I have a hunch or something… A conspiracy maybe?... Hell I don’t know what to call it… A theory I guess would fit best… Yea a theory! I have a theory! Anyways… Mike Brown once said… "We don’t apologize for our scouting" and that he believed the Bengals got just as much information on prospects as anyone in the league… He may actually be right…. We may get as much information on these prospects as all the other teams... Eventually...

The Bengals obviously don’t have as many scouts as other teams… So instead of employing his own… He takes advantage of the fact that 31 other teams have a great number of people all over the country scouting prospects… What he essentially does is send out his coaches and a couple of hired guys to zero in on players they’re aiming at drafting… And when the draft comes about he either drafts the guys the coaches scouted because of a need at that position… Or he drafts a high profile prospect that has fell down the boards right into his lap (usually because of character flaws)..

This strategy causes the Bengals to miss out on a shit load of prospects that have great talent… So apparently realizing this to be the case … Mike Brown has come up with a cheap Free Agency strategy to make up for this… As seen in years past and even more apparent this year… Mike Brown waits for them to be cut and then brings in guys that at one point were thought of highly (1rst and 2nd round picks) by the army of scouts employed by other teams … Without having to spend a penny hiring guys to research these prospects to begin with…

He basically uses the other 31 teams as a kind of league wide scouting service for the Bengals… Once a team feels their scouting has failed them… Mike Brown second guesses that thought and signs them cheap to find out for himself… This way he doesn’t have to spend NFL nickels and dimes to hire full time competent men to research these guys to start with… Which as recently proved by the signings he made… You can find by searching a pool of semi successful college teams… Hell he could find competent scouts by searching no farther than his own back yard…. (U.C., Ohio State, Miami of Ohio etc…)

With that said I’m excited that he has expanded the scouting department recently and hope that he continues to acknowledge problems that have existed for some time now and takes action to solve them… Hopefully he is starting to see that the organization needs to identify where they’re weak in comparison to the rest of league… And do the things necessary to improve the overall success of the franchise…

Mike Brown is lazy and cheap… He buy's the snowman after someone else has decided it was a failure and trys to sell it in the front yard... I know this theory is extremely farfetched… And possibly way out in left field… However like I said before it’s just kind of been a "hunch" of mine for a while… And I thought I’d share it with you guys as a little food for thought…

I tried to hold my frustration in but after reading this report... I'd had it.. I have finally caved...

Mike Brown and his puppets entered Free Agency with the most cap space in the entire NFL. He needed upgrades in several positions and has failed miserably by not even attempting to get them. I understand that its not good to overspend on big names. All you have to do is see the Redskins and the Eagles of last year to know this. I'm sure Mike Brown is a firm believer in Free Agency being a fools gold. Thinking back on his history with giving big money to big free agents I understand to a point why he feels this way. Antwan Odom, L.Coles, and Antonio Bryant are just recent failures.

However there is a fine line between overspending and not attempting to upgrade your team in any way shape or form. I'm absolutely amazed at the frugality displayed by Mike Brown. He has a young successful team and he chooses to do nothing. He sits on his hands while trying to play the fiddle too. I'm not asking that he do what Tampa Bay has done and go all out. We are not in that much need. However it's UNBELIEVABLY UNNACCEPTABLE to have as much money to spend as we do, and not sign at least ONE top tier player in a position of need. On top of that he's letting our good depth players walk right out the door for NFL pocket change.

He has 200 million dollars to buy up the teams stock to gain complete dictatorship control of the franchise. He fleeced Hamilton County in every way possible to pocket more profit. He is so incompetent that damn near every SUPER STAR that has played under his management has asked to leave. Carl Pickens, Corey Dillion, Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer are undoubtedly the 4 biggest names to wear stripes while he has been in control. All of which demanded to be let go at some point because of his lack of dedication in building a winning team. Now he has a young team that is filled with key players that are on inexpensive salaries. Yet he refuses to buy a bubble that some High School teams play under. He refuses to spend money to excite a fan base that has given him and his family every cent they have. He refuses to go out and sign a player or two that will better position him to get players in the draft where his roster needs them most.

I understand this is a young league and Mike Brown has been in the league in an executive position much longer than any of us. That doesn't make up for the fact that a simple fan like my self knows that your Free Agency strategy sets up and puts you in a position to draft players you need to build a team capable of SUSTAINING success... Every team does it and everybody knows it takes a successful draft along WITH successful Free Agent signings to build a consistent competitor. The fact that this guy has been an executive in the NFL since the 70's and has not grasped this concept yet is just UNBELIEVABLY UNNACCEPTABLE.

Anyone else feel the rage I do right now? This Dumb Shit scroog, Homer Simpson looking, F!@# Stick never fails at pissing me off! It's like he knows exactly how to get under the skin of every fan of this team. It's like he purposely does or doesn't do the things he should because he doesn't like the fans. We have given him hell and now I feel like he's taken it so personal he wants to SHOW us you can't stick the big man.

Mike Brown is a self pro claimed tightrope walker that falls walking down the street.

What the F!@# is Mike Brown thinking !???!

via cdn.wiznation.com

I've been following for quite sometime the assumption that Chad Ochocinco will be traded or cut. If you're in the crowd that can't wait for this to happen I say to you don't hold your breathe. If you're in the crowd that wants him here one more year I say to you go ahead and breath. I'm a believer in actions speak louder than words or as Marvin Lewis would say "I see better than I hear." All signs to me are pointing of a return.

