Bengals Fans Just Don't Get it

         During the NFL lockout there were plenty of fans that weren't excited about the football season. I heard more than one person say "they hoped there wasn't a season, so the Bengals didn't embarrass themselves." Well, a week 1 victory and a solid week 2 from rookie QB Andy Dalton has suddenly raised expectations. The Bengals lost their home opener on Sunday. Andy Dalton didn't play well and looked like a rookie all afternoon.  Last night on Twitter someone asked the Bengals' beat Writer Joe Reedy if he thought we would win another game this season. I do not get how you could ask that question. The Bengals will win another game. They will win a few more, but they won't be the 8-10 win team that fans were dreaming about. They also won't be the 1 win team that is in the running for the first overall pick in this year’s draft. Stop getting too high and too low Bengals fans. Isn't that bad for your health?

          Before the season started, I said I was excited. I was excited to start a season without having high hopes. I was interested in seeing this young team play. I said that they would entertain us and be competitive. I also predicted they'd win four games. The Bengals have potential, but they won't touch their true potential this season. That is okay with me (and should be okay with all Bengals fans), because going into this year I knew they would be average or below average most of the time. I knew they would show flashes of very good play and follow it with horrid play. That's what young players do and that's what we can expect from the 2011 Bengals. They had no business beating Cleveland in season opener, but they also had no business losing to Denver when the Broncos were missing 40% of their starters.

          This is a young team and we need to give them time to work out all of the kinks. Becoming great at anything takes time, and the Bengals just aren't there yet. Stop jumping on or off the bandwagon because there isn't one this year. This season is an interview for next year. We don’t have a horrible record (1-2) and as long as we grow each week I can’t be mad at them. Watch the games and make a decision on whether or not you'll be on the band wagon next year. Next year they may have a shot to be 10-6, but for now let's realize that this is just the beginning and with a little luck we might just have a shot to be very good in a few short years.

AJ Green (above) and the Bengals have potential, they just need time to grow as players.