinion of the team.  Even if it was a hard fought game and the Bengals looked extremely good, but they just came up short.  Would you just say, nope, not the best Bengals team ever, they still haven't won a playoff game?

[Sovereign Nation]

(11-06-2015, 05:31 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: We have two AFC Championship teams in this franchise's history.  If the '15 team wants to be considered the best, they'll have to at least get to a Super Bowl to do it.  A 14-2 record and early exit in the divisional round of the playoffs won't mean jack shit.  Get to the big dance, then I'll happily talk best ever.  Until then: '81 & '88 > '15.

Sorry, I would have to disagree with this. 

The 81 and 88 teams didn't have a team like the Patriots as a possibility or even face a team with the defense that the Broncos have.

If we met up with either of those teams in the divisional round and lost an extremely close and tough game.  I would still have to say this is the best team in our history.

[Penn]

(11-06-2015, 05:12 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: butplayoffwins

On the old board, at the end of last season I stated I think this is the best Bengals team ever.  I am old enough to remember both of their superbowl seasons and I still see it that way.  Why is this team better even without a playoff win?

4 consecutive playoff appearances.

The four year stretches before and after each superbowl appearances (including the superbowl years) -

3 seasons before the first were all last place finishes in the division and no winning records.
SB season was 12-4.
Following season was the strike shortened year for 7-2 and first round loss in playoffs.  Followed by back to back years without a winning record.

Go either direction of the SB appearance and no 4 year stretch was as good as the last 4 regular seasons.  Both playoff appearances ended in a loss even if one loss was the big game.

The second scenario of 4 consecutive seasons above leads the the the next consecutive sets since there was 6 seasons seasons between the SB seasons.

One winning season in the three years leading to the next SB year with 1 winning record but no playoff appearances.
Another 12-4 season with an SB loss.
Next 3 years with 1 winning record and playoff appearance but that year had 1 win.  However the third of those three years was the beginning of one of the worst NFL franchise stretches ever.  Even so, I feel this stretch might well have been their second best 4 year stretch.

Yep, this 4 year stretch is the best Bengals team I've seen. This year just makes them better so far.

[fredtoast]

(11-06-2015, 05:22 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: Then how can we say it's the best Bengals team ever?

The '81 and '88 teams both had postseason losses, while the '15 team has zero.

[*Awful Llama*]

(11-06-2015, 05:36 PM)Sovereign Nation Wrote: Sorry, I would have to disagree with this. 

The 81 and 88 teams didn't have a team like the Patriots as a possibility or even face a team with the defense that the Broncos have.

If we met up with either of those teams in the divisional round and lost an extremely close and tough game.  I would still have to say this is the best team in our history.

Regular season wins are great. I was at the game last night, and it was fun. This is a talented team. So, I take nothing away from this team, and this 36-year-fan and avowed agnostic prays they finally hoist the Lombardi come February. But if you want to be considered the best team in team history, then you have to at least be playing on a Sunday in February liie those two squads before you.

So, I beleive if they lose in the divisionsal round, there are no moral victories. They're just a team that won a lot of regular season games and flushed a golden opportunity away by once again choking in the playoffs, and you know that's what every single person outside of this fan base will call them. And, yeah, and that would still probably be a fun ride up until the flaming crash at the end. But, it won;t make them the best bengal team ever.

Get some post-season wins and then let's re-examine the debate.

[XenoMorph]

(11-06-2015, 05:37 PM)Penn Wrote: On the old board, at the end of last season I stated I think this is the best Bengals team ever.  I am old enough to remember both of their superbowl seasons and I still see it that way.  Why is this team better even without a playoff win?

4 consecutive playoff appearances.

The four year stretches before and after each superbowl appearances (including the superbowl years) -

3 seasons before the first were all last place finishes in the division and no winning records.
SB season was 12-4.
Following season was the strike shortened year for 7-2 and first round loss in playoffs.  Followed by back to back years without a winning record.

Go either direction of the SB appearance and no 4 year stretch was as good as the last 4 regular seasons.  Both playoff appearances ended in a loss even if one loss was the big game.

The second scenario of 4 consecutive seasons above leads the the the next consecutive sets since there was 6 seasons seasons between the SB seasons.