Continue reading this post »

WARNING: If your not prepared to be in front of the computer hypnotized for a firm half hour you may want to skim through these videos. If you are prepared just tell the old lady to shut up, you're busy, leave you alone.

I found some pretty cool videos on YouTube I thought I'd share with you guys. Wouldn't it be great if we could have this kind of success on a consistent or even somewhat consistent basis? I look at these videos and mourn to go back in time. How great it must have been to sit in Riverfront Stadium and drink Hudepohl while watching this team dismantle nearly the entire NFL. So without further ado I present to you a ride back in time. Please feel free to tell us where you were at this very moment. Should be fun and hopefully we get a lot of different stories. WHO DEY!

Continue reading this post »

via www.mamapop.com

I read an article on PFT the other day that stated both Seattle and Arizona were in the hunt to acquire Kolb from Seattle. Rosenthall writes:

The Eagles can only hope that the Seahawks get involved in order to drive the price up.  This is definitely a recipe for some good offers being sent to Philly: Two division rivals who believe they can contend right now if they can just find a quarterback.

This really got me going. I thought to myself how stupid can Mike Brown be? (which was the first time I've ever asked my self that I swear) Here on one hand we have a guy whom has shown close to nothing in the NFL. On the other hand we have a two time Pro Bowl QB that has sent Chad Johnson to the Pro Bowl 6 times. Now I know a lot of you are thinking Carson has nothing left. I argue he has nothing left myself. My point is though we often find ourselves arguing what we could get for him.

IF these teams knew we were shopping him I could see an all out storage war auction for his services. Arizona Cardinals G.M. recently said "We are going to be aggressive" when speaking about acquiring a QB. Pete Carrol is rumored to be willing to give up children (if he has any) to rekindle his relationship with Carson Palmer. We all know that a first round pick is the asking price from the Eagles for Kolb. My guess is that it's going to take more to get him due to other teams in demand.

Is it unfair to think that Carson Palmer would start a bid at about a 1rst and a 5th by the Cardinals, with Pete Carrol swarming in like Dave Hester with a big  "YYYUUUUPPP" when Mike Brown is calling for a 1rst and a 3rd? Just a thought. Obviously Carson is a greater commodity than Kevin Kolb and I don't think it's unfair to think we could end up with a couple high picks for him. I think a lot of times when we discuss this we undervalue what he could bring in. When taking in to consideration how many teams are rumored to be interested. We could very well find ourselves in blockbuster trade with teams bidding desperately to find out what is left in our broken down storage named Carson Palmer.

Now I know what a lot you guys may be thinking. Who the hell cares right? Well with nothing else going on the Cincinnati Bengals stratosphere I found this picture quite amusing. To be honest I find just about anything Charlie Sheen has done lately quite amusing. Actually I find damn near everything he's ever done quite amusing... Anyways it's well documented that the "Major League" superstar is an avid die hard Reds fan. I found this on TMZ.com that may indicate he's a Bengals fan. Funny guy I'm telling you.

via eater.com

Seen this on Facebook and thought I'd share it with you guys. Feel free to click this link if you have Facebook to RSVP the event. Saturday, March 5 · 6:00am - 10:00pm 

03-02-2011
I’m sure that most of you are aware of Carson Palmer’s recent negative comments towards the Cincinnati Bengals Organization and most importantly of all its fans. As a former Palmer supporter this hurts me deeply and I feel that we as fans need to do something about this!! In trying to find a way to voice my outrage towards Palmer, I have realized that as one, I am just too small a voice. We need to all come together... as Bengals fans in protest against Carson and his “80 million dollars in the bank” that we as fans have unselfishly given him over the years. I am asking that everyone with Carson Palmer memorabilia (jerseys, shirts, hats, and anything with the Bengals #9) be put out in front of the doors of Paul Brown Stadium starting on Saturday March 5, 2011. With the lockout looming it may be too little too late but let’s try to get Mike Brown to make a good decision for once, and deal this Anti-Cincinnati clown. Please help pass this on to as many people as you can. Without your help this will not work. Don’t let Carson Palmer bash our city with no recourse, let’s take a stand!!!

via www.footballbabble.com

Well I'll start this off by saying that I figure the best way to get your help is by luring you in with some of my favorite eye candy:) Over at CincyJungle we're having a mock draft. I got the honor of representing your beloved Carolina Panthers. I must say I'm not the most familiar with your team and the needs that you guys face. I am familiar with your pain though.

I've noticed you traded off your 2nd round pick. So I'm trying to find a general consensus of whom you guys think your team is to take with your 1rst overall selection and maybe your 3rd round pick. Early off it seemed Nick Fairley was the obvious choice. However it seems Da'Quan Bowers is now becoming the favorite. Hell lately Cam Newton is making a jump at being the honored 1rst overall selection.

My questions are the following.

Who do you think the Panthers are going to select? A little history of that position and why those players haven't worked out, (again I'm not to familiar with your team) and how this is going to help the Panthers more than any other player in this draft?

Please Panther fans share your wisdom with me! Who are you taking and why?

viachzupnextinsports.files.wordpress.com

Normally I wouldn't write a post about something that has to do with another team. This however has an interesting twist. Prior to being traded to the Browns, the Bengals we were in the midst of trading to pick up Rogers.

Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers is being traded but not to the team that was first scheduled to acquire him.

