Did you know they made a live action rendition of Lucy Van Pelt pulling the football away from Charlie Brown right before he was about to kick it? It was the Cincinnati Bengals trying to put competent linebackers on the field for the better part of two decades.

From wasted draft picks to low-upside veterans well past their primes, the Bengals simply could not figure out how to get consistent production out of the linebacker position. And when they did, it came with reckless behavior, or one-dimensional limitations.

Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson changed all of that in the last two years, and it couldn't come soon enough.

The list of half-hearted, misguided, or horrendously unlucky attempts to provide competency at the position in recent memory is longer than anyone would like to admit. How's this for a trip down memory lane?

Real Cincinnati Bengals Linebackers

• Odell Thurman
• Keith Rivers
• Emmanuel Lamur
• James Harrison (35 years old)
• A.J. Hawk (31 years old)
• Paul "P.J." Dawson
• Karlos Dansby (35 years old)
• Nick Vigil
• Kevin Minter 
• Malik Jefferson
• Preston Brown
• Josh Bynes (31 years old)

Were they all horrendous? Of course not. Were there success stories? For sure. But if the twilight years of Dhani Jones, the flashes of Rey Maualuga, and the polarizing craziness of Vontaze Burfict constituted getting the job done, there was ample room for improvement. 

There was never any consistency in terms of what the Bengals looked for in their linebackers, aside from being laterally inept. The ones who could actually move in space had no instinctual abilities, while the ones who knew were to be couldn't get to their spots in time. A jumbled vision continuously failed to bring in stability outside of Burfict, and even he only played a full 16-game slate twice with the team. 

What made this more puzzling was the fact that former head coach Marvin Lewis' supposed specialty was coaching linebackers, as he did it for over a decade at four different universities before making the leap to the NFL and doing it for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He became the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator the same year Ray Lewis was drafted. How was Burfict the only true difference maker he could develop? The world may never know.

Enter Zac Taylor and Lou Anarumo, who have drafted just four linebackers in their first five years and have hit on all of them. Pratt came first in 2019, and his develop took a leap for the first time late in the 2021 season. That was also the first year Wilson, the second linebacker taken in this era, was starting next to him. 

The Bengals' first playoff run became a stage for both players to show up in the biggest stages. Pratt immortalized himself with a game-winning interception in the team's first playoff win in three decades. Wilson followed that a week later with fourth-quarter pick of his own that set up a trip to the AFC Championship game. Wilson was also the Bengals' best player during Super Bowl LVI, a weak holding call at the end of the game be damned.

Not one, but two playmaking linebackers wore Bengals stripes now. They took off together in 2022 , combining for 98 defensive stops compared to just 14 missed tackles, three combined interceptions, seven combined PBUs, and two combined forced fumbles. 

Why the Bengals extended Logan Wilson

After years of ineptitude and turnover at one position, the Bengals weren't going to let their dynamic duo of Pratt and Wilson be separated. They proved that with Pratt first, rewarding his breakout 2022 campaign with a three-year, $20.25 million contract during the wee hours of free agency. Wilson came a few months later and agreed to a four-year, $37.25 million extension a week into training camp.  

But while Pratt proved worthy of re-signing, his deal materializing wasn't entirely expected. Not only did it appear he was at odds with the franchise following the season, the idea of Cincinnati dishing out long-term deals for two linebackers seemed unlikely given the other contracts they would have to prioritize.  

Two factors stand out here, with Anarumo's multiple defense being the first. Anarumo's defense has proven to be much different to Lewis' traditional even-front scheme. No longer were linebackers just trained pigs charging downhill to be thumpers and thumpers only. You need to drop deep, drop shallow, play on the edge, and also in-between the tackles in this defense. Perhaps most importantly, you need to keep up with today's quarterbacks, who are anything but statues in the pocket.

Pratt is a nice player, but Wilson can do everything listed above and do it well. It's why he's been a three-down player for Anarumo the moment he earned a significant role, and it's why he ended up costing a bit more than Pratt even before he hit free agency.

Cost is the second factor in all of this. Wilson's deal has a maximum Average Annual Value of about $9.3 million according to initial reports. That puts him just below New Orleans Saints stud Demario Davis for 12th in AAV among linebackers. Pratt is down below them at 16th. 

Another solid year for Wilson would've given him quite a bit of leverage to get near the top of the market. Extending him ahead of time made for a much more manageable long-term partnership with Pratt. 

Years and years of the Bengals trying to get the linebacker position right led to Pratt and Wilson taking command like the godsends they were. Keeping them around without breaking the bank is one of the easiest decisions they'll make in a while.

Charlie finally kicked the ball to Lucy's utter shock.

Germaine Pratt is the Glue for the Bengals Defense: Film Breakdown

In this film breakdown, we take a look at Cincinnati Bengals LB Germaine Pratt.

Featured image via © Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports