Optimism on the Ohio River: How the Bengals Made Cincinnati Football Fun Again

Scenario: you're a fan of a football team that features an untested rookie quarterback, a solid but young core of wide receivers, a head coach who's been firmly planted on the hot seat for several years and has only tasted the playoffs three times in the past 21 years.

Oh, & your two franchise players, a frustrated QB who flat-out refuses to suit up and an egotistical, flamboyant wideout who's more prone to appear in the tabloids rather than the endzone, are both gone.

What's your expectations for that team?

It's probably not 7-5; the Cincinnati Bengals current record.

This season was supposed to be a wash. A year to be forgotten. Turmoil started to brew even months before training camp when long-time face of the Bengals Carson Palmer demanded his tenure with the club come to a screeching halt.

Although he wasn't officially obliged until October, Palmer's eight year stint with the club was finished. The team drafted young Andy Dalton out of Texas Christian Academy and asked him to become the new King of the Queen City.

The preseason featured the trading of superstar wideout Chad Ochocinco and a chess game of egos between Palmer and team owner Mike Brown; who refused to grant the former No.1 draft pick's wish to resume his playing career somewhere else. The Bengals were no strangers to drama and distractions.

How would this season play out?

The season started off with a bang: a defeat of cross-state arch-rivals Cleveland. Following narrow losses against Denver & San Francisco the next two weeks, the wheels began to turn. The Cardiac Cats stormed to a three game winning streak powered by Dalton, uber-talented rookie A.J Green, gradually maturing tight end Jermaine Gresham, sleeper surprises Jerome Simpson and Andrew Hawkins, and a upper-echelon defense led by sophomore defensive end Carlos Dunlap.

Dalton is perhaps a symbol of the Bengal's success. Most fans expected him to take the fall for a team that was supposed to be a joke; instead he has went beyond the call of duty and has the team seeking only their fourth postseason berth in two decades. He may not be Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees, but the frosh has shown above-average skill as a field general.

That's not to say things have been smooth sailing during this campaign. Nigh-unstoppable cornerback Leon Hall tore his ACL and division rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh have proven too much for this young team.

Cincinnati won't win the Super Bowl this year. Hell, they may not make the playoffs. But by showing sheer tenacity through a year which was supposed to be a nightmare, the Bengals have certainly established themselves as future contenders for seasons to come.