After a deal fell through that sent Rogers to the Cincinnati Bengals for a third-round and fifth-round pick, the Lions rebounded by sending Rogers to Cleveland in exchange for a third-round choice and cornerback Leigh Bodden.

Per John Clayton ESPN

Now I'd look for the Bengals to be highly interested in obtaining Rogers. They were already interested, he has a longer rap sheet, they don't have to give up anything to get him, and he’d come at a cheap price. Tell me this isn’t right up Mikey Boys Alley?

via i.ytimg.com

Opening comments:
BROWN: "Thank you for being here on short notice. The Bengals have entered into an extension of Marvin’s contract. We had good discussions over the last two days and I think we cleared a lot of air, things that needed to be better understood by each side. There will be some changes made as we go forward. There will be changes made with playing personnel. There will be changes considered with coaches. We’ll examine how they all fit and make decisions after we’ve had an opportunity to consider that more.

"I think this gives us our best shot going forward, to be the team we want to be. We’ve had a difficult year. We know the dissatisfaction. We’re unhappy with ourselves. People are unhappy with us. We are not far off. We are close to being the kind of team we can be. I think continuity will give us the best shot at becoming that team. We have a good relationship, Marvin and I. We work together well. It isn’t an easy relationship, but it’s a good one, and people don’t have full understanding of how that is. It can be good. It has been good in the past with the results on the field. I think it will be good in the future."

Hello Everyone, We have resigned Marvin. I'm completely lost in doing things around here and I'm pretty comfortable with having him stick around to do most of my work for me. I'll get paid being the GM/Owner either way. I enjoy it too.

LEWIS: "I’m excited about the ability to continue and take the team where I want to take it. As Mike said, none of us are very happy. It’s been a season where he and I look at each other every morning, and neither one of us are happy about where we are, but yet Monday, Tuesday we get it back going, and know we have to push forward and do better. I really came to the realization this morning that this is what I want to do. We’ve been diligent all day in talking about what direction is important to us and what Mike wants to see as we go forward as an organization. I’m excited where we are.

"As I told our players yesterday, we have a core of guys who have endured a very difficult season because of my inability to get our good players to make plays to win games. That’s my fault. I did not do a good enough job to put them in position to make the plays to win the games. When you lose close games like we did, we didn’t make those plays. When we’re successful I get too much credit, but when we lose I know it’s my fault. I get all the blame, and I want it. It is my fault, and I’ve got to do a better job. I’m excited about it to go forward.

"The other thing to me is that I feel like it’s a new beginning. It’s a start-over, way different than we were in 2003 when we began this. There are some things that I think are important to Mike and I both, that we’re very sure about now. As I work with him and we keep putting the pieces in place to make this a football team that not only goes to the playoffs, but wins that last game and is eventually World Champions, that’s what our goal is. Nobody wants it more than the two guys sitting up here, and the rest of his family, and the coaches and players. I’m excited about it going forward."

I knew I wouldn't be able to find another Head Coach job anywhere else in the NFL. So I decided to stick around under Mike's conditions. Mike told me I was dumb for not playing the young guys. I agreed because I wanted to keep this job. Now I'm going to tell you all a bunch of B.S. that I know you and the fans want to hear. We want to win the Super Bowl.

On if Lewis now has more control over personnel decisions:
LEWIS: "I don’t know where that comes from, because I don’t know if I’ve sat down here and ever said that (that he less than unsatisfied with control over personnel). People keep putting that out there. I have a lot of input in our personnel. It’s Mike’s ultimate say-so. He’s the owner, he’s the general manager, and it’s my job when we disagree to show him why this is the way I think. As he will tell you, most times he sides with me. It’s my job to educate him on why it’s the way I see it. I understand that. I actually relish that opportunity. As I’ve said many times, it’s one-stop shopping. There’s no middleman I have to go through. He and I talk and discuss each and every morning or afternoon or whenever it occurs, and that’s the way it is."

Mikes an idiot and obviously I have to baby him when we disagree. I enjoy that because it's funny sometimes how dumb he is and it cracks me up. You guys have made up this whole I want more control stuff and I don't know why. Mikes dumb and will fold if I push hard enough.

On what better understanding needed to happen between the two to have this deal done:
BROWN: "We talked about a range of things. Oddly, some of the things that are out there in the public are not things that are issues between us. Personnel is an issue in the sense that we want to be better and we want to play the right guys. We want to get the right guys up and out there as soon as we can. How we do things on a coaching level is an issue. There are some things that we both think need to be addressed, and will be as we go forward. There are different ways to address them. We can get change internally or we can get it externally, but we are going to have change."

I've let Marvin tell me what to do for quite sometime now. I don't understand why he's not playing cheap draft picks and keeps insisting I sign veterans. Obviously at the end of the year we started to play the young guys and had some success. So i was right and he was wrong. Obviously something needs to change but I don't know what that is yet.

On what types of changes are planned:
BROWN: "It has to do with how we set ourselves up to play the game, what we do when we are playing an opponent. That’s the real nitty-gritty of what matters. As far as Marvin’s role on personnel, I would venture he as a strong a voice in personnel as any coach in the National Football League. I can only think of an example or two at most when we may have done something differently than Marvin would have preferred, and in those cases I am not sure they were all that important decisions. It’s a misunderstanding to disguise it differently. People don’t know because they aren’t there seeing how we interact, but that is how we interact."

