The Imminent Return of the Fair Weather Bengal Fans
by Blue Steel on Oct 20, 2011 9:34 PM EDT
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PrintAfter watching the 1989 Superbowl as a kindergartner with no clue why the game was even called "football", I proceeded my fanhood with high aspirations of promising guys like Dave Shula, the other stellar Dave (Klingler), "Big Daddy" Wilkinson, "Pinata" Carter, Bruce Coslet, "Shake n Blake" -- and being let down EACH AND EVERY year, which led me to one certainty in life; this is Bengals football. My best friend was even a Steelers fan (as well as a Michigan fan) who'd annually poke fun at my Bengals. Disgusting, I know. Yet every year, I was sure we'd rebound the following season and make the playoffs.
While attending College, only an hour away from Cincinnati, I quickly discovered how difficult it was to even find a TV with the Bengals game on - and myself being the lone Bengals fan watching, amidst a shocking plethora of Steelers and Browns fans.
Eventually of course, our squirrel found a nut and come late 2005, Bengals fans were suddenly popping up out of the woodwork, all over campus. "Carson Palmer! Chad Johnson! Ummm.... who else is on our team again?" Not that I really minded at that point - I had backup against the contentious Steelers fans. Though, after that brutal loss when a Steelers fan, draped in his terrible towel, mocked me for coming out of the closet as a Bengals fan, I somehow felt very offended. And subsequently following the loss, seeing all my fellow Bengals fans disappear, I additionally felt betrayed by them. Almost how I imagine William Wallace must have felt when he discovered Robert the Bruce had given up on his Scottish countrymen and joined ranks with the British.
Being a casual Reds and Muskies fan myself, I'm certainly not encouraging bitterness between true Bengals fans and casual ones - just wanted to vent a little frustration with the oncoming 'bandwagon' Bengals fans we'll be associated with. Honestly, I can't even stand talking football with most "Bengals fans", since they know so little about our team. It's like discussing politics with a 10 year old.
But as I continue to watch our beloved Bengals at the local sports bar in Georgia - while explaining to the inevitable handful of "Bengals fans" who will soon start showing up, why we're suddenly better without Palmer and Chad - I'll know where I can go to find refuge in discussing football with serious Bengal fans (even if we sometimes often disagree).
Here's to you, CincyJungle....
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.
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I agree with this post.
The thing I hate more than anything is when the bandwagon fans call themselves diehards; I guarantee you nearly everyone in Cincinnati will be saying they believed in this team all along. It’s not that I think everyone should obsess to our extent and know the majority of players currently on the practice squad, but it’s pretty stupid when people claim to be big fans of the Bengals but would have a blank look if you mentioned the names Andre Caldwell, Bernard Scott or any starting O-linemen. I have a couple relatives who think they’re the biggest Bengals fans they know, but they have no idea who Carlos Dunlap, Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson are.
by sexsalad on Oct 20, 2011 9:55 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
my typical litmus test for fans is whether or not they can name the entire offensive line
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
I'd say that's fair.
A true fan should at least know the starting O-line. People like the ones at CJ probably know the entire starting O-line for half the teams in the league.
yea, I actually don't really follow other teams
most of what I know about the rest of the NFL is stuff I pick up on this site.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
I mean, I follow the Lions in a half-assed way.
But that’s because they’re local and I just can’t get away without hearing them.
by Doc Scratch on Oct 20, 2011 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm currently in Georgia
and have no problem tuning Atlanta fans out. UGA fans are a little harder. Eventually, I’m going to find our Georgia scout down here…. I’ve got my eye on this guy
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
by Blue Steel on Oct 20, 2011 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
he was trying to tell me about the next Dennis Roland
and asked if I can mail Mike Brown a stick figure drawing of a few players
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
got to ask, how did you end up a bengals fan all the way in georgia? assuming you’re a transplant in georgia, from the sw ohio originally?
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
military
I am from Cincinnati and have only been in Savannah, GA for a couple months now
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
you’ll get used to grits. you still getting the occasional, “you talk sorta funny, you ain’t from around here..”
