Who Dey?
How about them Bengals? AFter starting the season 1-4, the perennial losers and laughingstock of the league have won 4 out of 5, including yesterday’s victory over the previously unbeaten Chiefs. I could not be happier that they are doing well this season and I hope it continues. Marvin Lewis has done a marvelous job of changing the culture of losing that has permeated that franchise since the early 90’s.
The fact that people are talking about Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells as Coach of the Year candidates but not even mentioning Marvin Lewis is simply a joke. The Patriots won the Super Bowl 2 years ago and still have a majority of that same team intact. Yes, they have overcome injury problems and played well, but so have a lot of other teams. You could also make the argument that Parcells has turned around a culture of losing in Dallas, but how long has that really been a problem for them. Four years? Five?
The Bengals have been losers for the last 13 years!!! No team lost more games in the 90’s than the hapless Bungles. In just 11 weeks, Marvin Lewis has changed the attitude of a franchise and a city and made believers out of them and me. I know that they are in a weak division and might still not make the playoffs and they are only .500 right now, but believe me when I tell you that these last few weeks have been like a miraculous playoff run for Cincy fans.
Way to go, Bengals. Keep up the good work and hopefully we’ll see you in the playoffs!
All of the Ohio teams won this weekend. The Browns, the Bengals, and most importantly The Ohio State Buckeyes!!! Go OHIO:)!!!
As a life long Patriots fan, I agree that Marvin has done a great job and deserves much recognition (which, if you’ve been paying attention, he has been getting) but to totally trivialize what Bill Belichick has done is farcical.
He said farcical. That was cool.
Farcical rocks!
I thought that might get a rise out of you, Scott. I certainly don’t want to diminish what Bill Belechick has done this year at all, because it is a big deal. I just don’t think it’s as big a deal in proportion to what Lewis has done for the Bengals.
Granted, Belichick started the season by cutting the heart of their defense and a team leader in Lawyer Milloy. Then came the injuries to key guys on both sides of the ball. Belichick gets more points here for drafting some studs that have helped get the past the injuries. Six of the guys they drafted in April have started at least one game this year. Despite all the problems the Pats are still winning and sitting pretty for a playoff berth. I get it.
My point is basically that injuries or not, this is a team that is still 43% comprised of guys who won the Super Bowl two years ago. (I checked. 26 of 61 guys from that squad remain.) Almost all of those guys are starters and/or skill position players. They sent 4 guys to the Pro Bowl last year. All of them are still there minus Milloy. Yes, the injuries have been a big deal, but they also had good players in reserve that have filled the gaps.
And then you have the Bengals. This team is essentially the same team as last year that couldn’t beat a drum, let alone another NFL team. Their one Pro Bowl selection, Crybaby Corey Dillon, hasn’t really contributed this year at all. This is a team that has lost 80% of its games over the past decade. Enter Marvin Lewis, who in half a season has erased the loser culture that has dominated this franchise for years. He’s winning with the same guys that were getting killed by everyone last year.
I realize that it’s a bit of an apples and oranges comparison. The Pats will likely have a better season this year in terms of record and playoff potential, so you can’t really say that Lewis is going to do more with less as compared to Belichick. But to me - who is admittedly myopic and biased in this whole thing (as any good Carolina fan should be, right?
)- Lewis doing anything with this squad is nothing short of a miracle.
You must be listening to different people than I am. All I’ve heard recently is how either Parcells or Belicheck should be Coach of The Year, which admittedly has more to do with the game this weekend than anything. In any event, for Lewis to not even be a part of this conversation is simply absurd, bizarre, cockeyed, derisory, eccentric, fantastic, fatuous, foolhardy, foolish, goofy, half-baked, harebrained, idiotic, ill-conceived, impracticable, imprudent, inane, inappropriate, insane, irresponsible, loony, ludicrous, nonsensical, odd, outrageous, peculiar, potty, preposterous, puerile, quixotic, ridiculous, senseless, short-sighted, silly, strange, unworkable, wacky, weird, and wild all at the same time.
Damn you thesaurus! Damn you!
Thank you.
cowboys rock
11 weeks my ass!
Anyone who has been watching the Bengals play under Lewis since he’s been there had to see this coming, especially after last season’s near wild-card miss.
Marvin has done some hard core steady work with those guys from Flashy Chad to Steady Rudy with Houshmandzadeh, Schobel always on the mark. Then you’ve the rookies that just won’t QUIT. Henry, Perry and Thurman Rock! And hell without Shane Graham the Bengals would go to hell in a handbasket. And dear god, Carson Palmer has had the hand of Lewis and Kitna with a great attitude to boot. Has a quarterback ever been so blessed?
And Marvin has taken all these exceedingly different men and turned them into one of the best damn football teams to touch a field. And it sure as heck took longer than 11 weeks.
Torch the bandwagon and be a FAN! WHO DEY!
I LOVE YOU HOUSH!
Ha Ha Ha crappy ass Bengals Who Dey? Steelers Dey? welp see you guys in 2nd place in AFC next year
Classy as always, Steeler Fan.
Hay BnegalZ U guyZ r the BEST of em all!! u guys no how to play well and u no the game to!!! Carson Palmer is the hottest guy ever n the best Q-B of em all to!! T.J. Housh u r a awesome player to. I also Love Chad Johnson u r really good and u help the team out the most. Rudi Johnson is the biggest n badest ~!!!!!!~ Then Shane Graham is awesome to!!! He is a great kicker and is my bro’s Idol I LOVE U BENGALS N U HAD A GREAT SEASON !!!