Marvin has an issue with game management and he knows it. As far as bringing guys in and out I wanted Chris Henry back and he didn't. You guys blew one personnel decision way out context and made it seem like we hated each other. We don't again he's obviously smarter than me on that stuff so I listen to him.

On if there are any changes planned to the coaching staff:
BROWN: "We’re going to address that as we go forward. I don’t think it’s timely to get into it here today, but we both believe things have to be done differently."

Shut up I love Bratkowski but I know he has to go.

On if they’re in agreement on what needs to be done with the coaching staff:
BROWN: "It’s something that we’re going to work together on as we go through the next few weeks."

Again shut up I know I have to fire Bobby even if I don't want to.

On if there are plans to make any changes to the scouting and personnel departments:
BROWN: "The scouting thing is another criticism that rises up when we don’t do well. If you look at our record on scouting over the last 10 years, we rank 10th for the number of games played by players we drafted. I think we sank to 11th on the number of players who are in the league that we drafted, and we would be higher than that except for injuries that were serious that players like (David) Pollack suffered, or Chris Perry, or what happened with (Odell) Thurman, or what happened to Chris Henry. We had a number of those. It was disproportionate. I don’t apologize for our scouting. It’s an easy target, but if you look at the real facts, I think you’ll see it differently."

AW! YES! I knew this question was coming! You guys think I'm stupid don't you! I looked up some stats just for this one. I'm going to manipulate and curve things to justify (at least in my own head) that we do okay here. We've had some misfortunes with some of our players that are not my fault. They're the idiots not me. I'm completely ignorant to anything suggesting we don't have good talent evaluators.

On where the team stands on building an indoor practice facility:
BROWN: "Marvin has a desire to have a practice facility. I have a desire, but probably not as keen. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a desire to do it. The timing is important. Right now, we’re faced with major issues in the National Football League, and those are at the front of our agenda. When we get through that, then we’ll have time to consider this issue. It’s one of the important issues that we have in mind. I would make the comment that some of this is perception. We worked in the cold weather. We played in the cold weather. It didn’t seem to hurt us any to practice in the cold weather. We played pretty well in it. But I do know that it’s the way it’s trending. It’s the fact that we have been left behind what others are doing. Whether that makes them better than us because they have an indoor practice facility is a question, but it’s coming."

Well in the new CBA I think we're going to screw the players out of some of their cut of the money. I'm banking on that to happen so I can compensate for this investment somewhere. It's not coming out of my pocked I can guarantee you guys that. Sorry Marvin you'll have to wait until I get more money from other people to pay for this. Until then we'll practice in the cold and play in the cold.

On the importance of having a coaching staff in place, given the uncertainty of the Collective Bargaining Agreement:
BROWN: "I think it’s important. I would hate to be in the position of a team that had a new coaching staff, and the players showed up two weeks before the first regular season game. I’ve been there when that happens, so I know it can happen. It’s a factor and something I’m conscious of, but it wasn’t the principal factor in what we did. Yes, we face some heavy weather here. Things have to be resolved with the (NFL) Players Association. We all want them resolved. They do. We do. The fans do. Everybody does. If they aren’t, we have to be prepared to do what we have to do."

No I didn't bring Marvin back because of that. I've been through this before though. If this happens I would like to take advantage of it. Maybe we can have some fluke success because others aren't prepared. I can't wait until this deal is done so I can get some more money.

On the timetable for possible coaching changes:
BROWN: "I think it’ll be fairly soon."

Again I know poor Bobby has to go.

On if there was any specific factor in discussions that shaped Lewis’ decision to return:
LEWIS: "After the season, we always have a lot to discuss. Obviously this year we had a little more. When you consider all things looking forward, I think this is the right spot for me to be. I’m not happy with where we are. It’s not finished. I came here to do a certain thing, and we’re not done. I just felt that way. Each year when the players walk out of this building, and just speaking from them and hearing from them all night, we have the nucleus of the right guys. We need to add to it and we will. We had a new outpouring and hatching of these young kids this year. In some cases, (it was) too late, but yet we did, and I think that’s a refreshing experience for me. I know it was for Mike. It gives you a new life. I know it was for Carson (Palmer), and I think it showed us a lot.

"Defensively; the young guys continue to go play. I met with the first and second-year guys yesterday in the room, and that’s almost half of our team. That’s something, and it speaks to the youth of the NFL, particularly where we are. It’s an exciting point. It’s a point that I didn’t wish we had to go through, not knowing whether we’re going to be working at the end of March or April. I wish we didn’t have go through that, because you want to get back to work. I want the playoffs to be over and the Super Bowl champion to be crowned, so we all start 0-0 and we get back at it."

I know I screwed up by not playing the young guys. Mike was actually right on this one. When Mike's right about something he's like Cartman pointing out cake when he see's it. We did some things at the end of the year that have me excited to comeback and work. I hate the playoffs because we suck when we occasionally make it there.

On what goals Lewis gained in the negotiations:
LEWIS: "I feel good about things. I’m very satisfied about where we are, and that’s all I’ll say to it. I wouldn’t be sitting here if I wasn’t satisfied with where we are moving forward."

I gained nothing. I'm just glad to have a Head Coaching job in the NFL.

On whether they have a common ground in philosophies:
LEWIS: "We decided that we’re going to input the Wishbone (laughs)."