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
Girls Raised in the South?
or the food? I’m only interested in the first. Surprisingly, I don’t have any difficulty talking with people from the South. I’ve been in NC and VA over the last 5 years as well.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
Savannah
Hey Steel, I got a hom there in Savannah. Next time I’m there I will try to hook up with ya for a round of your favorite libation!!!
I represent the Bengals of Cincinati with extreme passion and prejudice and make no apologies for it!
Yeah...same here pretty much.
I’m in Louisiana and can block out the Saints and Cowboys no prob. The Texans are a little harder (my gf is a fan), but LSU makes life kinda sucky.
"I really dig Hannibal. Hannibal had real guts. He rode elephants into Cartilage." - Mike Tyson
by morrison360 on Oct 28, 2011 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I follow the Lions on occasion too...
especially this year because I think they’re in a similar position we’re in right now, they’re just a little further developed then we are. We have a lot in common with them, big play, freak athlete receivers in AJ Green and Calvin Johnson, two young, talented, and up and coming QBs in Stafford and Dalton and we also have two of the best D-Lines in the NFL. Schwartz and Lewis I think have been in very similar situations as coaches as well with each team as they both came into horrible situations and turned their teams around (granted Schwartz was lucky not to have Matt Millen holding him back lol). But their fanbase has gotten a little obnoxious this year with all the success they’re having. I have a close friend who’s a Lions fan because he’s originally from Ypsilanti. He loves the way they’re playing this year but he also obnoxiously takes jabs at the Bengals, telling me that I have no right to hate the Steelers and their fans as much as I do when he feels the exact same way about the Packers and the Bears in their division. My number one comeback is that at least we’ve never cheered on an 0-16 team lol.
Man, you'd think a Lions fan would at least be a little bit reserved with his excitement but I guess people can get drunk on that feeling and take it too far.
by Doc Scratch on Oct 21, 2011 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Well they have a right to be excited about their team...
especially since they were tortured by Matt Millen for years the same way we were tortured by Mike Brown for longer. The problem is when he tells me that I shouldn’t be excited about the fact that the Bengals are doing well and that it’s all smoke and mirrors. At that point I just tell him to go screw himself. He also has several roommates who are Browns fans and who despise the Steelers as much as I do so he gets irritated with all the Steeler hate but that’s what it’s like in Ohio. The Steelers are not a popular commodity in any parts of Ohio west of Cleveland. That fact that I’m an OSU fan and he’s a Michigan fan in college football only enhances our desire to push each other’s buttons lol. But he’s very touchy about the Lions when I insult them and ESPECIALLY when I bring up Matt Millen or Rod Marinelli.
or he's famished of thrist
and prepared to drink the kool-aid the moment it becomes available. think about it, this poor bastage has endured not only mike brown’s 21 years, but william clay ford as well.
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
Half the teams might be high.
But still, there are some teams that I’m not a fan of that I know more about than some members of my family know about the Bengals (I know that sentence doesn’t make much sense, but I think you get the gist of what I’m saying)
I probably know more about the Steelers than most "Steelers fans" know
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
I think most of us do.
I probably know more about the Colts than most of your average Colts fans do.
by Doc Scratch on Oct 21, 2011 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions
You probably do...
As I mentioned on a previous post in another thread, I’ve met Steeler fans who don’t even know who Terry Bradshaw is or that he used to play for them lol. But by god they carry their Terrible Towels around with a sense of snobbish superiority
Actually, for their own team I think it might be fair to say people should know all the offensive linemen on the roster.
A Bengals fan who hasn’t heard of Clint Boling, Dennis Roland or Anthony Collins probably hasn’t been paying much attention.
Back-ups included?
I feel like knowing the difference between Roland and Collins is pretty damn important.
by Doc Scratch on Oct 20, 2011 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions
RE: litmus test of offensive linemen knowledge
if they can name the 5 starters, I’m content, since I know I can have a decent discussion at least. If they know who Lurch is and have an opinion on Collins, I’m impressed.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
not sure what mine is
on same level, a person having anything beyond topical knowledge of the club, like if they know something about paul brown. or greg cook. or who the best bengal qb of the 90s was. etc.
i’d probably consider someone die-hard, if they’ve ever frozen their butt off in a pointless game in december. or recorded a game to watch later (sometimes life gets in the way on sunday) and then kept the game around to watch over and over for years after.
