Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about them Bengals running backs. Folks always talkin’ ’bout the quarterbacks, but a good runnin’ back, now that’s somethin’ special. It’s like havin’ a good strong mule in the field, dependable and gets the job done.
Now, I ain’t no expert, mind you, but I’ve seen my share of Bengals games. Been watchin’ them boys since… well, since forever it seems. And I tell ya, we’ve had some good ones and some not-so-good ones. It’s like pickin’ apples, some are sweet and juicy, others are sour and wormy.
They say this fella Corey Dillon, he was somethin’ else. Racked up more yards than anyone else wearin’ them stripes. Over eight thousand yards, they say. That’s a lot of runnin’, I tell ya. Musta worn out a whole heap of shoes doin’ that. They say he had a season where he ran for over fourteen hundred yards! That’s like runnin’ from here to the next county, and then some!
Then there’s James Brooks. He wasn’t as big as Dillon, but he was quick, like a rabbit dodgin’ a fox. He got near sixty-five hundred yards himself. Said he was shifty, could make them fellas miss tackles. Reminds me of tryin’ to catch a greased pig at the county fair.
- Corey Dillon – Most yards ever for the Bengals. A real workhorse, that one.
- James Brooks – Fast and shifty, like a little ol’ jitterbug.
- Pete Johnson – Big fella, like a brick wall runnin’ at ya. They say he was a fullback, whatever that means. Just sounded strong.
Now, this fella Pete Johnson, he was a different story. Big ol’ boy, strong as an ox. They called him a fullback. Said he was like a plow, just movin’ folks outta the way. He played back in the seventies and eighties, before all these fancy plays and such. Just good ol’ fashioned, smash-mouth football. He wasn’t as fast as them other fellas, but he could get ya them tough yards, the ones when ya need ’em most.
And now, these days, they got this young fella, Brown. Folks seem to like him. Said he had a good game ‘gainst them Raiders. Ran for over a hundred yards. That’s somethin’, ain’t it? First time he done that, they say. Maybe he’ll be the next big thing, who knows? It’s like plantin’ seeds, ya never know what’s gonna grow.
This whole history thing, it’s important, ya see. It’s like knowin’ your family tree. You gotta know where ya come from to know where ya goin’. And these runnin’ backs, they’re part of the Bengals family. They’re the ones carryin’ the ball, carryin’ the hopes of the whole dang city. It ain’t easy work, I tell ya. Takes a lot of grit and determination. You gotta be tough, gotta be strong, and ya gotta be willin’ to get knocked around a bit.
So, there ya have it. A little bit of what I know ’bout them Bengals runnin’ backs. Ain’t no fancy talk, just plain and simple. But that’s how I see it. And I tell ya what, I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ what these young fellas can do. Maybe they’ll make some history of their own. Maybe they’ll even be better than them fellas from the old days. Only time will tell, I reckon. But one thing’s for sure, I’ll be watchin’, cheerin’ them on every step of the way. Go Bengals!
And another thing, it ain’t just about the yards, ya know. It’s about heart, about guts. It’s about gettin’ that extra yard when ya need it most. It’s about fightin’ for every inch. That’s what makes a good runnin’ back, and that’s what makes the Bengals special.
So next time you’re watchin’ them Bengals play, pay attention to them runnin’ backs. They’re the engine of the team, the ones that make things happen. And remember what I told ya, it ain’t always about the fancy stuff, sometimes it’s just about gettin’ the job done. Just like plantin’ potatoes, diggin’ a well, you just do what needs doin’. And that, my friends, is the truth.