I told you guys Mike is stupid. He really said this. I thought it was really funny so I thought I'd share it. (laughs)

On specifics regarding the team’s goals moving forward:
LEWIS: "We’re going to be better. I don’t think we want to go any further than that here today. I think that gets to be personal and private. I know publicly, everyone wants this big splash, but I will tell you we will be better."

We're going to fire Bratkowski just give us a minute. We're not going there today.

On if the parameters of an extension proposed last year needed to be changed:
LEWIS: "It really wasn’t anything that way. Probably last year at the bye week was the first time we spoke about the extension, and then after the season, and then this fall a couple of times. As I told you guys many times, it’s a difficult thing for me to discuss weekly or daily. I’m not comfortable with it. We got to the end of the season, and that’s when it was discussed."

I was really hoping we would do better this year so I could get the hell out of Cincinnati.

On Lewis having sounded more optimistic in recent statements about continuing in Cincinnati:
LEWIS: "I didn’t want a cloud hanging over our players. And believe me, everyone was trying to put that over our players -- that "is this going to be your (Lewis’) last game?’ -- and I never felt that. I never felt that from Mike. Mike and I talk daily about our guys, our injured guys, our guys where they are in their careers, our feelings about this or that guy moving forward, and everything that way. It’s not my place to go out publically and speak for him, but I didn’t get that indication that we were coming down to the last weeks of my career here."

I had no idea I'd still have a job here. Anywhere else I'd be fired. I think the players thought the same way. I didn't really have to say it was something we all assumed.

On whether every current assistant coach is under contract for 2011:
LEWIS: "Not yet."

Bobby is gone. I'm just not telling you that hear today. So please stop asking.

On whether Lewis is getting more say in coaching staff decisions now:
LEWIS: "I’ve had more say."

I'm not going to talk shit about my boss right in front of him.

On the length of Lewis’ contract:
BROWN: "You keep asking, and I don’t think the answer’s going to change. It’s as long as any other coach, or longer. It’s long enough to protect him in his position. I would say this: I think we’re going to have a better year next year, and it might get longer than that real fast."

We have an easy schedule next year. Marvin does good with easy schedules. Everything will be better next year and I'll sign him for a longer extension. I think Katie and Troy are so comfortable with him that he'll likely be around when they takeover.

On when they will make potential coaching changes:
BROWN: "We’ll do it in our way, at our pace, after consideration and discussion. It isn’t something we have in mind talking about in detail here today."

I'm firing Bobby stop asking me that!

LEWIS: "It wasn’t my place to sit down and talk with anybody the last two days, because I think everyone else has more time here than I did."

I was hoping for more offers but there wasn't any. I was hoping I was going to leave. So no I didn't talk to anyone I thought I'd be gone by now.

On what has changed since his arrival in 2003:
LEWIS: "I think that every time I come down here and say something, it’s what we’ve decided to do, and that’s what we’ve decided – there’s no wavering on it. It doesn’t matter who proposed it or how it was proposed. I think that’s the important part. Once Mike tells me it’s going to be green or blue, that’s what it’s going to be and I go forward with it. What we decide on and however we do it, that’s what has to be from an organization standpoint. Certainly, when I go in front of our coaches and our team, that’s what it’s going to be. When we make a play call, that’s the way the play is called. Every play is designed to be successful. I think it’s no different with anything that way."

I tell Mike what's right and wrong. Sometimes he doesn't listen. So I go with the flow and hope for success. I've managed to get him to bend on a lot of things but when it comes down to it he's the boss. Don't try and make me take all the credit for the changes around here right in front him.

BROWN: "I want to emphasize that there is very little difference between us, ever. We talk things out. We have hard conversations sometimes. Sometimes they can even be a little brittle, but we work through them and come to conclusions. Sometimes I wish it were the other way more often than not when we have to compromise. It isn’t as though I’m dictating and Marvin’s a puppet – that is not the way it works. He does have real control – not influence, control – over his area, and that should be understood. That’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing. I see it that way. He wants it that way, and that’s the way it is."

I hear about what you guys say about me. I don't like it so please stop it. A lot of what you say is wrong and it's really not that way. I really am stupid sometimes. I know that so I let him make a lot more decisions than me.

On how their relationship changed over the past year in negotiations:
BROWN: "You’re switching gears here. You’re going from what we do on an operating basis to the contractual discussion that we’ve had between us. One is what we do with our other employees here, how we handle them. The relationship between the two of us is what we worked out together, and it wasn’t a bad process. At times it was a difficult one, but we got it worked out to our satisfaction, both of us. I don’t think not a bad thing – I think that’s a good thing."

There is no beef here. Don't go there. Talk to the hand. I just wish Marvin would trust me when I'm being cheap. He knows that. We've discussed that. Likely nothing will change between us. I don't think that's bad thing. I think that's a good thing.

On possible personnel department changes:
BROWN: "We get criticized for that because we run a lighter crew than some teams do, but I don’t know if we do badly there. We picked up Reggie Nelson this year – that’s a pretty good acquisition. The year before, we picked up (Brian) Leonard and he helped us a lot. We have people up there who are attuned to this stuff. (Director of Player Personnel) Duke Tobin is on top of it very, very thoroughly. Today, with the communications you have, you can talk to people anytime, anywhere in this country, and we do. You don’t have to have a guy sitting in an office doing just that. You can carry this information with you as you travel and then communicate when it’s necessary, and that’s what we do. I don’t think it works badly – I think it works all right."

