Who Could've Used a Playoff Win the Most?

[*rfaulk34*]

(01-21-2022, 03:00 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I was watching Chad Johnson: A Football Life (again), and it got me thinking. Marvin Lewis was 0-7 in the playoffs with 2 separate cores of players. Maybe 3. This might be a controversial statement to some Marvin fans on here, but I think it's safe based on facts to say that Marv was the primary reason we went 0-7.

- He had 4 different QB's in the playoffs, and none had a rating better than 68
- Allowed 67.9% comp rate and 102.4 passer rating
- We had 91 rush yards or less in 4 of the 7 games
- Allowed a whopping 146.3 rush yards per game (also 4.7 ypc and 9 rush TDs)
- Only 9 sacks and 2 INT in 7 games
- We averaged 12.9 points and allowed 25.1 points

You can see from the above stats that it was team-wide failure.

So if Marv was the main reason we were losing playoff games, then you could say the players he coached were held back from greater things. So say we had a different coach back then. A more aggressive guy like Zac who didn't turtle up in the bright lights.

How much differently would we view some of our star players and their legacies if they'd won a playoff game or two?

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Whose legacy would be changed the most by a playoff run?

1. Chad Johnson

Chad, Housh and Palmer were beloved in 2005. In much the same way as Burrow and Chase now. But after the disappointments started to outweigh the success, opinions started to change. Chad's "fun" antics were viewed through the lens of playoff losses and 4-12 seasons. Would we feel a lot differently had Chad made the AFC title game in 2005 (or 2009)?

2. Carson Palmer

Does he even demand a trade if we'd made a huge run in '05 or '09? Do we see him differently if he'd not only ended our playoff drought, but also won a couple games?

3. TJ Houshmandzadeh

Only 3 guys in Bengals history have more catches. Does he stick around for less with a playoff run under his belt? Do we appreciate him more now?

4. Andy Dalton

Most TDs in team history. 2nd most pass yards. 5 straight playoff appearances. Add in a playoff run? How differently is he viewed? That's the one huge knock on Andy, and always has been.

5. Atkins/Dunlap

Two of the best defenders in team history. Geno left quietly. 'Los left on bad terms. How different are things if these guys were playoff heroes?

6. Marvin Lewis himself.

Helped lead us out of the abyss. His .518 win % was overall solid (not great). What if he made a playoff run or two?

It's just my opinion, but i think it's pretty obvious that it's Dalton. With what he did during the regular season from '11-'18, a playoff win or several would have people looking at him completely different. 

Marv is probably a really close 2nd. It's just almost unfathomable that he went that long and had so many opportunities and couldn't get over the hump.