After seeing this crap in another forum, I thought it deserved it's own.
I'm a Bengals fan. I don't care if they ARE shitty. I'm STILL a fan and I'll stare down anyone and tell them so. Who cares? They sucked the last ten years? So what? The Bengals are guilty of two things.
The thing that the Bengals are most guilty of is letting down their fans. I'm not talking about me, because I expect them to be shitty. But, I'm talking about the guys with the Bengals colored vans and suv's, the guys out there Sunday morning, toughing out another bad start (even though last year they were 2-0).
The last thing the Bengals are guilty of is not playing to their potential until it comes to ruining another teams season. Yup, those last two or three games the Bengals play like they should. The rest of the season they suck ass and get carried by one player (Cory Dillon lately) to their wins.
I don't have a problem with you continuing to be a Bengals fan. Actually props to you for sticking with it. I just hope you don't mind that I laugh every time your team takes the field.
-Jag
Because making fun of losing teams is fun... except when it's your team. I root for four NFL teams (all states I lived in) Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado, and Carolina. So feel free to laugh at my teams as well.
Oh and don't even get me started on College Football. Texas murdered my poor Heels... :(
"You gotta hate somebody before this is over. Them, me, it doesn't matter."
"Hate, who do I hate? You tell me."
"Who do you love?"
-Wintermute to Case in William Gibson's Neuromancer
Originally posted by JaguarI don't have a problem with you continuing to be a Bengals fan. Actually props to you for sticking with it. I just hope you don't mind that I laugh every time your team takes the field.
-Jag
Because making fun of losing teams is fun... except when it's your team. I root for four NFL teams (all states I lived in) Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado, and Carolina. So feel free to laugh at my teams as well.
Oh and don't even get me started on College Football. Texas murdered my poor Heels... :(
i second that too jag, 'cept i've only rooted for 3 NFL teams in my life
BALTIMORE colts, R.I.P. Was Redskins CFL Bal Stallions Bal Ravens
yup, i'm a hometown follower (Live in MD, but in the DC suburb, I was pissed when the Fox station down here aired MASH and not the ravens game with the Unitas tribuite, I guess that's because of that flakie NFL about home teams and only allowing 1 game to be shown on a sunday, and since the skins would have been on FOX if it was a sunday game, i guess the rule applied...)
Jerry "The King" Lawler rhymes with ass and hearing him rant like a 12 year old makes me all shades of angry. Every last shade. That's just my 2.453 Yen.
I thought the team everyone loved to hate was the Cowboys. That's why they were America's Team, or something like that. Cause that's how it is with the Braves, isn't it?
Personally, I never cared enough about the Bengals to like or hate them either way.
My team, the Pats, years of being the laughing stock of the league, finally World Champions. And it's very sweet.
The only other team I support are the Cowboys, because I grew up in Texas, and my dad's a diehard fan, but the Pats became my favorite team about the time Jones fired Johnson.
"You can save the planet, I'll save your seat"- Uncle Kracker, Better Days "Confucious say: Man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day!"- Crank Yankers
The rule is that the team with the most publicity and/or dominance is the one hated most overall. Yankees/Braves, or the Lakers come to mind. Nobody in the NFL has been quite so dominant in my mind in the past few years to really secure that place. And these days, hating on the Cowboys is just kind of pathetic, because they're going nowhere fast.
-Jag
"You gotta hate somebody before this is over. Them, me, it doesn't matter."
"Hate, who do I hate? You tell me."
"Who do you love?"
-Wintermute to Case in William Gibson's Neuromancer
Yeah... the only person in that position (hated because of dominance) in the NFL nowadays is probably Mike Martz. Before, of course, Jerry Jones, but I think people have decided he's getting precisely what he deserves. Martz might get the same treatment... who knew losing your third WR could hurt so much?
EDIT: Just kidding. I am not sure anyone really hates them. They haven't done enough since the Sam Wyche era to have anyone even think about hating them...
As with the start of every NFL season, I am always hopeful that a team like the Bengals becomes the Cinderella that year. (a la the Rams a few years back)
(edited by haz on 20.9.02 0824) ---------- And the real wonder of the world is that we don't jump too ----------
That's ok; just wait for the Ravens vs Bengals twice this season. If we're lucky, there may be 10 points scored combined in the two games.
Neverhtheless, I of course became a Ravens fan in '96. But have in the past rooted for the Bengals(back when Boomer Esiason was there, the Maryland connection and all) and the Saints(the Jim Mora-Sam Mills connected with the USFL Baltimore Stars thing).
But there have only been three teams I have ever hated.
Denver(circa 1984-1999): Only the John Elway years, since that SOB decided not to play for the Colts, helping to kill off the team.
Washington(forever): I hate the Redskins. The Colts-Skins rivalry did't help. Having the Skins shoved down our throats as our "local" team for 12 years made matters worse. Jack Kent Cooke trying to build the new stadium in Laurel and keep a team out of Baltimore was the last straw. Super Bowl XXII was a hard one....
Indianapolis(since 1984): There is a special place in hell for the Irsays.
