Perception is everything.

That's where the Bengals are big losers. In the NFL, nepotism isn't a bad thing. The Cowboys are run by Jerry Jones, who each year has his talented son, Stephen, do more and more for the franchise. The Steelers are in their third generation of Rooney and rank as one of the league's model franchises.

	High draft picks alone, like Akili Smith, can't bring the Bengals back to a winning record.

That's why the Bengals can thumb their noses at complaints that the team has sons, daughters, son-in-laws and other family members in charge. It's permissible. It's the NFL, and turning the keys of an NFL franchise to the next generation isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Where the Bengals are on the losing end of things is the perception to players whom they are trying to recruit in free agency. They aren't winning. Their last winning season was 1990. To change that perception will take success, time and a lot of money.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Bengals brought in the most free agents and were rejected when it came down to the negotiations. The reason that players made visits is because the Bengals have $10 million of available cap, roughly 14 percent of the available money.

But to lure the top players, they will have to significantly overpay them to get them to think about signing. Let's look at the Todd Steussie negotiations last week. The Bengals were no doubt competitive in their offer, but they were competing against the Broncos and Panthers. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan can show Steussie two Super Bowl rings. Panthers coach George Seifert has his Super Bowl ring collection from his 49ers days.

Perception.

The Bengals can show them a new stadium and 11 years of losing records. It shouldn't surprise them that Steussie accepted a six-year, $28 million contract from the Panthers. For the Bengals to land a Steussie or a Ross Verba, they would have to offer significantly more to break that perception. They might have to go as high as a six-year, $32 million contract to get them.

The situation isn't much different from the perception the Eagles had for years. Money changed that. So do a few good drafts. Once the Eagles drafted quarterback Donovan McNabb and followed the next year by signing right tackle Jon Runyan away from the then-AFC champion Titans, the Eagles became players. But it was more than just two moves that changed those perceptions.

Eagles owner Jeff Lurie followed the advice of talented personnel director Tom Modrak in re-signing top young players to extensions. There were promises of a new stadium. Once the team started winning, perceptions changed. The Eagles, even though they still play on the bad carpet in the Vet, are becoming a place for players to go because they have suddenly become a contender.

One day that could happen again for the Bengals, but the front office has to facilitate that transition. Free agency has changed things. Before, the Bengals could count on years of losing to assemble an impressive list of draft choices. In the old days, teams controlled a player for as long as the team wished.

No more. The only reason that Corey Dillon will remain a Bengal is because of the timing of his transition tag when very few teams have the ability to fit in a contract that the Bengals can't match.

One tactic that cost the Bengals this offseason is not recognizing the value of players. The Ted Washingtons, Dana Stubblefields and others still believe they are worth $5 million a year. By offering them $3 million a year, these name players feel insulted. Sure, maybe it's more than they will sign for, but those name players were left with a bad feeling about the Bengals.

	Over the next three years, the Bengals have the best chance of any team to improve. They have what most teams lack -- cap room. To convince players to take those dollars they need to pay a top level player big money to come to Cincinnati.

Perception.

You noticed all this has been discussed without the mention of the loyalty clause that caused such a stir last year. Angered at the negative comments made by receiver Carl Pickens after he signed a lucrative contract extension, the Bengals started to push loyalty clauses on top players that gave the team power to attach their signing bonuses for negative comments. Surprisingly, the NFL Players Association lost a hearing that upheld the loyalty clause.

So far, the Bengals have only been able to recruit two potential starters from the huge pools of recruits -- quarterback Jon Kitna and defensive tackle Tony Williams. Players are scared away from signing even before they get to the particulars of the loyalty clause.

No doubt, it would help the credibility of the franchise if they add more scouts and hire an experienced general manager. Still, that's not the most important thing in the turnaround of the Bengals. The Cowboys don't have a general manager, yet they might be able to talk Pickens into signing an incentive-laden $500,000 contract. Pickens, who was paid market value by the Bengals, didn't want to stay in Cincinnati because the team had the perception of being a loser.

Over the next three years, the Bengals have the best chance of any team to improve. They have what most teams lack -- cap room. To convince players to take those dollars they need to pay a top-level player big money to come to Cincinnati. Steussie would have helped. Elvis Grbac would have helped. Simeon Rice would have helped. Unfortunately now, most of the big names are gone.

But the Bengals can't retrench. Their $10 million of cap space has at least put the franchise on the radar screen where top players are willing to make a visit. That's a positive step. The Bengals lost the momentum they gained from their market contract to right tackle Willie Anderson.

Perception.

The Bengals can buy it. They will have to stop their eight-year long practice of not spending to the cap, leaving $2 million to $3 million a year of unspent cap money. Because of their cap excess, agents of players will still use the Bengals in their negotiations, so it will work if they use the agents with huge offers to get a top player or two.

When the Bengals get to the point where opponents start complaining about how they are driving up the price of players, they are on the right track. The biggest mistake would be for the Bengals to take the defeatist attitude and stop brining in players.

The Eagles felt used until they used the system to start building a talent base. The Bengals can do the same. If they pay their players right and spend to the cap, the Bengals may command loyalty from players instead of having it shoved down their throats in negotiations.

John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.