I have been a CIN fan since before I was in high school, and as bad as this is, it has been much worse. Let's not forget the Mike Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LaBeau years when, for the better part of a decade, CIN and the LA Clippers were the two consistent front runners in the "Worst Professional Sports Team of All Time" discussion.
I agree though that Marvin has to go. He has made too many dumb FA signings in addition his flat-out BAD game day coaching. I actually threw in the towel on Marvin after the playoff loss to the NYJ last January:
With 11:00 left in the 4Q, Benson had 169 yards rushing against the NYJ. He never ran again the rest of the game. In fact, with 4:08 left, down 10, from the NYJ 11, with all 3 TO's, Palmer throws 3 straight incomplete passes, which sets up a 28 yard FG attempt that Shane Graham misses. Oh yeah, and Graham aleady had missed a 35 yard FG early in the 3Q. I was shocked that CIN didn't even try a delay or draw with Benson at any point in that series. And so what if they have to waste a TO to get a TD here? It's much easier to get an end of the game FG with 1 or 2 TO's than it is an end of the game TD. Palmer was 16/34 for 121 yards at that point. How does Marvin not put the ball in the hands of his best player in this spot?
And, even if the playing calling there was defensible, you cannot defend Marvin's benching his starters and allowing his team to get HOUSED in Week 17 by the NYJ, knowing that by giving up on that game, he'd likely see them they very next week in the Wild Card Round, only that NYJ will have gained 10 times the confidence by dominating you 6 days earlier.
Marvin, we thank you for your service, you turned a Laughing Stock into an Also-Ran, but it's time to move on. Let's see what Mike Zimmer can do (because we all know: (1) cheap-a$$ Mike Brown won't pay for a Cowher or Billick or Holmgren; and, (2) a Cowher or Billick or Holmgren wouldn' take the job anyway, given that, aside from BUF, CIN has the worst scouting department in the league).
Glad I got this off my chest.
