Cincinnati Bengals: Time Is Running Out
By Emile Pierce
The Bengals have a roster filled with monstrous talent. But, time is slowly running out. It’s time to go farther than the AFC North.
It’s still there. The Cincinnati Bengals were so close to giving their faithful a late Christmas gift. The late touchdown by A.J. Green shocked Paul Brown Stadium and sent chills through everyone there. But alas, the party came to an end. The Wild Card game was stolen. Another opportunity was lost. Bengals Nation will have to wait for another chance to see the Men in Stripes advance. But, the clock is ticking. It has to be soon. The time is now.
There’s a little bit of unfinished business that we want to get past.
Head coach Marvin Lewis has built a beast, on the banks of the Ohio River. He has created a perennial playoff machine that chews up postseason appearances. Yet, the time is running out. Players are getting older and coaches are being rotated like movie popcorn. If the Bengals are going to make a run for greatness, it has to be within the next two years.
Fans are frustrated. Each year, the Bengals put a superb product on the field. Last year’s edition of the Orange and Black was marvelous. The defense was a beastly and focused unit that made the difference in many of the wins. Per ESPN, the unit was one of the best. The Bengals’ defense was the second stingiest group of defenders in the league. They finished just outside the top 10, at No. 11.
The Bengals’ offense was potent. It was fueled by the early heroics of Andy Dalton and his ability to confound the opposition. His maturation into one of the league’s premier signal-callers has been fun to watch. But, the cast of characters is changing.
Two names will forever be linked together, in Bengals folklore. The loss of Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones has taken on the magnitude of peanut butter and jelly. One is seldom mentioned without the other. Bengals brass, i.e., Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin and Lewis, is doing a fantastic job. But how long will it last? With tons of top picks and outright steals in the draft, the Bengals have to start producing.
Was frustration mentioned? If not, the thoughts of cornerback Adam Jones may lend some insight into the ongoing emotion.
"“We have a good team. We could be way better than last year if we just stay healthy and do the little things. Let’s do whatever we got to do to win the conference and be in the top teams to get the bye. If you go back and look at it, we’re a snap here and a snap there, from f*****’ having a bye. And then if you come back and look at it again, we might have had Andy back and then we’d have the bye.”"
Bengals running back Giovani Bernard said it best.
“There’s a little bit of unfinished business that we want to get past.”
The frustration is mounting, on both sides of the fence. Bengals faithful want a playoff win and the players want to deliver it. Like the sands of time, the Men in Stripes are slowly running out of options. Hopefully, the anger can turn into a road trip to Houston.