A FEW MO' THINGS, 11/5/12
Here's a photo that shows Bengals players trying really hard yesterday.

(Photo courtesy of Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

I'm not sure what was more sickening, the game or what's come after it.

The game was bad enough, with the Bengals yet again doing just enough to lose, teasing us with a spirited comeback that was ultimately lost in a flurry of Bengal-esque mistakes and misfortune.  I never felt like the Bengals had a chance to win going into the game, and even while leading in the fourth quarter, a fourth straight loss still seemed inevitable. 

That doesn't make it any less maddening.

The Bengals continue to be just bad enough.  Yesterday's issues might have been different, but they were still plentiful....the pass rush and the running game trying to out-disappear each other, laughable play by Bengals linebackers, particularly in coverage, poor pass protection, special teams breakdowns bookending halftime, another brutal interception and punch-yourself-in-the-face penalties.

The Bengals might have kept it close, but they still exhibited too many characteristics of a losing football team.

They did after the game as well.

From Marvin Lewis....
"But this team came out here today and executed a lot of the game plan. Not consistently enough, but a lot of the things we spent a lot of time on this week, I thought we came out and showed. We did some very good things."

From Andy Dalton....
"We played hard and played well at times, but we still have to put more drives together, score more points and get more stops. We left some plays out there today. I think that’s what he’s talking about. The effort was there, and it’s close. That’s the main thing that he was talking about. We have to make one more play — two more plays. We have to do whatever it takes to win these games. We were close today, but we fell short.”

From AJ Green....
"But I feel we played a good game today, man. We’ve just got to put some more stuff together and we’ll be all right.”

From Andrew Whitworth....
"We’ve been in bad situations before and this team has to fight just like we did today. This is a dang good football team we lost to today and if we can play like that every week, we’ll win some games and just see what happens.”

The only thing missing was this kid.... 

There are really two types of teams in sports, the ones that consistently win and the ones that consistently talk about winning while taking solace in their effort.

I'm tired of hearing about effort.  I'm sick of hearing about how close they are.  And I'm exasperated with watching this team play and sound like a bunch of losers.

I watched the Giants/Steelers game last night, and I watched some of the postgame reaction from New York players and coaches.  I didn't see or hear anyone talking about what great effort they'd given.  No one talked about how close they were to being able to win games against teams like Pittsburgh. No one took solace is fighting back, being resilient, or exhibiting character even in the face of defeat.

Because only losers talk like that.

Meanwhile, "good job, good effort," has permeated through the fan base.  In the hours since Broncos 31 Bengals 23, I've gotten the email, received the tweet, and heard the postgame show phone call (you know, on the portion of the broadcast that allows you to participate), lauding the Bengals for really playing hard and hanging tough.  It's as if we've decided to apply the same standards to a professional football we do to junior high teams.

Not this guy.

Effort is supposed to a given.  Not giving up when staring at a deficit is supposed to be inherent.  I thought the Bengals had zero chance to win yesterday but I never thought twice about how hard they'd try because trying hard is what an NFL team, at minimum, is supposed to do.

The Bengals tried hard.  They didn't win.  I care about one of those things.

The hard part going forward is how, as a fan, to handle the rest of the season.  Clearly the Bengals won't be completely tearing this team apart.  This nucleus is staying together.  This coaching staff is staying out.  And the organization, for all the on and off-field upgrades they've made these last 23 months, still isn't changing.  There's purpose for the Bengals in the second half, even if it doesn't mean a playoff push.  It's really hard to get excited about it.

I don't think this is necessarily a bad team - they're not a total collection of dogs like the '10 bunch, and they're not blatantly noncompetitive like the team we saw in '08 (among other really awful seasons) - but they're not necessarily a good one either.  They're losers.  And they will be until their record indicates otherwise.

And they'll continue to sound like losers until I hear otherwise.

-Other perspectives.....

From Todd Jones of The Columbus Dispatch....
The Bengals are not bad enough to totally dismiss, but not good enough to win. Their talent is trumped by inopportune mistakes, leaving even themselves scratching the striped helmets on their heads.

How can a team win three consecutive games and then lose four in a row?

Sigmund Freud would have a field day with the Bengals, who lost 31-23 to the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning yesterday with a bipolar second half that served as a metaphor for Cincinnati’s 3-5 record.

From ESPN's John Clayton....
The Bengals are on a four-game losing streak and don't have the look of a playoff team. Their defense is leaky. Quarterback Andy Dalton has been inconsistent getting to ball to anyone except A.J. Green.

-If you're going to be unoriginal, can you at least be a good speller?

-Consider me a fan of the jump-pass....

And consider me a fan of playing UC Brendon Kay on Saturday against Temple.  It's not necessarily a statement about Kay, who threw a whopping three passes in the sloppy marathon win over Syracuse, it's a statement about how well the offense is being executed with Munchie Legaux. 

I have no idea if Brendon is the guy, but I know Munchie isn't.  At least not now. 

-I feel like I watched 692 really good college football games on Saturday.  One thought sticks out: Les Miles is the worst good coach in the country.

-Kentucky would be insane to completely rule out hiring Bobby Petrino. 

-The question everyone's asking, and should: What if Ohio State had take its NCAA infractions seriously?

-Chances are that you've seen this by now.  It's still awesome.

-I made this plea last week, and I will do it again.  A large chunk of my childhood was spent in New Jersey and New York.  While Cincinnati is and always will be home, I still have a great amount of affection for that part of the country.  I have family and friends there, and I visit that are often.  When my friends describe that aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I can't help but feel some heartbreak.  Neither my brother or sister have power yet, and many of my friends have had their lives disrupted because of the storm.  Fortunately, no one I know is dealing with major loss of property, or more important, life.  They're safe.

Others haven't been as fortunate.

By now, you've either donated to an organization that's helping people on the east coast or you haven't.  If you haven't, I ask you to please consider some sort of donation to Matthew 25 Ministries.  There's a long list of items they're looking for to ship to Sandy's victims, and you can also donate cash.  Their first truck leaves this morning, but there will be others.  You can help fill it by going here.

Thank you.  Now here's a ref taking a football to the face.

-More later, including a preview of #MoHawkMonday today on ESPN1530.  Still undecided?  Maybe this will help you make an informed decision....