Take A Deep Breath Bengals Fans

Step back from the ledge, think a couple of happy thoughts, and then say it out loud: "The Bengals are not the 2007 New England Patriots!" I hate to break it to you, but it's true. The Bengals are not perfect. I didn't like what I saw Sunday either. An opening touchdown drive was marred by several mental mistakes leading to silly penalties. That was a clue that the Bengals were not going to be at their best Sunday in Oakland. They looked like a poor excuse for a playoff team. But here's the deal: every team outside of the 2007 Patriots and the 1972 Dolphins have clunkers in their system. Nobody wants to admit that, but it's true. Look around the league every week and you see teams coming off a two or three game stretch of impressive performances just stink it up on "any given Sunday." I don't know why it happens, but it does. Maybe it's biorhythms. The older I get, and the more I see things happen like what happened to the Bengals on Sunday, the more I believe in biorhythms. The Bengals are good, but they aren't great. Not yet. But they are a playoff team. So let's stop with the "Return of The 2002 Bungles" talk and remember that hiccups occur in the NFL. The Bengals will gulp a glass of water this week while holding their breath and take care of business the next two weeks. (If they don't, please horse-collar me and keep me from jumping off the ledge)