The Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year last season. It’s hard to fathom given the star power of the offense, which includes some of the top talent in the league, such as quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
A lot of the Bengals problems stem from the defensive side of the ball, as well as health probelms wth its offensive stars. This year, the Bengals are hoping to get things settled on defense and are also looking for a cleaner bill of health.
Ultimately, though, health is never guaranteed, and if Higgins or Chase is ever out, other players will have to step up. Cincinnati is hoping for young wide receiver Andrei Iosivas to do just that. Iosivas is hoping to step up as needed for his team, especially after dropping five passes last season, which led to a lot of online vitriol that he struggled to manage.
“I feel like last year I was in my head a little bit,” Iosivas said, via ESPN. “I had those drops in those games and people were telling me to kill myself and all that kind of stuff. I never had that kind of stuff happen to me before. So it got in my head a little bit when people — you know, when your DMs are flooded with people telling you to kill yourself.”
“Just not letting outside noise get to me and letting circumstances get to me,” Iosivas added. “I know I’m a great player so [I’m] not letting people’s opinions or things in the building kind of just irritate me.”
Iosivas figures to be the third receiver behind Chase and Higgins in his fourth year with the franchise, so he should have plenty of chances to make his mark and leave the difficulties of last season behind him.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.