Mike Brown Watch

[membengal]

In the interest of centralizing some of the discussion of this train wreck of an off-season, I think we could use one place to discuss the frustrations with one of satan's favorite imps...Mike Brown.

The issues that usually get lobbed at him are the cheapness primarily, something I have not found entirely fair.

My bigger issue with him as this off-season Hindenburg continues are his willful embrace of incompetence. What leaves me staggered and ultimately questioning if I am done as a fan is that I have seen Mike Brown struggle to find a way to field a winning team, but up until now, I have not had the misfortune of seeing him wilfully and spitefully dismantle a mediocre team, just because he can. And make no mistake, as mad as I have been at Marvin over the years, he did help build something remarkable in the last 20 years of this cursed franchise, he made them kinda relevant. No small feat. And the team that he made relevant, despite a hellish year last year, still has a chance to be relevant next year with a few fairly logical tweaks. And Mike Brown, for whatever reason, simply refuses to make those tweaks. And it really isn't as simple as "cheapness", not when you look at the money he flushed away with, say, the Antonio Bryant signing.

No, I am not sure what it is, other than a pathological level of stubbornness and a simple lack of caring about admitting personal failure on the field. I guess because as long as he makes money he considers it a good year? If it really is that, and I have never been convinced it is, then this franchise is done. He won't die soon enough to hope for change from Katie, and in the meantime he will inflict year after year of his cruel approach to running things until the franchise and fanbase die on the vine in Cincinnnati.

Given the palace that was built for the team, and the favorable terms given the team, the betrayal from Brown in refusing, continually, to do the logical things it takes to give the town a team in return it can be proud of is worthy of some entry in a case study of psycopaths. It is worse when you look up the river to Pittsburgh and see how it can be when an ownership works that extra little bit to build a bond with its team's fans.

Instead, we have an owner who has seemed almost annoyed with the tiny success the team has had, and has made moves in the last three years designed to make it as hard as possible for the team to win. Cutting Lewis' legs out from under him with the repeated chances given Chris Henry, refusing to make changes to the coaching staff, bringing in Owens, refusing to deal Chad Johnson when any sane franchise would have, apparently keeping on Bratkowski, giving every sign to keeping on Johnson, it has been a series of decisions going back to 2008 that defy belief and are so counter to any kind of good sense that it is hard to see anything but sabotage from the owner's box. Viewed from that level, 2009 was a disaster for Brown, and almost a spiteful FU of competence from Lewis to his owner.

Why does Lewis stick around? Got me. I assume the Bengals taint is upon him now and this is the best he can get. But the stuff we sense from the outside must be acute inside, because it is the only thing that can really explain Palmer's frustration. He's been wildly successful by Mike Brown-era standards as the Bengals qb. But the entrenched bent to destroy anything decent that must be so ingrained in Cincy that it seems like normal now must be devastating conditions to work under. It is unfathomable how Bob Bratkowski still has a job this morning with the Bengals. It is similarly unfathomable that Chad Johnson has not already been cut. It remains unfathomable that this team does not have a GM, scouts, and the other trappings that successful football teams have. It is a final mark of insanity that people buy tickets to support a team that the owner shows no signs of supporting.

The only recourse that Bengals fans have at this point is to stop being fans. To understand that this franchise is dead and will be until Mike Brown dies or the team succeeds in making it so awful that no one cares when they bolt for LA in 2017 or so. This has been a long con of cruel proportions on a city from an owner since mid-1994.

The focus on Mike Brown's "cheapness" has missed the point for too long now. The larger issue is that, at the level that matters, he just doesn't care. He and Donald Sterling of the Clippers are imp twins, the difference being, Bengals fans used to care about their team in a way that meant something, Clippers fans never did. The betrayal of the trust between fans and teams is cruel on every level. And it makes me sad. My latest step toward giving them up.

[cincyhokie]

Denial

Narcissism

Delusions

It's hard to deal rationally with someone who is not rational. Just the same as it is hard to understand their thinking. It's foreign and bizzare. The day he dies we might see some significant changes. And even then there's no guarantee things will change with his family taking over.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

The issues that usually get lobbed at him are the cheapness primarily, something I have not found entirely fair.

Yes and no. He spends on salaries, but not on the other things necessary to make the team successful. Scouts, doctors, facilities - that's where he cheaps out. Obviously the nepotism is even more crushing than that, though.

To me, the Antonio Bryant fiasco is a perfect example of what's wrong with the team. A failure of both talent and medical evaluation. Then there's the real reason Brat's probably still around - his wife is supposedly best friends with Brown's wife. Could it be that stupid? Yes it could.

I can never decide whether Mike cares about winning or not. Clearly he cares about making money.

[cincyhokie]

The issues that usually get lobbed at him are the cheapness primarily, something I have not found entirely fair.

Yes and no. He spends on salaries, but not on the other things necessary to make the team successful. Scouts, doctors, facilities - that's where he cheaps out. Obviously the nepotism is even more crushing than that, though.

To me, the Antonio Bryant fiasco is a perfect example of what's wrong with the team. A failure of both talent and medical evaluation. Then there's the real reason Brat's probably still around - his wife is supposedly best friends with Brown's wife. Could it be that stupid? Yes it could.

I can never decide whether Mike cares about winning or not. Clearly he cares about making money.

That was odd to me too. You would think that someone who is so business savvy or just intelligent would understand return on investment. If you put your money into quality resources it will pay off in time.

Keeping coaches and players around that are not meeting a standard just so you FEEL as if you are not wasting money. Odd. In truth you are wasting money by keeping resources that are hurting your bottom line, your big picture. Very obsessive-compulsive in nature. Sticking to certain principles to a fault. Makes no sense.

[BengalszoneBilly]

In the interest of centralizing some of the discussion of this train wreck of an off-season, I think we could use one place to discuss the frustrations with one of satan's favorite imps...Mike Brown.

Mikie is a imp of Satan? I now know why hell is such a f**ked up place to go.

[membengal]

The issues that usually get lobbed at him are the cheapness primarily, something I have not found entirely fair.

Yes and no. He spends on salaries, but not on the other things necessary to make the team successful. Scouts, doctors, facilities - that's where he cheaps out. Obviously the nepotism is even more crushing than that, though.

To me, the Antonio Bryant fiasco is a perfect example of what's wrong with the team. A failure of both talent and medical evaluation. Then there's the real reason Brat's probably still around - his wife is supposedly best friends with Brown's wife. Could it be that stupid? Yes it could.

I can never decide whether Mike cares about winning or not. Clearly he cares about making money.

Fair point, DC. Course, I think perhaps it isn't so much cheap as some delusional thought that he really is as good as having actual scouts. And I have come to understand that he really doesn't give a damn about winning. That's my breaking point.

[ArmyBengal]

I don't think he cares about winning either as long as he's making money, and he is...

[Stripes]

I do think he cares about winning. I don't think he's cheap. I think he's stubborn and old-fashioned to the point of being obsolete, but as the dictator in power he is utterly oblivious to that.

[BengalszoneBilly]

I do think he cares about winning. I don't think he's cheap. I think he's stubborn and old-fashioned to the point of being obsolete, but as the dictator in power he is utterly oblivious to that.

Sure, Mikie may care about winning, but it's obviously not his #1 concern. Possibly in his top 5, but certainly not the top priority. That lies firmly with the bottom line.

[COB]

In the interest of centralizing some of the discussion of this train wreck of an off-season, I think we could use one place to discuss the frustrations with one of satan's favorite imps...Mike Brown.

Mikie is a imp of Satan? I now know why hell is such a f**ked up place to go.

It looks like I'll be asking my wife to bury me with a few extra towels.