The 1990s were a lost decade for myriad reasons for the Bengals, but the biggest "what if" happened with Ki-Jana Carter, who the Bengals traded up to the No. 1 spot in 1995 to draft out of Penn State.
“We thought he was the special player that would impact our team," said Bengals owner and president Mike Brown.
Carter made an instant impression on the club in his first training camp, too, giving many in and around the franchise hope he could be the franchise player the club could build around.
"One of the better running backs I ever coached was James Brooks and we could do all kind of things with James," said Bengals offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet.