Mike Brown on scouting

[HairOnFire]

But you can't bring in a FA as a contingency plan and probably don't want to invest a high draft pick....

In theory you can, and when you get right down to it this is where I think Mike Brown's rant falls short. His draft record may indeed be defendable, but the team too often uses draft picks to replace players that have been allowed to leave AND they don't use free agency as often as other teams might when injuries or a busted draft pick dictates an immediate replacement. But again, this doesn't have anything to do with scouting or drafting.....which somehow has become the rant of the day.

Imagine if Carson Palmer called a press conference at the end of the season and answered critics who wanted to know why the season blew up by trotting out his personal stats and saying "I'm not the problem -- what I'm doing is working fine.

You've just described Chad Johnson, a player who has plenty of defenders on this very board.

Why is it acceptable from Mike Brown?

It's acceptable only in the sense that he's allowed to answer his critics in whatever way he sees fit, and if the criticism being directed his way is off base, and in this case it is, then it's the critics who come out looking foolish, not Mike Brown. That said, something is wrong and whenever someone figures out what it might be...and I happen to agree with them...I'll lead the chorus. But I simply can't do it in this case.

So, as the resident fan Much Smarter Than Paul Daugherty, what will the offseason look like and when can I start expecting success for this franchise?

Well, Paul Daugherty may be a raving moron, but knowing that to be true doesn't give me any insight into the future.

[Walrus]

But you can't bring in a FA as a contingency plan and probably don't want to invest a high draft pick....

In theory you can, and when you get right down to it this is where I think Mike Brown's rant falls short. His draft record may indeed be defendable, but the team too often uses draft picks to replace players that have been allowed to leave AND they don't use free agency as often as other teams might when injuries or a busted draft pick dictates an immediate replacement. But again, this doesn't have anything to do with scouting or drafting.....which somehow has become the rant of the day.

I agree with you here -- in fact, this was one thing I was tempted to say in my last post. The draft picks are playing and a few are playing well. But not enough. Regardless of many attempts in Free Agency and the draft, Marvin Lewis has been incapable of finding an adequate MLB to play for this team. IMO, this is one of the major downfalls of his time here thus far and addressing it in the draft with 2-3 players who are known character risks (Thurman, Nicholson, Brooks) and a few mid-level free agents hasn't cut it. Seems like Mike and Marvin played with fire and got burned -- they set their franchise back years by trying to cut corners in finding a reliable "QB" for the defense. Drafting those three guys don't hurt Brown's draft success story numbers -- two of the three are still with the team and they have put in (I think) a combined 7 years of NFL playing time. What have we gotten to show for it? Odell's rookie season and a lot of heartache.

So, as the resident fan Much Smarter Than Paul Daugherty, what will the offseason look like and when can I start expecting success for this franchise?

Well, Paul Daugherty may be a raving moron, but knowing that to be true doesn't give me any insight into the future.

Well said. I apologize for being a little "snarky" (my wife's word -- I hope I'm using it right) with you there...

[Bobcat Bengal]

My criticism of Mike Brown is not the results of what he has done, it's that he's content with where the Bengals are and not once does he come out and state he wants to be the best. He seems very content with being "ok".

I believe Mike Brown has a very hard time with change. Add that with an ingrained sense of loyalty and you've got the recipe for sucessful seasons followed by underacheiving ones. For teams to compete consistently they need to change and be forward thinking. I just don't think Mike Brown wants to run his business that way.

There it is.

Summarized to a tee.

[HairOnFire]

I agree with you here -- in fact, this was one thing I was tempted to say in my last post.

This may shock a few readers, but my defense of the Bengals recent draft history has it's limits and I agree completely with a point made in the article about how draft moves can't be looked at alone when judging a teams odds for success. But there's the rub because the Bengals free agent strategy has nothing to do with the size or quality of their scouting staff...which has increasingly become the rant of the day.

Well said. I apologize for being a little "snarky" (my wife's word -- I hope I'm using it right) with you there...

No problem. I've been known to embrace snarkishness from time to time, if not constantly.