Franklin Delano Roosevelt...

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-05-2023, 01:45 AM)Science Friction Wrote: Famously said, at his first inauguration :   ... " Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. "


Folks, fellow Bengal fans , let me tell you what my biggest fear is right now about our team.  Maybe I'm the only person worrying about this, and, then, maybe I'm not.

What we saw for nine minutes on Monday night is what we have been waiting to see all season from our beloved orange & black.  They came out  with a singular focus , razor sharp, unstoppable, and determined to show the nation that last season was no fluke and that they are, in fact, the best football team in the world. I think if that game had been played to its conclusion, most serious football watchers would agree that our Bengals are the best football team on the planet and that our QB is the most valuable player in the league.  This was the unstoppable machine that we all fantasized about after the free agent signings in the off season.

We got to see but a glimpse of what we all envisioned prior to the season. For nine minutes--nine glorious minutes--- we saw our team perform at the level that we all have long anticipated. And then in one terrifying moment where tragedy and bad luck collided, it ended. My fear is that we will never see that team again this season.  The emotional shock and trauma of the event may change these players. There may still be good play and even playoff wins... or maybe not. But I worry that the team we saw for nine  special minutes on Monday night may lose the energy, drive, focus, and momentum they exhibited against the Bills. There was no way they were letting the Bills leave Cincinnati with a win. Monday night was going to be the night they staked their claim as the best football team in the world.

I hope we see that same team again this season, but I fear we may not.  Is my concern just an irrational fear of an old fart who wants so much to see one Superbowl win before my time on earth passes? Maybe some of you worry about this as well. If so, let me know. I look forward to your thoughts on whether you think this team can pick back up that same energy and focus it had Monday night or whether you think it unlikely we will see that level of play again the remainder of this season.  Is my fear unreasonable... unjustifiable?  Maybe FDR was right. Maybe "fear itself"  is all that's to fear.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

After much time in prayer for Damar and all those involved, my mind started wandering to scenarios.  How do they do this?  They have to make it up?  Do they start where it ended?  Yes, they were looking INCREDIBLE.  And that has led me to where I am now:

It doesn't matter.  Not the injury...that matters more than anything.  But the game, the seeding....it just doesn't matter.

Why?  Because I think the team as it sits right now is the best in the NFL.  I think they will win their last game, every playoff game, and the Super Bowl.  Despite some key injuries, they have overcome them and we are seeing the Bengals team we thought we always would once the line was stabilized.  Sure, it took a bit to get used to attacking underneath in cover 2 defensive sets, etc.  But they are there now.  It is there time.