Favorite Bengal Moments

[derekshank]

Since it's the end of May, and we're short on topics, I thought it would be fun to hear some of your favorite moments since Marvin Lewis has taken over the show.

There are some obvious ones, like our win over Kansas City a couple years ago, but I want to hear some unique ones.

Mine was the Steelers game back in '03. The Steelers scored toward the end of the game, and it looked like the Bengals were going to choke like they always did.

I was listening to the game on the way home from Philadelphia, so the only station I could get in was a Pittsburgh channel. The announcers kept saying that these were the same old "Bungles," but with a different head coach.

Then Kitna marched down the field, and threw the winning TD pass. Shut those announcers up real nice. For me, that was the birth of the Marvin Lewis era, and I stopped expecting the Bengals to find unique ways to choke and lose games.

Any others?

[membengal]

Home win over Seattle in 2003. Big plays by the D in the 4th quarter and a huge win for the team as they served notice that they were indeed not going to suck.

Plus, I had made the drive up for that one, and the crowd's energy after the game was something I hadn't felt since 1988. A whole lot of "who deys" that had some energy behind them.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Brian Simmons INT for a TD against Miami in the home opener.

The Comeback vs. Baltimore in the 4th Quarter

[CJBestInAFC]

Warrick Punt Return KC game was my most memorable. I remember him pumping his hand that had the ball in it as he jogged into the endzone for the victory.

[HairOnFire]

The Kansas City game served notice that this team wasn't going to be the same old Bengals. I've watched it about a dozen times and I still get chills when Lewis tells Warrick it's time to make a play...and then later when he shouts that another first down is needed. In both examples Bengal players responded immediately and on the later example Rudi breaks off the type of back breaking big run that some people around here claim he can't make. Game over.

Icing on the cake: Dick Vermeil crys like a bitch about the game for two or three weeks in the press.....and then has to respond to stories about the Bengals having exposed the Chiefs.....greatly prolonging my fun.

I liked the sloppy shootout against the 49'ers that year too. The loss to the Ravens the week before was still stinging badly when the Bengals found themselves in a surprising close game against a bad team. I've seen them lose more of these than is their fair share but once again....Rudi rips off a long one. Argue if you want but I thought this game and THAT run put an end to Corey Dillon's future in Cincinnati. And how cool is that?

Next, the shootout against Cleveland. The defense may have won the game on an interception return, but this one was Carson Palmer's coming out party. Whine about the Bengals game long pathetic defensive showing if you must, but Palmer represents the most important draft pick made in the new era and this game shattered any tiny doubt I may have had about him becoming an elite NFL QB.

Last, the 4th quarter comeback against the Ravens in Baltimore. I've often wondered what was said in the Ravens locker room after this game. The angry looks exchanged. The fingers pointed. The blank expressions. Did Ray Lewis go mental or did he glaze over and sit quietly. All I know is the new Bengals got some much deserved payback and the overconfident Ravens sure left the field quickly after this one.

[DesperateDerelict]

This year's draft

[bengalboomer7]

Everything but the 16 losses , but most of all what I have loved the most is talking about the playoffs in December and the Bengals being in the conversation. :player:

[Kirkendall]

58-48 win over Cleveland. 58 farkin' points! We scored more points in that game than the first 6 games of the 2002 season.

[kline]

Mine would have to be last years win over the ravens. I remember seeing ed reed pull out that interception and thinking "dear god, not again!" The 4th qaurter came along, and we all saw some sort of transformation in palmer. He stood his his ground against an excellent defense and started firing sniper shots to our recievers right inbetween their defenders. I started wondering if I was dreaming all the way up to the final field goal as time expired. Thinking back to the previous years disheartening loss to the ravens, followed by the crowd chanting "same ol bengals" and seeing how far they've come really put the icing on the cake for me.

That game made me a believer.

[Rimington over Marino]

My favorite Lewis moment is when Takeo Spikes (I liked him)was told to just leave. I knew it was a new day. Marvin is getting players in here that he wants and that wants to be here. Hardy and Clemons and Thornton and James signed here. Other players have said they want to play here, i.e. Sapp and Sharper, to name a few. Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent tried to break the bank but Marvin proved he won't overpay. I am glad he did not sign them because they didn't show anything last year. Both were hurt, Taylor might be done and Vincent did OK when he played but he isn't worth what Buffalo paid. Buffalo will have to dump salaries soon.

Everybody forgets when you loose a free agent like Spikes they get a compensatory pick, not to mention the money to sign other free agents. The pick turn out to be Landon Johnson. Essentially they traded Spikes for Hardy and Johnson.

best game was KC

[redsfan2]

Mine had to be when I was driving back from Ark. and hit Cincy shortly after the Broncos game had ended. I wasn't able to find the game on the radio ( the one in the truck we have now sucks ) and I was wondering how the game had gone ..... it didn't take too long to figure it out

Traffic was terrible .... but I didn't mind because everybody was leaning out their windows and screaming and waving Bengals banners and carrying on like we just got into the playoffs.

