Once upon a time, the Bengals had an elite offensive line.

When we hear the word "history," we tend to think of older/ancient history. I remember being in school and re-learning the same series of events every year: the Revolutionary War, the frontier era, the Civil War, the industrial revolution, WWI, the roaring twenties and the depression, WWII, the sixties, etc. We do the same thing with football. If I said "Bengals history," you'd probably think about Paul Brown, the Freezer Bowl, Boomer, and maybe the Dark Decade. I'm guessing that many of you read my first line and thought of Munoz and company.

We did have an elite offensive line, back then...but I was actually referring to a later incarnation. Let their names be listed for posterity: Levi Jones, Eric Steinbach, Rich Braham, Bobbie Williams, and Willie Anderson. They did things that were frankly miraculous. Somehow, they turned a nothing-special running back into our team's all-time leading rusher, and they gave a decidedly-immobile QB so much time to throw that he didn't know what to do with himself. They were so good that they helped to mask a certain head coach's lack of aggression, as well as a certain offensive coordinator's lack of imagination.

Unfortunately, this unit was taken out by a shot heard (and seen) 'round the league. The date was was January 8th, 2006.

We all know what happened: Eric Steinbach accidentally blocked Kimo von Oelhoffen into Carson Palmer's knee. Or Steinbach had him beat and Kimo dove for it, intending to injure Carson. Or Steinbach was just a little lazy, and was trying to push him away in any direction, and Kimo was just trying to get a crawling-style sack. I'm sure we'll still be debating it fifty years from now.

Whatever the specifics, that incident became a gaping psychological wound for us. And god knows our franchise didn't need any more of those. Credit where it's due: Marvin must have sensed this, because he pounced on this issue in a way that's unusual for him. We gave Levi Jones a 25 million dollar extension in the following offseason, and we also drafted OT/OG Andrew Whitworth in the second round, even though pundits and fans alike wanted nothing but defense.

Then, as soon as the 2006 season started, the damage continued. Rich Braham suffered a career-ending injury (in the same game as David Pollack's career-ending injury). Levi Jones got hurt. Between injuries, free agency, and poor talent-evaluation, our once-elite o-line fell apart.

Carson's injury was in January of 2006. In January of 2012, rookie quarterback Andy Dalton took the field for an unlikely playoff game...and was promptly sabotaged by our offensive line. Six years and fifty-four draft picks later, we still haven't fixed the damn thing.

I remember watching pre-DeSean-Jackson Eagles games and thinking to myself, "Andy Reid loves to pass. His whole offensive scheme is built around it. So why doesn't he invest in top-flight receivers??" Likewise, our head coach, Marvin Lewis, is a traditionalist. His press conferences are like madlibs filled in with blue-collar stereotypes. And yet, despite this fundamentals-centric approach to the game, he's never seemed very interested in strengthening the lines. (We've seen a recent focus on the d-line, and thank god for that.)

Let's take a trip down memory-lane. How did we respond to the o-line's regression?

In '06, we drafted Whitworth, a home-run. In '07, we drafted Dan Santucci, a center (later guard) from Notre Dame. He's bounced around practice squads. In '08, we drafted Anthony Collins, a tackle/guard from Kansas. Collins has been awesome for us, but we don't like to play him, for some reason. Personality issues? In '09, we drafted baggage-ridden OT Andre Smith and the failed center Jonathan Luigs. In 2010, we drafted guard Otis Hudson and center (later guard) Reggie Stephens, both late-round projects. Hudson has stuck around, while we didn't keep Stephens. In 2011, we drafted guard Clint Boling. Despite playing in the rough-and-tumble SEC, he wasn't yet strong enough to play at the NFL level. Um, okay? Did we not know about this, or did we just not care?

In short, we took eight o-linemen in six drafts, and only two of those were taken before the fourth round. If you were looking for a sign that we value that unit, I'm afraid you'll have to keep looking. (And I think one could argue that Marvin felt "stuck" taking an offensive tackle in '09, based on extreme need and how high we were drafting. So that's less him valuing it and more him being pressured into it, IMHO.) One of our picks was great, one was good and sits on the bench, four are unknown quantities (Andre, Hudson, Stephens, and Boling), and two are basically busts. That is...less than ideal, to say the least.

Along the way, we watched as offensive line couch Paul Alexander (or is it Marvin?) was way too loyal to failed experiments. Eric "Fear my Fauxhawk" Ghiaciuc at center, Stacy "Turnstile" Andrews at RT...meanwhile, good players like Collins and former Bengal Evan Mathis sat on the bench.