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
jeff blake best 90s qb
The whole reason I became a bengals fan when I was a kid.
by JCompton41 on Oct 21, 2011 7:49 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Boomer
was only here in 90 and 91. (I think he left after 92 though) He really wasn’t that good, that was when Sam Whyche was fired.The team was awful then b/c of MB sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. So Boomer was only really good in the 80’s.
1997
Boomer would return for one more season with the Bengals, eventually replacing Blake midway through the season and winning 4 out of the last 5 games. At that time, I remember everyone jumping back on the Boomer bandwagon and hoping he’d come back. But, unfortunately he retired.
Prior to his 4-1 record, the same team was 3-8 with Blake.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
people were desperate
i could never get on the boomer bandwagon. my dislike for him went back to the strike comments and stayed. i even have his autograph. i didn’t want it, he gave it to my gf at the time. suspect it was meant to impress her. she gave it to me knowing that i loved the bengals, never had the heart to tell her. got munoz to sign that paper later in the year, so it made it my 2nd pride an joy bengal item.
my 1st is a game used ball, no comment on how i got that.
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
Yeah I remember
and He just wanted to come back to retire in a Bengals jersey. He played well in those games, well enough to give him and us satisfaction one last time.
i was 8 yrs old in 97
I became a fan watching little bits I saw on tv being from around Cleveland was much. They didn’t have awesome sites like this for me to be obsessed with. I just like Blake because that’s who I saw that made me start following the team. I didn’t really start being an obsessive NFL and bengals fan until I was like 12.
by JCompton41 on Oct 21, 2011 11:04 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
wish i could find Shake-N-Blake lyrics for you
seems like the net has eaten that part of digital history.
something something something
than a rattlesnake
shake-n-blake
something something something
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
Same here
When I first really started following the Bengals it was Jeff Blake at QB. I still have a Blake jersey, although it’s a kids size and no longer fits I would wear it if it did fit for the throw back effect.
"When you see it open up and all you can see is the end zone, it’s hard to describe how relieving it feels." -Ced Benson
by ItsAlwaysSunnyInDayton on Oct 25, 2011 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
liked it too
been thinking about getting off my butt and blending that braveheart image so the paint is orange & black.
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
Some people are just like that though
Some people get totally invested in watching the games but no idea about the details.
There are a lot of loyal Bears fans like that around where I live. They love, love, LOVE the team, good year or bad, but their brains don’t work that way. The don’t notice the little parts that affect the success of the whole.
Honestly, I'm fine with the support.
Bandwagoners=interest
Interest=people going to games
Interest=media being more inclined to cover us
Interest=less spontaneous shitting on this team for bad reasons
Interest=people taking care to actually look into us
Interest=drawing new diehards
I have a Jeff Blake signed T-shirt. He signed it at Kroger in West Chester.
I am a mother f’ing fan!
Change gone come mane! Trust me! Cause i Bleed tigerblood!--Jerome Simpson
haha
no offense to Blake. I was a fan too. Just never got us over the hump…
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
i liked jeff blake. he was a 1 trick pony though. bomb. once the league figured out how to defend blake, he didn’t have much success. was a fun 2 years when he tore up some d’s.
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
the rainbow pass to Carl Pickens...
that was pretty much it though
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
on the upside we won’t have to put up with people giving us a hard time for the time we put into knowing whats going on with the team. we’ll just have to put up with the stupid questions.
also i don’t have to deal with the stupid looks people give me when i mention i have season tickets, lately its “do you have an extra ticket” as opposed to some stupid joke
you bought season tickets????
just kidding. I envy you
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
haha yeah
after 08 i decided it should be easy to find a decent seats.. took some balls i guess, but 09 made it worth it getting to chase the steelers fans out of the stadium. some short lived vindication to my friends but i’m hoping that will return this fall
by Mmcclellan01 on Oct 20, 2011 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I close my eyes...
and just pretend that we don’t have fair-weather fans even though we probably do. Fair-weather fans are what make up 90% of Steeler Nation and I’ve always thought the Bengals fanbase is one of the most loyal in the NFL. I mean 20 years of losing and we’re all still here, we haven’t exactly gone out and started becoming Patriots fans now have we. Give the Steelers even one 4-12 or 5-11 season and I’m guessing their fans will be doing one of two things: converting to New England or Dallas or going out and drowning themselves in the Allegheny River.
