The Minnesota Vikings travel to Cincinnati for an early Saturday game against the Bengals. Paul Brown “founded” two professional football teams. The Cleveland Browns were the first. The Cincinnati Bengals were the second. He’s an Ohio guy. When it comes to football, he’s The Ohio Guy. The Bengals joined the rival American Football League in 1968. Technically, the AFL and NFL were no longer rivals in 1968 as the two professional football leagues had agreed to merge in 1966. They had a combined draft and played a championship game but the two league’s were still kept separate during the regular season. The Bengals have an interesting history. The team has had some disappointing stretches. Mostly the 1990s. They had two great runs to the Super Bowl in the 1980s. Both were ended by the San Francisco 49ers. Those losses felt like a “Bill Walsh Curse.” The great 49ers coach was a Bengals offensive assistant to Paul Brown from 1968-75. The origins of the “West Coast Offense” can be found in Cincinnati in the late 1960s. After a serious injury to uber-talented, strong-armed Greg Cook, Walsh had to adjust the offense to relatively weak-armed Virgil Carter. That offense became the offense that defined Walsh’s great coaching career. When Paul Brown stepped away from coaching his team in 1975, Walsh expected to be named the Bengals head coach. He wasn’t and bolted to the west coast and other coaching options. His relationship with his mentor was never the same after the snub. It felt fitting that the Bengals and 49ers would meet for titles. Walsh got the better of Brown both times. Fast forward to today. Under the guidance of head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals have returned to annual contender status. They lost Super Bowl LVI to the Los Angeles Rams. It felt kinda weird to see the Bengals in the big game and not see the 49ers on the other sideline. On the eve of their big game against the Vikings, here are some of the best players in Cincinnati Bengals franchise history.
Offense
Quarterback
Ken Anderson
Running Back
Corey Dillon
Fullback
Pete Johnson
Wide Receivers
A.J. Green
Chad Johnson
Tight End
Dan Ross
Tackles
Anthony Munoz
Willie Anderson
Guards
Dave Lapham
Max Montoya
Center
Bob Johnson
Defense
Defensive Ends
Coy Bacon
Eddie Edwards
Defensive Tackles
Tim Krumrie
Mike Reid
Linebackers
Reggie Williams
Jim LeClair
Takeo Spikes
Cornerbacks
Ken Riley
Lamarr Parrish
Safeties
David Fulcher
Tommy Casanova
Special Teams
Kicker
Jim Breech
Punter
Pat McInally
Returner
Lamarr Parrish
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