An offensive line is made of five positions. We've had six years and 54 draft picks. In that time, we've drafted two starters, with one being questionable (Andre). Kyle Cook, our current starting center, was an undrafted free agent. Bobbie Williams has hung on at RG for as long as he could, and LG Nate Livings will hopefully be replaced by Boling.

Should it really take that long to rebuild a single unit on a football team? Give me a monkey, a Nerf gun, and pictures of draftable players, and I think that monkey could do it in under five years.

Did we ever learn from what happened to Carson in '06, and to the o-line after that? Will we learn from last week's playoff debacle? Is Marvin Lewis really an old-school coach, or does he think that "interior line" is something that has to do with geometry? Who does Paul Alexander have pictures of, and just how many sheep are featured in those pictures?

To answer my own question...look at how quickly the Saints fixed their offensive line when Brees came along. Look at how Wade Phillips turned around the Texans' defense. Between the draft, free agency, and imaginative coaches, fixing a single unit (or an entire side of the ball) shouldn't take more than three years. We've had twice that, and the results are still bad.

Levi Jones and Willie Anderson were high draft picks. So was Steinbach. Rich Braham was a steal of a free agent. Marvin may not be the most creative coach out there, but it's time to prioritize this. We have extra draft picks, this year, so it's the perfect opportunity.

What happened to Carson shouldn't be allowed to happen to Dalton. We need to fix the o-line, now, to give him the opportunity to win. Let's not let history repeat itself.

The draft is over, and free agency never happened (hopefully it will soon), so we're left with a roster that's not entirely filled. There's been some discussion about this amongst Bengals fans, so I thought I'd make a list. Here are my candidates:

Run-Stuffing Defensive Tackle

Peko is a good leader, and he's a pretty balanced DT. He's gotten some criticism for not being dominant enough, but I think he's a dependable, solid-all-around player. Atkins is obviously a pass-rusher, while Sims is obviously a run-stopper. I'm a big believer in DL rotations, and I think we need another mountain-in-the-middle, to replace the aging/smallish/injured Tank Johnson. I have a feeling that we're going to need to bring in a skill position vet (more on that later), so we probably won't be spending a lot on this. Given that this would be a backup, I'd be happy with a 330-lb UDFA. If he can take up space, he's got the job.

Starting Running Back

Previously, I was talking about the #4 DT. Now I'm talking about the #1 RB, which, obviously, is a bigger issue. We could easily lose Benson. While all of our other RBs are well-suited for WCO work (Scott, Leonard, Peerman, and Finley are all good receivers), we don't have an AFC North-style power 'back--though Peerman (physically, a poor man's MJD) might be able to take the punishment. But I'd feel more comfortable if we had a bigger, between-the-tackles RB. We could get a veteran at a reasonable price. I can think of quite a few generic RBs who have done well with new teams, as you can just plug them in and go.

Starting Quarterback

Yeah, I left this for third, because the position tends to dominate discussion. As we all know, Dalton doesn't have much experience in a pro-style offense, and there's no way of telling how much training time they'll get. We could end up needing a vet, and I can imagine a situation where MB has to pay Dalton, Carson, and someone along the lines of Gradkowski. I'd prefer Gradkowski, but Marvin might prefer a known quantity, such as Kitna. Given Romo's fragile ego and Kitna's moderate late-season success, I wouldn't be surprised if Kitna is shown the door, to prevent a potential locker room situation.

#2 Cornerback

This one is obvious: if Joseph leaves, our strongest position on defense will get scary. Pac-Man is already injured, and his aggressive playing style could easily lead to more problems. We have a good depth guy in Trent, and unknown quantities in Ghee and Lindsey. CB is insanely expensive in free agency. Do we keep Jonathan Wade? Hopefully, this never becomes an issue.

Fullback

There are some positions that have constantly gotten the short end of the stick, in the ML era. I don't know if it's Marvin or MB doing it. Safety and guard don't seem to be highly valued, and fullback is the same, though we once experienced the lofty days of Jeremi Johnson being the highest-paid FB in the league. Fui's receiving skills could make him a good WCO FB, but he's a project, and Pressley isn't that far ahead of him. We signed FB/TE Garrett Mills off the waiver-wire, and the official site claims that we also have a FB by the name of James Develin. Do we bring in a UDFA like Hynoski, or should we give Pressley and Fui more time to develop? Or do we not have one at all, going with Peko and Skuta in certain situations?

Run-Blocking Tight End

This may seem like a strange one, but bear with me. Gresham and Coffman are good-hands TEs coming out of versions of the spread. Nothing against their blocking, but, we don't currently have a TE that dominates in that area. Kelly is nearing retirement, sadly, and his intended replacement, Dan Coats, was cut for not being able to catch the flu in 1918. (Timely reference!) Surely we could find an enthusiastic blocker among the UDFA crop.

