Mike Brown speaks/No GM

[dave]

Interview with Mike Brown:

Get used to Marvin Lewis and Chad Johnson.

In the twisted, parallel universe of perception, they are headed out of Cincinnati.

But in the only opinion that counts, the one of Bengals president Mike Brown, he is happy with both and is keeping them around Paul Brown Stadium.

In a rare interview in the week leading up to Sunday's game in Buffalo and his team a disappointing 2-5, Brown told Bengals.com and The Cincinnati Enquirer that Lewis' job is safe and he has no intention of trading Chad Johnson.

Brown didn't talk about such issues as the future of Lewis' assistants or if he would try to shore up the defense via free agency. Instead he preferred to focus on a season he expected his club to make it to the playoffs but believes it has been derailed by injuries and can still be salvaged.

"He isn't going anywhere," Brown said of Johnson. "Chad Johnson is a tremendous football player. We're glad he's here. He's an integral part of what we do."

Lewis may be taking some heat, but certainly not in the corner office where Brown endorsed his coach in the second year of a five-year deal.

Asked if Lewis is safe and if Brown is happy with him, Brown said, "Yes and yes."

More at the link above. Enquirer version here.

Here's a great line: "Thurman is sidelined, and I would tell you that would have been difficult to predict."

[icehole3]

standard softball questions, sounds like Mikey Boy had the questions fed ex to him before the interview.

[combatbengal]

I'd like to kick the interview in the balls. Why didn't he ask for a GM? We didn't get anything out of that interview except you can't cook rabit soup without a rabbit!

[as_v_1]

I wouldn't believe anything an owner said. They are so full of s**t that anything they say in an interview shouldn't be taken serious. How many times has an owner or GM gave the coach the "vote of confidence" only for them to be fired in the offseason.

[Irish Bengal]

I'd believe it, remember it is Mike Brown. As long as the seats are filled, what does he care!

[mgilgris]

I am surprised he had time to stop from counting his money from those sold out stadiums. What a joke the man is, his father would not be proud of his achievements thus far.

[Bengals1]

This is exactly the reason this team will never be consistent nor acheive anything great until or unless SoP passes away or steps down.

What a croc!

[kingwilly]

its the money...

$32,478,947...32,478,948...32,478,949.....uh, huh? Yeah, Yeah, I'm real happy with Marvin, real happy....ok, where was I? Oh, 32,478,950...32,478,951....

[Bengals1]

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bengals president Mike Brown has said he will not hire a general manager. He has told me that the team has, essentially, a three-headed general manager consisting of himself, team executive vice president Katie Blackburn and her husband, Troy Blackburn. Head coach Marvin Lewis also has a big say -- second only to Brown -- on personnel decisions. Brown also said the team does not need more scouts and has, in fact, added to the scouting department since hiring Lewis in 2003.

If the team's fans -- customers is a more accurate term -- don't like what's going on, don't buy the product. You're the ones who have sold-out 32 consecutive home games. Hamilton County taxpayers voted for the sales tax to build the stadium. Our elected officials negotiated the stadium lease and got out-lawyered.

Vote with your wallets. NFL football is entertainment and pulls from a household's pool of discretionary income.

If I've said it once I've said it a 1000 times, this team will never win consistently while SoP calls the shots - B1

[BengalszoneBilly]

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bengals president Mike Brown has said he will not hire a general manager. He has told me that the team has, essentially, a three-headed general manager consisting of himself, team executive vice president Katie Blackburn and her husband, Troy Blackburn. Head coach Marvin Lewis also has a big say -- second only to Brown -- on personnel decisions. Brown also said the team does not need more scouts and has, in fact, added to the scouting department since hiring Lewis in 2003.

If the team's fans -- customers is a more accurate term -- don't like what's going on, don't buy the product. You're the ones who have sold-out 32 consecutive home games. Hamilton County taxpayers voted for the sales tax to build the stadium. Our elected officials negotiated the stadium lease and got out-lawyered.

Vote with your wallets. NFL football is entertainment and pulls from a household's pool of discretionary income.

If I've said it once I've said it a 1000 times, this team will never win consistently while SoP calls the shots - B1

What a pompus ass Mike Brown is! We're forever doomed as long as this fool is alive.

I mean c'mon...who is Katie Blackburn or her husband Troy in the NFL football world. Absolute nobodies. The ONLY thing that qualifies Mikie is that he's Paul Browns son, but that's it. You'd have to be an old school fool to believe in these amatures...

[volcom69]

I give up this is why its so hard to be bengal fan anymore, then in another interview he said that Marvins and Chads jobs are very safe. Ok Chad is fine i dont mind that, but to know that there is not even any heat what so ever on Marvin is just sad. That tells me that Mike is ok with mediocore its ok if they dont constantly win and to me that is just very sad.

[kingwilly]

This is depressing.

