Is Mike Brown the new Betty White?

[HairOnFire]

Bengals rescue owner's reputation

By Mike Ganter ,Toronto Sun

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

On the list of people in the NFL who have made the greatest strides in the current season, no one comes close to Cincinnati Bengals president and owner Mike Brown.

Brown is a man who knows what it is like to be despised.

His penny-pinching ways and control issues have all but made him an outcast in his own city.

But 2011 has been very, very good for Mike Brown.

So good that we would put him ahead of the likes of San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh, Carolina’s Cam Newton, Buffalo’s Buddy Nix and anyone else enjoying an unexpectedly good start to the 2011 season as the man whose reputation has made the biggest rebound.

Of course the argument could also be easily made that Brown’s reputation had further to rebound than the others as well.

The turnaround for Brown and the Bengals began on draft day when the team not only scored wideout A.J. Green with their fourth overall selection but picked up the guy who would help make Green look so good on Sunday afternoons. That would be quarterback Andy Dalton who slipped all the way to the second round where the Bengals snapped him up with the 35th pick.

Now stellar pass-and-catch combinations — the likes of which Dalton and Green are slowly starting to resemble — rarely come around and it’s even rarer still that they both come from the same draft class.

Whether it was Brown, who has had more than his fair share of busts on draft day, or as has been suggested by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the coaching staff that talked Brown off Ryan Mallett and onto Andy Dalton, only Brown and his staff know for sure.

If you believe Marvin Lewis inherited the unofficial title of GM when he signed his extension last January and is quietly behind this new successful draft strategy so be it. For long-suffering Bengals fans, the circumstances are really irrelevant.

But draft day, it turned out, was just the beginning.

Brown, who took plenty of heat for his reluctance to deal an unhappy Carson Palmer for something the team could use because he didn’t feel like rewarding a player he felt had quit on his team, eventually relented. When he did he hit the mother lode.

In exchange for Palmer, Brown landed the Raiders’ first-round choice this year and at least a second, and possibly another first the year after depending on how successful the Raiders are with Palmer.

Brown has been getting the majority of the credit for this one too although there remains a faction of fans and some in the media who believe Lewis was pulling the strings on this deal.

So now, not only do the Bengals see hope for the future on the field, they have stockpiled picks to add to that depth.

For Brown, again whether it’s his doing or him finally ceding some control to the football people he employs, it’s the kind of season that can do a lot to make up for what has been 20 years of futility.

Normally Brown’s teams come into November reeling. In fact eight times in the 20 years since Brown took over the team from his father, the Bengals have been winless throughout October.

Not so this year. The Bengals were a prefect 4-0 in the month of October thanks largely to a smothering defence and some unexpected stellar play from their fine young rookies on offence.

The team sits at 5-2 and while there are still plenty of games to play and plenty of people anticipating a drop-off owner Mike Brown can at least enjoy the fact the outcry for him to sell his team and turn it over to someone who wants to win has at least been quieted to a dull roar.

It was only two years ago that Brown was named the second worst owner in the NFL, trailing only the legendary Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders. Davis, since deceased, is out of the running, but it would be very interesting to see where Brown is on that list at the end of this season.

He’ll always have his detractors in Cincy but who knows what a playoff year and possibly the first playoff win in Brown’s tenure could do for the man.

mike.ganter@sunmedia.ca

[BengalPimp]

Whether it was Brown, who has had more than his fair share of busts on draft day, or as has been suggested by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the coaching staff that talked Brown off Ryan Mallett and onto Andy Dalton, only Brown and his staff know for sure.

If you believe Marvin Lewis inherited the unofficial title of GM when he signed his extension last January and is quietly behind this new successful draft strategy so be it. For long-suffering Bengals fans, the circumstances are really irrelevant.

But draft day, it turned out, was just the beginning.

Brown, who took plenty of heat for his reluctance to deal an unhappy Carson Palmer for something the team could use because he didn't feel like rewarding a player he felt had quit on his team, eventually relented. When he did he hit the mother lode.

In exchange for Palmer, Brown landed the Raiders' first-round choice this year and at least a second, and possibly another first the year after depending on how successful the Raiders are with Palmer.

Brown has been getting the majority of the credit for this one too although there remains a faction of fans and some in the media who believe Lewis was pulling the strings on this deal.

So now, not only do the Bengals see hope for the future on the field, they have stockpiled picks to add to that depth.

For Brown, again whether it's his doing or him finally ceding some control to the football people he employs, it's the kind of season that can do a lot to make up for what has been 20 years of futility.

Put me in the Adam Schefter camp that believes it's Marvin Pulling the strings. We all know Marvin wanted more control and change before he would re-sign with the Bengals, and I believe we've seen it. That just seems a lot more likely than the light coming on all of sudden for Mikey Boy after 21 years......Thing is, I don't think Marvin wants the attention....But it will come out eventually.

Whatever the truth is, I'm just glad that things are looking up.

[BengalPimp]

Bengals rescue owner's reputation

By Mike Ganter ,Toronto Sun

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

It was only two years ago that Brown was named the second worst owner in the NFL, trailing only the legendary Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders.

That

[SupaBran]

Even if Marvin is the one calling the shots, which he probably is, and they just give the credit to Mike Brown...who cares who gets the credit?

[BengalPimp]

Even if Marvin is the one calling the shots, which he probably is, and they just give the credit to Mike Brown...who cares who gets the credit?

Agreed, as long as things are changing for the better, that's all i care about.

[Spor_tees]

Even if Marvin is the one calling the shots, which he probably is, and they just give the credit to Mike Brown...who cares who gets the credit?

