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Cincinnati Bengals

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The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are currently members of the Northern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Their first season, 1968, was as an American Football League franchise, but they joined the NFL as part of the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, which had actually been agreed to in 1966.

The Bengals conduct summer training camp at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky and play home games in Paul Brown Stadium.

Contents

Franchise history

In 1967 a Cincinnati-based ownership group led by Paul Brown was granted a franchise in the American Football League.

As the founder and head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1946 to 1962, Brown led his team to a .759 winning percentage and seven championships, which includes four championships earned while a member of the All-America Football Conference. The Browns were champions of that league in each of the four years it existed. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns, as well as the San Francisco 49ers and the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts, were absorbed into the National Football League.

Brown became a recognized innovator for his approach to training, game planning, and the passing game. However, Brown sold majority interest in the team in 1961 to businessman Art Modell. On January 9, 1963, Modell controversially fired Brown. Many believe that Modell had tired of complaints of Brown's autocratic style; others claim it was Brown's decision to trade for Syracuse University's Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ernie Davis, who was drafted by the Washington Redskins, without Modell's knowledge. However, tragically, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia shortly afterward. Brown didn't want to play Davis; Modell insisted he could play. The relationship between Paul Brown and Art Modell, which was never warm to begin with, deteriorated further. Ernie Davis passed away on May 18, 1963. He never played a down of professional football.

By 1966, Paul Brown wanted to become involved in professional football again. James A. Rhodes, then the governor of Ohio, convinced Brown that Ohio needed a second team. Cincinnati was deemed the logical choice, in essence, splitting the state.

Brown named the team the Bengals in order "to give it a link with past professional football in Cincinnati." [link] Another Bengals team existed in the city and played in a previous American Football League from 1937 to 1942. The city's renowned zoo was also home to a rare white Bengal Tiger. However, possibly as an insult to Art Modell, Paul Brown chose the exact shade of orange used by his former team. He added black as the secondary color. Brown chose a very simple logo: the word "BENGALS" in black lettering. Ironically, one of the potential helmet designs Brown rejected was a striped motif that was similar to the one adopted by the team in 1981 and which is still in use to this day. However, that design featured orange stripes on a black helmet and were more uniform in width.

However, Brown was not a supporter of the rival American Football League, stating that "I didn't pay ten million dollars to be in the AFL", [link]. He only acquiesced to joining the AFL when he was guaranteed that the team would become an NFL franchise after the impending merger of the two leagues.

There was also a complication: the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds were in need of a facility to replace the antiquated, obsolete Crosley Field, which they had used since 1912. Parking nightmares had plagued the city as far back as the 1950s, the little park lacked modern amenities, and New York City, which in 1956 had lost both their National League teams, the Dodgers and the Giants to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, were actively courting Powel Crosley. However, Crosley was adamant that the Reds remain in Cincinnati and tolerated worsening problems with the Crosley Field location, which were increased with the Millcreek Expressway (I-75) project that ran alongside the park.

With assistance from Ohio governor James A. Rhodes, Hamilton County and the Cincinnati city council agreed to build a single multi-purpose facility on the dilapidated riverfront section of the city. The new facility had to be ready by the opening of the 1970 NFL season and was officially named Riverfront Stadium, which was its working title.

With the completion of the merger in 1970, the Cleveland Browns were moved to the AFL-based American Football Conference and placed with the Bengals in the AFC Central, the same division as the Bengals. An instant rivalry was born, fueled initially by Paul Brown's rivalry with Art Modell.

The first three seasons

Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, home of the Bengals.
Enlarge
Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, home of the Bengals.

For their inaugural season they played at Nippert Stadium which is the current home of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. The team finished its first season with a 3-11 record, although one bright spot was running back Paul Robinson. Robinson rushed for 1,023 yards and was named the AFL Rookie of the Year.

