Go Bengals!

I'm a hometown guy. I like to root for the home team. I am a Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers fan. By the same account, I should be a Giants or Jets fan. Maybe even Bills, although no one in my area cares about the Bills. I knew maybe one or two Bills fans growing up, even when they went to four straight Super Bowls.

However, in football, sadly, I like the Bengals. It's a long story. But in short, my dad's friend's son (got that?) was drafted by the Bengals in the late '70s. He started following the team then, and stuck with them. I was born into it. But hey, at least you can't say I'm a front runner. It's not like I'm randomly a Cowboys fan.

Anyhow, the NFL season starts today for most teams, and there is a strong sense of optimism amongst us Bengals fans. Cincy has been to the Playoffs three years in a row. No longer are these the yearly 3-13 Bengals. But enough is enough. It's time to take that next step and win a Playoff game or two. Is this finally the year?

It's going to start with these two guys:

AJ Green and Andy Dalton. Green is one of the top receivers in the league. Dalton is mediocre and got a huge deal. Personally, I feel like he is holding the team back. We shall see.

I think this guy is going to have a MONSTER year. He'll be the Bengals #2 WR while Marvin Jones is out with an injury. My prediction is that he won't give up the #2 spot.

Lastly, while the Bengals have a 7-8 year reputation as a team with character questions (rightfully so then, not so much now...but it's hard to shake a reputation), I present to you Devon Still. The Bengals recently re-signed Still to their practice squad so that he could receive full medical benefits for him and his family, notably his four-year-old daughter who is receiving cancer treatments. Sometimes, sports are awesome.

Thanks to Jaybarkerfan's Junk for sending me a bunch of great Bengals cards recently. Let's go Bengals!