Ah, Steeler fans
The most common jersey AND most obnoxious fangroup found on Sunday afternoon in Hooters bars everywhere.
I’m sure some of them would root for the team through the bad times, it’s just human nature that a certain percentage hold on even with no reward for doing so.
But what REALLY chafes my ass about most Steeler fans is the total superiority complex. Like, somehow by cheering for a team with SIX RINGS you are a higher class of fan. As if any of those fans can take any credit for the success of their organization.
Let's see them use that argument this year...
when they’re cheering on a team with bunch of old farts on defense and offense because they simply flat out refuse to build through the draft. I guess the Rooney family’s brilliance has its limits lol
Oh stop
They could lose 11 straight games right now and still feel superior to Bengals fans. After all, even in a bad year they have the SIX RINGS ace in the hole, to prove they are more awesome people.
Simply put...
for fans of a team that wins year after year they’re terrible at trash talking. It’s always SIX RINGS this, SIX RINGS that, that’s all they’ve got, it’s all they’re clinging to.
Honestly, if the Squeelers return to their pre-70's roots, I'm really interested to see how big that bandwagon stays.
It’d be nice to know how much of that fanbase is actually loyal.
by Doc Scratch on Oct 21, 2011 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions
For my own sake...
I hope I never go to a Bengals-Steelers game at Heinz Field at all in my life because I most likely wouldn’t be able to control myself. I’d be looking to fight almost every Steeler fan present in that stadium because they’re just so irritating to be around. Not all of them just most of them, particularly the hardcore ones.
I think it's the opposite.
Hardcore Squeelers fans are generally sensible enough to be able to have rational football talks (as rational as that can be anyway) and discuss the finer points of the game. It’s the bandwagon ones that piss me off the most.
Some of them are...
but they can get downright violent on gameday to the point where you have to defend yourself. The bandwagon fans are generally easy to shut up although some of them do try to let their fists do the talking I’m sure. Check out this video. This is a perfect example of some of the stupid stunts they pull lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjdgPm_VH2c
Out of state Steeler fans...
are the ones I tend to ridicule the most, especially when they have no connections to the team as far as location.
Not at all...
I’m glad that we have out of state fans too. I’m expressing my frustration that Steeler fans are EVERYWHERE to the point where we can’t get away from them. I wouldn’t be surprised to find Steeler fans up in Canada lol. Even our president is a Steeler fan. Plus we’re not obnoxious on the same level that they are. We tend to keep to ourselves most of the time, particularly when we aren’t winning and when we are all we do is express enthusiasm about our team with our WHO DEY chants. Don’t get me wrong there are obnoxious Bengal fans too. I personally think that group responsible for throwing trash on Carson Palmer’s lawn last year should be ashamed of themselves. But I have no problem with out of state fans. It’s just the fact that the Steelers have so many it makes me suspicious that they might be bandwagon fans. You understand.
Thought Obama was a Bears fan?
I vaguely remember something about it when the Packers came to see him after the Superbowl.
Flying is as simple as throwing yourself at the ground and missing
He claims...
he holds both teams “close to his heart” lol. He might be slightly more on the side of the Bears but he’s said before that besides the Bears, the Steelers are the team he holds closest to his heart lol. Google it, it’s pretty easy to find.
Plus...
if there were no out of state Bengals fans there would be hardly any of us left. Mike Brown has done his best to drive the fans away in the last 20 years so I’m surprised the Bengals are an appealing team to cheer for within the state of Ohio which is contested between Cincy and Cleveland much less outside the state of Ohio. If you’re at the point where you feel this team is the closest team to your heart in the NFL despite the fact that they haven’t historically been very successful then more power to you. The reason I call out out of state Steeler fans is because I’m always skeptical about their reasons. I truly believe most of them fall into the category of those only show up during the good times.
nothing like a playoff run to bring out the fair weather fans
i tend to attribute most of the boneheaded comments from steelers and ravens fans we see here on their fair weather fans. steelers make a playoff run, it never fails the next season, we got a handful of clowns on here talking the same crap the national media says. bungles and prison uniforms. and we own you. always makes me chuckle when i hear that from ravens fans, its like really, you own us? what’s the ravens record vs marvin lewis over the past 8 years? etc.