First Three Season Coach

Founder Paul Brown coached the team for its first three seasons, accumulating 15 wins and 27 losses and one tie. One of Brown’s college draft stategies was to draft players with above average intelligence. Punter/wide receiver Pat McInally attended Harvard and linebacker Reggie Williams attended Dartmouth College and served on Cincinnati city council while on the Bengals’ roster. Because of this policy, many former players were highly articulate and went on to have successful careers in commentary and broadcasting as well as the arts. In addition, Brown had a knack for locating and recognizing pro football talent in unusual places.

First Three Seasons Game Notes

The 1970s

In the '70s the Bengals moved to play at Riverfront Stadium, a home they shared with the Cincinnati Reds until the team moved to Paul Brown Stadium in 2000.

1970s Coaches

Four men coached the team to a 72-76 record during this period.

Memorable players from the 1970s

1970s Games of Note

In one of the more memorable games in the history of Monday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills' running back, O.J. Simpson ran for 197 yards, but the Bengals' quarterback Ken Anderson passed for 447 yards as the Bengals defeated the Bills 33-24 in front of a sellout crowd in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium.

The 1980s

The Bengals were an entertaining and successful team reaching the Super Bowl twice, but overall, the 1980s was a decade of missed opportunities for the team.

1980s Coaches

Memorable players from the 1980s

1980s Games of Note

November 28, 1982 - Defensive back Ken Riley tied his own franchise record by intercepting 3 passes from Los Angeles Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett, leading the Benglas to a 31-17 win.

The 1990s

Paul Brown, legendary NFL personality and innovator, died in 1991. He had already transferred control to his son, Mike Brown, but was reported to still influence the daily operations of the team. Shortly after his passing, the Bengals' fortunes changed for the worse for a long time.

1990s Coaches

Memorable players from the 1990s

*Pickens made the Pro Bowl twice with the Bengals and holds the team record for most receptions in the regular season at 100. He left the team due to personality conflicts (which led to some fines as well as a new player contract clause for later players nicknamed the "Pickens Clause" which penalizes players for disparagring remarks about the club or management).
*Scott recorded over 800 receiving yards in all of his 7 seasons with the Bengals, with the sole exception of 1997, when he recorded 797 yards.
*Blake was the only other quarterback, other than Esiason in '97, to lead the team to a non-losing record (8-8) during the string of bad seasons. He was famous for his short stature and his "moon ball" (nicknamed such for its high arc) which was a very successful play to Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott. He was drafted by the Jets under their head coach of the time, Coslet, and came over as a backup to Klingler when Coslet arrived. He got the start due to injuries and was never challenged for the quarterback position by Klingler again. He was benched after the drafting of Akili Smith. Blake remained in the league as a starter and backup beyond 2005 whereas neither of his favorite receivers remained in the league for another 2 years after they left the Bengals.

1990s Games of Note

2000-Present

The Bengals began to emerge from more than a decade of being the worst-performing team of that era (edging out the Cardinals) into a new era of increased consistency under Marvin Lewis. Carson Palmer, the future star quarterback, was drafted in 2003 but did not play a snap that whole season, as Jon Kitna had a comeback year (voted NFL Comeback Player of the Year). Despite Kitna's success, Carson was promoted to starting quarterback the following season and Kitna, apparently happily, took the position of backup quarterback and embraced the role of mentor for the young quarterback.

Intensification of Rivalry with Pittsburgh Steelers
The Bengals have played the Steelers more than any other team in the NFL (the Browns missed keeping pace by being out of the league for a few years, the Oilers/Titans team was moved from the division, and the Baltimore Ravens are considered a "new" franchise as Cleveland retained its rights to the name and history). While the Bengals were in the midst of a terrible decade the intensity of the rivalries tapered off.

