WhoDeyRevolution

Another Opportunity Squandered By the Bengals Front Office

Earlier this week, the Bengals organization sent out a letter to season ticket holders that included their invoices for the 2013 season. 

WDR obtained the letter from a season ticket holder, and (once again), there is no mention that this organization's goal is to bring a Super Bowl trophy to Cincinnati.  Jeff Berding, Director of Sales and Public Affairs, offers fans the following when talking about the 2012 playoffs and plans for next season:

 

"We were pleased to have made our third postseason trip in four years; however, we wanted to go even further in the playoffs."

 

And later in the letter...

 

"The team won seven of its final eight regular season games, and I hope you would agree that the football foundation is strong and the future looks bright...The 2012 season was exciting but 2013 promises to be even greater."

 

Can you imagine this letter coming from a team like the Steelers, Patriots or Packers?

There is also vague reference to offering 'enhanced benefits to season ticket holders', however nothing stated in writing.  Interesting that the Reds are able to provide up-front (and in great detail) what season ticket holder benefits will be for the upcoming season...and the Bengals cannot.

Some might say WDR is unfairly harsh to every move that the Bengals make.  I would argue that the Bengals have entirely earned how they are treated in this space, by the local media, and around the country. 

The facts are the facts.  Zero playoff wins since January 1991, zero Super Bowl Championships, and absolutely no front office roadmap for the future. 

Anyone that watched the NFL playoffs can plainly see that the Bengals are still LIGHTYEARS away from competing for a Super Bowl title.  Without a general manager and legitimate scouting department, the Bengals will continue to be watching the playoffs after Wild Card Weekend.

We refuse to be pleased with these results.

Annual Playoff Q&A with 'TexansChick' Steph Stradley of Houston Chronicle

In what is apparently becoming an annual tradition, we've done another playoff preview Q&A with the incomparable Steph Stradley of the Houston Chronicle blog TexansChick.  You can find the link here, and a little taste below:

Without question, the Bengals are stronger on the defensive side of the ball. That will probably remain the case as long as DC Mike Zimmer, for reasons unclear to me, continues to not get head coaching offers from the rest of the NFL.

In particular, the Bengals are strong on the defensive line. That is something I have never been able to say as a fan until these last few years. And I have never been able to say that because Geno Atkins did not play on the Bengals. But he does now. And it is glorious.

Go read the whole thing.  

Also, for an incredibly in depth diagnosis of the current state of the Texans, definitely read Steph's piece "My Unified Theory of the 2012 Texans and the Meaning of Life".  You get sophisticated footbaw analysis AND the meaning of life in one post!  Why are you not reading that right now?!

Last, as I haven't posted in some time, I'll throw out a few thoughts on the 2012 Bengals season.

In our season preview for KSK we said there were actually reasons for hope, and for the most part that ended up being correct.  I think there's a ceiling to that hope come the playoffs, but hey, anything can happen I suppose.  If we're talking hope, then looking to the two Giants Superbowl runs is the likely model where a nasty defensive line led the way.  That model also supposes Andy Dalton has Eli Manning upside.  I'll just leave that thought there.

More importantly, as the unofficial watchdog of the Bengals franchise, WDR is pleased to see the team be able to finally sustain success for more than one year.  It's an open question if that sustained success is 1) a function of the recent marginal but significant organizational changes within the Bengals that has led to a better a process, or 2) if the process is still broken and we have just mostly lucked into a nice stretch that is unsustainable.  Likely, it's a little of both and the organization is slowly repairing what was a broken process under Mike Brown for 20 years.

At any rate, our hats are off to the Bengals in 2012.  They resurrected a faltering season and are playing defense at a level I have never seen a Bengals team play in my lifetime.  I only hope the franchise continues their modernization and builds off the foundation they have laid the past few years.  Only time will tell.

A Return To Houston

Finally (and mercifully), after 3 decades, the Bengals have qualified the playoffs in consecutive seasons.  It's really an incredible stat, but only after you consider the Bengals haven't won a playoff game since the 1990 season.  

This past Sunday could not have been any more fortuitous for the Bengals.  A Chuck Pagano-inspired Colts team knocked off the staggering Houston Texans...which fueled the Pats and Broncos to body slam their inferior opponents with first-round byes on the line.  The best possible matchup fell right into the Bengals lap, and they head back to Houston...same day, same time...for a shot at redemption.

Paul Daugherty had it right in his December 31st column, this franchise MUST win a playoff game to be considered legit.  A loss would put the Bengals right back where they started in January 2012.

The Steelers game on December 23rd was truly a defining moment for Marvin Lewis and his Carson-less/Chad-less band of 53.  It wasn't just another game - it encaputlated everything that Lewis wanted to stand for after his staredown with Mike Brown two years ago. 

It's the reason Lewis tried the ridiculous 56-yard field goal at Heinz Field (no wonder Bane wanted to blow up the turf).  He knew how badly this franchise, this city (and Lewis himself) needed this game.  To banish the Steelers to the off-season while securing a playoff berth.  Even more than that - he learned after NOT kicking a long field goal in much more favorable conditions in Denver last season..he wasn't exactly giving his team a vote of confidence. 

Much like Roy McAvoy in Tin Cup - Lewis just went for it.  While it might not have been the most savvy football decision - it was more about what that decision represented.  He believed in this team - these were truly his guys - and he knew that EVERYONE associated with the Bengals (himself included) needed this game.  It's hard to keep a young team unified in one direction if you beat up on the Raiders and Chiefs...yet always fall short in the big games. 

Now we take it up a notch in this Saturday's playoff game against Houston.  It's all about second chances.  Chris Crocker can catch that interception this time (the difference between a 17-17 game and a 24-10 lead for Houston), Andy Dalton can make up for three interceptions, and Marvin Lewis can finally deliver a playoff win in his fourth attempt.  The Texans are a mess, falling all the way to a 3-seed when the top spot in the AFC was a near certainty three weeks ago. 

Too much happens year to year in the NFL to take anything for granted.  Based on the way this organizaiton continues to be run, who knows when the Bengals will have this opportunity again.  It's time for this franchise to demand a winner in January.  Failure isn't an option.