Let’s be honest. Y’all got further than you should’ve.

[THE PISTONS]

(02-14-2022, 05:51 PM)tms Wrote: Definitely a good point, but only insofar as almost every team that makes the Super Bowl has gone further than they should have. Given today's parity, I would argue that it's true for literally every other team. There are no dynasties or anything close. Certainly not the Rams. Packers, Cards, Cowboys? Pfft. So the Super Bowl is a monumental achievement no matter who gets there. There's plenty for the Bengals to celebrate, and their future is unquestionably brighter than for 95% of the league (100%?).

That said, it still sucks to come home without the Lombardi. Bragging rights for an entire summer would have fun and richly deserved. Thankfully they'll get a chance to do it again (and again and again), while the memories from this incredible turnaround season will not fade. What we've seen over the past five months is truly historic, a stepping stone to the promised land.

It felt like the stars aligned when OBJ got injured, etc. Woods out. Higbee out. Us leading...

What a perfect chance to win.

[*Nately120*]

(02-14-2022, 05:54 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It felt like the stars aligned when OBJ got injured, etc. Woods out. Higbee out. Us leading...

What a perfect chance to win.

Yeah, my response to everyone who knows I'm  the only Bengals fan they know when OBJ was out was "They have to win this now."

I don't believe in luck or karma or anything like that, but I think all the luck we had left may have been spent on Patrick Mahommes turning into post-season Andy Dalton for the second half and OT of our prior game.

[THE PISTONS]

(02-14-2022, 05:58 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Yeah, my response to everyone who knows I'm  the only Bengals fan they know when OBJ was out was "They have to win this now."

I don't believe in luck or karma or anything like that, but I think all the luck we had left may have been spent on Patrick Mahommes turning into post-season Andy Dalton for the second half and OT of our prior game.

On an unrelated note: I live in SWPA and took crap from Steelers fans for 30 years about being a Bengals fan.

Over the last 2-3 weeks...everyone was like I want the Bengals to win. I was like...Nope...can't join the bandwagon. I was here 30 years before you!

[HarleyDog]

(02-14-2022, 05:54 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It felt like the stars aligned when OBJ got injured, etc. Woods out. Higbee out. Us leading...

What a perfect chance to win.

A couple people were excited when he went out with an injury and I was like, Oh - don't! But on this inside I was like, glad we don't have him on the field. I don't ever want a player to get hurt. But I have to admit, sometimes I think. Wow, this could help us.

[LSUfaninTN]

(02-14-2022, 05:29 PM)Wyche Wrote: Come on up and hop on this bandwagon, there's plenty of room!

That’s nice of you to say. I just want to correct you though, I don’t consider it bandwagon if I was a fan of a team coming off a really bad season, I was hooked the SECOND they drafted Burrow. So not true fan, but not bandwagon. I would consider bandwagons to jump on once they won the division. I don’t believe in being a bandwagon fan, seeing as I’ve been a Saints fan for 25 years, and they were one of the worst organizations in history.

[*michaelsean*]

I agree with the OP. I think most do. Everything after LV was gravy

It is funny though about rooting for LSU heroes. I'm an OSU fan, and once you are no longer a Buckeye, I'm not really caring about what you do on any other of the 31 teams, and if you go to a divisional foe, you are dead to me. On the flip side, if you went to Michigan and the Bengals draft you, welcome aboard.

[Shake n Blake]

Based on preseason expectations, I'd agree with this take.

Knowing what we know now about this team? Nah.

This is just a very talented football team. QB is as good as Mahomes or close. Weapons are fantastic. Defense better than KC's with a criminally underrated d-line. Logan Wilson is fantastic. Secondary playing at an elite level with the exception of Eli Apple, who himself was decent.

Time to start taking these guys seriously and giving credit where it's due. If our line was even semi-decent, we would've ran away with the Championship this year while most likely clowning on everyone in the playoffs.

[*Synric*]

The Bengals have a young very talented core group. They were a year ahead of schedule I believe they will continue to build around Joe Burrow and be a perennial contender.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(02-14-2022, 06:18 PM)LSUfaninTN Wrote: That’s nice of you to say. I just want to correct you though, I don’t consider it bandwagon if I was a fan of a team coming off a really bad season, I was hooked the SECOND they drafted Burrow. So not true fan, but not bandwagon. I would consider bandwagons to jump on once they won the division. I don’t believe in being a bandwagon fan, seeing as I’ve been a Saints fan for 25 years, and they were one of the worst organizations in history.

I gotcha, fair point. I've always had soft spots for the lovable losers....The Aints, The Yuccaneers....and then both of them turned things around and won it all. Gives me hope for the Bengals. 

[*Nately120*]

(02-14-2022, 07:32 PM)Wyche Wrote: I gotcha, fair point. I've always had soft spots for the lovable losers....The Aints, The Yuccaneers....and then both of them turned things around and won it all. Gives me hope for the Bengals. 

I think the Bengals can win it all, but it will be in spite of the ownership until I see otherwise.  The Patriots, the Saints, the Buccaneers were all terrible and got better after the team was sold to someone else.  In the modern NFL that sort of thing seems impossible.

Again, I think we can win, but we'd likely be in a different situation than those franchises when we do.

[CarolinaBengalFanGuy]

(02-14-2022, 04:49 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Your mom telling stories about me, again?

We need spears as long as men.

[Fan_in_Kettering]

(02-14-2022, 04:29 PM)LSUfaninTN Wrote: And that’s not an insult. It’s a huge damn compliment. I’m not a betting man, but if I had to, there’s no way in hell I would’ve bet you guys win more than 8, let alone make the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. Cincy, most of the season, had no business being here.

With adequate protection, Joe Burrow is going to absolutely demolish the NFL. I don’t see you guys missing the playoffs again for a very, very long time. And the fact that Burrow won’t let this loss faze him in the slightest, I don’t think a Patriots type dynasty is out of the question for Cincy. I really don’t.

Also — I’m not a Titans fan in case you guys were wondering. I’m a Burrow/Chase/Saints fan. Might even like the Bengals more than the Saints because Burrow/Chase meant that much to LSU.

You must be new to the Cincinnati Bengals — and that’s not an insult either. You’re spot on: The 2021 iteration of the Bengals definitely overachieved in the postseason and for those of us who’ve been here for 40 years or more we can tell you it’s a positive development.

With Marvin Lewis the Bengals looked like giant killers during the regular seasons in 2005, 2009, and from 2011-2015. However, Marvin’s good-to-great teams wilted in the playoffs. The spotlight was too bright and too hot.

No longer.

This past regular season the Bengals had great games and awful games, often one right after another. One week we would demolish the Ravens then the next week we would lose to the Jets. In the postseason Cincinnati found some grit and toughness led by the defense. In the Super Bowl the defense played more than well enough to win — but on offense the line broke and buckled just as you said.

It’s not fair to say the Front Office didn’t address the offensive line since 2015. They did — and they miscalculated terribly. The draft picks didn’t pan out and Andy Dalton, like Joe Burrow now, got flattened often.

This offseason is crucial with respect to offensive line upgrades and once again you are correct. With even a few more seconds to set and throw Joe Burrow will wreck this league for the next fifteen years.

[Housh]

And?