SAN DIEGO — Pressed for proof of his Bengals-loving credentials, Petty Officer 1st Class Bryan McDaniels broke out the Ickey Shuffle next to a topside missile bay on the USS Cincinnati moored at Naval Base San Diego.
The comical dance steps created by running back Ickey Woods celebrated his touchdowns in 1988, the most recent season the team reached the Super Bowl.
McDaniels, a Columbus, Ohio, native, stopped just short of the punctuating spike Thursday to avoid the football bobbing in San Diego Bay. There was no such caution when the ball ricocheted through the living room as a kid.
"We had a couple cats run for cover," he said.
The USS Cincinnati, a 418-foot littoral combat ship is "fast, agile and … optimized for operating in near-shore environments," according to the U.S. Navy. This week, it's San Diego's near-shore connection to the Bengals and Rams in Super Bowl LVI.
Pass the Skyline Chili and dodge the flying footballs.
"My first Bengals memory is the Ickey Shuffle," McDaniels said. "I've had it down for a while. I brushed up on my moves (this week), just in case."
The ascent of the Bengals, who entered the season with the longest Super Bowl odds than all but the Lions and Texans according to USA Today, has placed the USS Cincinnati on NFL high alert.
Stomachs of those on Sunday duty during the AFC championship matchup with the Chiefs churned as the game stretched into overtime. As the drama played out on a 120-inch projector TV in the hangar bay, McDaniels paced.
"I was already sweating from jumping around," he said. "I never sit down when the Bengals play. I'm all over the place."
The win unleashed too many emotions to contain on one San Diego ship.
Aboard the USS Fort Worth, the Cincinnati's dockside neighbor, Cincinnati native and fellow Petty Officer Brady Whitton has fingers crossed as kickoff nears.
Whitton's father, Barry, is a member of the commissioning committee in the ship's namesake city that, among other things, offers continued support along the watery way.
That included members of the ship experiencing special access with the Reds during a matchup with the Padres at Petco Park. Lt. Santino Alteri, the USS Cincinnati's liaison to the commissioning committee, said sailors met slugger Joey Votto, pitcher Lucas Sims and loads of others.
Committee shipments arrive with Cincinnati's ubiquitous Skyline Chili and Montgomery Inn barbecue sauce. The group also sent Bengals' gear for game day.
"It increases morale," the younger Whitton said.
Whitton said he vaguely remembers the tail end of quarterback Boomer Esiason's days with the Bengals, connecting most with Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson in the early 2000s.
None of it matches now.
"I was with friends in North Park (during the AFC title game)," Whitton said. "There were a lot of hugs, some tears. This season may take the cake for the best Bengals memory I'll have. We're in it right now.
"It's still pretty surreal."
In football-crazed Ohio, where 15,000 can attend high school football games and the Ohio State Buckeyes chase national titles, a high bar has been raised even higher.
Cincinnati has canceled public school classes Monday.
"The football culture there is huge," Whitton said. "But I've never seen it like this. The city is electric. It's been a party, ever since we beat Kansas City."
The game provides a welcome distraction from the ship's real-world responsibilities. McDaniels is in charge of training to protect the Cincinnati from terrorist threats.
This season, he purchased DirecTV so he could follow the Bengals three time zones away. He rattles off roster personnel and priorities against the Rams to underscore his connection.
"For being as young as he is, (quarterback Joe Burrow's) poise in the pocket is really good," McDaniels said. "A good quarterback, that flows down to the team in terms of his leadership.
"… He's got so many weapons. He's got (running back Joe) Mixon, who's always a threat. We have Ja'Marr Chase, who is blowing it up. (Receiver) Tee Higgins. I'm glad (tight end C.J.) Uzomah is going to be back. We need a good tight end in the middle to get those third-and-5s.
"I track the defenses to see where the holes are, but I don't tell Joe Burrow that. He figures it out on his own."
Sailors not on duty Sunday plan to meet at American Junkie in the Gaslamp Quarter for a Bengals' watch party.
Whether they're breathing normally at the end, well …
"It's going to be real on Sunday morning," Whitton said. "It's been fun to see the national attention the Bengals never really have gotten. I guess with the underdog story, it seems like there's a lot of new Bengals fans all over the country."
Add a few more in San Diego.
