The Reds made the playoffs in 2010 and 2012, bounced in the first round each time. Prior to that you have to go back to 1995 to find a Cincinnati Reds playoff team. It's this perception that the Reds have become so much more successful than the Bengals that blows my mind. Historically speaking it's not even close, but in the last 20 years they've been pretty equal.
The Bengals made the playoffs in 2005, 2009 and 2011. Prior to 2003 they hadn't been to the playoffs since 1990. If that doesn't count as an improvement I'm not exactly sure what does. And we have a really young talented team, how is there not reason to believe they'll get better?
The infatuation with Mike Brown is another mind boggling thing to me. If he made being a Bengals fan that miserable for me I'd find a new team. Sports are supposed to be fun afterall.