Most of these needs are contingent on keeping/losing certain players, as well as how long the lockout stretches. But I'm curious, what do you think our biggest remaining need is?

It's a straightforward question--going into the season (assuming there is one), who wins the #1 receiver job? Candidates are listed in alphabetical order. (I realize that Chad may be gone, so if  you think he will be, vote for one of the other guys.)

Here are some thoughts on each one.

Green: He has the raw talent, and he seems pretty polished to me, but the lockout may slow his development a little.

Ochocinco: Ugh. If he's #1, I don't think he'll earn it so much as win it by default. Unfortunately, we all know how Marvin prefers playing vets to rookies, whether it makes sense or not. I'm trying not to be biased, but, can we please trade him for a mid-round pick and a rotation DT?

Simpson: He's proven he can get it done against elite competition (Chargers, etc.), but how quickly can he learn the new playbook? The lockout isn't helping him, either.

In my view, there are four main routes we can go in 2011:

1. Sign or trade for a starter-level QB. Kolb, Orton, someone along those lines. Either don't draft a QB at all, or don't draft one before the fourth. In this scenario, we seriously attempt to compete in 2011.

2. Bring in a cheaper, placeholder QB, and draft a QB in the first or second. Gabbert, Newton (I'm not saying, I'm just saying), Ponder, Kaepernick, Mallett. In this scenario, we're still competing, but we're ultimately hedging our bets, hoping to limp along until the QB of the Future is ready.

3. Draft a QB in the first or second (more likely the first), and run with them right away. We have a softer schedule next year; the NFC West may be just the mushy goodness that our QB of the Future can safely cut his teeth on. In this scenario, we're not really competing seriously, but you never know--if we can get our D and running game back on track, we might have a chance. This is a "bite the bullet"-type situation, ensuring a better 2012 by partially giving up on 2011.

4. Draft for the whole team, but don't get a QB. Give the job to Jordan or LeFevour, and hope that they magically become starter-ready. (Or, alternately, run the triple-option with a QB/WR hybrid we grab in the fifth, carry four RBs, and utilize Caldwell in multiple ways.) As much as we want both of them to succeed, the bottom line is, this would be not seriously competing, hoping for either a miracle now or Andrew Luck next year. We shouldn't rule out the possibility--after that Marshawn Lynch run, nothing is impossible--but for the most part, this would be a pure rebuilding year, as we tried to get a team that can help our QB of the Future, whoever that is.

I ask you, my fellow Bengals survivors...which would you choose, and why?

I was checking our favorite team's website, and I saw something weird: an article that was up for only a few minutes. I immediately clicked "back" and copy/pasted the whole thing. Read on!

I'm not sure how much longer I can do this.

The alcohol isn't helping, anymore, and I can barely force myself to use my madlibs-esque writing software. (insertplayer is in the fold! insertplayer is penciled in as the starter!) The Giggler is roaming the halls unchecked. Bob Bratkowski is still trying to figure out whether he should bring a switchblade or a caveman-style club to a gunfight. Mike Brown is terrified of a fan uprising, and he's barricaded himself in his office -- but the barricade is nothing but filing cabinets that contain printouts of scouting info, and the scouting is so negligible that I could kick the door in.

They'll catch me before long, but until then, I'm going to tell you the truth. I can't take it anymore. It's one thing to say that the emperor has no pants, it's another when your organization's motto might as well be "The incompetence will continue until competence improves."

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Progress is one of the ugliest things you'll ever come across. It's also one of the most important.

We've gotten spoiled by Hollywood-style montage progress. You know what I'm talking about: the music kicks in, and a quick succession of scenes show us how the main character improves at a sport, a job, a relationship. They've been an absolute nobody up until then, but suddenly, over the course of just a few dialogue-free minutes, they become hyper-competent and unstoppable. It's meant to act as a storytelling shortcut, but it tends to give the impression that progress is clean and linear.

We constantly see examples of this kind of thinking in the NFL. Suddenly-successful teams that come out of nowhere, and everyone wants to mimic them, everyone wants to know why their own favorite team couldn't pull that off...and then, a year or two later, they've fallen apart, because their improvement was strictly superficial. Their success relied on a handful of coaches or players, and once they stop clicking, that's it. Sad to say, that's described us in the past.

Building anything is a messy, complicated process, and it usually takes forever. I don't care if it's a skyscraper, a piece of legislation, or a business. Even if you work hard, you'll inevitably make the wrong decisions at some point. Even if you make all the right decisions, you'll inevitably reach a stage where you don't feel like working hard. Distractions will set you back (I don't recall Rocky ever tearing an ACL when he was chasing those chickens around), and instead of being propelled by inspirational music, you'll be putting up with tons of arguments.

