This annoys me greatly...

[HoosierCat]

Well, fortunately for the Bengals we have folks like Bears' DT Tank Johnson to help move the spotlight elsewhere. Johnson, already on probation from an earlier gun charge, got busted yesterday when cops raided his home and found pot and six unlicensed guns. Way to go, Tank!

[HairOnFire]

I like most of you, but you live in an rosy orange bubble. Let me reintroduce you to reality.

Uhhh, reality says that you've got the picture of a man who was involved in a double murder in your signature.

And that same reality shows clearly that the national media reacted to a double homicide by portraying a Raven player who was directly involved as your teams spiritual leader. This conveniently ignores the fact that the greatest and most important act of leadership Ray Lewis was ever involved in was when he became the central figure involved in the attempted coverup of the murders.

You wanna talk about a rosy bubble? Well, start with a drunken party at a nightclub that spills out into the streets, moves quickly to double murder, and then to a stretch limo ride where a conspiracy to obstruct justice was led by the very same player who appears in each of your posts.

There's YOUR reality.

In fact, when it comes down to rosy bubbles, living in denial, and preaching from soapboxes, it can be argued that you and Reverend Ray are actually preaching about the evils of drinking from atop two dead bodies.

But street cred is a wonderful thing, right?

[HairOnFire]

I agree that it's an NFL wide problem... but to say that the Bengals situation is worse than most teams is silly. The Chargers have been cited multiple times... so lets take a look at them.

If Merriman was a baseball player, he'd be known as a cheater. But he plays in the NFL, so who cares if he's on steroids... right? We only care about DUI in this league. Cornerback Cletis Gordon was arrested on drunk driving charges a few weeks ago, and Steve Foley was shot three times by an off-duty police officer who suspected him of driving drunk. We are out in front... but not by much. We've had 8 arrests in a calendar year... while the Chargers have had 5 since the season began. Do the math there, and let me know who has the bigger problem.

I'm going with the Chargers. Something tells me that all arrests aren't the same, and as an example I'll point to Chris Henry's fondness for booze, weed, and teenage hookers....and then counter that trifecta with the number of times Steve Foley was shot.

Frankly, the media can shine it's bright spotlight on the Bengals but a drunken Eric Steinbach driving his boat too fast through a no-wake zone isn't much of a headline, and try as I might I can't seem to screw up very much moral outrage.

[Arizona]

Damn HairOnFire, that's a lot of pent up emotional energy. By your tone I'm going to assume it's pointless to even argue this on the merits.

[HairOnFire]

The problem isn't what fans think, the problem is what Corporate America thinks. The top dogs in the NFL are afraid of losing ad related revenue and sponsorships and such.

Ray Lewis was involved in a double murder, but Corporate America ignored that fact and later made the decision to use his image when selling video games and potato chips, right?

Frankly, if you're arguing that Corporate America has had enough then you're talking about a league wide image problem that shouldn't be centered around the habit of too many Bengal players driving under the influence of drink.

Instead, start with a Charger player being shot multiple times by the police. Or start with a Titan player deliberately attempting to injure an opposing player. Start with evidence that half of the Carolina Panther players use steroids. Remind the nation about the staggering rap sheets of championship teams like the Dallas Crimeboys. Or start with the ugly hate speak that comes out of Joey Porter's mouth on a fairly regular basis. And then put a bow on it all by showing your boy Ray Lewis wearing his bright orange jail issued jumpsuit. Or if you prefer, choose from a hundred other examples of criminal behavior involving players who don't play for the Bengals. They're not hard to find, and no team is exempt.

Frankly, the Bengals deserve their fair share of criticism, but any attempt to make them the poster team of a league gone wild is pretty idiotic.

[derekshank]

It took a few posts... but someone finally awoke the ire of Hair. The discussion is now officially over.

I think we can agree that it's a league wide problem now... right?

[HairOnFire]

Damn HairOnFire, that's a lot of pent up emotional energy. By your tone I'm going to assume it's pointless to even argue this on the merits.

I'd say it's pointless for YOU to argue the merits of this issue. After all, you're the guy who includes a picture of Ray Lewis in nearly every post you write, and it's fair to say that the double murder he was involved in is still the most serious and heavily publicized criminal event associated with the NFL. It's a stain on the Super Bowl that has never been washed clean, and probably never will be.

Don't assume for a second that I can't rationally and calmly use facts to pick apart your rant. In fact, I'm betting I can pick your bones clean on this one without breaking a sweat. But that's got almost nothing to do with me, and everything to do with you. Because the sad truth of the matter is that a long time ago, when you chose to idolize Ray Lewis in your posts, you left yourself on the sidelines of any argument involving the morality of NFL players.

So take my advice and keep your thoughts about living in rosy bubbles to yourself...because you're in no position to force others to deal with an ugly reality. Not when all of your posts over the years have included pictures of a football player who was once covered in the blood of two dead men.

[HairOnFire]

It took a few posts... but someone finally awoke the ire of Hair. The discussion is now officially over.

From the Book of Bengal, Chapter 5, Verse Three:

"And when they spoke of him they did so in hushed voices, and they never allowed themselves to say his true name...for it made the bowels of the Gods tremble with anger. Instead, when they dared speak of him at all they spoke of The Ender, the slayer of men, thoughts, and time itself. And inwardly those who remembered him marveled that this beast of the barbed killing words could be the same goofy bastidge who once founded the happy clan known as the Sightless Homers. Complicated, he was."

[agreen_112]

Doesn't annoy me at all. I'm used to the Bengals getting no respect. Now what does annoy me is how the media gloats about all the "hot" teams. Baltimore is not a better team than us. We'll stomp all over their asses again if we have to.