*Ben Roethlisberger was brought onto the Steelers' team in 2004 and his impressive early achievements, along with those of Carson Palmer, have been heralded as the beginning of a dynamic rivalry for some time to come.
*Dick Lebeau was fired from the head coach position from Cincinnati and returned to Pittsburgh as defensive coordinator. He either coached for Pittsburgh or Cincinnati for most of his NFL coaching career often going from one directly to the other.
*Kimo Von Olhoffen was drafted by the Bengals and when Lebeau returned to Pittsburgh (the first time after being defensive coordinator for the Bengals) he took Kimo with him. Kimo, the former Bengal, was responsible for the hit that took Carson Palmer out of the '05-'06 AFC Wild Card game with a knee injury.
*Troy Polamalu, the high profile safety for the Steelers, and Palmer were USC roommates. In one particular play Polamalu intercepted Palmer and, on the runback, Palmer was the last remaining Bengal in position to tackle him but missed as Polamalu surged passed him and scored.
*Rudi Johnson grew up in the same neighborhood as a Steelers' linebacker and they actually played against each other growing up.
*Head coaches, Lewis and Bill Cowher, grew up in the same area of Pittsburgh and actually played against each other in little-league football. Later, Cowher would hire Lewis as an assistant coach for defense, giving him his first NFL job.
* The Steelers began taunting the Bengals by using Cincinnati cheers and chants in a mocking fashion. Hines Ward celebrated a touchdown in their regular season victory at Paul Brown Stadium by doing the "Ickey Shuffle." After the Steelers beat the Bengals in the 1st round of playoffs the Steelers were noted chanting "Who-Dey!" followed by a "We dey!" Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was again quoted chanting "We day!" weeks later, at a Pittsburgh parade celebrating the Steelers' Super Bowl victory.
Paul Brown Stadium was built for the 2000 season using private and public money. In tribute to his father, Mike Brown refused corporate offers to have the stadium renamed for their company which became a trend in the NFL and other sports team around that time.

2000-Present Coaches

Dick Lebeau lost his job as head coach after winning just two games throughout the 2002 season. Lebeau went 12-33 as head coach. His last season was a franchise worst 2-14 and had the worst winning percentage of all non-interim Bengal coaches of 26.67%. He returned to Pittsburgh as the defensive coordinator.

Current head coach Marvin Lewis won 8 and lost 8 in both the 2003 and the 2004 season. He secured the 1st winning season for the Bengal's franchise since 1991-92 playoff. Has not had a losing season since taking over. He has introduced season "themes", from "Do Your Job" in 2004-05 to "Keep on Digging" 2003-04.

Defensive coordinators under Lewis were Leslie Frazier then followed by Chuck Bresnahan. Frazier, who was hired by Lewis in his first year, left the club citing personality differences and left to become a successful defensive coordinator for Chicago Bears. Bresnahan was brought in and the Bengal's turnover differential in his 1st year was a huge turnaround amounting to a +24 differential after the 12th game.
Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski was held over from Dick Lebeau's coaching staff. In the years following Cincinnati has regained its franchise-characteristic high-potency offense.

Memorable players from 2000-Present

* Chad Johnson broke the team record for reception yards in consecutive years ('04 & '05 season, 1400+ yards)
* Rudi Johnson broke the team record for rushing yards in consecutive years ('04 & '05 season)
* Jeremi Johnson, while used primarily as a blocking fullback, is a very capable receiver.
  • Willie Anderson and Levi Jones are the left and right tackles. Willie Anderson has started a franchise record amount of consecutive games.
  • Deltha O'Neal and Tory James alternated leading the Bengals in interceptions where one or both gained yearly recognition by making it into the Pro Bowl. In 2005, O'Neal set a franchise record with 10 interceptions.
  • Shayne Graham signed by the Bengals after being cut from 2 other teams, Graham set a Bengals record by making 88% (22 of 25) of his field goals in his first season with them. He made the pro bowl in 2005, and has not yet missed an extra point in his career.
  • T.J. Houshmandzadeh was a collegiate teammate of Chad Johnson's at Oregon State and, like Johnson, had a troubled history. Originally a third and fourth receiver, Houshmandzadeh overcame hamstring problems that plagued him in his second year, shed some weight to improve his performance and was promoted to the starting lineup in 2004 with the release of Peter Warrick. While not quite as fast as Johnson, Houshmandzadeh has proven himself a dependable possession receiver who's willing to make the tough short and medium range catches in traffic where he is prone to taking hard hits.
  • Linebacker Odell Thurman, a rookie second round draft pick in 2005.

