Super Bowl-bound Bengals have taken the city of Cincinnati by storm
CINCINNATI — He sat in the bar he owns, the one just down the street from Paul Brown Stadium, the one that opened nearly 11 years ago but never has been more perfectly named than now.
The Holy Grail.
Jim Moehring first described the victory that caused him to tear up, then the one that netted his bar a game ball, and finally the triumph that stunk of sweet cigar smoke.
Three weeks. Three wins. One topic.
“Here we are talking about the Bengals in February,” he said. “We haven’t done that in 30 years. Well, that Super Bowl was in January. So we’ve never done that. Ever.”
Yes, the Bengals have outlasted everything from their wanting history to their loaded conference to their unyielding doubters on a title-game run foreseen only by those fans looking with their hearts.
And for 33 years this team has teased and tested, even twisted the hearts of its faithful. Now, a franchise locally famous for splitting apart souls is bringing a city together.
“All the bumps along the way — no, not bumps — major road blocks …” Moehring, 54, said, “all the questioning of
