What this post-season has meant to me

[TecmoBengals]

(02-01-2022, 07:16 PM)Earendil Wrote: So, I thought this would be a fitting 1,000th post here on The Bengals Board. I know I don't say a whole lot (I'm a man of few words and a love of parentheticals), but I try to contribute when I can. I wanted to create a thread where we can discuss what being able to watch the Bengals in the Super Bowl means to each of us.

I'm kind of in the middle between the older fans who remember the founding of the team and the young pups who had never experienced a playoff win until this year (kinda like the Gen-X of Bengals fans). I only have vague memories of the '81 season, but remember quite clearly hating people like Bernie Kosar and Jerry Glanville. Cris Collinsworth was my hero (dude, what happened??) and I still remember the heartbreak of losing Super Bowl XXIII. I remember being horrified watching Krumrie's leg and devastated when Billups dropped that interception.

Of course, I thought that the team was going to be great for a long time and we would get another chance at a title. We all know how that turned out. Still, I stuck with the team, through the Shula years, Coslet, Klingler, Akili, etc. The Marvin years brought hope initially, but he was never able to get the team over the hump, for reasons that don't need to be litigated in this thread. But 2015 was pretty much my breaking point. I didn't post here much after that game and really only hung around because you guys are so cool (yes, even Fred sometimes).

I started becoming cautiously optimistic when Zac was hired, but still felt a little burned by the team. So I held back a bit. I wasn't terribly thrilled with the two-win season, but I hoped that it was a transition year while he evaluated the talent and determined how he wanted to structure the roster.  I've never cared about watching the draft, but I was glued to the screen for the pick of Joe Burrow. I had higher hopes for the season than I guess I reasonably should have, but it seems to have worked out pretty well for us. I said at the beginning of this season that I thought this was Zac's make or break year. If he could get to the playoffs, then I would be completely behind him. But if it was another miserable season, then I wanted the team to look for a different coach. Well... I guess I'm completely behind him now.

Anyway, this Super Bowl means a lot to me. After all the waiting and hoping, all the disappointments and anger, to finally see them back on the big stage again, I can't express how I really feel. Being able to see the joy on my kids' faces this year, having them be proud to wear their gear instead of fearing they will be mocked, it's precious. I lost my dad in 2000, and I really wish he could see this team. He would be over the moon. But now I can share it with my kids, so that makes it a little better.

So... "WHO DEY!" to all my Bengals brothers and sisters out there.  Let's bring this thing home.

I appreciate getting to read this post. I hope you think about your dad while enjoying the Super Bowl win with your kiddos.

& congrats on post 1,000 and becoming VIP. Let's kick it!