We do fine here. Why should we spend money scouting players when all the other teams do. If a top round draft pick gets in trouble or gets cut by another team we sign him. There scouts must have seen something in them so we get them cheap. We don't need scouts Dick Tobin knows this philosophy and uses it very well. Umm.. what's that white guys name I forget?

On Lewis being back for his ninth season, becoming the longest tenured coach in club history:
BROWN: "Obviously, unless I felt right about the situation and what he could do with our team, that wouldn’t have happened. We have a team that’s very close, and I think continuity will help us. We’ll add some people. We’ll make some changes, and I think we’ll get this think quickly back to where we want it to be."

I hate change. We'll add some people and fire some people just enough to get you guys excited. Then we'll have any easy schedule next year and things will look good. I'm not changing anything people. Want some Husmans? I love Husmans and you will eat them if you don't like it.

On how the Bengals can move from this point to return to regular sellouts at home:
BROWN: "You do it one way: you go out on the field and win ballgames, and when you do that, they come. That’s what we have to do. We can spiel all we want – maybe that will help some, but there’s only one real answer, and that’s to win on the field. And that’s what we plan to do."

We have to win. I'm stupid but not stupid enough to look stupid. Wait maybe I am. Anyways I'm good at getting people in the stands just look at what Chad and T.O. did for half the season. Aww yea and we also have to win.

On the level of change foreseen for the coaching staff:
BROWN: "We’re going to make some changes with what we do. Either the people will do things differently, or there will be other people doing them. That’s all we’re prepared to say here today, no matter how many times it’s asked or in what way it’s asked."

I'm going to fire Bobby.. Dammit! You're not going to trick me! Stop asking me this! It's hurting my feelings!

On when player personnel decisions will be made:
BROWN: "They will be made. The first thing was getting the arrangement with Marvin put to bed, and it is. The next thing is dealing with the coaches, and then we’ll get into the personnel decisions that have to be made. We’ll be a little different team. We were a little different at the end this year, and we have some good young guys, guys that showed very well. Our two defensive ends (Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson) looked to be real keepers in this league, and so do our two young wideouts (Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson). Suddenly, we were getting some young people that were showing up. We were moving the ball and sacking the quarterback. We were doing some good things. It’s overshadowed because of the record, but we see it and we know it. We know what it means for the future."

The end of the year has tricked me as much as it has you. Except I'm still more naive. We don't need to change anything we'll be good next year.

On whether the team would an invitation to coach the Senior Bowl:
LEWIS: "I’ve always expressed my desire to Mike that if we’re not going to be coaching in the playoffs, we might as well go to work and get to know some of the new prospects as well as we can. I think it’s been helpful the two times we’ve had an opportunity to do it, and I’ve had a couple other opportunities to do it on other staffs. I think it’s always a plus, and it gives you a good insight into the players – to their temperament, how they learn, what kind of guys they are, how they compete – and I think it’s been helpful."

We need more scouts. We don't have them and we're not getting them so I have to do the work.

On if coaching the Senior Bowl is helpful for the coaching staff in testing new ideas:
LEWIS: "I think you’re a little limited in what you can do there, particularly defensively. Offensively, I guess you can do a little bit more. You’re trying to evaluate the players, so it’s very fundamental."

No it's worthless for game planning. I'm a defensive guy and this game stinks to me because of that.

On how much his salary played into him signing this deal:
LEWIS: "Not really anything."

Nobody wanted me in the NFL as a head coach. So this was my best offer.

I know this was lengthy but what did I get right and what did I get wrong here guys?

via media.lawrence.com

Carson Palmer is NOT going anywhere like It or not (yes Jimbasa I'm talking to you) we're not drafting a QB in the first or second round, It's pretty simple. Carson Palmer is Mike Browns biggest investment ever. Did you catch that last word EVER! You know what that means? He has a gigantic man crush on the guy. It's such a bad crush he signed and promoted his little brother to back him up. If history goes to show us anything Mikey typically doesn't swallow the apple (only hot dogs) and admit he made a mistake.(whether or not Carsons contract was a mistake is a different debate) On top of that he's not one to cut a major investment once that investment has proved to be a success at some point.(see Chad Ochocinco crying to leave Cincinnati in 2008) Like it or not the guy has had 2 playoff appearances and 2 Pro-Bowl appearances. I've been down on Palmer a lot myself this year and I've been really confused on how to feel about his performances. That doesn't change the fact that again this is Mikey's boy.

To Mike Brown this is the man. Did you guys know he's on pace for a 4,000 yard season? He's thrown 21 touchdowns this year? Sure he's had 18 interceptions and a lot of them were for 6 points but that doesn't change the fact that on paper he looks pretty solid this year besides his QB rating. You can argue and I know a lot of you will (yes Jimbasa I'm talking to you) that these numbers are inflated because of garbage time and prevent defenses and blah blah blah. You're wasting your breath. The Patriots game is a perfect example of those arguments. I counter with "did you watch them play the Jets on Monday Night Football?" This is a team that doesn't put the breaks on for ANYONE! I hate to break your poor souls but you can forget about Luck and forget about Newton because Carson Palmer isn't going anywhere like it or not. (Tru tell'em whats up partna!)

via www.whodeyrevolution.com via www.whodeyrevolution.com via 1.bp.blogspot.com via www.examiner.com via www.blogcdn.com via www.whodeyrevolution.com via www.examiner.com via www.whodeyrevolution.com via www.whodeyrevolution.com via 1.bp.blogspot.com

JungleJohn and WhyUs have both written articles calling for a revolt.

