Chad just said this on an NFL Network interview when questioned by Steve Mariuchi as to the long-term prognosis of his career beyond this abysmal season. I give 85 props for being political. What he means is that as long as the Bengals do as they do-and as long as he himself is a Bengal-he will not be all he can be. Chad is the kind of player who definitely needs positivity and proficiency in order to operate at his full potential. When things go awry, he's not exactly the stalwart veteran leader. He's more like a pouty 8 year old. Unfortunately, if you're a Bengal-things go awry more often than not.
The problem is that Chad-like many of us-was sucked into believing. He arrived in Cincy at the tail end of Bengal Dark Age. He saw potential, and he saw the passion of the fans. He knew that this team's situation could only improve-and he wanted to be a part of it. Once Marvin and Carson came to town-hailed as messiahs-he had no doubt that by 2009, he'd have played in at least one Super Bowl. What he has found is that 2005 was not the first glimpse of the next dynasty, it was no teaser of greater things to come.
Rather-it was lightening in a bottle. It was the perfect storm of a fantastic air-attack, a boatload of turnovers, and a very easy schedule. I think they also caught a few teams napping-just because they were the Bengals. They went 11-5, a record that could have easily been 13-3 had it not been for 2 lazy late season losses (Buffalo and KC). Instead, they drew Pittsburgh-and we see how that went. All the whoopla, and outpouring of the Who Dey vibe (which was truly palpable) was all for naught. We got to see our QB taken out on a cheap shot by the dirtiest, most despicable team in all of sports-that was it. Things have never been the same since.
'06 and '07 were examples of mediocrity-much like Marvin's first few seasons. In 2008, at 1-8, the Bengals have truly returned to form. Dysfunction, stubbornness, and frugality have trumped raw talent and potential once again. A cascade of negativity and poor decisions, as well as an utter lack of discipline, accountability, and chemistry have plagued this team just as in the old days. The specific reasons for this are many-but they all lead back to Mr. Mike Brown. I believe that he is the monster that Chad spoke of (he's not actually allowed to call him by name due to the Carl Pickens Clause).
As much as Ocho Cinqo tries my patience, I can't help but feel for the guy. We as fans act as if we have so much invested in this team-we're still just fans. This guy has been the face of the franchise, and a futile franchise at that. Maybe it would help both parties if 85 and the Bengals parted ways. His immaturity and tendency towards selfishness will not be missed-but his skinny posts and dig routes most definitely will. His fun-loving silliness and desire for excellence are also hard to come by. The shame of it all is that he believed that he could be a big ingredient in bringing the Lombardi Trophy to the Queen City-what he found was that no man could do that as long as the monster mans the ship.
This is a horrible situation, but there are efforts afoot. In the name that all that is good, please join the Who Dey Revolution and bring our team out from under the throes of oppression.
The problem is that Chad-like many of us-was sucked into believing. He arrived in Cincy at the tail end of Bengal Dark Age. He saw potential, and he saw the passion of the fans. He knew that this team's situation could only improve-and he wanted to be a part of it. Once Marvin and Carson came to town-hailed as messiahs-he had no doubt that by 2009, he'd have played in at least one Super Bowl. What he has found is that 2005 was not the first glimpse of the next dynasty, it was no teaser of greater things to come.
Rather-it was lightening in a bottle. It was the perfect storm of a fantastic air-attack, a boatload of turnovers, and a very easy schedule. I think they also caught a few teams napping-just because they were the Bengals. They went 11-5, a record that could have easily been 13-3 had it not been for 2 lazy late season losses (Buffalo and KC). Instead, they drew Pittsburgh-and we see how that went. All the whoopla, and outpouring of the Who Dey vibe (which was truly palpable) was all for naught. We got to see our QB taken out on a cheap shot by the dirtiest, most despicable team in all of sports-that was it. Things have never been the same since.
'06 and '07 were examples of mediocrity-much like Marvin's first few seasons. In 2008, at 1-8, the Bengals have truly returned to form. Dysfunction, stubbornness, and frugality have trumped raw talent and potential once again. A cascade of negativity and poor decisions, as well as an utter lack of discipline, accountability, and chemistry have plagued this team just as in the old days. The specific reasons for this are many-but they all lead back to Mr. Mike Brown. I believe that he is the monster that Chad spoke of (he's not actually allowed to call him by name due to the Carl Pickens Clause).
As much as Ocho Cinqo tries my patience, I can't help but feel for the guy. We as fans act as if we have so much invested in this team-we're still just fans. This guy has been the face of the franchise, and a futile franchise at that. Maybe it would help both parties if 85 and the Bengals parted ways. His immaturity and tendency towards selfishness will not be missed-but his skinny posts and dig routes most definitely will. His fun-loving silliness and desire for excellence are also hard to come by. The shame of it all is that he believed that he could be a big ingredient in bringing the Lombardi Trophy to the Queen City-what he found was that no man could do that as long as the monster mans the ship.
This is a horrible situation, but there are efforts afoot. In the name that all that is good, please join the Who Dey Revolution and bring our team out from under the throes of oppression.
Comments