Didn't get to see the game ( actually I did ... taped ) but I did get to see most all of you who did ..... and I had a great time watching you live it up.

( raising glass ) Here's to many many more.

[BengalNation1281]

The 49ers game in 2003 was the best game that I saw from any teams that entire year. It was back and forth, big play after big play, actual suspense...my friend the 49ers fan and I were rocking and reeling the entire time.

Win over KC is obvious choice, but I have to put it down.

Comeback wins vs. Pittsburgh in 2003 and Baltimore in 2004.

And, last but certainly not least, the MNF win over the Donkeys...tears rolling down my face as I drank a big freakin' beer in celebration :player: :player: :player:

[jditty47]

mine was the KC game for obvious reasons and the Denver game last year cuz it was monday night and we played so solid all across the board.

[Kirkendall]

Mine would have to be last years win over the ravens. I remember seeing ed reed pull out that interception and thinking "dear god, not again!" The 4th qaurter came along, and we all saw some sort of transformation in palmer. He stood his his ground against an excellent defense and started firing sniper shots to our recievers right inbetween their defenders. I started wondering if I was dreaming all the way up to the final field goal as time expired. Thinking back to the previous years disheartening loss to the ravens, followed by the crowd chanting "same ol bengals" and seeing how far they've come really put the icing on the cake for me.

That game made me a believer.

That was a good one too. I don't know if I was more happy or shocked when Carson threw for what, 200 yards in the 4th quarter!

[The Big Orange]

Even though it was Kit instead of Palmer (which definately showed us who the superior QB was), I loved the day after Christmas game against the Giants after the snow. There was so much elation as people threw snow up in the air after everyone of our scores. And then when Housch caught the 4th and long ball and then the next play when CJ caught one in the end zone to put us up. And one last time a couple minutes later when Carl Powell made the game ending interception. I've never been a part of anything like that...the snow was definately made a nice effect.

[Kirkendall]

OK, I think we should do a top ten Post-Marvin Bengals moment...

[Kazkal]

Not a bengal moment but my favorite NFL moment,

Was when Jamel Anderson did a Diving touchdown and barley got the ball in.... I miss jamel he was such a awesome RB but only had 1 year to shine then no one wanted him because of injurys =/

[WorldBFree]

The final drive vs. the Ravens last year. TJ had the incredible catch on 4th and 10, then the out pattern to Chad that Palmer threaded the needle on. WOW!

[San Antonio Bengal]

This might seem a little unusual for such a list, but the game I remember really well was actually a loss. It was the second game of the Marvin Lewis era and at Oakland. It happened that I was in Los Angeles on a business trip and I was listening to the game on the radio. The Oakland announcers were very cocky and were in disbelief that the Bengals were actually holding their own and might even win. It seemed that they were more scared of the humiliation of possibly losing to Bengals than they were scared of the loss itself. Despite their mocking commentary, at times they had some very positive things to say about Cincinnati. And they were extremely positive about Marvin and what he was doing. I couldn't remember the last time I heard such positive commentary about a Cincinnati head coach. We went on to lose the game on a last second field goal, 23 - 20, but it was that game where I realized that something was different about this head coach. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was that I thought was different, but I just knew that he was actually coaching, actually bringing out the best in the players and bringing an air of professionalism to Cincinnati. For the first time in years, I was hopeful.

[HoosierCat]

As far as the games, I'm with Derek on the Pitt win and San Antonio on the Oakland loss. Both of those were "statement" games for anyone who was paying attention. As for my favorite "moment," I'm not sure there was an exact day, but it was that point in January of 2003 when Lewis got the job and Mikey went into self-imposed exile. Probably the closest thing to the bengals hiring a GM that I'll ever live to see.

[HairOnFire]

As far as the games, I'm with Derek on the Pitt win and San Antonio on the Oakland loss. Both of those were "statement" games for anyone who was paying attention.

I guess I liked or heard different statements.

Kansas City - A totally new attitude finally produces very impressive results.

San Francisco - New feature RB stakes final claim on the starting position, making Dillon expendable.

Cleveland - New QB steps forward and serves notice. That notice reads...Get ready for greatness.

Baltimore - Playing a road game against a winning team? How about new results that haven't been experienced in YEARS?

Those are statement games.

Not sure about some of the others. The comeback against Pittsburgh was fun stuff, but I'm not sure I'd call it a watershed event or a statement game. Then again, maybe I missed the magic of the moment. But I'm curious why anyone would think differently.

And the loss against the Raiders was uplifting, but mainly because of how miserably the Bengals had played against Denver in the opener....a game where the Bengals were manhandled on nearly every play and burned repeatedly everytime they attempted a blitz or a stunt. One week later, against Oakland, the Bengals dropped almost everything creative from the playbook and went Neandertal-style in the hope that simplicity would produce better results. It did. But their margin of error was as small as a single bad play and as a result they lost....producing growing frustration. I'd agree that there were plenty of positives on display that day, but what statement was made?