Look I love CincyJungle as much as anyone. This is the undisputed champ of all Bengals blogs. However It's not a bad thing to type in the words www.whodeyrevolution.com. These guys have already brought some national attention to the hate we have for Mike Brown. They have the system in place for a revolt and have organized some MAJOR distractions for Mike Brown (billboards, plane banners, flooding the toilets at the stadium with chips that have Mike Browns win lose record on them, and more) They have a pay pal set in place for those who aren't local and want to contribute a dollar or two. I'm not suggesting we stop coming to CincyJungle and jump on the WDR wagon. I'm simply saying that this site is too pro-bengals to organize a revolt (which isn't a bad thing we all love the Bengals here WHO DEY!) and that another site has already put the system in place. We can subscribe to both sites but if you want radical change this isn't the place for it. Maybe we unite and have a revolt from both avenues either way if you're looking to put a system in place there is no need to. These guys have already made it happen. Rec'd this one and keep it at the top because it's just another suggestion and another avenue and it's in my opinion the quickest way to get something done.

via i35.tinypic.com

I could go through a laundry list of the achievements this man has made through his career. Achievements contrary to what you normally think of when you hear that word. We've been beating this dead horse for quite sometime now. You know the most obvious one being "The quickest owner to 200 losses and the slowest to 100 wins" or a more recent one "The only team ever to allow more than 20 yard runs in 13 consecutive games". Quite frankly hearing these types of things have made me more frustrated with this team than ever before and I'm absolutely positive most of you are right with me on this.

So I thought of an idea here to maybe loosen things up around here and get a couple laughs. Describe Mike Brown with one word (preferably in the subject box) and then use that word in a sentence or phrase in the most hilarious, comical, and creative way you can think of.

Example: Homer

"Not only is Mike Brown as dumb as Homer Simpson he looks like him to!"

Okay I know that's not extremely hilarious but I made the comparison along time ago and decided to bring the idea back so you guys would get the point. I have a feeling a lot of you can come up with better and hopefully we get a lot of participation and a lot of laughs out this. Now we don't want this to get shut down so remember lets not turn this in to a vulgar and obscene kind of thing keep the cursing down but at the same time have a damn !@#$! !@#$ !#!@$ sense humor. Hell maybe even make a competition out of it. Utilize the Rec button to keep score of the one you thinks best. Okay enough said guys "Describe Mike Brown with one word" and then use it in a sentence or phrase to describe why you picked that word.

via larry5154.files.wordpress.com

A hate tip to wiseman for pointing this out in the comment section of another post. It's apparent he was planning on keeping it there but I feel this warrants enough attention to be a fanpost. And maybe one of the great writers on this site will make a post on the main page when they pick up on it.(I can predict the future :D ) I have no way of confirming this is infact a letter from Mike Brown to a disgruntled season ticket holder. Other than going off Lance McAllisters blog from 1530homer.com and assuming he's picked up on something that is indeed a legit letter from the dictator himself. So blame Lance not me if this is a WDR prank or something like that. Without further ado Mr.Mike Brown.

Bengals/GM?
This is a quote from Mike Brown responding to a recent letter from a season ticket holder.
The letter is dated December 3, 2010:

I cannot give you the response I suspect you would most like to hear. I'm afraid you are stuck with me in my present role, and a general manager brought in from the outside is not in the plans. I accept that your criticism is sincere, and I wish you well personally. We are working as hard as we can to return to and surpass the contending status we had as recently as last season."

Sincerely,

Mike Brown
President

Please notice the sentence I've place in bold. Obviously this isn't what we want to hear specifically the part he says "I'm afraid you are stuck with me in my present role". This is if a true letter from Mike Brown is the worst thing he could possibly say to us as fans. He is basically laughing at us (as the picture above shows) and laughing at the notion he will be changing anything  My guess is that this specific season ticket holder will not be renewing his tickets next year. Okay guys let the venting begin!

via i2.cdn.turner.com

Personally I think that in the off season this team just needs to make a couple of changes. I hear chatter about how Marvin needs to go, we need to draft a QB, get rid of Carson, end the Chad era, T.O. will not resign and of course FIRE Bratkowksi! I think we just need to get a better offensive line and of course FIRE Bratkowski! We need to draft for the front line and sign some guys in free agency to upgrade the talent that's competing for starting jobs. I think our run game gets better and our play makers will make plays. I'll use a well known phrase around here "It know it doesn't seem that simple, but it is". FIRE Brat hire better offensive lineman.

via www.whodeyfans.com

This way you get a guy in here that will scheme things based what our players are good at and you will have an offensive line that will give them time to execute those schemes. We have major talent and letting a lot of that walk out the door doesn't make you a better football team. If we can we need to keep Chad, T.O. Cedric, and yes even Carson. Give them a dominate unit up front and a better offensive mind to work with. With this I think this team instantly becomes one of the most dangerous in the league. I know that keeping these guys around especially T.O. is probably wishful thinking. I however can't help that I feel another try at this next year would yield better results with two simple changes.

via cdn.bleacherreport.net

Let's say that this team is in for a complete overhaul. We let T.O. walk without trying to resign, we release or trade Carson Palmer, we opt not to bring Chad back in, and we fire Marvin. Seems to me we're still ignoring the elephants in the room that seem to be the biggest problem. Along with that we basically punished everyone that was along for the ride. We would no longer have a coach that has any say in personnel, we would have a young depleted WR core, no QB that has NFL experience, and last but not least we still have a horrible offensive line. This team really isn't far from being great we're just a couple of changes away. Am I way off here? Is Carson, T.O. Chad, Cedric and  Marvin really the problem?

via bengals.enquirer.com

1. We all are fans of a football team that's the "NFL version of the L.A. Clippers"... The Bengals are crappy AGAIN!
2. Hamilton County estimates that by 2027, it will have spent more than $800 million to keep the Bengals in Cincinnati.
3. The First Round of the NFL Draft.
4. He's statistically the worst owner in all of professional sports.
5. Mike Florio and James Walker.
   
