04-04-2019, 05:28 PM
(04-04-2019, 12:37 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yep. When it comes down to it...that's what some fans are happy about after the 1990's.
LOL at the guy who is holding the current Bengals accountable for the franchise performance in the 90s trying to take the high road here.
Seriously, why in the blue hell do people insist on bringing up how the Bengals did from 1993-2005 like it matters at all? Is there another team in any sport anywhere that is held responsible for how they did two decades ago? The Bengals were hot garbage in that time span, and none of that matters to this team, today, in the slightest bit, yet folks still hold that against them. People need to get over it and move on already.
I mean, do people look at the Reds and say "well, they had nine straight losing seasons (something the Bengals never did in the 90s, btw) in the early 2000s, guess they've got no hope this year"? No, because it's a stupid point to make, but time and time again we have to go down this road with the Bengals. At the same time, the people who insist that this past actually matters will trip over themselves to tell you how the Browns are going to be unstoppable despite the fact they haven't posted a winning record in the last twelve seasons - actual recency that actually matters.
Now what people who do this are trying to do is point out that it was Mike Brown then and it's Mike Brown now, so nothing ever changes, but things have changed and you'd have to be blind not to acknowledge it. Compare the guys the Bengals drafted during that time span to the guys they've drafted since - it's night and day. I've listed these draft successes for you time and time again. They figured it out - it may have taken them a long damn time, but they did. Since 2005 they've made more impactful trades (dumping Carson, bringing in Cordy Glenn, getting ridiculous value for AJ McCarron before Cleveland pooped themselves, flipping an old and unneeded Corey Dillons for picks they turned into defensive contributors, Reggie Nelson, etc), they've made quality free agent signings which, while not the sexiest moves, gave them contributing players on quality teams (guys like Terrence Newman, Adam Jones, Chris Crocker, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis come to mind), and they've shown a willingness to make moves they never used to make (replacing coordinators, paying and keeping their own guys). I feel okay in regards to what the front office is capable of because the last ten years of shown me they can do it, and I'm not going to convince myself otherwise just because they were terrible two decades ago.
And I know what the counterpoint is - well, that was all Marvin Lewis. And sure, I give him all the credit in the world for bringing the franchise into the 21st century. There's not a person out there who wanted Marvin to get a playoff win here more than I did purely out of appreciation for what he did, but at the same time it's obvious he had to go. Just because he's gone doesn't mean the Bengals instantly go back to how they were, either. The franchise didn't instantly undo all the changes he brought upon them, and they didn't instantly forget the lessons they've undoubtably learned over the last decade. I'm more than willing to cut the FO some slack for what they've done recently rather than sit here shaking in my boots over what happened 20+ years ago.
So let's look at some actual recent, relevant years. Let's look at how the Bengals have done over the last decade. The Bengals have posted a solid 89-84-3 record over the last ten regular seasons, putting them squarely in the middle of the NFL pack. Not the best, not the worst, surrounded by teams I would consider pretty good NFL franchises in Kansas City, Houston, and Carolina. This indicates to me that, if nothing else, the much-maligned front office can put together a solid NFL team. Does it mean anything more than that? Well... not really. Not when the Rams are sitting there 5th from the bottom coming off a Super Bowl season. Not when everyone's beloved Browns, a team of destiny that apparently nobody will be able to stop next year are sitting at the bottom of the list with no one else close. Still, I think this is a lot more useful than looking at a 27 year span like is suggested in the original post.
And I know from reading through this that the thought of anyone taking any pride in being middle-of-the-pack the last ten years just cracks you up, but come on. If you asked a Chiefs fan if they feel like they've had a successful decade, they'd say yes. So would a Texans or Panthers fan. If they're allowed to feel good about it, so am I... I'm not going to apologize for feeling good about the last ten years in Bengaldom and neither should anyone else - when you make the playoffs more times in a decade than you don't that's a pretty good run.
"But they lost all of those playoff games!" Yeah, I know, and it sucks. I really wish they would have won one, but be it through injuries, poor coaching decisions, player idiocy, or whatever it just has not been meant to be. I believe it'll happen someday, because I've seen how close they've come (2015). When it does, the long, long, looooooooooong wait will have made it just that much sweeter. And I know they'll be plenty of people who will want to go right to "it's only one playoff game, now they have to win another or it doesn't matter", they'll be plenty of people ready to question if it really matters, they'll be plenty of people who claim a Super Bowl is all that matters, and they'll be plenty of people ready to wax poetic on here about how "OMG they've only got one playoff win in 28/29/30 years (or whatever it ends up being)... but I just won't care. I will be on cloud nine, and anyone who doesn't stop themselves to enjoy that moment is going to be missing out.
People wear this "I expect more than XXX" thing like it's a badge of honor, but all it does is set you up for disappointment and negativity. Try enjoying yourself for once, you might live longer. Don't take things for granted, because it can all be gone in an instance.