One winning season in the three years leading to the next SB year with 1 winning record but no playoff appearances.
Another 12-4 season with an SB loss.
Next 3 years with 1 winning record and playoff appearance but that year had 1 win.  However the third of those three years was the beginning of one of the worst NFL franchise stretches ever.  Even so, I feel this stretch might well have been their second best 4 year stretch.

Yep, this 4 year stretch is the best Bengals team I've seen. This year just makes them better so far.

I would say the 4 year stretch is now 5

[Penn]

(11-06-2015, 05:50 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: I would say the 4 year stretch is now 5

I can see what you mean and won't argue but will say I disagree.  As long as no one gives me a single season and calls that a "team".  I don't care about flash in the pan seasons, I look at eras.


I only used 4 year stretch because the is the amount of completed in the Dalton/Lewis era.

If anyone disagrees, give me an era you think is better than the current.  Examples of other eras could be Palmer/Lewis, Lewis/Bratkowski, Zimmer, Wyche/Esiason or anything like that.

And yeah xeno, I know you aren't disagreeing, lol.

[XenoMorph]

(11-06-2015, 06:04 PM)Penn Wrote: I can see what you mean and won't argue but will say I disagree.  As long as no one gives me a single season and calls that a "team".  I don't care about flash in the pan seasons, I look at eras.


I only used 4 year stretch because the is the amount of completed in the Dalton/Lewis era.

If anyone disagrees, give me an era you think is better than the current.  Examples of other eras could be Palmer/Lewis, Lewis/Bratkowski, Zimmer, Wyche/Esiason or anything like that.

And yeah xeno, I know you aren't disagreeing, lol.

no i think this is definately the best stretch the team has ever had and they are starting to accumilate the records to show it.

This might end up being the Decade of the Bengals But only time will tell.

[Sovereign Nation]

(11-06-2015, 05:49 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: Regular season wins are great.  I was at the game last night, and it was fun.  This is a talented team.  So, I take nothing away from this team, and this 36-year-fan and avowed agnostic prays they finally hoist the Lombardi come February.  But if you want to be considered the best team in team history, then you have to at least be playing on a Sunday in February liie those two squads before you.  

So, I beleive if they lose in the divisionsal round, there are no moral victories.  They're just a team that won a lot of regular season games and flushed a golden opportunity away by once again choking in the playoffs, and you know that's what every single person outside of this fan base will call them.  And, yeah, and that would still probably be a fun ride up until the flaming crash at the end.  But, it won;t make them the best bengal team ever.  

Get some post-season wins and then let's re-examine the debate.

Again, I would have to disagree.

We could have won in the playoffs in 09, only to lose the following week, and I would still take this year's team over the 09 squad as the best Bengals team ever.

How did the squads in those long ago years make the SB?  Did they have to play dominant teams like the Patriots or Broncos?  Or did they get favorable match ups?

[bengalguy71]

I've heard 4 of ex-Bengals say this time is better overall already; Kenny Anderson, Boomer Esaison, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Chad Johnson.

[*Go Cards*]

They are making a strong case for themselves.

[BengalChris]

(11-06-2015, 05:02 PM)MTBengalsFan Wrote: Fivethirtyeight has up an article arguing this is the best Bengals team ever...and that was before last night's game.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/these-bengals-may-be-the-best-in-franchise-history/

There's more football left in this season than has been played, so I'd say it's too early to even start talking about this. The 2009 team isn't even in the discussion.

[*Awful Llama*]

(11-06-2015, 06:12 PM)Sovereign Nation Wrote: Again, I would have to disagree.

We could have won in the playoffs in 09, only to lose the following week, and I would still take this year's team over the 09 squad as the best Bengals team ever.

How did the squads in those long ago years make the SB?  Did they have to play dominant teams like the Patriots or Broncos?  Or did they get favorable match ups?

But they got to the Super Bowl, that's the point.  We're not grading on a curve, here.  Those teams were special because they were this close to a world championship.  :34 in one instance.  If this team plays in a Super Bowl, regardless of the outcome, and they best the 12-4 regular season records of those '81 and '88 squads, then then you bet I will join you in saying they're the best Bengal team, ever.  Period.  But, sorry, not a minute before and certainly not with an entire half of a season left to play.