Campy's Bengals Page

Rebirth of the Jungle

Marvin Lewis is turning things around for the Bengals. (AP)

November 6th, 2003

By: Matt McGowan

    OK, so maybe all the playoff talk around Cincinnati in the last week or so was a little premature, but one thing is certain:

    These are not the "Same Old Bengals."

    After back-to-back wins against Division leaders Baltimore and Seattle, Bengals fans actually began looking ahead a couple weeks, anticipating wins against the lowly Cardinals and Texans that would put them at 5-4 when undefeated Kansas City rolled into town.  This heady optimism proved a little much, however, as the Bengals lost a close one in Arizona to fall to 3-5 at the season's halfway point.

    Though the Bengals' sub-.500 record at mid-season is not completely unexpected, even the most pessimistic Bengals' fan must admit the rebuilding efforts are going much better than almost anyone could have been expected.  Coach Marvin Lewis has raised the expectation level of the entire organization in a very short time, and it shows.  They are 3-2 over their last five games, and the last four losses have come by a combined 19 points.  Players believe they actually can win every game, and are no longer content with simply being competitive.  Clearly, this is a different team than Bengals fans have seen in the past twelve years. 

    That being said, the team still has it's problems, the biggest two being in both areas of the running game; stopping it defensively and running the ball offensively.  Corey Dillon's lingering groin injury has the rush offense out of rhythm, and his recent temper-tantrums aren't helping the team either.  But rising young stars like Chad Johnson, Peter Warrick, and Justin Smith, coupled with solid veterans like Tory James, Kevin Hardy and Brian Simmons rightly give Bengals' fans real hope that there are better days for this team right around the corner.   

    While it is probably true that the Bengals don't have much of a chance to make the playoffs this year, they are still only two games out with eight left to play.  They have a 2-1 record within the Division, which could prove important in the long-shot case of a tiebreaker for the Division Championship.  There is a chance that meaningful football could be played in Cincinnati well into December for the first time in what seems like ages. 

    Now is the time for us to jump on the bandwagon people, not off.  Come on out Bengals fans, and let's make the Jungle roar once again!

GO BENGALS!!!

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