In this article I am going to pick my glory bees, the guys on the field that want all the glory.
The running backs, receivers, and quarterback—I am even going to pick a punter and kicker.
I am going to pick three wide receivers, three running/full backs, one quarterback, one punter, one tight end, and one kicker.
In the next article I will select the coaches who run this team.
The hardest thing for me to do is select a quarterback. Do I go for Kenny Anderson, Boomer, or the Bengals' current quarterback, Carson Palmer?
Ken Anderson is one of the most prolific short range passers the game has ever seen, becoming one of the first quarterbacks ever to run what would become known as the West Coast Offense.
In the Bengals' first Monday night win in 1975, Ken Anderson tossed for a mind-boggling 447 yards while the Bengals ran up 553 offensive yards.
In the 1981 season Ken Anderson out-dueled Dan Fouts in the Freezer Bowl for the AFC Championship, and a trip to the Bengals' first Super Bowl.
The Bengals later lost the Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21, but Anderson completed 25-of-34 passes for 300 yards, two touchdowns, plus 14 yards rushing with one touchdown on five attempts.
Anderson played his entire career with Cincinnati, later catching on as the quarterbacks coach.
When Anderson retired he had 32,838 yards and 197 touchdowns. He was elected to four Pro Bowls.
Boomer Esiason is one of the best left-handed quarterbacks ever to play the game. He replaced the Bengals' all-time leading passer, Ken Anderson, in 1985.
Boomer is known for running the play action pass offense and a hurry up offense where they would not allow the opposing team to substitute players, leading to mismatches in personnel.
In 1988, Boomer's Bengals ran one of the most prolific offenses in football. Boomer put the team on his back and led them to the AFC Championship game, in which they dismantled the Buffalo Bills.
The Bengals went on to lose yet another Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers, on a perfectly run two-minute drill by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.
Boomer ended his career in Cincinnati after brief stays with the Jets and Cardinals. In the final play of his career Boomer connected to Darnay Scott for a 77-yard touchdown.
The Bengals' current hope resides on the shoulders of No. 9, Carson Palmer. The No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft has had his share of ups and downs.
Palmer led the Bengals to the AFC North division championship in only his second season, and hopes were high that the Bengals had finally found their man.
Palmer's playoff run was cut short due to a late hit by Kimo Von Oelhoffen. Palmer connected with wide receiver Chris Henry on a 77-yard pass play, which set the Bengals up for their first score.
Palmer has thrown for over 26 touchdowns and 4,000 yards three times, and has the ability to strike from any position on the field.
Palmer says he is fully healthy this year, and is ready for the Bengals to overcome the losing tradition that is associated with this organization.
My first two wide receivers fit the glory bee name to a tee: Chad Ochocinco and Carl Pickens Clause.
While I would not want the headache that would come with having these two mouthpieces on the same team, how exciting would it be to see this tandem of receivers?
Carl set many Bengals' records; one that still stands is his 63 career touchdowns.
Pickens was the first player to have a clause named after him and put in his contract.
Carl Pickens bad mouthed the Bengals so much that they put a clause in his contract that he would forfeit some or all of his signing bonus if he bad-mouthed the organization.
The clause in the contract became known as the Carl Pickens Clause.
Actually, I could not begin to imagine what it would be like to have The Ocho and Pickens on the same team, and I feel sorry for the coach that I pick to run this team.
The receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson is a five-time Pro Bowler, and he was an All-Pro three times.
He is known for his touchdown dances and his confident personality.
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