The good news is that the Cincinnati Bengals are over halfway there. We finally have a good defense, and we finally have a good running game. But it took us so long to get there that our previous strength--the passing game--fell apart in the meantime. It's easy (and justified) to be angry about that, but I'd rather focus on how the team is going to be built for the future. I believe that we're one offseason away from winning a playoff game, which makes the next few months incredibly important. Here's what I'm thinking about:

(edit: I see that jsl413 and I were thinking along the same lines on some of these issues; must be the zeitgeist.)

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One of my favorite TV shows is Mad Men. It deals with how Dick Whitman--the son of a prostitute, so desperate to get out of his hellish hometown that he volunteers to serve in the Korean War--ends up becoming the man known as Don Draper, a successful Manhattan ad exec who has a smoking hot wife (google January Jones, you'll thank me later) and a string of equally-hot mistresses. Throughout the series, we've seen how identity is fluid, how just acting like something can transform you into actually being that something.

Football is no different. Every team and player has an identity, a personality, equally influenced by their own actions and the media's perception of them. Peyton Manning was the QB who couldn't win a playoff game, until he did, and then he was the QB who couldn't win a Super Bowl, until he did. Nothing about his core personality changed during that time (though he surely became more experienced), he didn't suddenly develop a "clutch" gene, nor did he sacrifice toddlers in exchange for an enchanted Hooded Grey Sweatshirt of Win. He was what he was until he pulled off the act of being something else.

After their time in the wilderness, the Bengals were ready for a new identity. We've seen this particular arc hundreds of times before: a new coach, a new QB, a hapless franchise, hope sold in the form of tickets and jerseys of someone who has yet to play a real snap in the NFL. But, instead of ending up in the desert alongside the likes of Ryan Leaf and Akili Smith, the plan actually seemed to be working. We were suddenly a team on the rise, a sexy underdog pick that the experts flaunted. And then 2005 happened.

It was a perfect storm, but in a good way. Carson came into his own, that version of the o-line reached its shining peak, we were insanely lucky with turnovers, we played the woeful NFC North, and we got a lot out of what looked to be a stellar draft class. When we won the second game against the Steelers, we vaulted to #1 of the power rankings, and somehow climbed atop Football Outsiders' DVOA statistics. (I can remember the shock in the FO comments following that week's rankings, with the implication that we'd somehow stymied the very concept of mathematics.)

The playoff tragedy came about. And the arrests. And some crazy fluke-ish incidents (our casualty-heavy Browns game, the phantom roughing the passer against the Bucs, missing the FG against Denver). And after reaching its zenith after that second Steelers game in '05, our identity has been backsliding ever since, from Among The Best to Still Promising to Prison-Stripe Tigers to...well, after the arrests, we didn't really do anything interesting, did we? What else was there for the media to talk about? How else did we distinguish ourselves? The only thing that made us stand out from the muddled AFC lower-middle-class was Chris Henry's tendency to alert any bitches in the area that he was, indeed, himself.

But that faded with time, and we became practically invisible. Maybe some of our schizophrenia started to become more noticeable. A pragmatic, back-to-basics coach gifted with an elite passing attack? An offensive coordinator that flirted with the no-huddle, and yet wanted to control the clock with an SEC-plain running game? Building a defense from the outside-in, starting with cornerbacks rather than the defensive line?

The last few years have sucked, but we've added pieces of a new identity. Smarter, more physical, less selfish. And now, as the 2009 season is moments away from impact, the Bengals have a chance to redefine themselves. Unfortunately, there are only so many roles to go around. Some elite team will fall from grace, and some previously-miserable franchise will have an inexplicable resurgence. A quarterback will "choke" at a key moment, whether it's his own fault or, more likely, the fault of his o-line, his WR's hands, or moronic playcalling, and he'll be thought of as cursed, or afflicted with some deep psychological hang-up that prevents both himself and those around him from winning. Some discarded QB will defy the odds and proudly lead his new team to deep-in-the-playoffs glory (we've had Brees, Warner...surely not Favre?). We have the power to reach out and grab one of these roles for ourselves. You can already see the experts casting us in them, seeing which fit their idea of us best. Are we suddenly about to become a defensive team? Maybe the o-line will gel, and we'll once again be known for our passing attack? Will our legion of running backs trample the competition?

Right now, the only thing stopping us from being a wild card team is us. The only thing stopping us from being division champions is us. Sure, there'll be things we can't entirely control--injuries, how our rivals do--but those things can be overcome with effort and/or luck. And we're about due for some luck, aren't we?

We're a blank slate. Dick Whitman found himself next to a dead man, and he saw an opportunity to change his life forever, to remake himself using nothing but his own will. In football, we should expect nothing less.