Team fumbled its great expectations

Former Bengals safety Solomon Wilcots relayed a message of hope when he showed up in the locker room after the club's season-ending 23-17 overtime loss to Pittsburgh.

Wilcots, who called the game with Ian Eagle for CBS Sports, held his thumb and index finger an inch apart.

"They're that close to being a champion," he said. "The difference between being a champion and where they're at right now — from 8-8 to 12-4 — is that much. It's an inch. They shouldn't beat themselves up. They'll be all right."

Head coach Marvin Lewis concurred.

"There are no wide gaps in the NFL," he said. "Every gap is small, very small. But it takes people who are selfless and who understand that time and time again — just fit into it, expect (good things) to happen and do it the right way. We've got to continue to grow. We're not good enough."

The 2006 season will be remembered as the year of the great letdown. Expectations were the highest they've been in nearly 20 years, yet the weight of a turbulent season — marked by arrests, injuries and key suspensions — finally gave way with an 0-3 finish.

This was the most talented team Lewis had assembled in his four seasons here. Yet it was the most immature, mentally fragile and selfish squad because it couldn't close the deal. The locker room was cliquish and Lewis' leniency off the field translated into too many on-field mistakes.

"One thing coach talked about was we've got to come together more as a team," wide receiver Chris Henry said. "It's just something we've got to work on. We've got to come together as a whole family."

That's difficult to do when so many siblings are misbehaving.

Dayton Daily News

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/bengals/2007/01/06/ddn010707bengals.html