    • 2000-Present Games of Note

    AFC Wild-Card Round
    This year neither team's home field advantage proved advantageous. In the series the home team lost every game. The Steelers defeated the Bengals in the wild-card playoff game, 31-17.

    Logo and uniforms

    Bengals' helmet design (1968-1980)
    Enlarge
    Bengals' helmet design (1968-1980)

    Bengals' alternate logo (1997-present)
    When the team debuted in 1968, the Bengals' uniforms were modelled after the Cleveland Browns. When Paul Brown was fired by Art Modell, it was Paul Brown who still had ownership of the equipment used by Cleveland. So after the firing, Paul Brown packed up all his equipment, which he then used for his new team in Cincinnati. The Cleveland Browns' team colors were orange, brown and white, and their helmets were solid orange with a white dorsal stripe over the crest. The Bengals' team colors were orange, black and white, and their helmets were a similar shade of orange, with the only variations being the word "Bengals" in block letters on either side of the helmet and no stripe on the helmet.

    The team did not discard their Cleveland-like uniforms until 1981. During that year, a then-unique uniform design was introduced. Although the team kept black jerseys, white jerseys, and white pants, they were now trimmed with orange and black tiger stripes. The team also introduced orange helmets with black tiger stripes.

    In 1997, the Bengals designed an alternate logo consisting of a leaping tiger, and it was added to the uniform sleeves. However, the orange helmet with black tiger stripes continued to be the team's primary trademark.

    In 2004, a new tiger stripe pattern and more accents were added to the uniforms. The black jerseys now featured orange sleeves, while the white jerseys began to use black sleeves and orange shoulders. A new logo consisting of an orange "B" covered with black tiger stripes was introduced. The team also started rotating black pants and debuted an alternate orange jersey.

    Contributions to NFL Culture

    The Ickey Shuffle

    The most commonly recognized contribution comes from the "Ickey Shuffle", a celebratory dance created by Bengals running back Ickey Woods in his rookie season of 1988 during the Bengals' Super Bowl run. This dance, done after Woods would score a touchdown, was the catalyst for the NFL instituting penalties against excessive celebratory performances (resulting in the backronym "No Fun League"), and before the 1989 season was over it was relegated to the sidelines. (although not before Darrell Waltrip used it in Victory Lane celebrations after winning the 1989 Daytona 500)

    No Huddle Offense

    A No-Huddle Offense was commonly used by all teams when time in the game was running low. However, Sam Wyche, the head coach of the Bengals in 1988, along with offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet, made the high-paced offense the standard modality for the ball club regardless of time remaining. By quickly setting up for the next play (often within 5-10 seconds after the last play despite being afforded 45 seconds) this hindered the other teams' defense from substituting situational players, regrouping for tactics, and, some suggest, increased the defenses' rate of fatigue (This is attributed to the belief that the offense dictates when a play starts so they tend to be more mentally relaxed and prepared for the start of a play where the defense must remain on a different level of alert before the play starts). In response to this tactic the NFL instituted several rules related to this tactic: The tactic was used by the franchise from the late 80s while Sam Wyche was the coach. The main rivals for AFC supremacy were the Buffalo Bills, coached by Marv Levy. Most of the high-profile games (the various games for AFC Conference titles and regular season games) between the two led to these changes in NFL rules.

    Wyche recalled that before the '88 AFC title game the Buffalo Bills had seemingly convinced league officials to penalize the Bengals for running a no-huddle offense. In a statement made to the Bengals' press in 2005, he relayed "The NFL was nice enough to come to us an hour and 55 minutes before the game and tell us we would be given a 15-yard penalty every time we used it. Of course we had practiced it all week. We told them if they wanted to answer to the public for changing the competitive balance of the AFC championship game, that was up to them, but we were using it. They never dropped a flag."

