While the Cincinnati Bengals have been amongst the best teams in the National Football League over the past few seasons, it is a painful topic to admit that they were definitely the laughingstock of the league during the late 1990s to early 2000s. While the Cleveland Browns may hold that title right now, the Cincinnati front office made mistake after mistake during that window that led to a routine cellar dweller. While most of us pretend that era never happened, there are some players that simply cannot forget the professional malpractice from the front office back then.
Cincinnati Bengals Bringing Back Legendary Running Back for Ring of Honor Ceremony
Without a doubt, the most bitter of those players for a long time was running back Corey Dillon. For those unaware, Dillon was the highlight of the Cincinnati roster during those years as the University of Washington product put together six seasons in a row where he rushed for over 1,000 yards. On top of that, Dillon will forever be remembered for breaking Jim Brown’s single game rushing record that had stood for 40 years after he ran for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Houston Oilers.
While Dillon was a remarkably talented player, he became the face of the team’s frustration with the front office after he threw his pads into the stands to end his season in 2003. After that, Dillon never played another down for the organization and was traded to the New England Patriots for a second-round pick. Since then, there has certainly been an air of animosity whenever the two parties talk about each other.
It finally appears that the two sides are going to bury the hatchet now that Dillon was officially entered into the Cincinnati Ring of Honor. After Cincinnati created this program a few years ago, it was inevitable that Dillon would eventually be enshrined as one of the best players to ever play for the beleaguered southwest Ohio club.
Other than Dillon, the other inductee for this season’s Ring of Honor class will honor my namesake, Tim Krumrie. Krumrie was an outstanding nose tackle for Cincinnati during their second Super Bowl run that became a fan favorite even after he broke his leg in the 1989 Super Bowl. Krumrie played his entire career with the organization from 1983 to 1994 and was selected as an All-Pro in both 1987 and 1988.
The Ring of Honor ceremony will be held during half time of the Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup against the Washington Commanders. It will be interesting to see how Dillon and his former offensive tackle Willie Anderson interact during the event since the two players became essentially estranged after the former’s confrontational exit from the organization back in 2003.
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