As a Non-NFL Lover, why do the Bengals suck so much?

[RedTruck]

I don't know much about football to be quite honest. I follow the bengals, because there cincinnati, and i love all things cincinnati. That said, I love baseball much more.

Regardless of all that. For a non nfl knowledgeable person, like myself, can anyone explain why the Bengals have sucked so much this decade, and why there isn't more commitment to make this team better?

Because, I know there are dominant teams like the Steelers and Patriots who have been dominant for decades and have been a "staple" for quality in the NFL. Now why is it so difficult for the Bengals to achieve this?

Thanks

[Gizmo]

lack of caring from the top. they make their money, that's all they care about. the Bengals put less money and time into scouting, facilities, etc. than any team in the league, they have one of the smallest payrolls in the league, and in the next year or so, will actually be forced to spend more to meet the low cap that's put on player salaries.

[westofyou]

[Stray]

The Bengals haven't sucked in recent years. We're probably around the middle of the pack in the NFL.

You need good players to win in the NFL. The Steelers don't miss on players very often. For a while in the 90s and early 2000s the Bengals were missing a LOT more than we were hitting. Screwing up a top draft pick in the NFL can be devastating and take a long time to recover from. The reason we're better now is because we are drafting better.

[RedTruck]

Originally Posted by Stray

The Bengals haven't sucked in recent years. We're probably around the middle of the pack in the NFL.

You need good players to win in the NFL. The Steelers don't miss on players very often. For a while in the 90s and early 2000s the Bengals were missing a LOT more than we were hitting. Screwing up a top draft pick in the NFL can be devastating and take a long time to recover from. The reason we're better now is because we are drafting better.

Hasn't it been like 20 something years since the Bengals won a playoff game?

Also why is Marvin Lewis still the coach..I know dusty has his haters for various reasons, but at least he has taken a team from zero to 50 in a few years time. I know Marvin has taken this team to a similar route, but have lost quite a few more playoff games in the process.

Also, do any of you think there's a realistic chance of the Bengals ever moving out of Cincinnati if the struggles continue?

[RedTruck]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

lack of caring from the top. they make their money, that's all they care about. the Bengals put less money and time into scouting, facilities, etc. than any team in the league, they have one of the smallest payrolls in the league, and in the next year or so, will actually be forced to spend more to meet the low cap that's put on player salaries.

Why isn't there a bigger outcry than? Why don't fans protest with there dollar and let them understand that "us" fans won't take this neglect any longer.

If it's as bad as it seems, I would love to see a strike occur from us fans leaving the stadium completely barren to let the management up top know that this has to stop.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

lack of caring from the top. they make their money, that's all they care about. the Bengals put less money and time into scouting, facilities, etc. than any team in the league, they have one of the smallest payrolls in the league, and in the next year or so, will actually be forced to spend more to meet the low cap that's put on player salaries.

I don't think it is for a lack of caring at all. It is flat out stubbornness. Mike Brown, I believe, wants more than anything to win. But, he wants to do it his way. He wants to be the guy calling the shots. That means no GM. That means a small scouting staff.

[camisadelgolf]

http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/fe...spx?ID=1562012
Every Bengals fan should read this.

[Todd Gack]

Bengals fans could just 'quit' on the franchise considering they've essentially 'quit' on you. I made this decision probably 4-5 years ago and I've never looked back. But of course, I'm not a superfan so you won't have many people who'll do the same and continue to support the worthless old man known as Mike Brown.

[UKFlounder]

Why do the Cubs suck in baseball?

As for protesting, etc, that all was tried in the mid to late 90s & early 2000s and I think people are too tired to try it again.

Marvin did take them from a 2 win team in 2002 to a couple of 8-8 seasons & then the playoffs in 2005 (first time since 1990) and that type of progress made a lot of people happier - progress was being made.

Since then however, it has been a yo-yo ride - playoffs in 2005, mediocrity in 2006 & 07, awful in 2008 (but Palmer was hurt), playoffs in 2009, awful in 2010, playoffs in 2011, and now 3-4 so far this year.

They have not actually sucked as much recently as they did in the 90s, but have not been consistently good either. It's been mostly mediocre with a couple of spikes better & worse along the way. Protests & stuff usually happen after several years of 4-12 type seasons and the Bengals have avoided that type of stretch lately. Does anyone really want to protest a team that did make the playoffs last year?

It's just so much "meh" right now

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by RedTruck

Also, do any of you think there's a realistic chance of the Bengals ever moving out of Cincinnati if the struggles continue?

Teams don't move because of a lack of success. It's because of stadium issues. The Bengals definitely do not have stadium issues and the Browns want the team to stay there.

Originally Posted by RedTruck

Why isn't there a bigger outcry than? Why don't fans protest with there dollar and let them understand that "us" fans won't take this neglect any longer.

If it's as bad as it seems, I would love to see a strike occur from us fans leaving the stadium completely barren to let the management up top know that this has to stop.

When the Bengals play poorly on a consistent basis, the stadium is pretty much half-empty for most games. Then they start winning again and the stadium fills up.

[top6]

Since Marvin got here, the Bengals have been just as good as the Reds under Castellini--i.e., competitive, sometimes able to slip into the playoffs, but unable to do anything once there, generally unable to ever win a big game, and completely outclassed by their rivals in the division.

There's no way anyone can say the Bengals have been worse than the Reds in recent years. The only thing the Reds have is a history of success, albeit one that dates back decades.

[WMR]

Horrible ownership... Beyond horrible, actually.

[Dom Heffner]

Originally Posted by WMR

Horrible ownership... Beyond horrible, actually.

I got killed for saying this last year.

They hire their entire family. You can't...I mean the odds of each and every one of your family being the best for the job....come on now.

[UKFlounder]

Good point, but I think the Bengals "bad seasons" are much worse than the Reds "bad seasons" and that may make the down years linger in our memory longer. 4-11-1 and 4-12 are much worse percentage wise than anything the Reds have done lately, and then they end up in with a top 5 5 draft pick as well, which may matter since the NFL draft is so popular.

Also, the Bengals did have a stretch of players getting in trouble with the law. That has mostly stopped recently, but I think it created a bad image that still stains the franchise a bit.

The Bengals also became a bit of a national target for a while, jokes on Tonight Show, etc, and that probably still adds to their reputation. The Reds really haven't been on that level since the days of Schottzie - they had bad ownership baseball-wise, but not as much of the embarrassing off field stuff or jokes.

You are right abou tthe actual performances being similar, but the perceptions are not

Originally Posted by top6

Since Marvin got here, the Bengals have been just as good as the Reds under Castellini--i.e., competitive, sometimes able to slip into the playoffs, but unable to do anything once there, generally unable to ever win a big game, and completely outclassed by their rivals in the division.

There's no way anyone can say the Bengals have been worse than the Reds in recent years. The only thing the Reds have is a history of success, albeit one that dates back decades.