That's a whole lot of words to say Duke Tobin is the best they can get, which may be true, IDK.
If Cincinnati really is such a huge disadvantage that they can't consistently compete at the NFL level they should probably move the team, but I don't buy that. I don't think anyone's falling over themselves to go to Indianapolis but FA's & their agents saw Manning & went there chasing a ring. Nashville, Buffalo, hell Kansas City isn't high on anyone's travel list either but the Hunts built a consistent winner that people want to be a part of when they get the chance.
It's not the city's fault, it's the owners who can't get beyond that small town mentality. It's not 1989, there are Bengals fans in fuckin Singapore and they can tune in every week & buy the merch & probably even go to an NFL bar to hang out with other football fans. The Bengals aren't going to be the Cowboys but why can't they be as popular as the Stealers? Pittsburgh fucking sucks man, no one wants to move to fucking Pittsburgh, it's basically a grimier Cincinnati. The difference is winning, but the Browns/Blackburns would rather wring their hands and act like some kind of aw-shucks plucky yokel team that tries hard but can't help being an NFL charity case while acting like they're morally superior business tycoons that are just so much smarter than all these teams that actually keep pace with the competition.
It's a tired, weak excuse and fans should reject it entirely instead of carrying water for them. $100M invested in 3 skill players and they can't scrape together another 4-5 to make damned sure their QB doesn't get mangled? That's not a fucking geography issue.