As for one of the other games mentioned, the Seattle win might have moved me more if I had seen it live. Instead, I watched it after returning from vacation and had seen the highlites and knew the outcome....blunting the emotional investment and impact. Or maybe it was the beer.

Again, just curious. I don't want to slag anyones happy moments.

[vman1186]

The Bengals win over Baltimore in the 4th Q ROCKED! I was only "watching" it via the tiny little scorecards on FOX. At first I was like darn the Bengals are going to lose, they're down by 2 with a few seconds left. I had no idea what was going on.

But then the next time it came I saw the bengals up by 1 and it said FINAL! I freaked out!!!!!!

Also, I loved the way they fought tough against the Patriots and the Steelers loss was tough, but I heard Lewis really yelled at them after the game, and I think it sent the right message to the team.

He said "to be the best, we have to beat the best."

I think it will come true this season!!!!!

[membengal]

Well, I thought the ground rules were to search for games outside of the obvious high points (e.g, the KC win, the 2003 and 2004 baltimore wins etc.). With that criteria, the Seahags win was a big one. It stamped the team as legit and legitimized the win over B-more from the previous week. Also, it came on the day of Dillon's little car accident after the team meeting and was Rudi Johnson's coming out party in Cincinnati. The Rudi cheers were loud and long that game.

[HoosierCat]

Kansas City - A totally new attitude finally produces very impressive results.

San Francisco - New feature RB stakes final claim on the starting position, making Dillon expendable.

Cleveland - New QB steps forward and serves notice. That notice reads...Get ready for greatness.

Baltimore - Playing a road game against a winning team? How about new results that haven't been experienced in YEARS?

Nothing wrong with any of those games, all of 'em were fun for Bengals fans...at least by the time the final gun sounded. But for me, the Cleveland and Baltimore games didn't tell me anything I didn't already believe about the potential of this offense under Carson Palmer. I was 100% behind Marvin handing him the job and had been telling anyone who'd listen that he'd be fine. It was nice to see them get that can't-beat-winning-teams-on-the-road monkey off their backs...OTOH for all the offensive firepower in the Cleveland game, our alleged defense let a backup QB the Clowns didn't even keep and some no-name at TE beat the tar out of us. I'm certain that particular statement damped my enthusiasm from that game.

By the time the game with the Niners came around (and note that any win over San Fran-can-kiss-my-a$$-co is a welcome one) I thought Corey would either be gone or we'd have yet another ugly off-season of burger-flipping type comments. While I may not think that Rudi is "all that," he ain't chopped liver, either, and I was already confident that he'd be OK.

The KC game...another fun one...but by the time it rolled around I was convinced the Chiefs were overrated. IIRC, their 9-0 record had been built without once facing a team with a winning record, and the bengals were, record-wise, the toughest team they had yet to face! I'd spent the week over at the KC f2fa site discussing the game with Chiefs fans, who were perfectly polite and reasonable until I made the mild suggestion that the Bengals had sufficient talent to present at least a minor threat, whereupon I was deluged with assurances that the Chiefs far, far outclassed the bengals in all respects. Never mind that this assertion fell apart when you broke the teams down, as I did all that week, much to their annoyance. So by the time game time rolled around that week, my mindset was pretty much that this was a game they could quite reasonably win as long as they played cleanly.

As for the two I like (and again, this is all personal preference, after all), yes, the comparision to the poor performance vs. Denver was a part of the Oakland game, but for me the comparision to the prior year was even bigger. Remember, the disasterous 2002 campaign started off with 4 losses in which the Bengals scored a total of 23 points (never more than one TD a game) while allowing 119 (30+ in 3 of the 4 games). The Oakland game, even though it was a loss, served notice that things were different. Here were were, coming off yet another opening day wreck, travelling to the West Coast where we always played like crap, going into Oakland, the infamous "black hole." And if it wasn't for Kit going to the well once too often on that little slant, we would have walked away winners. And yeah, the big thing they did was to "keep it simple, stupid," but that was part of the point: the previous regimes would have just flailed away after the Denver game, shrugging shoulders, not knowing what was wrong, and making vague assurances that things would get fixed while we got pasted for the first 5-6 weeks. Lewis & company went out and started fixing things.

The Pitt game I saw as the flip side of that. Here were were, up against a division foe, miraculously still in the hunt for the playoffs, needing a victory, and just a minute or two away from "close but no cigar." The Bengals, as a rule, didn't go on the road, fall behind, and then storm back to win. Yet suddenly, amazingly, unbelievingly...they did! Out of nowhere, Jonny Kitna turns into Johnny Unitas and the bengals don't just march down the field...they blow through the Pitt D like it was tissue paper for the winning score. Maybe that's why the Baltimore game doesn't give me as big a chill. 4th quarter comeback versus a division foe with our playoff hopes on the line? Yup, been there, done that.

[Jet23]

The KC game was both the best and the worst for me. It was obviously the best, because P-dub and the boyz brought home a W. It was the worst, because my wife took my keys to her sister's house and I could not get to my favorite pub to watch it with other Bengal fans. I did get a call right after the game and the bar was going crazy. I think I hugged my cat.