The Cincinnati Bengals
By "Shawn Cortez"

Playoffs 2103 (Cincinnati, OH) - 2081 - 6-7-1
2082 - 5-9
2083 - 5-8-1
2084 - 2-12
2085 - 4-10
2086 - 2-12
2087 - 7-7
2088 - 10-4
2089 - 4-10
2090 - 7-7
2091 - 5-9
2092 - 6-8
2093 - 2-12
2094 - 5-9
2095 - 3-11
2096 - 8-6
2097 - 6-8
2098 - 8-6
2099 - 9-5
2100 - 9-5
2101 - 7-6-1
2102 - 8-6
2103 - 6-8
2104 - ?-?

Total - 134 - 185 - 3

When GM James Barr took over the Cleveland Browns he had one thing on his mind; building a winner. He had learned the game from Flip Sides, the GM of the Dallas Cowboys, and he was confident that he now had the tools needed to build a team that Cincinnati would be proud of.

The early years were a grind on Barr and the people of the city; he lost many backers and was on his last legs when the 2087 season came around the corner. Just off a 2-12 season, many were calling for his head on a silver platter, and when you asked Barr, he pretty much agreed with them.

The team had been on the down for far too many seasons, every year was claimed to be a rebuilding one. You can only feed that line to fans for so long before they expect to at least see a foundation sprouted up from the ground. Barr knew what he had to do, the only question was if he was going to be able to or not.

2087 was looking to be a good year. Freddie Daniels, who had come over from Minnesota was looking to have a good year with the help from FP Darren Brace in the backfield and star WR Nelson Jones. The offensive line looked solid and it appeared as if offense wasn't going to be an issue.

The defense was anchored by Bengal Great, Anthony Agnew but didn't look to be real deep. Going in to the season the fans were hyped but Barr had some reservations. The Bengals finished at 7-7 and the defense had let them down once again as they gave up more than they had scored for what seemed like the norm in Bengal country.

The fans were off Barr's back for the time being as the team had finished at .500 for the first time in years. Barr's job was by no means safe. He had to put together a winner in 2088 if were to gain some trust.

The Bengals did just that. They put together the finest season (record wise) that the team has ever had and pulled the monkey off James Barr and the rest of the staff, even if it was just for a brief time.

Daniels had one of his finest years, Brace was the solid back that he had been since day one, and WR Brett Brady added that reliable receiver to the offense that thy so desperately needed. Agnew and Hoge provided the threat of the sack, which helped the pass defense tremendously. When it was all said and done the Bengals were 10-4 and everyone was thinking about the playoffs and the chance of brining home a Sundby cup. It wasn't meant to be as the Bengals got bumped from round 1.

After that it was right back in to the hole as the Bengals began a streak of not so good years from 2089-2095. The heat was on again and Barr was about to get out of the kitchen. He had lost his franchise running back and had not been able to replace Brace with anything that looked as good. Wang had made a run at things but just didn't possess the strength that Brace had showed in his years. The QB position was a mess and the defense was on the fritz.

In 2096 Barr did it again. He led the Bengals to an 8-6 record and just narrowly missed out on the playoffs. Even at 8-6 it was still only good enough for third in his own division and people were starting to see that the AFC East was one of, if not the, toughest division in football. To simply finish above .500 seemed more and more like a victory.

Fans didn't know what to expect in 2097 and neither did the team. Demoralized from the first round loss which they felt they should have one, the team stumbled to 6-8 and missed the playoffs. Fans were upset, but 6-8 wasn't too bad and they felt they still had a god core of players.

2098 marked the beginning of a 5 year span where the Bengals finished at or above .500 every year and made the playoffs in 2098, 2099, and 2100. The winning ways were starting to feel nice. The Bengals reached the AFC title game in 2098, 2099 and 2100. They were just inches away from the Sundby cup. However, their playoff streak ended in 2100 and they haven't been back since. Baltimore has emerged as a force now in the division as well which makes it a four horse race every year. Buffalo and New England remain tough and don't look to be going anywhere, any time soon.

After some trouble with the draft and some other trades that were a little sketchy (3 #1's for Jay Dexter) the team has been up and down and has never really been able to establish a firm grasp on if they need to stick with veterans or rebuild.

When asked if they were planning on rebuilding this year, GM James Barr had this to say;

'What is that exactly? Last time I looked you tried to put the best team on the field each and every year. I'm not going to tear this team down. I am going to try to win, plain and simple. Sure we may try to get a few more picks in the draft to build up our youth pool, but don't look for me to start dumping guys left and right. For most teams this thing is cyclical. Not everyone can build a dynasty the likes of Buffalo and New England. It's hard to stay on top for that long. We'll be back in a few years and everyone will forget about this stuff, until next time we have a losing record that is...'