This was originally published in The Athletic...

Mike Brown is still the owner. Marvin Lewis is still the head coach. Andy Dalton is still the quarterback.

For as much as things might be different for the Bengals, from turnover on the coaching staff to upgrades to the roster, there’s still a stench of familiarity that undermines any preseason optimism.

Can you really expect the same people to deliver different, better, results?

It’s the biggest question plaguing this franchise right now, and the skepticism over whether Mike, Marvin and Andy can accomplish things that have thus far eluded them is the biggest issue in the fractured relationship between the team and its fans.

I’d be lying to you if I said that my typical built-in midsummer enthusiasm for the Bengals isn’t at the level that it usually is because the whole Marvin and Andy thing just feels stale.

But I’d also be fibbing if I didn’t acknowledge to you that I’m buying in, at least a little into what a coaching staff filled with new faces can do.

To read the entire piece, go to The Athletic.