Agreed, as long as things are changing for the better, that's all i care about.

I think you are wrong about Marvin pulling the strings. If it was Marvin doing things there would have been a challenge made on the number draft picks offered and some kind of wasted time out.

[HoosierCat]

Nothing wrong at all with the job Mike has done this year. If Brown started a fund drive on the .com for contributions that would fly an "Eat A Bag of D**ks" banner over the house of the guy who runs WDR, I'd chip in $20.

I suspect Brown has been listening more to the people around him this year. By all accounts, he did not take Carson's self-imposed exile well, and faced with a guy who won't take $10 million a year to be your employee, even the least introspective person on the planet would at least fleetingly wonder if they don't, as everybody insists, suck.

So I think he gave in on a few things that maybe he wouldn't have given in on before, like firing Brat and dumping Ochocinco. It took an unprecedented confluence of circumstances to get him to give on the biggie, the Palmer trade, but in the end he did that, too.

(And FWIW I think all that cost him a lot personally, because Brown really does believe all that stuff about contracts and commitments, even though the league at large doesn't anymore.)

I'm sure this year has been one of Mike's toughest. But so far, he's reaping quite a bounty. And he deserves that seat at the head of the table.

[TJJackson]

He's done a few good things this year

He's done a few not-so-good things, like not offering Jonathan Joseph a truckload of money to stay

None of it is remotely close to making up for 20+ years of misery inflicted on we the fans and on the taxpayers (fan and non-fan alike) of Hamilton County

[7/11]

"None of it is remotely close to making up for 20+ years of misery..."

agreed. blindly stumbling upon a nut the size of hamilton county does not suddenly erase decades worth of ineptitude.

i still loathe the man.

[jjakq27]

Nothing wrong at all with the job Mike has done this year. If Brown started a fund drive on the .com for contributions that would fly an "Eat A Bag of D**ks" banner over the house of the guy who runs WDR, I'd chip in $20.

I suspect Brown has been listening more to the people around him this year. By all accounts, he did not take Carson's self-imposed exile well, and faced with a guy who won't take $10 million a year to be your employee, even the least introspective person on the planet would at least fleetingly wonder if they don't, as everybody insists, suck.

So I think he gave in on a few things that maybe he wouldn't have given in on before, like firing Brat and dumping Ochocinco. It took an unprecedented confluence of circumstances to get him to give on the biggie, the Palmer trade, but in the end he did that, too.

(And FWIW I think all that cost him a lot personally, because Brown really does believe all that stuff about contracts and commitments, even though the league at large doesn't anymore.)

I'm sure this year has been one of Mike's toughest. But so far, he's reaping quite a bounty. And he deserves that seat at the head of the table.

I wonder if the 20th anniversary of his father's passing gave him reason for reflection and maybe a fundamental change in his mode of operation?

[COB]

Maybe he hasn't changed anything. Maybe he's doing what he always did, just doing it better.

[Earendil]

I would say no because Betty White was always awesome.

[Spor_tees]

Anyone remember a few years back when Mike Brown paid out a million dollar bonus to a player that came up just short of reaching their bonus escalator? I tried to search it on the net but I couldn't find it, maybe someone else can remember the player.

[Spor_tees]

...and no because I would have sex with Betty White.

[jjakq27]

Anyone remember a few years back when Mike Brown paid out a million dollar bonus to a player that came up just short of reaching their bonus escalator? I tried to search it on the net but I couldn't find it, maybe someone else can remember the player.

Kitna

[Spor_tees]

Anyone remember a few years back when Mike Brown paid out a million dollar bonus to a player that came up just short of reaching their bonus escalator? I tried to search it on the net but I couldn't find it, maybe someone else can remember the player.

Kitna

Yep, that wasn't soo bad of him.

[TJJackson]

I'll add the Kitna bonus thing to the scale with this year's Carson trade on the good side

On the bad side, there's still the matter of those 20+ 500 pound gorillas each representing one of the last 20+ years, and a single much larger gorilla representing the taxpayers of Hamilton County who have no interest in the Bengals whatsoever. The extra large gorilla is rubbing his (her?) hindquarters, and is apparently experiencing extreme pain in that region.

[HoosierCat]

Mike on the move! According to Forbes he is only the fifth-worst owner in the NFL!

/>http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2011/11/02/the-best-and-worst-nfl-owners/

[COB]

Mike on the move! According to Forbes he is only the fifth-worst owner in the NFL!

/>http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2011/11/02/the-best-and-worst-nfl-owners/

And look out Wayne Weaver, Jacksonville Jaguars owner, Mike's coming after your #6 spot next!

[HairOnFire]

Mike on the move!

Yup. I'm telling ya it's a bump in popularity not seen since a bunch of college kids suddenly discovered Betty White, leading to her appearance on Saturday Night Live, and later a sitcom almost nobody watches, and finally....a snickers commercial nearly impossible to avoid.

People who live in Cincinnati need to drop their decades-old silly vendetta and reconsider their feelings for Mike Brown. They need to get out in front of this thing, properly position themselves for what's coming, and then ride the wave all of the way to the beach. But of course they won't do that precisely because buckeyes don't surf. (We're a bit like Charlie in that way.)

According to Forbes he is only the fifth-worst owner in the NFL!

It seems to me we may be giving too much weight to the whole "according to Forbes" thing. It's actually more like...."according to some 18-year old guy who works for Forbes during the daytime and posts on the internet at night."

BTW, it should be noted four out of five of the worst owners currently have their teams in playoff contention. Only Cleveland fails to measure up to the standards currently set by other so-called inferior teams.