COB

That about sums it up. I think it’s a point of pride with Mike that he just doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. It’s ironic that I’m a bengal fan and a tribe fan. The tribe has José Ramirez, insanely good player, one other great player, then a bunch of guys. The owner doesn’t care. Just getting paid. Made the ALCS last year and responded by trading away the team leader, the heart of the team, Josh Naylor (only one year left in cheap deal then he’s getting big money) and their all star second baseman (also due to get paid). Now the Reds are better than us. The one difference - Mike is a Highlander who sees the team as his legacy and I believe has instilled a “never sell” ethos in his heirs. We’re stuck with the Brown family. The Dolans, who own the Guardians, have agreed to sell controlling interest in 2028 to some rich guy named David Blitzer who owns the 76ers and the New Jersey Devils. Supposedly he’ll spend like a real owner, we’ll see. At least there is hope.

I find it hard to believe the Bengals are only offering one year. But, if they are, it’s essentially an effort to kill the negotiations. Pretty much telling him play on your deal this year plus whatever PR driven raise we give you, then gtfo.

It’s a long-accepted fact that Mike is immortal. But in what form? Highlander? Vampire? Demon?

20 years ago? I had a five year old and a two year old. I’m pretty sure it was 2005 when I discovered this message board. Discovered message boards at all, really. I promptly posted some Pulitzer level ravings about Marvin. Man, that dude wore out his welcome. it was great to have found this board and I’ve really enjoyed it all these years. I hope Mike Brown falls over dead tomorrow.

I hope Hendrickson and his wife can have a baby now. Couldn’t have a baby with only like 60 million smackers in the bank.

I’m curious to hear what our new DC and o-line coaches do at training camp. There is serious pressure on these guys. Neither position group got seriously upgraded player wise. We did draft an edge and a LB, but, obviously, rookies. O-line strategy? You tell me. The bengals are putting a ton of stock in the theory that the coaches needed improved, and these guys better produce.

Paul Dehner just wrote a brutal takedown of our FO and their never-ending bickering with players. I don’t consider Paul Dehner a troll. He writes for the Enquirer and the Athletic. He falls more in the category of respected sports writer. No one is being trolled or led astray here. Reality is what it is.

Ok I read it, and we’re fucked.

Brandon Scherff is still out there, still available. We need veteran guard help. Time to make some type of commitment, get better on that o-line.

I hope Aaron was able to work through all his personal issues that held him back from signing. If he turns on Tomlin (50/50 chance), it’ll turn into a dumpster fire. Most of the Steeler fans I know are ready for Tomlin to go already. Rogers doing his passive aggressive coach killing act will be like throwing a match into a gas can.

This reveals a diabolical pattern of thinking. On your part, not Harambe’s.

This is an outrage. Harambe represents all that is good in this world. Dude was born into captivity, accepts that like a champ. One day he’s just chilling out in the gorilla habitat, and some dumb shit kid who can’t behave himself falls in. Hey Harambe, thanks for your service all these years. Here’s a bullet in the head.

9 years ago today Harambe was assassinated at the Cincinnati Zoo. The Bengals need to honor Harambe by including him in the Ring of Honor. I would also fully be on board with a team name and logo change. The Cincinnati Harambe. (Yes, singular). Obviously the logo is a huge badass silverback gorilla. I know too much marketing, etc has gone into building the bengals brand to consider a change, and the nfl is loathe to make any changes to their money machine. But if we were in a parallel universe where Mike could look beyond the beads on his abacus and the dollar signs they represent, this move would be a huge public relations coup. We’d basically get constant media coverage for about a year. Uniform change - National story. Stadium changes - National story. Logo contest - National story. Positive feedback from animal rights groups - National story. This seems far fetched but I would support it. These NFL team names are played out and stale. The bears and lions? Who gives a fuck.

Guess what, I have eyes and ears. I can assess the bengals’ FO on my own. I’m not getting trolled or fooled by someone’s reporting. Also in this instance, they’ve just reported the facts. These aren’t opinion hit pieces. The fact is they can’t get their first round draft pick signed and it’s due to their changing of a customary term that has been in the last two first rounders contracts. No one is trolling, the facts are getting reported. The bengals are in an entertainment business. And it’s a business in which perception becomes reality, whether we like it or not. So the FO consistently not caring about the optics of their latest fucked up attempt to “win” every negotiation absolutely hurts the team. You put it very accurately when you said they like to lawyer. It’s not really a verb but it truly describes their behavior. They’re screwing up the team culture and the team dynamics. They did it last year and they’re doing it again.

It is their way, now and probably forever. Completely tone deaf. These negotiations don’t take place in a vacuum. The whole team, and future prospective players, see clearly that the bengals front office cares way more about winning every little contract squabble than anything else. Mike just is compelled to demonstrate that he is the smartest guy in the room.