UncleEarl

They did pretty well a decade or so ago, then went in the tank. There is an element of luck in all of this. Someone pointed out a while back how poorly the Patriots have drafted. It sucks that Tobin has the smallest staff in the NFL, but they deserve credit for the last two years in the draft and FA.

I think you are giving the head coach way too much credit. Tobin and the scouting staff do the drafting. Taylor may get some input, but the FO deserves the credit.

Good pair. Was always a big Bergey fan as a kid. Was heartbroken when he left for the WFL.

Jim LeClair and Reggie Williams

After some really bad drafts they were due. Thank God.

Part of it is getting the right guys. In Lewis' defense, it is very difficult to control players like Ocho, Pac-Man, Burfict, etc. These guys weren't buying in much of anywhere. Maybe they would buy in for Brady. That brings me to point #2. These guys all buy into Joe Burrow. Burrow buys into Taylor. If the Bengals had a half-assed QB they would be headed for another finish in the cellar and the team would probably be fractured like it was in the past.

Culpepper to Moss the only comparison. The after the catch stuff is just amazing.

ADG is more of a coverage backer. Pratt more traditional 1st and 2nd down guy. ADG and Wilson better equipped to catch Jackson than Pratt. I think you'll see more of Pratt this week.

Don't leave out Pratt. He's good too.

The 80s teams were like this. Business. Let your play do the talking. The last 20 years of Ocho, TJ, Pac-Man, and the lot were the opposite. Not that they aren’t good players or people, but they were more worried about their own image than winning games.

Welcome to the board.

Fucking Collinsworth. Michaels throws it to him about “his team” making a statement game and he says yeah and then immediately changes the subject to the Titans.

Part of the problem is Higgins isn’t getting separation.

And the Bengals have done a lot of losing over the years. Wins like today's will start to turn the conversation. Hell, Collinsworth may actually say something positive about the Bengals tonight, but I won't hold my breath. Market size is one thing, but people watching the game on TV is another. They pay the NFL a lot of money to broadcast these games. The number of viewers a team generates is a big deal. Helps the networks drive ad prices. The years of losing certainly keeps people from watching. Hell, I dumped the Sunday Ticket years ago over all the losing. Why pay to be miserable? I'm sure historically the Bengals haven't generated great ratings. That does seem to be changing. The Jacksonville Thursday night game got good numbers. Pounding the Ravens at home will get more eyes on the tube as well. It may be annoying to hear James Brown say it out loud, but its just business.

The more the Bengals win, the more attention they will get. Today was a great start.