Wait, the Bengals Are Good Now?

The national media will always hate the Bengals. The Browns, Ravens and especially the Steelers have so many homers that for most pundits the 2006 crime spree is the only thing the Bengals conjure. But those who actually follow the Bengals closely have all reluctantly started to admit that this team is looking really good.

Just about every local Bengals publication I puruse with any regularity (with the sole exception of CBSsports) has Cincinnati poised to repeat a winning season and a playoff berth. Of course every team is optimistic after the draft, not knowing just how much production they'll get from their rookies and dreaming about the best. But Bengals fans are not the most optimistic of NFL fans - in fact outside of maybe Detroit they're probably the most pessimistic.

So it really means something when some Bengals beat writers actually give the team credit. And if every other blog in town is going to write a Bengals-to-the-Superbowl? article in May, I will not be left out. So let's look at some examples of what others are saying.

Cincyjungle.com has run posts from practically all of their writers with the proclaimation that the Bengals are poised to repeat a successful season, and in theory will be even better than last year. Pat Kirwin of NFL.com believes the Bengals are a "Tier 2" team, meaning that they should make the playoffs. Even WhoDeyRevolution, who exist to insist that owner Mike Brown shouldn't make football decisions for his team, have admitted that the Bengals, somehow, are good. I could go on.

I have to admit that when I first saw the Bengals schedule, featuring practically every team in the league that one would call "elite," I was pretty nervous. But it really sounds like the team is coming together, and playing elite teams is probably what they need to do to get ready for a playoff run anyway. Last year their schedule was pretty light in the second half of the season and the team lost a lot of steam after a hot start. If they can steal wins against the Patriots, Colts, Chargers and/or Saints this season, the sky is limit as confidence will be running high.

And that does really appear to be the key that past Bengals teams were missing - solid chemistry. I can think of several years where Cowboys teams were supposed to be great on paper, yet lacking that particular element. This year, and to an extent last season, appear to have bucked that trend for both teams, especially Cincinnati.

First of all, from an article by Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson, you've got several tigers talking about realistic Superbowl aspirations, like they really believe they can get there. After going 4-11-1 in 2008, nobody was going to talk about the Superbowl. Now the team believes. Quotes:

Defensive tackle Domato Peko; "We have a special team and we can make it all the way."

Cornerback Morgan Trent; "[Mike Zimmer, defensive coordinator] wants to take us there. He thinks we can get there. That's important because we want to live up to Zim's standards."

Safety Chinedum Ndukwe talked about the team's participation in a charity event he organized: "The culture of this team is a lot different than it was when I got here way back when. When you've got guys that actually come out and support their teammates that shows you something.

So that's enough of that. As you can plainly see, the Bengals are officially contenders. Unless Palmer goes down again . . .

ALSO:

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, VH1's The Tournament, staring Ochocinco, has been renamed Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch. It debuts in July.