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
My name is miniglik, and I'm a fair weather fan...
As a non-Ohioan, I only started “following” this team in 2000, when my then-boyfriend started dragging me to sports bars with NFL ticket, trying to get me to remember who the back-up linemen were, and explaining to me how Next Year Would Be Better while we watched the little football trudge across his computer screen on Sundays.
2009 was the year that reeled me in, when we got NFL Ticket and we watched Hard Knocks, and I started believing in these guys. I lost my mind entirely when “we” lost to the Jets in the first round. So 2010, when everything went to crap again, I just couldn’t devote that much attention to them. Still wanted them to win, still wore my Brian Leonard jersey on game day, but I’m going to walk away from my t.v. when they’re shooting themselves in the foot, and I’m not going to talk about them on-line unless they give me something to believe in.
But now I’m back for more. Because they’re giving me something to believe in again. I’m hoping they don’t make me lose my mind again.
Proppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppps for having a B. Leonard jersey
Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
by UpStateMike on Oct 21, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Good read
Here’s to Cincy Jungle and the fans here!
WHO DEY?!?!
by Oregonbengalsfan on Oct 21, 2011 12:29 AM EDT reply actions
I play hockey on Sunday nights and every week
and I wear whatever Bengals shirt I had on to watch the game. This week, after we had beaten the Colts, as I entered the locker room a 18 yo kid (who is generally a completely disrespectful ass to everyone) says to me “oh nice Bengals shirt… did you just go pick that up after they won today?” He didn’t believe that I had bought it before the season started, so I told him how I streamed every game that wasn’t on TV and spouted off the names of every starter on offense and defense. That shut him up pretty quick… but it just made me so angry to be accused of being a fair weather/bandwagon fan… especially when I watched nearly every play of every Bengals game since like 92 (born in 86). Yup… so they’ve pretty much been bad since the start of my football consciousness until recently… still love em though!
All I have to say to all of you fair weather fans is.... Welcome back, Who Dey!
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
That is okay. They will never feel the joy of victory like we faithfull few will
That will be our reward.
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
by JUNGLEJOHN on Oct 22, 2011 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think the real cincy fans can be found............
right here. We have all bled orange and black for so long we don’t know any better. Just look at previous posts of the folks consistently on here to see who the real fans are. I feel like I’ve known suffering like other fans can’t even fathom, that’s how I know I am a real fan. Agreed though, they’re will always be the bandwagon folks, but remember, we need them too (aka – they are the ones who can buy the 20k in remaining tickets each week to help us actually sellout, other than that they are pretty useless I guess).
by The Van Buren Boys on Oct 21, 2011 8:21 AM EDT reply actions
Like you who just showed back up recently?
jk :P
2011 Year of the Red Rifle
Carson Palmer 2011 Comeback Player of the Year
That Throw the ball is a funny guy! HAHA
by The Van Buren Boys on Oct 21, 2011 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
haha
geeze, guys, I was only gone for a few months…. and I returned before the preseason even began.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
You know im kidding with you
Love “sparring” with you
2011 Year of the Red Rifle
Carson Palmer 2011 Comeback Player of the Year
by Throw the ball on Oct 21, 2011 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions
right back at you
agreement is boring
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
I think I can appreciate where you're coming from..
There are people in my area that only talk about the KC Royals once every 10-12 years or so when they suddenly field a good team. For the most part I don’t have a problem with that. “Fans” that don’t gripe about the team when they’re bad but show up to root for them when they’re good don’t bother me. They like cheering for the team, but when the team sucks they don’t invest a lot of time into it. They focus on other sports rather than be depressed. That’s not my path, but I can understand and even respect people for taking it. The people that root for whoever’s winning, on the other hand, can make me upset. People who were “fans” of the 49ers, then the Cowboys, then the Patriots.. ugh.
"but, my father's cousin's nephew's former roomate was a Steelers fan
so it made sense I should be a Steelers fan…."