6. His Daughter... and her husband... I mean our front office... 
7. Jerry Jones hates him... Well I guess everyone hates him including Jerry.
8. He's tricked himself in to thinking he's a "football minded" guy like his dad.
9. He doesn't know what a GM or Scouting Department is.
10. He's an old, fat, rich guy that needs to be senile but has "themes" that prevent that from happening.

I don't know if its Carson, the O-Line, bad routes, Bratworst or a combination of all of them. It's very clear that there's something wrong here and it needs to be fixed very quickly. I'm very grateful that we have managed to win two games with Cedric Benson as our lethal weapon. I'm also grateful that we have arguably one of the best defenses in the NFL that has managed to keep us in these games. That is great and I mean that seriously. However I refuse to ignore that fact that we may have a major problem with this football team.

The problem is this has turned in to a "passing" league. We have to be able to throw the football or we'll become one dimensional and the opposing defenses will eat us alive. We absolutely must be able to get Chad and T.O. involved if we want to look at ourselves as a competitive playoff team. There's absolutely no way we can continue to play football like this and not expect a miserable second half of the season. Sure we can beat Carolina this way but we won't get away with this facing some of the better teams in the league.

If we stop winning football games (which I'm sure we will if we continue to play like this against our schedule) than you can fully expect this team to implode in the locker room and explode to the media. It's a must that we get this fixed immediately or we won't be watching our Bengals in the playoffs this year. It's a must we get this fixed because we have collected a bunch of emotional, outspoken, and flamboyant players. In fact we may have to pay a price for that as they"ll be sure to embarrass us all in the media if we start losing football games week in and week out. We have to keep winning and we won't keep winning if we can't come up with a balanced attack that is productive in both rushing and passing. The bottom line is there is something wrong here and it's a must we get it fixed immediately.

via www.midwestsportsfans.com

I did one of these in the off-season as many of you know and felt it was appropriate timing to do another. So now that the season has began and we've seen some great things and some not so great thing's. I figure it would be nice to take a look at some thing's I feel are must fixes before we hit the second half of this ridiculous schedule. I would also like to back up or argue against some of these worries with the analysts of some of the people who get paid to analyze what we do for fun.

Continue reading this post »

Don't get worried I'm not deadly ill or anything. I just think watching the Bengals lose throughout my life may eventually take a toll on my mental and physical health. I was so freaking mad Sunday I almost come on here a ranted 4 or 5 paragraphs of pure cussing about how bad I hated every aspect of the New England game! I was so mad I was ready to break the new plasma t.v. I had purchased just for watching football! I was so mad I looked like I had a warhead in my mouth and my head was about to explode my brain's all over my carpet! I was sooo mad..Well you get the point. (It had nothing to do with the massive amount of alcohol I drank during the game I swear) The Bengals losing already takes a good toll on my mental health and stability as last Monday I woke up and decided it was not a good day to go to work. So I sat around all day playing Madden on rookie level until I went undefeated with league MVP Ochocinco as well as leading the league in passing and rushing. I made it all the way to the Super Bowl where I smashed the Packers and met Obama after the season.

Anyways prior to the season I seen three things I thought were major concerns and two of them are already confirmed. Antonio Bryant has been cut and Andre Smith hasn't made a major impact thus far. The third concern was the tough schedule and obviously we're facing this as we speak. The defense last Sunday was shocking and many feel that's more to be concerned about than the offense. I tend to disagree. Going in to a game against a team that has a high power offense it's not really about stopping them it's more about matching them and we were unable to do that. If this offensive line can't keep Palmer upright to sit in the pocket like the rest of the "elite" QB's do than we can look ahead at this crazy schedule and see 2008 all over again. If the offensive line does keep Palmer up and he keeps his eye on one wide receiver determined that's his guy through double coverage or not than we can expect a lot more picks from Palmer. If Palmer don't settle down and realize when he has protection he can take his time and make a good throw than again we can expect more execution errors and more picks.

The game against the Raven's will be almost the exact opposite to the Patriots to me. Defense must match Defense instead of Offenses matching Offenses in production. I mean we all know to win the game you have to win in all three phases but honestly I think it's more about beating your opponents at what they're best at. In the Ravens case that is defense. If they stop us from scoring we must do the same. Hopefully last weekend was no indication of what we have to look forward to in the terms of the defense. Hopefully Zimmer can correct his coaching mistakes and we will see a return and much improved version of last year's unit. Either way this is a must win. I can't afford to miss another Monday because of a Bengals loss and a horrible hangover. If they do lose than I guess I can always look forward to meeting Obama after winning the Superbowl with an undefeated, record breaking season.

What do you guys see as keys to success specifically against the Ravens?