Although the Cincinnati Bengals and the Memphis Grizzlies exist in different professional sports realms, the two franchises share some compelling commonalities. They both play in small markets, they both have passionate fan bases, and neither team has ever produced a legitimate superstar until recently. In 2019, the Grizzles selected point guard Ja Morant as the number two pick in the NBA draft. One year later, the Cincinnati Bengals made quarterback Joe Burrow the top selection in the NFL draft. Since then, the trajectory of these two franchises has changed immensely. Ja Morant is a two-time All-Star who appears to be headed for his second straight year of MVP consideration. Last year, the 23-year-old led the Grizzlies to the second-best record (56-26) in the Western Conference before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, in the NFL, Joe Burrow has spearheaded a renaissance in Cincinnati, leading the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance last season and two consecutive trips to the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The future looks bright for the Bengals and Grizzlies, but when it comes to joining the ranks of the upper echelon of franchises in professional sports, there is one glaring chick in the amour: "They do a lot of talking, but they ain't won nothing!" Those were the wise words of NFL Hall of Famer, and three-time Super Bowl Champion, Shannon Sharpe during a segment of his sports debate talk show with Skip Bayless called Undisputed.
Shannon recently made headlines after his back-and-forth verbal exchange with Dillon Brooks and other players for the Memphis Grizzlies briefly disrupted their road game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Shannon has since apologized to the Grizzlies and Lakers organizations. However, in a postgame interview, Dillon Brooks made it abundantly clear that there still wasn't any love lost between him and the former NFL tight end when he referred to him as a"blogger." So, when Shannon shared his thoughts on the bravado of the Cincinnati Bengals players despite never having won a Championship, he drew a comparison to another talented young team that is very confident but has never reached the proverbial mountain top. Shannon's commentary seemed to outline the Bengals' tendency to smoke cigars and pester their rivals amid pivotal victories this season. A display that is somewhat remindful of the Grizzlies when they succeed against top-tier franchises such as the Golden State Warriors. Examples like these undoubtedly contributed to Klay Thompson referring to Jaren Jackson Jr as a "bum" last year after the Warriors eliminated the young Grizzlies team from the NBA playoffs last year.
To watch Shannon Sharpe make the comparison between the Cincinnati Bengals and Memphis Grizzlies, scroll up and skip ahead to the 5:54 mark. Shannon makes the statement mentioned above at the 7:00 mark.
Source: YouTube
