Cincinnati Bengals 2007 Preview
Background: The Bengals were born from the mind of NFL great Paul Brown. After Art Modell bought majority interest in the Browns in 1961, he proceeded to fire Paul Brown two years later. Convinced by the AFL, the governor of Ohio, and a group of businessmen, Paul Brown founded the Bengals as Ohio's second team only after getting an assurance that the Bengals would join the NFL after the NFL/AFL merger.
In the years up until Paul Brown's death in 1990, the Bengals were a solid team that had two Super Bowl appearances. After his death, the team fell into complete chaos under Brown's son, Mike Brown, posting 14 straight losing seasons and incurring the wrath of the Bengal faithful.
Current coach Marvin Lewis came in with little hope for success, but like Tony Dungy, Lewis had a plan for success. Led by a high octane offense, the Bengals are one of the NFL's exciting young teams. Like the Bucs turnaround years before, Lewis has changed the culture and expectations in Cincinnati re-igniting their football passion.
Team Identity: Cincinnati isn't a huge market, but it is an old river town with long and interesting history. It remains a strong sports city despite having a history of owners (the aforementioned Mike Brown and the late Reds owner, Marge Schott) who can try the patience of the most loyal fans. The Bengals have true fans. Winning makes them even more fervent.
Until Michael Vick let them off the hook, the Bengals were the NFL's bad boy team. Although Marvin Lewis appears to rule with an iron fist, he has a tendency to take chances on talented players with questionable character. These can be value picks in later rounds of the draft, but these players can also burn you with bad PR and suspensions.
Still, we have talked about the biggest sin in Southern football - don't be boring! The Bengals might have the best young QB this side of Peyton Manning with a bunch of good WRs led by the outrageous Chad Johnson. This is a fun team to watch - win or lose.
Cincinnati is a border city. Years ago when the midwest's manufacturing base was stronger, Cincinnati's economic energy came from the north side of the river. Today, the Kentucky side is driving the economic revival.
Maybe the Bengals should just give into their Southerness and let the fun happen. As the rest of Ohio trends on the downward "rust belt" spiral, the Bengals have the feel of a mid tier SEC team skirting the edge of probation. They could self-destruct at any minute, or they could beat you by three TDs. Either way, you can't stop watching.
2007 Storyline: The Bengals looked like a Super Bowl contender two years ago until Carson Palmer went down in the playoffs against Pittsburgh. The Steelers stole their mojo and followed it to a Super Bowl win. Last year's Bengal squad had to struggle as Palmer re-found his footing and other players got arrested a little often.
This year, everyone wonders if 2005 was an aberration, or are the Bengals falling back to a borderline AFC team.
Expectation Meter: Quietly, the expectations are high. The Ravens won the division last year, but many see them as old. The Browns are at least a year away, and the Steelers are starting over without Bill Cowher and Joey Porter. Assuming the team is relatively healthy, the Bengals are expected to make the playoffs and return to their 2005 form.
We just hope that they remain a fun team that shoots from the hip. People can criticize the Bengals or laugh at all their off the field problems, but they are who they are. This team can light it up on anyone. There's no reason to change courses now.
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