Breech, Lapham and Hobson pick Bengals' Franchise Five

There has been plenty of talk about the need for a Bengals Ring of Honor over the past few days.

Many great players have donned the orange and black, but former stars wish the organization did a better job of honoring their achievements.

The fight for a Ring of Honor is expected to continue, even with the organization having "renewed conversations" about a potential Ring of Honor according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.

The Bengals need to find a way to celebrate their past because the casual NFL fan has forgotten how many great players have played for Cincinnati.

John Breech of CBS Sports talked with Dave Lapham, Geoff Hobson and Jim Breech [John's father] to identify the five most influential players and coaches in team history.

The Bengals' "Franchise Five," consists of four players — one quarterback, three non-quarterbacks and one coach. The first three people on this list were all unanimous choices according to Breech.

Paul Brown was first on the list. Brown not only founded the Bengals organization, but he also coached the team for eight seasons.

Up next is Ken Anderson. Most fans believe Anderson should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He led the Bengals to Super Bowl XVI and was NFL MVP in 1981. He spent all 16 seasons of his career in the Queen City.

Anthony Munoz is third on the list. He's considered the best player in franchise history.

Munoz is the only Bengals' player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was an 11-time Pro Bowler and 9-time All-Pro. He played for the Bengals for 13 seasons and helped them reach two Super Bowls — XVI and XXIII.

Once Munoz retired after the 1992 season, some fans wish the Bengals would've done the same.

The 'lost decade' of the 1990s was the worst stretch in franchise history.

The Bengals never finished better than 8-8 from 1991-2004. They had 14-straight losing seasons before finishing 11-5 in 2005.

Chad Johnson was a big part of Cincinnati's awakening. The man formerly known as 'Ochocinco' is fourth on their list.

Johnson finished his career as the Bengals' all-time leader in receptions (751), receiving yards (10,789) and receiving touchdowns (66).

The fifth and final member of the Bengals franchise five is wide receiver Isaac Curtis.

People tend to forget about Curtis, but he's arguably the best wide receiver in franchise history.

He was a four-time Pro Bowler and is the Bengals' franchise leader in yards per catch (17.1).

Anyone that played with Curtis knows how great he was for the Bengals. He was a big reason why the NFL changed its' rules for wide receivers and defensive backs.

Lapham, Breech and other players that were teammates with Curtis believe he's one of the best wide receivers ever.

There were multiple honorable mentions, including Boomer Esiason and Riley.

Check out the entire list here.

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