Powered by:
as known from New York Timesas known from USA Todayas known from yahoo!
VA
Contains commercial content
The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / The 1988 Cincinnati Bengals: Kings of the Jungle!

The 1988 Cincinnati Bengals: Kings of the Jungle!

1988 Bengals!
Publish Date: 08/26/2023
Fact checked by: Simon Briffa

No matter what team you cheer for, there is always that one season for that team that didn’t quite make it, but you stillย remember fondly. If you’re a Cleveland Browns fan, it’s probably the “Cardiac Kids” of 1980.ย  If you are a Denver Broncos fan, it’s probably the 1977 “Orange Crush” Broncos.ย  The list could go on and on. ย As a Cincinnati Bengals fan, that team would be the 1988 version of my beloved Bengals.

The 1988 Bengals were one of the most innovative teams in NFL history! Sure the team is most known for the “Ickey Shuffle” or the name Riverfront Stadium was given: “The Jungle”. But if you look deeper into that magical season, you will find that, unlike other teams that came up a little short, the 1988 Bengals had an effect on the NFL that is still felt in the league even today. Admittedly, I am a Bengals fan, and my team often falls short of my expectations (one Super Bowl win, please!), so I need something to hold on to. Disagree with my “innovative” claim?ย  Read the rest of this article.ย  It may change your mind.

The 1988 Bengals season, probably their best, was preceded by what may have been their worst season in 1987. The Bengals entered 1987 with high hopes after finishing the 1986 season 10-6 and barely missing the playoffs. After beating the Indianapolis Colts 23-21 to begin the season, they hosted the San Francisco 49ers.ย  With the Bengals leading 26-20 with six seconds left in the game and facing fourth down and long in their territory, Head Coach Sam Wyche decided to run a sweep to James Brooks in the hope that it would run the final six seconds off the clock. Unfortunately, Brooks ran a sweep left but was tackled with two seconds still on the clock. Joe Montana came on the field and promptly found Jerry Rice in the end zone for the game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass. To say that Wyche made a coaching error in that game would be a HUGE understatement! Couple that with the NFL strike, which started immediately after the game, and the Bengals would begin a tailspin that would last the rest of that season.

Let’s go back a little bit to the year 1986; beyond a 10-6 season that just missed the playoffs, the biggest thing that happened was the 1986 NFL draft. A lot of the 1988 Super Bowl team building was done during the 1986 NFL draft. The Bengals picked up six starters from the 1986 draft, including linebackers Joe Kelly and Leon White. The Defensive backfield added cornerback Lewis Billups and one of the greatest defensive players in Bengals history in safety David Fulcher. The defensive line added Jim Skow, an underrated defensive lineman whose best season was 1988. The Bengals added starting wide receiver Tim McGee, who went on to an excellent career with the Bengals.

Following the unfortunate 1987, most observers expected Bengals owner Paul Brown to fire Wyche, but Brown decided to keep Wyche and give him one more chance to right the ship. Bengals QB Boomer Esiason and Wyche, who had feuded throughout the 1987 season, reconciled before the 1988 season.

The 1988 season saw the Bengals come within seconds of winning the Super Bowl (Thank you, Joe Montana). And if you look closely at some of the reasons for their success, you will see some genuine innovations that significantly impacted the league and continue to do so to this day.

Boomer Esiason, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player of 1988 with the best QB rating in the league that season, led a no-huddle offense.ย  This offense led the NFL in total yards (including passing and rushing individually) and points scored.ย  The Bengals no-huddle offense wore defenses out and was so effective that one notable NFL head coach tried to outlaw it.ย  Who was that head coach?ย  Marv Levy’s Bills ran the “K-Gun”, an offense eerily similar to the Bengals no-huddle. What’s the old saying? “If you can’t beat ’em, copy ’em!”

Because of the no-huddle, the NFL was forced to change several rules: If a player goes down injured, he must leave for the next play. Also, in a no-huddle situation, the defense can only substitute if the offense does.

In addition, the 1988 Bengals were one of the very first teams to use comprehensive zone-blocking scheme others had used it, but Bengals offensive line coach Jim McNally took it to an entirely different level.

Many people think the strength of this team was its passing game and Esiason, or the three talented running backs, Brooks, Woods and Wilson. The true power of this team was the offensive line led by the great Anthony Munoz. Add in great seasons by Bruce Kozerski, Bruce Reimers, Joe Walter, Max Montoya and Brian Blados, and you have one of the great offensive lines of all time.

The 1988 Bengals not only shook things up on offense, but they were also innovative on defense as well.

The 1988 Bengals were the first to employ the Dick Lebeau zone blitz scheme. Today, Lebeau is more known as the former Defensive Coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he became the Bengals’ Defensive Coordinator in 1984.ย  The Lebeau-led Bengals finished 1988 regular season 6th in the NFL in interceptions and 9th in sacks.ย  The Bengals turned it up a notch in the post-season by finishing 1st in interceptions and 2nd in sacks and points allowed per game.

Defensively the Bengals were led by underrated linebacker Reggie Williams and defensive tackle Tim Krumrie. The Bengals were a top-notch defense all year, especially in the playoffs. The question that has to be asked is, why did the Bengals not run the ball more in the Super Bowl? Why did the defense quit attacking and go into a shell in the last three minutes of the game? Why would emotional leader Reggie Williams not be in the game at the end of the previous drive? When you ask these questions go back to game 2 of the 1987 season, Wyche made a massive mistake at that time, and I contend Super Bowl XXIII was another Wyche blunder, and I will leave it at that.

Not many other teams in NFL history have been as innovative as the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals. Only Joe Montana prevented them from being considered one of the great teams. In the end, the Bengals will go down as a near-great team who missed a golden opportunity. To Bengals fans, they will go down as a team that on the field fought their asses off and had fun doing it. I have interviewed 15 players from this team over the last year, and when you talk about the 1988 season with them, you can tell how special it was to them. This team had players who loved playing together, which still shows that we could get the Bengals organization to honor them the way they should.

Read Also
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
The Greatest College Basketball Team of All Time
Rating the greatest college basketball teams ever has been done many times ...
Bet365 Promo
Remembering the 1977 Broncos and the Orange Crush Defense!
The Denver Broncos, like several franchises, did not have an excellent start ...
Top 5 Most Improbable Super Bowl Runs
If youโ€™re a fan of NFL history, you can probably name some ...
Come Fly with me: How the 1988-89 Chicago Bulls pushed forward to an NBA dynasty.
Find the best sportsbook to bet on the NBA Playoffs! Prologue: By ...
Michael Nunn and Iran Barkley Discuss Their Bout, Bob Arum, and the Four Kings
Mountains to Climb, Pebbles in Your Shoe โ€œI always say that was ...
A Look Back: Top-5 Cleveland Browns’ Quarterbacks All-Time
Is anyone else out there missing sports? I enjoyed a video of ...
Grading every NFL teamโ€™s picks from the 2021 NFL Draft
Quickly, click away if youโ€™re going to get upset by reading draft ...
Sam Teets 2021 NFL three-round predictive mock draft 6.0
This is a predictive NFL mock draft and my final of the ...
Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season
This list isnโ€™t based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. ...
Sportsbook of the month
Bet365 - Get your Bonus Bet now! Get your Bonus Bet now!
Latest News
2024 NFL Mock Draft: Updated 3.0 with Trades included!
Free agency is all but done at this ...
Top 10 Sweet 16 Upsets of all time: Michael Jordan is on the list!
Sweet 16 is where Cinderella mostly goes to ...
Dusty May Named Michigan Coach: While Indiana stands pat with Mike Woodson
Dusty May is what the Indiana Hoosiers need ...
Smith vs. Zepeda: Dalton Looks to Boost Resume in Sheffield Showdown ย 
This Saturday afternoon (American Time) streaming live on ...
Our Latest YouTube Videos
Video: Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Maryland Recap, Hoosiers with come from behind win!
Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Maryland Recap, Hoosiers with come from behind win!
Video: Sports of All Sorts: Guest author Ann Liguori. We will discuss her new book
Sports of All Sorts: Guest author Ann Liguori. We will discuss her new book "Life On The Green"
Video: Indiana Basketball Weekly: 2024 IU Season Recap, Did Mike Woodson do a good job this season?
Indiana Basketball Weekly: 2024 IU Season Recap, Did Mike Woodson do a good job this season?
Top Betting Sites
Top Betting Bonuses
Bet365
Bet365
Bet365 Review
4.7/5
BetMGM
BetMGM
BetMGM Review
4.7/5
FanDuel
FanDuel
FanDuel Review
4.6/5
Caesars
Caesars
Caesars Review
4.5/5
DraftKings
DraftKings
DraftKings Review
4.5/5
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 OR Bet $5 and Get $150
T&Cs apply
4.7/5
At bet365 we don't do ordinary, that's why if you sign up now you'll get the choice of two great New Customer Offers, the First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 or Bet $5 and Get $150 in Bonus Bets. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
BetMGM
BetMGM Bonus
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
T&Cs apply
4.7/5
FanDuel
FanDuel Bonus
Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets if your bet wins
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Caesars
Caesars Bonus
100% up to $1000
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
DraftKings
DraftKings Bonus
Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Instantly
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Our Team
Mike GoodpasterJosh SchwartzSimon BriffaMark LewisSamuel Teets
Mike Goodpaster
Mike Goodpaster
Chief Editor
Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Editor
Simon Briffa
Simon Briffa
Sports Editor
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
Editor
Samuel Teets
Samuel Teets
US Sports Veteran
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.

Close
Players accepted in the US US Flag
Stake.us Exclusive Bonus
$55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
Promo Code
Copy
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 18+
Payment Methods
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum
Dogecoin
Highlights
  • Exclusive promo code: TGTSOCIAL
  • Play Plinko, Hilo, Crash and more!
  • Get Stake Cash bonuses every day!
Stake Originals
Dice
Crash
Plinko
Mines
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Visit Site