National Football League

Jeremy Hill says it's now or never for Bengals to win playoff game

Published May. 19, 2015 1:57 a.m. ET

foxsports

Four straight years of one-and-dones in the postseason are wearing the Bengals and the city thin.

Defensive tackle Domata Peko, the longest tenured Bengal entering his 10th season, can feel a sense of urgency in the locker room already during the team's voluntary workouts.

"Shoot, we've got like 100 percent participation, pretty much," Peko told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "That's really good to see, especially when it's voluntary. That just shows that our team's hungry."

Jeremy Hill has only tasted postseason defeat once, but he's already thinking this has to be the year for the Bengals to get over the hump.

"I think for me, the mood for me it's just now or never," Hill said. "It's been four years in a row and I think if it doesn't happen this year then it's probably never gonna happen. So I think that's the mentality and the sense of urgency that we bring in every day. I think something has to change."

Guard Clint Boling who just signed a contract extension this offseason, has been around for the last four Bengals' playoff failures as well.

"We've just been kind of staying right on that same line the whole past four years," Boling said. "So, at some point, you have to take that next step and I think guys feel like this year might be the year."

While the potential exists that a dozen projected starters could be gone after this season, Peko is eager to get over the hump for the coaches and the city as well.

"I feel like more of a hunger, more of a wanting to get over the hump for ourselves as players, and for our coaches and for the city, man," Peko said."The city's been through a lot of tough seasons here and now we're winning, but we want to get over that, we want to get farther.

"I want to get that parade here in Cincinnati. We can do it."

h/t: Cincinnati Enquirer