Bengals, Stop Looking Back
Jan 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis reacts in the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
"“But let’s consider where the Bengals are, and let’s consider where they were before Lewis arrived”.– Mike Florio, NBC’s ProFootballTalk"
Well #WhoDeyNation, Where do I start with this abomination of professional journalism? I am on this site because I want to get my name out there, Mr. Florio gets paid to make snark comments like that. That should be enough to crawl under anybody’s skin regardless of the franchise.
First off, I turn 21 later this month (hold your applause). I started watching the Bengals when I was in second grade. That means the only thing that I have ever known is the Marvin Lewis era. I know that things were atrocious in the 1990’s. I am not going to pretend I was there, or that I understand it; however, the media and the nation cannot think this way about the Bengals. I did not know the Bengals of the 90’s, I know this era right here and now.
The fan base does not care about what happened two decades ago anymore. They care about right now. And right now, Marvin Lewis has not gotten the job done. It is time the media and the nation stops saying that.
This has all come on from the talks and fan speculation, couch coaching that Lewis should be fired. If that is the case, then any team that has a current coach that was an improvement over the previous coach should never be fired. Even if it is an average coach over a nobody.
Unfortunately, this is the perception that America has about the Cincinnati Bengals. Look what you had before Lewis.
I will take it one step farther. You are right. We had two AFC Championships. Before the “before Marvin” era, there were no Bungles. There was no mediocrity. There was the jungle, there was Boomer and Icky, and there was fear of Cincinnati.
If the excuse is “look at what we had before Marvin,” I say to take it a step further. The nation acts like Cincinnati has never seen success. It is time for this to stop. For all the Bengals fans using this excuse, I feel so sorry for you.
Don’t you want more than just 18 weeks?