Even Marvin Quit on Us!

With 2:30 left to play, Marvin removed his headset cashing in his chips on another outstanding loss! This team is an absolute - I mean absolute - embarrassment! Once again, we are the team that gives up "firsts". Marshawn Lynch had his first 100 yard game, his first touchdown pass and his first professional reception. It was the first time in 8 games that Buffalo scored on the opening drive. Let's face it - we suck!

And how about the last touchdown by Marshawn Lynch? Jeanty wiffs, our $8million dollar man Justin Smith misses the tackle, and Deltha O'Neal was so afraid of contact he fell over backwards and wasn't even touched! Nice fake on the injury!!! Please just leave!

So, after reading the paper this morning and seeing from our beloved owner - the biggest ASSHOLE in professional sports!!! - that everything is OK? Like Marvin -I quit. I don't even care any more! Thank God it's college basketball season!

With The 7th Pick of the 2008 NFL Draft...

The Cincinnati Bengals select, from the University of Miami, defensive back, Kenny Phillips. And the crowd roars with laughter as the Bengals spend their first round pick on a DB for the third year in a row!

Yes, Bengals fans, the 2008 mock draft boards have already started and the Bengals currently sit with the 7th pick overall. Yea, we'll blow this draft too...I guess Dan Conner from Penn State or James Laurinaitis from Ohio State wouldn't help this franchise! How about the next draft we have one priority - a stallwart linebacker that would rather punch you in the mouth than to look at you! Let's face it, if Ahmad Brooks at 22 or 23 whatever the hell he is, can't keep his groin or hamstring from an injury that knocks him out for five weeks - HE WILL NOT HELP US!!! Or what about Michael Oher from Ole Miss? This offensive tackle is Willie Anderson x 2 or the "next" Anthony Munoz! His is one of the great stories and would be a perfect fit for conservative Cincinnati.

So that's where the season stands - pining for a draft slot. Cast your vote on where the 2008 draft should go. Click Here for a Mock Draft...

So You Tell Me!

Is there anything more pathetic than this football team? I've given up on this season and may give up on this team forever. My family has held season tickets since Nippert Stadium days and we currently hold eight club convertible seats; can you say Stub Hub? I don't know that I've ever been more disappointed in the Bengals. How is this any better than LeBeau/Coslet/Shula? I fervently hold that if either of those coaches had Carson Palmer, that coach would still be here - unless he left on his own!

And how about that 4th down call in the first half? Is that the coach you want leading this franchise? So I've grown weary of all of this. It's college basketball season beginning Wednesday as my beloved Wildcats of Kentucky begin the exhibition season - I can give up this cause. If you want the banter to continue and hopefully catch on and get some attention to the changes needed - let me know. Otherwise I'll retire to the basement in the hope of watching Kentucky, Cincinnati and Xavier basketball! My time, energy and effort will be better served elsewhere! Place your vote and let me know - keep the site or shut it down?

Hello? 9-1-1 Operator? No Wait We Have a Pulse!

It was so bad in the first half of the game, even Mr. Homer Bengal, Dave Lapham lamented of a team that was ill-prepared, even went on to say - lethargic! Then after the Jets rolled down our throats to open the second half, it looked as though we had resurrected the LeBeau/Shula/Coslet eras. It was horrible! But give the team credit, especially Bob Bratkowski who decided to run the ball down the Jets rear-end, they turned it around and played a decent game the second half. The defense finally got a sack and two take-aways but let's hope we never have to defend a Hail Mary at the end of the game that matters!! The Jets had three chances, finally scoring on the third and then we give up a two point conversion - how about a tad of pride?

I think most would have expected 4-2, certainly not 2-4 so we'll celebrate the win but remain stedfast that Marvin has lost this team and it's time for a change! Either that or give us a DAMN GM - Brown you CLOWN!!!

Marvin - "The Most Over-Rated!"

Check this out from Sporting News online! Marvin Lewis is rated the Most Over-Rated Coach! Also, look where Leslie Frazer is on the Head Coach in waiting list! Think we could use him? Click Here to read the story...

