For the first time since 2003, the Cincinnati Bengals are heading into a season with a new head coach, as the Bengals parted ways with Marvin Lewis and hired Zac Taylor.
With a new coach on board, Bengals wide receiver John Ross says the atmosphere feels very different:
“The energy is completely different,” said Ross, according to Laurel Pfahler of ESPN.com. “Everyone is just having a good time. Even in the locker room. It's not just on the field. We come in here, and we're in there playing basketball, we're in the weight room having a good time, we're in the locker room or training room and everyone is smiling. I know the season hasn't started yet, but it's good to see. It's a good sign of good things coming.”
Cincinnati could certainly use some of that after the last few years, as the Bengals have not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 campaign and are coming off of a season in which they won just six games.
On top of that, Cincinnati has not won a playoff game since the 1990-91 season. The Bengals actually made five straight postseason appearances from the 2011-12 campaign through 2015-16, but they lost in the Wild Card Round each year.
Meanwhile, Ross has been a major disappointment in his first two seasons in Cincinnati.
The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Washington, was originally selected by the Bengals with the ninth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
However, he didn't log a single catch during his rookie year, and this past season, he caught just 21 passes for 210 yards and seven touchdowns.
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