Owner Mike Brown understands that the Cincinnati Bengals fan base is apathetic after several struggle-filled seasons and no playoff wins in 16 years under Marvin Lewis.
Brown touched on this topic in an interview with Kareem Elgazzar of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
“We haven’t won in the playoffs and we haven’t been to the playoffs for the last three years. That’s an eternity in this business, that’s what people remember and that’s where their focus is. We have to re-excite our fan base. We have to do some things differently.”
Brown has attempted to fix this issue by moving on from Lewis and bringing aboard Sean McVay understudy Zac Taylor. The new coach, in turn, has brought on one of the NFL’s biggest staffs, reinvented the vibe and rules surrounding the team, and hopes to have a fresh set of eyes from his staff getting the most out of a talented roster.
Of course, Brown wasn’t alone in the decision to bring on Taylor, and the front office didn’t seem to have much of a choice. In the eyes of many, the decision to make a change came years too late. And the propensity for it all to backfire always remains.
But as Brown concedes, the fan base hasn’t exactly been engaged lately. Anything was better than more of the same, and if the wins start happening again, the damage done by holding on to a waning era might not be irreparable after all.