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
with you on this
makes you want to punch 1/2 the people wearing or waving whatever crap bauble represents “the in team.” like a group of migratory birds, they flock to the hottest city to “summer” there every football season.
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
so true...
After watching the 1989 Superbowl as a kindergartner with no clue….
I was a young kid when we were last in the superbowl. I had no idea what the big deal was, or what a superbowl was, and so I just played video games w/my friends in the next room instead. When my dad asked if I wanted to watch the Super Bowl, i simply replied, “No. I’ll just watch them play in it next year.”
Same with the Reds in 1990..........
actually got to go to the division series and to the World Series and remember thinking, “this will be cool to come back next year.” At least we have gotten to see both our teams get there (one actually win), but a return trip and win for the Bengals would be the ultimate. I could die a happy man after that………
by The Van Buren Boys on Oct 22, 2011 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I remember the Reds rally party in second grade
and how I assumed we did that every year….
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
still have my Reds 1990 World Series Replica Ring from opening day 1991
it’s most likely brass, and the underside of the ring is just a strip of metal, but MAN…the memories it holds are worth more than any piece of memorabilia.
Side note: had a buddy in college who interned at the Baseball HOF- got a private tour in the archives and they let us send a list of items we’d want to see first hand (actually had to put white gloves on to hold this stuff), and one of the suprise items (due to all the reds requests) was Billy Hatchers hat that he wore from the World Series…
The Curse of Bo Jackson: Jan 13th,1991- present day
I hope we'll be able to see a Bengals super bowl victory in our lifetime.
You guys all knew about the horrible 90’s, the only Bengals period I’ve known is a little bit of the Dick Lebeau time and the rest has been the Marvin era. So for me this team has been simply mediocre for a while, and it angers me when pundits criticize it all the time. But after a bit of research, I understand how futile we were and where they’re coming from with all the hate.
Guys? Were the 90’s Bengals really worse than the Lions of the 2000’s?
by cincyplayoffwin2012 on Nov 3, 2011 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I have no real issue with fair weather fans.
What we do is hard. Not everyone is willing to sit through the draft, or watch the 9th game against a play-off contender when the team is 0-8. Some people do something else when the pain of losing becomes unbearable. I take it out on opposing teams in Madden. Others go watch something else, and I don’t blame them. I have also known die-hard fans with absolutely no knowledge of the team or of football, but they watch every game. Team knowledge isn’t what makes you supporting the team does, even if only when supportig the team is easy.
It must be inordinately taxing to be such a boob. ~ The Brain
by jim0ijk on Oct 22, 2011 3:30 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Nice post Blue.
Loved your insight that made you into a Bengals fan.
Managing Editor at CincyJungle.com -- SB Nation Cincinnati Bengals blog.
by Josh Kirkendall on Oct 24, 2011 5:46 PM EDT reply actions
thanks, Josh
still only the Padawan to your Jedi
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
Lol
Managing Editor at CincyJungle.com -- SB Nation Cincinnati Bengals blog.
by Josh Kirkendall on Oct 25, 2011 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I remember when....
I collected the Bengals’ Starting LineUp figures (McFarlane Toys who?)
I had a Boomer Esiason pillow pal (I think thats what they were called)
I watched helpless as the 49ers drove the field in the last 2 minutes of Super Bowl XXIII
Sam Wyche was the coach
I had a David Klingler Starting Lineup figure and the Sports Illustrated where he was on the cover after the draft
I LOVE the Bengals
I met Boomer Esiason at a Clemson vs Maryland game when I was 7, and thought the name Boomer was the coolest thing ever. Well, he was drafted by the Bengals, and I became a fan.
Isn’t it funny how you choose which teams you’re going to be a fan of, especially when you’re 10?
I'm pretty sure, according to man-code, you're not allowed to change teams after the age of 10
which many Steeler “fans” don’t abide by….
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
You're not allowed to change teams after 10!
But you ARE allowed to ADD a team after you’re 10 as long as your original team is still the one that you root for head to head. For example me and my buddy from Detroit about 8 years ago decided that since both our teams were no good that we would adopt each others teams to have an extra team to be disappointed in on a regular basis haha.