Are You Serious?

"What I told our football team after the game is that even though we lost the game we made improvement playing as a team," Lewis said. "In the second half we played like a team and not a bunch of individuals. In the first half there was a lot of error. It got us in a hard way and it gave them an opportunity. Obviously we have to get better on third down on both sides of the ball."

Yes, that's from Marvin Lewis and not LeBeau, Coslet, Shula et. al...here we go again!

Don Banks of CNNSI on Marvin Lewis

Check out this little piece from sportsillustrated.cnn.com...Click Here

Is Marvin really Denny Green?

In response to one of the comments left on the blog, read this article from Jason Whitlock and scroll down to number 8 on his list! Great point! Click Here to read the article.

Oh My!

So I sit here watching the Bungals play Kansas City, a team mind you, that hadn't scored a 1st quarter point all season. Not only did they put up ten against the Bengals in the first quarter, they lead at half-time 20-7. Our bungals are now 1-4 and essentially out of it! Losing like this to Kansas City is ridiculous.

Has there ever been a coach in the NFL who was worse than Marvin at managing the challenge flag? Did he not think we would need a timeout when he challenged the spot on the 4th down run? How many times is that going to happen? I think they were screwed on the Chapman reception, but the challenge of the spot, already losing one timeout was horrible!

Being somewhat dense, I decided to put off other work and watch the second half, hopeful that our genius coaching staff would make the adjustments necessary to compete. Shame on me! As I watched it struck me that we have $72million committed to two tackles that basically can't play any more. Willie has been a wonderful player and even better person, his time is come and gone. If the cheap-ass Brown family ever builds a Hall of Fame he's in it! And Levi, well Levi hasn't been the same since he got his ass kicked in Vegas; he was pulled midway through the first half. Good decision on Eric Steinbach Marvin!

This is a horrible job of preparing your team to compete with two weeks to get ready for a team many thought was among the worst in the league! Marvin, it's time for you to surrender and let us move on. Thank you for getting us this far, go be a defensive co-ordinator for someone. Maybe instead of a motivational speaker, Marvin should bring in a new coach. This is 1-7 in our last eight games!

ESPN's Jason Whitlock on Marvin

Back by popular demand is a heading-into-training-camp edition of my NFL Truths column:

10. Marvin Lewis' ego could be getting in the way of a terrific coaching career.

I've seen what's happening in Cincinnati happen before. A fantastic, grounded football coach is allowing his ego to run wild, and he's convinced himself that he can coach anybody, as long as the players are talented and sober on game day.

Lewis reminds me of Marty Schottenheimer during Marty's final two years in Kansas City. Desperate to win a Super Bowl and smothered by the belief he was the best coach in football, Schottenheimer turned the Chiefs' locker room into a halfway house for ex-cons, and the team absolutely imploded in 1998, earning the nickname "Bone, Thugs and Marty." Click Here for the entire story... Or the Follow-up this season Click here

Same Old, Same Old...

Holding out hope that all is not lost brought nothing but the same old crap in today's press conference! A few giggles here and there and the proverbial lines: "We'll work hard"..."We'll play with a chip on our shoulder"..."We'll play uphill"...honest to goodness, I can't listen to another Marvin Lewis press conference. The only words I heard that made sense were some of his opening remarks, "We're not where we want to be...". Really? Thanks Marvin - I didn't know!

It's Spreading Internationally!

The demise of the franchise has now gone international! Here's a take from the Canadian Press on the current state of affairs. They don't even play real football in Canada! Click Here for the story...

New Poll Added

We've added a new poll to the blog. Please check under the Head Coach poll and opine!

If Not Cowher - Someone, Please!

Well the response in the twelve hours the blog has been up has been surprising. The power of the internet is amazing! We were even featured on Channel 19 Fox Morning Show this morning! It’s important though to point out a couple of things. First things first, this is not about Marvin the person or the man; I think most of us to believe him to be a really good person. This is solely about the state of the team and the role the head coach has had in the current state of affairs.

