A Rock

AJ and Chad with a ten year case of laryngitis starting in 2001.

Statistically this team has definitely had it's strong eras, but stats don't tell the whole story, do they? I believe it's the squandering of opportunities that has solidified the team's negative rep. For me it dates back to the two Super Bowl losses in the 80's. Certainly respectable performances by the team, but also heartbreaking, very winnable games. Mitigating circumstances like running backs going on crack benders, star linemen having their leg snapped by notorious, unchecked, chop blocking 49ers. There's many more examples of inexplicable self sabotage and just plain bad luck over the years. The Lewis era didn't help the rep of getting the minimum out of some strong contenders. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and the bigger the stage the worse it seemed to be (see 2015). The team may not need to go all the way to get more respect, but not self destructing and having a little good fortune for a change in big games would help. A dramatic last minute playoff win could do wonders, even if the team got smoked the next week.

While it's a breath of fresh air to hear anyone in the hierarchy of this organization talk about this stuff, it's also odd how they're talking like they've stumbled onto something new. Any sport where the game ends when the clock expires, the coaching is extremely situational as you're trying to catch up or protect a lead. Always has been. If this is their way of saying they're going to do what was sorely lacking for years here, good. Hope they do.

Sounds like a good fit for Marvin.

What they've always loved is getting away with outrageously dirty bullshit on the field, and at worst paying a fine off the field. Unlike us.

All true, except you won't even find Ram fans bragging about the team in LA. Might seem like it on tv, but not on the street. That could be changing soon. And that little shit Tom Brady definitely needs an attitude adjustment.

Valid concerns for sure. Wyche was HC for 7 years and went to the Super Bowl though. I feel like this franchise literally had no choice but to move on from Lewis. 16 years without a single sudden death win. A shake up like this might feel like a Hail Mary in the present tense, but my biggest hope is that it's a step in the right direction. What could they do? Extend Marvin? That's like punting late in the 4th down by 2 scores instead of taking a shot, something Marvin did this year. I hope we hit bottom last year.

Paying him would've been the smartest money they could have spent. Can you imagine the team letting Anthony Munoz walk back in the day? Left a gaping hole on the O-line, and the soul of the team.

In 2017, Sean McVay becomes the youngest head coach in history and takes a team that hasn't had a winning record in 10 years to 13-3, and a playoff berth. It is now his second season and he's in the Super Bowl. Is THAT kind of miracle likely in our future? Of course not. Just saying, like the 4 minute mile, once something thought impossible is done, it becomes more possible. As an NFL fan, the only thing funner than loving my team (Bengals), is hating their main rival (Stealers). If we go 2-14 next year, as long as those two wins are against Pukesburgh, we'll have won two "big games" at least.

Upon further review, you are correct sir. I've always kinda remembered and felt like that was a year we were destined to do more damage if not for the Palmer injury. The team, in fact, took their foot off the pedal after locking up the playoff berth. I probably remember it differently as it was early in Marvin's tenure, and I hadn't become so cynical about the team and him in particular yet. The 2015 team started 8-0, and couldn't swing a bye either. Still pissed about Kimo. Still pissed about Mitchell's ridiculous targeting of Eifert as well. Especially after Pittsburgh players made threats prior to the game. No one in the Bengal hierarchy says a word about it and Shazier feels free to brutally uppercut Gio with his helmet in the wildcard game. The refs feel free to not throw a flag, and in fact award Pittsburgh the ball. Anyway, yeah, we weren't as red hot as I had remembered it. Still think that last lunge by Kimo was BS.

Kimo Von Oelhoffen did not need to take that last lunge into Palmer's knee and change history. The ball was completely out of Carson's hand, which Kimo might have noticed if he wasn't so busy putting his full weight behind his shoulder and snapping his leg. We were red hot that year and it certainly appeared the team was unstoppable. You know what you call a thousand Bengal victories over Pittsburgh that completely devastates and demoralizes them to no end? A good start.

I like the Rams. Amazing how much they've dropped off since Cupp was injured, but they're still super potent on offense. They were also my first team. My first game was Rams vs. Vikings at the Coliseum in 1975. That was a hell of a rivalry then. I adopted the Bengals when the Rams skipped out, and have been steadfastly loyal since. I remember screaming, "touchdown!", when Esiason hit Mcgee in the end zone at the Coliseum, then immediately sitting back down after remembering where I was. Those L.A. Raider fans were pretty nasty sometimes. That was the same year we ended Bo Jackson's career on what seemed like a pretty innocuous tackle by the Bengals.

Anyone who'll go for it on 4th and 1 at the Steeler 40 yard line will meet my criteria.

I remember we destroyed them, and the commentators talking about the Houston Oilers downfall that day. "What does a run and shoot offense do when run and shoot isn't working? More run and shoot." They had a lot of success with that formula, but had nothing else. Suffice it to say, I really hope something changes around here and soon. We've been the 90 Oilers every time we were fortunate to even get a wild card spot.

Here's a theory. Marvin Lewis is completely enamored of his formula, his scheme, his way of football, and could give a flying F about anything else. Being 0-7 in the playoffs isn't the story. Losing in primetime isn't the story. Losing to the Stealers isn't the story. Losing games we've completely dominated in the first half isn't the story. Why is everyone bitching. Any complaints are just dummies who don't understand football. The formula is superior and that's all that matters. Being defensive coordinator for arguably the greatest defense ever, on one of the most formulaic Super Bowl winners ever, the 2000 Ravens, may have something to do with cementing this in his psyche. I don't know. He does know football. Turning the Bengals from a laughingstock to a perennial playoff contender also probably reinforced his belief in his way of doing things. The problem seems to be the clear ceiling. This scheme never wins playoff games. It never wins games to earn a bye. It rarely wins against the Stealers. These are big games against quality opponents who do things we don't. Play with the score, the clock, and the performance of both teams in mind. His .524 winning percentage doesn't show how many games we lost we should've won. Nor does it show how many meaningless games we won. The Marvin Lewis football model works... to a point. Do we really need more evidence where that point lies? In a sport rife with injuries where 22 men participate in each play, the opportunity for excuses is legion. Besides the playoff futility record, the team is currently setting records for defensive ineptitude. I don't think it will matter. He'll be back. Gametime adjustments are just "more journalism jargon than truth." Keep your head down. Keep clapping. You've already won. We're running a superior system. Nothing else matters.