Its not that people hate the Bungles, its simply that since the J-E-T-S (suck,suck,suck) are no longer complete disgraces, America needed a new team to laugh at. A few more seasons of disgrace and the Lions will probably take the crown from the Bengals. As for Cardinals, no one really cares about a team run by the inept Bidwell family.
Thank you Mr. Wanz for the check, now you get an AWA World Title Reign. But be careful, my boy Greg is a heat machine.
Originally posted by RevEvilI hate the packers because the referees always favor them when they're at home.
rigggghhttttt. And your team always gets screwed by the refs everywhere they go and can't get a break. Get over it. We've all been there.
EDIT: Sorry for just picking on RevEvil, I suddenly realized there is an amazing abount of bitterness in this column. But aside from the bitterness, I don't think that its always the most succesful team that gets hated. I hate Baltimore and Dallas. With the fiery passion of a thousand suns. St. Louis? Let em be.
(edited by chazerizer on 22.9.02 1531) Marty doesn't need surgery. This is a great day. I almost feel like I can say, I don't care that the Steelers lost. Again.
The main reason why I'm so down on the Bengals is that I AM still a fan and it really pisses me off to see them be run into the ground. It always puts a huge smile on my face when they play spoiler for somebody else (last year's win against the Steelers being a prime example, because it was against a division rival AND it showed the world how to beat the Steelers' vaunted defense). I just get so damn down on them because I want them to win so badly and yet they seem to continually get worse. Tonight's shellacking by the Falcons illustrates that point very well. Until they can prove that they'll be consistently decent, I'll continue to rag on them for Mike Brown's idiocy, the poor coaching, and the inept offenses, but I'll also keep on hoping that they'll eventually get it together.
I agree with almost everything said above. However, I think too much blame is put on Mike Brown. He's managed to work the salary cap better than most people in the league. Everyone rips on them for not getting Bledsoe. Well, Bledsoe said he wouldn't play there, so they spent the money they had for him...and then he changed his tune. In fact, I'm still willing to bet that Drew's agent knew Cincy couldn't afford him anymore, so they had him change his stance so he'd look better. I mean, I have absolutely nothing against the Bills, they're a solid team, but this Bengals team, with Bledsoe at QB, would be just as good. It's sad to watch a team that's one player away. I mean, they're getting drubbed, so on paper it doesn't look that way, but if you watch the games it's obvious. Their defense is damn good, but they're out there so damn much that they get warn down and begin to give up points. Corey Dillon is one of the best running backs in the league, but the 8-9-even 10 man fronts are finally getting to him. Their recieving core is missing the front line star, but they have 6 quality guys. All they need is a Quarterback and Frerotte and Kitna have proven they're not it. If only they had a top 5 pick who has shown massive improvement in the last couple of years sitting on the bench waiting for his turn...oh wait, they do. (shakes head) I'm never going to understand why Akili's not playing, he makes things happen (with his arm and legs) and what's the worst thing that happens if they put him in?
They lose...boy, that doesn't seem to happen now.
Being a Bengals fan is hard, I end up hating the team by the 3rd quarter of the game and then, 3 hours after the game, I find myself beginning to get optimistic again. It's a sad, sad cycle.
Steve Bellisari, Strong Safety, St. Louis Rams. Putting him on IR has KILLED their team. Wanna know what they're 0-2, there ya go. No Bellisari.
Originally posted by BobHollySTILLRulesI agree with almost everything said above. However, I think too much blame is put on Mike Brown. He's managed to work the salary cap better than most people in the league. Everyone rips on them for not getting Bledsoe. Well, Bledsoe said he wouldn't play there, so they spent the money they had for him...and then he changed his tune. In fact, I'm still willing to bet that Drew's agent knew Cincy couldn't afford him anymore, so they had him change his stance so he'd look better. I mean, I have absolutely nothing against the Bills, they're a solid team, but this Bengals team, with Bledsoe at QB, would be just as good. It's sad to watch a team that's one player away. I mean, they're getting drubbed, so on paper it doesn't look that way, but if you watch the games it's obvious. Their defense is damn good, but they're out there so damn much that they get warn down and begin to give up points. Corey Dillon is one of the best running backs in the league, but the 8-9-even 10 man fronts are finally getting to him. Their recieving core is missing the front line star, but they have 6 quality guys. All they need is a Quarterback and Frerotte and Kitna have proven they're not it. If only they had a top 5 pick who has shown massive improvement in the last couple of years sitting on the bench waiting for his turn...oh wait, they do. (shakes head) I'm never going to understand why Akili's not playing, he makes things happen (with his arm and legs) and what's the worst thing that happens if they put him in?
They lose...boy, that doesn't seem to happen now.
Being a Bengals fan is hard, I end up hating the team by the 3rd quarter of the game and then, 3 hours after the game, I find myself beginning to get optimistic again. It's a sad, sad cycle.
I agree with most everything you've said. I'll stand by my belief that Mike Brown sucks, however. I don't mind him so much as an owner, but every year he proves that he has no business as a GM/personnel guy. He can control the purse strings well, but he HAS to let someone else make the deals and signings if this team is ever going to regain the heights they had under his dad, who WAS capable of being his own GM. He just doesn't know the game as well as Paul did and his refusal to accept that is just hamstringing his team.