This is Marvin’s group. Justin Smith is the sole defensive player left-over from the “pre-Marvin” days, yet the defense remains a sieve. We just cut a second round draft choice from our defensive group – a defensive back for crying out loud! We aren’t just missing the mark in the draft; we aren’t even hitting the board! Granted we can’t control the injury to David Pollack or Odell Thurman being an idiot but if you’re in charge of player personnel, how can your planning be so poor? Were we really counting on a linebacker with a broken neck and a linebacker on suspension to help the team this season? Whatever happened to plan B? Oh, that’s right, it was Ed Hartwell and he was also cut!!

This blog is more about change than it is about Bill Cowher. We just didn’t want to make this a personal attack on Marvin Lewis the man so we went with a softer, gentler moniker. We do think Cowher's a great answer to our problems but want a new coach more than we want Cowher. As we noted in the introduction, this is about change, any change. Much like Jim Mora did in Indy, Marvin is only able to get this team so far. It’s time for someone to come in and take us to the next level. The core nucleus of the team will – if they aren’t already [Willie Anderson and Levi Jones] - be on the backside of their careers. This is especially true on the offensive side of the ball. As we know all too well, the window of opportunity for success in the NFL is rather small. Our window is getting even smaller – it’s time for a change.

The Chin

For the purposes of this blog, let's assume Cowher plans to get back into coaching. I know all of the reasons Bill Cowher won't come to Cincinnati so let's not go there right now. Here's why I picked Cowher:

1.) He has worked for and seemed to appreciate working for the Rooney family; a family that runs its business much like the Brown family. Now, don't get me wrong, the Rooney family are MUCH better owners than the Brown family but the ownership style is similar.

2.) Cincinnati is a town (I'm gonna choke on this one) much like Pittsburgh: small, conservative, rabid fan base, etc. he will own this town!

3.) If this team is lacking character and discipline there's one man to turn this around and now - Cowher!

4.) We can't let Cleveland get him! Can you imagine the chin in a Browns shirt and hat?

5.) The pieces are in place and can produce a winner for Cowher in a season or two.

6.) Cowher is a "Cincinnati-kinda-guy". He's cut out of the mold of Pete, Sabo, Boomer - guys who have owned this town through their work ethic, hustle, determination and leadership. This town would go crazy for him!

7.) I absolutely despised the guy when he walked the Pittsburgh sideline. Anyone that was able to evoke that kind of angst must be a great coach!

Feel free to add your input to this list. We'll be adding more stuff to the site later! Who Dey!

Reason for the Blog

First things first, I fervently believe that we desperately need the Brown family to sell the team to a dynamic owner like Bob Kraft or Jerry Jones, but we all know that won't happen. Therefore the next best thing we can have happen for this franchise is that there be a change at the next top level and that's Marvin.

Who Dey have thunk it that we'd be talking about a 1-3 record at this point in the season. Now, I understand that we could have been 2-2 and no one would have been terribly surprised due to the strength of our opening schedule but it's the way we're losing!

I'm sorry, but the hallowed Marvin Lewis regime is for all practical purposes a .500 organization. So this begs the question, "Is Marvin Lewis The Coach We Need?" I am fast taking on the opinion that we need a change in the coaching staff and in that spirit have launched this blog to gain momentum to pressure the Brown family to get us a coach that will turn take this team to the next level.

We should all be grateful that Marvin brought us a level respectability but fans, Dick LeBeau could have been .500 with Carson, Chad, T.J. and Rudy and his own defense. The fact is when you have died-in-the-wool Bengals like Joe Walter and David Fulcher saying that the team is in turmoil, that they're undisciplined, etc there are serious issues. It's my personal - strictly my personal - belief that Marvin has lost the team and we need to move on with a new direction and new staff before Carson and the boys get too far beyond their prime to take us to the Super Bowl!

I'm hopeful that this doesn't turn nasty. I'm just looking for a good forum of ideas and exchange that can bring some change to the direction of our beloved Bengals. Let's keep this fun and clean...look for posts on why I think we need to bring in the best coach this division has seen in many, many years and trust me, it makes me ill to say this, but we need THE CHIN - Bill Cowher.