Bigger Picture

Well, we got our ass kicked today.  Boohoo.  We played crappy football, and I could feel our fear before the game even started.  Our players went out there nervous and indecisive.  I saw missed tackles, missed throws, missed blocks, missed...everything.   We got outplayed, "outcoached," "outbattled," out-everything.  They were tougher, meaner, faster, smarter, etc etc etc etc...  Our penalties were pathetic.  Our quarterback was even more pathetic.  Our offensive game plan was pathetic.  Our coach was pathetic going for the field goal instead of the touchdown.  Our D was mediocre except for some great plays in the secondary.  Our kicker was horrible.  Our punter was even worse.  So, what's left?  Hoping to win in San Diego, but more importantly, looking at the bigger picture.

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We need to start looking beyond this season and stop being so anxious about this one.  Of course we want to get to the playoffs (which it's almost impossible not to achieve this season), of course we want to get to the Superbowl, and of course we want to win every game by 30 or more points.  But here is the reality.  We're not quite there yet.  We are going north, but we haven't gotten there.  We're a couple of years from possibly winning a couple of Championships.  We're a couple of years from possibly becoming a dynasty.  You see teams like the Patriots, the Colts, and yes, the stinking Steelers, and they've been much better their championship years than we are this year.  Loses like today's hurt, but you know what, they're extremely necessary if we ever want to become a championship team.  Today's game was so rich in experience, with not that much at stake, that we should all consider this as a valuable lesson, not as a disastrous loss.  I know many don't look at it so devastating, but it definitely feels like it.  My liver gets a beating after loses like this.  My throat too.  So after digesting this terrible feeling, I'll try to look at the upside:

Rey Maualuga is a great example of what our D's identity is at this point.  It is a young and promising defense for years to come.  We are one of the youngest teams in the league, and our D is very close to becoming elite for time to come, we just need to mature.  Rey is one of those players that's going to get better with time.  He's potential is huge, and he will anchor our D for a long time.  Of course he took bad angles today, of course he had missed tackles today, but hey, the guy is a monster.

Our corners are now elite in the eyes of most of us.  Those guys can play lights out, and the best thing is that they are young, young, and young.

Ced Benson seems to be our feature back for many years.  He's quick, fast, and powerful.  With the O line gaining expierience, and possible another big time addition to it (maybe a guard in the second round), we should be set.

With that said, we should be able to fix our problems if we draft correctly and if we fire Bob Bratkowski at the end of this season.  We need a prime time receiver, a prime time safety, and another prime time D tackle which we should all get at this upcoming draft.  With that, we will be a much better team next year, and the year after, and we should be a team to be reckoned for many years to come.  So Bengal fans, take a breather, hope for the best this year, but more importantly, look at the bigger picture.