I could never do that
I’ve attempted over the years to root for the Colts, Cavs, and OSU basketball – but could never get into it.
Bengals, Muskies, Reds, Buckeye Football, and the Celtics are the teams I’ve rooted for since around the age of 10 and they’re the only teams I ever have cared about.
The closest thing I can do is root for specific players. I loved Kurt Warner. I always root for Jon Kitna and Ryan Fitzpatrick. I prefer Manning over Brady.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
happened to me with the texans this year
keeping an eye on them since they grabbed one of my favorite players, fans over the forum are pretty nice, and the texans are far from one of those media darling teams (packers, cowboys, pats, steelers.)
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
funny you mention that
first nfl game i ever watched with my dad as a kid, vikings vs raiders. to this day, i still keep an eye on the vikes. first nfl game i ever attended as a kid, bengals vs browns. been to hundreds of bengals games through the years. only vikes games i ever got to see in person, when they played the bengals or the bucs (lived in florida for awhile).
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
depends
The first football game I remember was a Super Bowl between the Cowboys and Steelers. I was 5 or so and it made perfect sense to me, as I grew up watching western movies with my dad. The good guys wore white and had starts on their hats, while the bad guys wore black and were “steal-ers”. Hey, I was five. The next fall, right after football season started up, my older brother had to take a home ec class. He made me a stuffed dolphin and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. At some point that season I started paying attention to football and when I found out there was a team called the Dolphins and they had a coach that kinda reminded me of my dad, I decided they were my team. Despite living in southeastern Pennsylvania, then later in Kansas, I was a true Dolphins fan. Through all those years with Dan Marino and unsung heroes like John Offerdahl and Jim Jensen, I lived and breathed Dolphins football. When they lost the Super Bowl to the Redskins I was devastated. In 1985 when they were the only team that beat the Bears and were heading to a rematch but then had 6 turnovers in an AFC Championship game loss to the flukey Patriots, I found out just how much each game matters.
It wasn’t until the early 90s, after a few years of repeatedly signing old free agents and saying Super Bowl or Bust, that the wheels fell off. They systematically got rid of every player I liked, then pushed Don Shula out the door. Then they brought in that d-bag Jimmy Johnson, who ruined the end of Marino’s career. At that point I couldn’t take it anymore. There was nothing left of the Dolphins I grew up rooting for, so I decided that from then on I’d just root for the team that had always been 2nd in my heart, the Bengals. Then they drafted Ki-Jana Carter from my beloved Penn State and it seemed meant to be. I was sure Carter would be a hall of famer. You all know how that turned out. The career I expected him to have really did happen, but it happened to Curtis Martin instead.
I stuck with the Bengals, though, through the bad and the worse.
Pinata Carter!
one more link in a chain of failed top draft picks for us. I too was a big Marino fan and felt he never quite got the respect he deserved, playing behind a miserable offensive line pretty much his entire career. His saving attribute was his quick release. Yet, he still captured virtually every major QB record – until Manning came along. In many ways, I think those two are very comparable. Joe Montana/Steve Young would have been the Tom Brady to Marino’s Peyton Manning.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
I agree
and the other thing Marino was amazing at was mobility in the pocket. Most of today’s football fans would laugh out loud at that, but nobody could feel pressure and avoid sacks like Marino. He didn’t run for a first down very often, but nobody could use a tiny little sidestep to completely avoid a pass rusher like him. While the pass rusher was falling and trying to get turned around to go after him again, Marino was already firing downfield. So much fun to watch.
I was also a big fan of western movies as well
loved seeing the good guys win. And still do…
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING!!!
On this post. NICE STEEL!!!
I represent the Bengals of Cincinati with extreme passion and prejudice and make no apologies for it!