    The ironic part was afterwards the Bills began to employ the no-huddle (with Jim Kelly) and used it to near-perfection, winning the AFC title four years straight.

    West Coast Offense/Paul Brown's Offense

    The West Coast Offense, which is commonly employed by many teams (most notably, it was used by San Francisco during their dynasty, and the Buffalo Bills during their domination of the AFC) is the popular name for the high-percentage passing scheme designed by Paul Brown and Bill Walsh. This play scheme was used by Ken Anderson during the Bengals' initial Super Bowl run.

    Season-by-season records

    Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties {| class="wikitable" |- bgcolor="#efefef" ! Season !! W !! L !! T !! Finish !! Playoff Results |- | colspan="6" align="center" | Cincinnati Bengals (AFL) |- |1968 || 3 || 11 || 0 || 5th AFL West || -- |- |1969 || 4 || 9 || 1 || 5th AFL West || -- |- | colspan="6" align="center" | Merged into NFL |- |1970 || 8 || 6 || 0 || 1st AFC Central || Lost Divisional Playoffs (B. Colts) |- |1971 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1972 || 8 || 6 || 0 || 3rd AFC Central || -- |- |1973 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 1st AFC Central || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Dolphins) |- |1974 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 2nd AFC Central || -- |- |1975 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 2nd AFC Central || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) |- |1976 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 2nd AFC Central || -- |- |1977 || 8 || 6 || 0 || 3rd AFC Central || -- |- |1978 || 4 || 12 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1979 || 4 || 12 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1980 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1981 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st AFC Central || Won Divisional Playoffs (Bills)
    Won Conference Championship (Chargers)
    Lost Super Bowl XVI (49ers) |- |1982 || 7 || 2 || 0 || 3rd AFC Conf. || Lost First Round (Jets) |- |1983 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 3rd AFC Central || -- |- |1984 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 2nd AFC Central || -- |- |1985 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 2nd AFC Central || -- |- |1986 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd AFC Central || -- |- |1987 || 4 || 11 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1988 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st AFC Central || Won Divisional Playoffs (Seahawks)
    Won Conference Championship (Bills)
    Lost Super Bowl XXIII (49ers) |- |1989 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1990 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 1st AFC Central || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Oilers)
    Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Raiders) |- |1991 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1992 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1993 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1994 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 3rd AFC Central || -- |- |1995 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 2nd AFC Central || -- |- |1996 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 3rd AFC Central || -- |- |1997 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th AFC Central || -- |- |1998 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 5th AFC Central || -- |- |1999 || 4 || 12 || 0 || 5th AFC Central || -- |- |2000 || 4 || 12 || 0 || 5th AFC Central || -- |- |2001 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 6th AFC Central || -- |- |2002 || 2 || 14 || 0 || 4th AFC North || -- |- |2003 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 2nd AFC North || -- |- |2004 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 3rd AFC North || -- |- |2005 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st AFC North || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Steelers) |- !Totals || 258 || 334 || 1 |colspan="2"| (including AFL & NFL playoffs)

    Players of note

    Current roster

    [Edit] Last updated: 13 July 2006

    Quarterbacks

    Halfbacks Fullbacks Receivers Tight Ends     		 

    Tackles

    Guards Centers Defensive line Kickers     		 

    Linebackers

    Defensive backs

    Retired numbers

    54 Bob Johnson Offensive lineman, 1st ever draft pick of the Bengals.

    Reserved numbers

    Although these jersey numbers were not officially retired, they are not used in the regular season as an unofficial tribute to the former players.
    After Esiason left the Bengals following the 1992 season, David Klingler wore #7. Boomer wore #7 after returning to the Bengals in 1997. No Bengal player has worn #7 since 1997.
  • 13 Ken Riley
    • Worn by punter Dan Pope later in Bengals history, but no other players since
  • 14 Ken Anderson
  • 69 Tim Krumrie
  • 78 Anthony Muñoz

    • Current Staff

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