In the wake of the Bengals' crapout at the end of the season, the local and national media are rushing in to claim that the team's "character problems" were the primary cause of the disappointing 2006 season.  The media's assertions seem a bit melodramatic; character by itself was not the undoing of this team.  However, there can be no question that it was a huge contributor.

In the wake of the Bengals' crapout at the end of the season, the local and national media are rushing in to claim that the team's "character problems" were the primary cause of the disappointing 2006 season.  The media's assertions seem a bit melodramatic; character by itself was not the undoing of this team.  However, there can be no question that it was a huge contributor.

When I watched that final game against Pittsburgh, I watched a team that had given up.  They just didn't seem to care: didn't care that a win would send them to the playoffs, didn't care that the Steelers have owned them at home for years, didn't care to send the scowling, smirking Bill Cowher into retirement with a loss, didn't care to avenge last January's dreadful events.  I think all of this has to do with character.

All the hoopla started in the preseason with the media going on and on about the Bengals' misdeeds.  I figured that all of this would settle down and that the team would move forward and rally around their back-from-the dead quarterback.  Marvin Lewis repeatedly poo-poohed the notion that the team was out of control, and essentially punted all discipline (except for Thurman) matters to the league.

Things started to get out of hand mid-season when the team went on a losing streak and the accusations of "selfishness" came out.  Marvin didn't seem to do much on that end either, nor did Carson Palmer, who at this point should be the guy in the locker room who shuts that crap down.  The team simply looked unfocused and unmotivated during the losing streak, and I got the sense that all the off-field stuff was taking its toll.

The team then went on a bit of a winning streak, which quieted some of the critics.  However, it seemed to me that the streak was a bit of a red herring.  The Bengals won a game that they in no way deserved to win in New Orleans and defeated cellar dwellers in Cleveland and Oakland.  Only on the Thursday night game against the Ravens did the Bengals really seem focused and alive.

Reality came crashing back on Monday Night against Indy, where the Bengals showed no evidence that they were fired up for a game on national TV against a Colts team that barely beat them last year.  They stumbled and bumbled their way to a loss in a game they were never really in.  

Then came the Kicking Mishap games.  You can argue that the missed PAT and field goal against Denver and Pittsburgh lost those games, but the reality is that a team determined to get to the playoffs does not leave the door open for one play to make or break the game.  It's a bit like blaming the refs for a loss.  Maybe the ref made a bad call and maybe not, but if you'd put points on the board and played good defense it wouldn't have mattered.

The Bengals defense gave up against Pittsburgh.  Had Willie Parker not fumbled in the Bengals' end zone we wouldn't even be talking about the field goal.  Just before the field goal, Marvin Lewis bungled the game management, taking knees to burn downs instead of running Rudi up the middle to get as close as possible.  The Bengals had a chance to score a TD, why risk everything with a longish field goal?

No matter.  The team had given up, so it was no surprise to see Santonio Holmes streaking down the field to win the game while the Bengals defense watched.  The Steelers wanted to win.  The Bengals were ambivalent.

Perhaps the team was tired of all the sniping, bickering and scrutiny and just wanted to go home instead of forging on to a playoff series they didn't deserve?  Nobody knows but the players themselves.  Hopefully this disaster of a season will be the shot in the arm that this group needs to get over the hump in 2007.  We'll see.

At this point, it's clear that the Bengals' biggest rival isn't Pittsburgh- it's themselves.