Indicators of true love
Still having an emotional connection to Jon Kitna. It was like a mediocre girlfriend who was pretty cool after a bunch of chicks broke your heart.
by downtowndirtybrown on Oct 26, 2011 11:45 AM EDT reply actions
I'm still a Kitna fan
and I still remember him for the probowl and turn-around he led our franchise to before getting yanked out for Palmer. I still would have loved to see what we could have done with Kitna – minus Palmer’s enourmous salary which have allowed us to acquire more talent as well as retain players like Justin Smith, Steinbach, etc
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
I'm still a Kitna fan too
You’d think Carson Palmer went out early in the 2nd half of that playoff game for the way people talk about Kitna. Carson Palmer got hurt before the Bengals scored a single point. With Kitna at QB the Bengals took the lead, extended the lead, then held on to the lead despite the Steelers making great adjustments and the Bengals coaches pouting on the sidelines and giving up. I’m not saying Kitna was better than Carson, but he was a lot better than he got credit for.
I agree full-heartedly
you’ve also got to remember…. Kitna hadn’t taken a snap all year and was suddenly thrust onto the field during the playoff game. Therefore, he hadn’t nearly the practice reps with the starters to properly prepare him.
And don’t leave out Chad getting into a fistfight with a coach at halftime.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
I remember
and if I was on the team and saw the coaches too busy crying to gameplan and coach I’d have been pissed too
I am a "fair-weather" fan
I have nothing to prove to you and I have no need to prove anything to you. You become a fan for yourself, the way other people are matters not.
I first became a fan in 1981. I followed the team every year after that until they basically played like crap and were an embarrassment. Did I tell you I’m from Jersey. It’s hard enough being a fan of an out of state team prior to the internet — imagine if it’s the worst team in football year after year. Imagine living in a state that actually had a Super Bowl winning team like the Giants. How many of you would have jumped ship?
I start every season following the Bengals at a very low level of interest — with it either building or waning depending on how the team is doing. I am a “fair weather fan,” but the team earned it based on their past performance. The fact that I chose to not follow another team instead should show that it’s not about looking to jump on the bandwagon. I could have become a Giants fan, right? I never did.
Nope, instead I spent my limited level of interest regarding the NFL on the Bengals — or nothing. If they aren’t doing well then I’ve got other things in my life to focus on. If they are doing well, I’ll give them some time. Fair weather? Maybe in your eyes, but maybe you should stop being judgmental.
by Anim8rguy on Oct 29, 2011 12:43 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Don't take this post the wrong way
I even stated I’m a casual Reds and Muskies fan. Even somewhat of a casual Celtics and OSU Buckeyes fan as well. The purpose was more to laud my fellow die hard fans and show appreciation for this site, which facilitates serious Bengals discussion – which I can’t really get anywhere else.
I’ve never lived outside of Cincy without the internet. Though before discovering this site, it was depressing having to rely on Bengals.com for my fix. I remember as a teenager before I had access to the internet, my only source of information on the Bengals was the newspaper and ESPN (who might feature the Bengals once in a blue moon). That was frustrating.
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
Fair-weather solidarity
I feel this is a totally acceptable way to be a fan. Love one team, through the good times and bad, but don’t be masochistic about following them in the bad years.
Nice post. Props for the Braveheart Reference
However the fact that you were in kindergarten during the 1989 SB game makes me feel REALLY OLD. I had a five year old son by then.
Follow me on Twitter @BonnieBengal
So, you're almost old enough to my mother
but not that old ;-)
Moisture is the essense of wetness, and wetness is the essense of beauty.
LOL. Probably.
Follow me on Twitter @BonnieBengal
by BonnieBengal on Oct 29, 2011 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Ok, I'll admit it.
I was born in Jan. of 97, and have only been a Bengals fan since about 2003. Since then, I’ve been enamored, never jumping ship, even in 08/last year.
by cincyplayoffwin2012 on Nov 3, 2011 9:35 PM EDT up reply actions
You have no reason to jump ship!
Only one REALLY bad year in there. Unfortunately for me (born in 86) the start of my football consciousness was at the start of the 90s when the Bengals were just terrible for the longest time. It was great to get some turn around seasons when Marvin first got here and its REALLY exciting now- so much better already than 2009… maybe just because the expectations of the media was sooo low for this year. Still watching my team suck all through the 90’s just makes it that much better when they turn stuff around.
Were they that bad?
I remember that they were ok a few years, going 7-9/8-8. They were good in 1990.
by cincyplayoffwin2012 on Nov 4, 2011 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
They have them listed as #4 but
I have them #1 and most would too. They were horrible!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4oiqF-ipuw
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