1. Brown clearly still feels he and his family have the ability to manage this team.

2. He still has FINAL say on personell, with ML as secondary.

3. Brown does not see any shortcoming in the scouting the team does.

If anyone has any doubt about where the root of the problem lies, just take a look at the top. This is not to say that hiring a GM magically solves many of the decison making issues this team has but the overall intellectual incest currently deciding what happens at PBS and seemingly complacent attitude that wafts from the front office is clear. Having an additional outsider act as a balance between the front office and the caoching staff functions to asses decisions and act in the best interest of the club, with all things given consideration.

[cincy9275]

i would just love for one day. 1 of these reporters just say to sop, you know what mikey you are full of s**t and don't know you ass from a hole in the ground, why do you think you team has sucked for the past 20 years mikey it's because your dumb ass and your daughter have no clue on how to gm a team you jack ass

[BengalszoneBilly]

i would just love for one day. 1 of these reporters just say to sop, you know what mikey you are full of s**t and don't know you ass from a hole in the ground, why do you think you team has sucked for the past 20 years mikey it's because your dumb ass and your daughter have no clue on how to gm a team you jack ass

I'd say it in a heartbeat.

[HoosierCat]

Mikey never changes...

"Marvin is the ringmaster. Every so often one of the elephants doesn't do his routine. He has to get on him and get it right, and I think he does."

Maybe Marvin the ringmaster could get the elephant to pull the oxcart out of the ditch?

[BengalszoneBilly]

Mikey never changes...

"Marvin is the ringmaster. Every so often one of the elephants doesn't do his routine. He has to get on him and get it right, and I think he does."

Maybe Marvin the ringmaster could get the elephant to pull the oxcart out of the ditch?

Marvin couldn't pull his own a$$ out of a mud puddle.

[Kazkal]

I give up this is why its so hard to be bengal fan anymore, then in another interview he said that Marvins and Chads jobs are very safe. Ok Chad is fine i dont mind that, but to know that there is not even any heat what so ever on Marvin is just sad. That tells me that Mike is ok with mediocore its ok if they dont constantly win and to me that is just very sad.

It's because marvins not the problem,HE IS

[Kazkal]

Good! Marvin and Chad for life.

Now if we could fix the TRUE problems.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I give up this is why its so hard to be bengal fan anymore, then in another interview he said that Marvins and Chads jobs are very safe. Ok Chad is fine i dont mind that, but to know that there is not even any heat what so ever on Marvin is just sad. That tells me that Mike is ok with mediocore its ok if they dont constantly win and to me that is just very sad.

It's because marvins not the problem,HE IS

Sic your cat on him Kaz!!

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Mikey never changes...

"Marvin is the ringmaster. Every so often one of the elephants doesn't do his routine. He has to get on him and get it right, and I think he does."

Maybe Marvin the ringmaster could get the elephant to pull the oxcart out of the ditch?

Yep, you know it's bad when Mike starts throwing out the old timer cliches.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Yep, you know it's bad when Mike starts throwing out the old timer cliches.

Almost as bad as oldschooler cliches.

[HairOnFire]

I think I have a new Mike Brown animal reference, and suprisingly....it has nothing to do with elephants, rabbits, or wayward oxen.

"There aren't many King Kongs"

[membengal]

So...here's the thing. I may be one of the few outside of Hair who has never been overtly bothered by no GM. But that's because I see this situation as being a uniquely ideal one for the right coach with a God complex. Lewis responded well in this system for awhile, but for whatever reason appears to have run into a wall.

Fine.

Time to move on then. The Mike B clan needs to work overtime to identify the right type-A control-freak personality to push this team to the next step. The vacuum in terms of an active GM is a real opportunity for the right coach. They just need to find the right coach. I think Lewis has gone as far as he can go at this point.

[HoosierCat]

The Mike B clan needs to work overtime to identify the right type-A control-freak personality to push this team to the next step.

Won't happen. The FO won't hire a coach like you describe for the same reasons they wont hire a GM: they won't relinquish that much control. Tom Coughlin found that out five years ago.

I still think the key to whatever improvement the organization can make, given its mom n' pop nature, is a major upgrade in the player personnel department. Move Paul and Pete Brown out -- give them raises and jobs someplace else in the organization -- and hire a professional veep of player personnel. Give him adequate, professional, scouting; quit relying on your coaches to do double duty.

It's not perfect. Most importantly the guy will still be hamstrung in FA because of the team's reluctance to risk big bucks on outside FAs. But at least we can, hopefully, get more out of the draft.

[membengal]

Well, again, we're into the ether here hoosier. Since neither you nor I can really figure out what goes down over at PBS' administrative offices with respect to Mikey B, it is hard to know who is right or wrong. I do know that a competent coach with an eye toward overall control has a real opportunity to make a stamp on this organization. Lewis did that for awhile (and, hell, maybe he still can again, I can always hope), there is room for someone in the type-A realm to succeed here. Maybe it won't be in the as-much-control-as-a-Parcells sense, but it doesn't have to be a beaten-down-powerless-mofo-in-the-Shula sense either.

At any rate, Lewis is failing, and failing miserably at this point. If it were me, I would move on. Since it is Mikey B, I will get a chance to find out if I was right or not, because Lewis isn't going anywhere...