Keyshawn Johnson: "Bengals are not at the top of the class in the AFC"

[*Synric*]

We are going to hear the one year miracle line alot over the next few months. Its up to the Bengals to prove they are a consistent contender and not a one year wonder.

[*Go Cards*]

It's true the Bengals have not been great in recent years and don't sport the track record comparable to others lately.

Yet think the comments mostly come because the Bengals have a small fan base and the talking heads just kiss up to the bigger fan bases to boost their ratings.

In my opinion this may never change without the Bengals becoming a dynasty.

[HarleyDog]

Ahhhh…. The dude who refused to play for Hayden Fox and move to Canada if drafted. Just a diva Karen spouting shit.

[J24]

Meshawn is wrong

[Mer]

Ah Johnson. The man that was in the draft show when they drafted his replacement Dwayne Jarrett. That was funny. He talked about helping him out and teaching him the ropes only to be cut later. Anyone else remember watching that?

[*SHRacerX*]

Lots of us Bengals Fans want to hear more "respect". I loved it when Kay Adams came out early in support of the Bengals and had her legitimate reasons (not based on the past 30 years, but actually living in the now) for believing in the Bengals. However, that is a rare bird. It is like in the 90s when Chris Berman would pick the Bills and 49ers in the Super Bowl every year. It never happened, but one of them almost always made it.

Today's teams are shifting and spending and not sitting still hoping for some luck. Heck, I think the Lions could even contend for a playoff spot this year.

It is interesting, however, how the target for respect and perceived success is a Super Bowl WIN. Not a playoff win. Not getting to the Super Bowl. But a Super Bowl WIN. Like, Brees got ONE in all his years. Manning had ONE in all his years at Indy. Rogers has ONE in all his years at Green Bay. Mahomes also has just one. Some NFL elite have zero: Dan Marino, Dan Fouts, and of course a lot of Burrow's recent peers (Murray, Allen, Carr, Watson, and Herbert) have zero appearances in the big game.

I could care less about the national show "disrespect" for the most part. I think it might actually help the team have extra motivation.

[TecmoBengals]

ESPN and the big media guys are never going to show us love or spend too much time talking about us. Even if Burrow guides us to a Super Bowl win, Cincinnati just isn't the team that will get a lot of coverage. Fortunately, we live in a world with the internet where we can get Bengals news frequently through other sources than just the big networks.

This stuff doesn't phase me at all. Keyshawn gets paid to make inconsequential hot takes.

[WeezyBengal]

A lazy ass take from Keyshawn? No way...

[*ochocincos*]

(05-25-2022, 09:18 PM)QueenCity Wrote: Media has a huge love affair with Josh Allen... doesn't hurt he plays in NY yes upstate doesn't matter. 

Cincinnati due to our abysmal history has more work to do. Hell there's a huge hole in my heart still after the SB that only winning one will cure.

Media has a love affair with Burrow too.
They like any really good QB.

BUF is no more of a favored city than CIN.
Both of those franchises are considered on the lower end of popularity, and it usually comes with being a small market team.

From back in May 2020 before Tom Brady took TB to a Super Bowl, before Josh Allen ascended, and just after Burrow was drafted:
https://www.wsn.com/nfl/least-most-popular-nfl-teams-facebook/
#32 - JAX
#31 - TB
#30 - TEN
#29 - CIN
#28 - BUF

[Sled21]

(05-25-2022, 06:02 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Keyshawn does say though that the Bengals are a good team.
He acknowledges that they tried to upgrade the OL and defense.
He said, "Every now and then you have a sneak-up type team that sneaks up on somebody like a Kansas City."

I actually understand his stance.
Bengals did make it to the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean they're the best in the conference.
Chiefs have played in the past 4 AFC Championship Games.
Bills have made the playoffs the past 3 seasons.
Titans have also made the playoffs the past 3 seasons.
Prior to 2021, Bengals hadn't had a winning season for 5 straight seasons.

So all Keyshawn is saying is basically, "Get back to the playoffs again to prove you aren't a one-year wonder."

Twice in one season with something hanging on the outcome of both games???? 

[WeezyBengal]

Also, Bengals went 4-5 in one score games last year during the regular season. That is not lucky.

[grampahol]

(05-25-2022, 07:24 PM)BurrowTheGoat Wrote: Knew this exact comment was coming at some point.  Its May man are we not allowed to discuss things said about the Bengals? 

No they aren't..Real men sit and whine that someone doesn't have as high of an opinion of them as they do of themselves.. 
Who cares that someone may not think of us as the team we are? Having a small penis crisis? 

