Former Bengals QB Boomer Esiason Changes His Tune: Fan’s Perspective

On the opening Sunday of this year's NFL season, I was hurriedly folding laundry in anticipation of shortly hunkering down as queen of the couch in front of the tv to watch my Cincinnati Bengals take on the Cleveland Browns. Admittedly I did not have the highest of hopes for this young team, but I am a fan and with every new season there is potential that something good, even great, may unfold.

As any fan excitedly waiting for game time to roll around, I was watching the pregame commentators share their thoughts. The Bengals weren't getting much mention, but then former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason decided he had something to say about his old team, "Let me be the first to welcome (Andrew) Luck to the truly dysfunctional family that is the Cincinnati Bengals."

I scowled at the television. Seriously, Boomer; is it not bad enough that fans of other teams have dubbed us "The Bungles?" Do we really need our former Super Bowl quarterback mocking us like a teenager on twitter to a national audience before the season even begins? What Esiason was essentially predicting was that not only would rookie quarterback Andy Dalton be a flop and send us again searching for a new starting quarterback, but the Bengals would do so poorly that we would likely finish the season with the worst record in the league and have a shot at drafting star Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Boomer couldn't have gotten any more down on the Bengals if had dug a hole beneath them - he was burying them alive.

Yet as well all know now, Boomer was wrong. He was oh so gloriously wrong. The Bengals not only didn't finish at the bottom of the league, they made it to the playoffs. Boomer Esiason, though perhaps a fair weather fan, is still a man of integrity and has not only admitted he was wrong, but he has now jumped on the Bengals bandwagon with a WhoDey spirit from days gone by.

Esiason's prediction for next season is much brighter as he now feels the Bengals have a chance at winning the AFC North, which is always a challenge given the strength of the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Boomer is impressed with the young players and the coaches and he embodies the feelings of many people in the city of Cincinnati as he now says it's a "great time to be a Bengals fan."

Welcome back, Boomer. We're happy to have you on board. Just don't throw us to the wolves again, or we may not be so forgiving. And if you happen to see Carson Palmer around, do me a favor and laugh in his face.

Michael Hiestand, "No real TV gaffes as NFL opens season on 9/11," USATODAY.com

Geoff Hobson, "Boomer Makes a Super Call," bengals.com

Lisa lives in the suburbs of Cincinnati and is a die-hard Bengals fan. As her husband unfortunately supports the Dallas Cowboys , Lisa has taken it upon herself to buy tickets for her family to attend at least one game every season. She was beyond thrilled this year when she won tickets to the NFL's Stomp Out Hunger and was able to meet most of the players, with her nine year old daughter at her side. The number one item on Lisa's bucket list is to go to the Super Bowl and watch the Bengals finally win it all.

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Top Five Reasons the Cincinnati Bengals are "The Bungles" No More

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