[SunsetBengal]

It's a fair assessment. The Bengals were able to take advantage and win a division where Baltimore and Cleveland vastly underperformed compared to expectations. Some are predicting the Bengals will be either 3rd or last in the division this year. The Bengals improved their roster this offseason (at least on paper), but so did every other team in contention for the playoffs.

This sort of prediction is just what the Bengals need to keep their heads down, and eyes focused dead ahead on the elusive prize.

[SladeX]

The Bengals are not going to be viewed as a perennial power until they, ya know, make and succeed in the playoffs perennially.

[XenoMorph]

(05-25-2022, 05:49 PM)BurrowTheGoat Wrote:



This is a fairly common take among the talking heads recently.  I don't think it is too insane of a take, however, I have a feeling if we had "Steelers" or "Cowboys" or "Giants" on the front of our jersey these takes would be much less common.  Thoughts?

Well if you look at the last 3 years 2021 is the *  they will have to be great consistently to change the narriative.

[Whatever]

(05-26-2022, 10:18 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Media has a love affair with Burrow too.
They like any really good QB.

BUF is no more of a favored city than CIN.
Both of those franchises are considered on the lower end of popularity, and it usually comes with being a small market team.

From back in May 2020 before Tom Brady took TB to a Super Bowl, before Josh Allen ascended, and just after Burrow was drafted:
https://www.wsn.com/nfl/least-most-popular-nfl-teams-facebook/
#32 - JAX
#31 - TB
#30 - TEN
#29 - CIN
#28 - BUF

Some of the national media has a love affair with Burrow.  However, there are a fair number of Ravens/Lamar fanboys that knock Burrow and the Bengals to build up the Ravens and Lamar.  Keyshawn is one, but Marcellus Wiley is probably the worst.  Wiley even left Burrow off of his Top 5 young QB's list and Burrow/Chase off of his Top 5 QB-Receiver combos list.  Of course, Lamar makes both lists 

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

If you want annual respect, you need annual success. One year isn't going to do it. That's not a bias or a hot take, that's just reasonable. I think the Bengals will win some games again this year and go to the playoffs again, but I also thought that in 2006 and 2010, but those previous years turned out to just be flashes in the pan.

[*ochocincos*]

(05-26-2022, 12:26 PM)Whatever Wrote: Some of the national media has a love affair with Burrow.  However, there are a fair number of Ravens/Lamar fanboys that knock Burrow and the Bengals to build up the Ravens and Lamar.  Keyshawn is one, but Marcellus Wiley is probably the worst.  Wiley even left Burrow off of his Top 5 young QB's list and Burrow/Chase off of his Top 5 QB-Receiver combos list.  Of course, Lamar makes both lists 

Lamar Jackson is a good QB if you factor in his running ability.
As a pure passer, he's not a Top 5 guy.

People loved Michael Vick too, but he wasn't really a good passer. Career 56.2% completion.
His threat as a runner is what made him better and also more liked.
Jackson is a better passer than Vick though, so it's understandable why people like him and think he's really good.

I think the reality is there are a lot of good QBs in the Top 15.
Burrow
Mahomes
Herbert
Allen
Stafford
Brady
Rodgers
Watson
Wilson
Murray
Prescott
Jackson

[pdub2005]

(05-25-2022, 07:13 PM)ochocincos Wrote: His job is being a TV personality who has some credibility because he's a former 1st overall pick that was also a Super Bowl champion.
He doesn't have to be super knowledgeable on everything to share an opinion of it.

Think about how many people speak on things when they have limited knowledge or only care to put in a certain amount of effort to gain knowledge on a subject?
It happens all. the. time. (We all do it)

Keyshawn often doesn't research or seemingly follow the sports/teams he talks about. I can't count how many times J-Will or Max have had to correct him. Dude basically shows up and uses arrogance to deflect logic and facts that are presented to him.

[*bengalfan74*]

A lot of the reporters, talking heads, announcers and so on today weren't around to see or were to young to remember the Bengals of the 70's and 80's who weren't the laughingstocks of the NFL that they became. I've stated many times in many threads I feel sorry for the younger fans of today who until last season had never experienced any real measure of success.

From 1991 until 2005 the Mike Brown lead Bengals had never had a winning season. Mid 90's they had an 8-8 and 7-9 but that was the peak. For 14 seasons the Bengals dug a giant hole of being irrelevant. ML came along and got us up to the edge of the hole but couldn't get us over the top.

Still during the AD/ML era if someone out of the Cincinnati area was asked about the Bengals chances in playoffs a little grin came on their face and the said it's the Bengals, umm no. And they were right.

For 3 decades we've been mediocre or worse, usually a lot worse. One season just won't move the needle on the Bengals that much. To big a hole was dug.

Burrow and Taylor and company are digging us out of that hole but it's still not a finished job.