Rick Reilly: Mike Brown Is Cheaper Than Your Local Goodwill
by Josh Kirkendall on Aug 16, 2011 3:20 PM EDT
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PrintESPN columnist Rick Reilly digs into Bengals president Mike Brown, mostly for his insistence on not trading quarterback Carson Palmer. In truth Reilly checks off your basic talking points that we've featured on this site since New Years Eve; and the five New Years Eves before that. Reilly, who writes that Brown "makes four people do the work of eight" remembers:
Most teams have four or five scouts; Brown keeps one or two. One time in the 1980s -- before the Internet -- I flew in and asked to see the newspaper clip files on a few players. "We aren't quite caught up on our clip files," the weary PR guy said, "but you could go through those." He was pointing to three 12-foot stacks of unopened Cincinnati Enquirers. Nice.
As much as beating on Mike Brown is the in-thing to do, one has to remember that Paul Brown was still around by this time and his son Mike, being the team's assistant General Manager. Though we largely overlook the point because we love it when a nationally syndicated author writes something about our team's fearless front office. Reilly may be further appealing to the fans.
What I don't get is why the taxpayers of Cincinnati aren't boycotting. Mike Brown promised if they built him a stadium, he'd win. They built it. Brown has gone 72-103-1 since. The mayor should sue. Where's Jerry Springer when you need him?
At the very least, I'd be trying to force Brown to move to L.A. and start over someday with a new franchise. L.A. wouldn't mind. Those fans tolerate the Clippers!
Cincinnati's not the city it once was. Getting a new franchise wouldn't happen; not with other markets that still haven't been tapped.
If I'm Palmer, I watch the signing wires like a hawk. As soon as the Bengals climb to within $11.5 million of the hard salary cap, I beeline it to Cincinnati and sign. That would force Brown to either cut five or six players to be able to pay me -- or sign my freedom papers.
Until then, Cincinnati, enjoy what Brown can do for you. It won't be much. If you win two games this year, throw him a parade.
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Yeouch.
But nothing new to me.
Tell me again daddy, about the time before there was an internet?
Sure. Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
Rick Reilly needs to write more about flossing...
Rick Reilly is not a sports writer. This column is a garbage-fluff piece with a catchy title… Welcome to the “Life of Reilly.” Reilly’s stand out quote was “If Palmer should suddenly go blind, would Brown still give him the money? Are you kidding? Brown is cheaper than your local Goodwill.” Did Reilly forget about Mike Brown’s reaction to the death of Chris Henry or Mike Zimmer’s wife? They have won… They are also not the worst. I think Mike Brown might have been in over his head when he took over the franchise in the early 1990s, and we suffered many years because of that. But since the early mid-2000’s, The Bengals have been competitive. It is too sensationalist to blame Mike Brown for everything. Did you read that column by Rick Reilly? There is no meat or substance to it! A casual or studious fan could not possibly read that and say “oh, now i understand.”… ALSO, Mike Brown did not reward Corey Dillon or Chad Johnson. They simply became expendable through the rise of young and more productive players.
by DavidFulcher on Aug 16, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Competitive?!?!
How can you honestly think this team has been anything but useless since MB has taken over? The term competitive means that you are always in the hunt to win something and barring a few fluke seasons sprinkled around, this team has been dumpster divers forever. Unless MB makes drastic changes (hire a gm) this team is always going to be a 4 win team with a 10 win season every few, lucky years and that is by no means how “competitive” teams work.
everything can be blamed on brown
He runs EVERYTHING! Coaches are bad, who hires them? Scoutings bad, who refuses to hire them? Practice conditions worse than any other NFL franchise, who’s faults that?
by JCompton41 on Aug 16, 2011 7:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Only a delusional Bengal Fan...
could write what you just wrote.
It’s the reason why the Bengals are not boycotted and why Brown will never feel pressure to change.
Take the blinders off bud.
How can you defend an owner
with the worst career record in the NFL? Out of 32 owners, I know 31 I would take over MB. This isn’t being sensationalist, this is stating hard, cold facts. WORST OWNER IN NFL. Didn’t trade Ocho for two 1st round picks? Who doesn’t take that? I bet 31 other owners would have in a heart beat. Who would be a tyrant and not trade palmer? Not 31 other owners…the list goes on.
Mike Brown learned a lot from his father
cheapness and stubbornness included. But Paul could afford to be stubborn because he was a brilliant football mind. Mike has a lawyer mind, very different. And while Paul could adapt, Mike sticks to the same old tired plan.
"The only thing we have to fear is... Mike Brown himself."
I wonder if we the fans, and the media too,
were to start praising Mike Brown’s genius, exemplary football mind, and team management skills (please, please, please read sarcasm into that) if Mike Brown would decide it was time for a change.
by Oregonbengalsfan on Aug 16, 2011 3:37 PM EDT reply actions
I pretty much agree with the article. One thing though is that yes Brown has cut a lot of players with years remaining on their deals, but so has every other NFL owner. It’s the unfortunate state where every NFL contract is a one way street when it comes to loyalty. But yeah Mike Brown’s handling of the Carson Palmer situation has been comical. If Palmer wanted out he could have been traded, but Brown would rather show off what a man he is and torpedo the franchise, again.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
I'm with Mike Brown on this one
Why should we allow Mike Brown out of his commitment and reward him by sending him to a big market like LA.
It must be inordinately taxing to be such a boob. ~ The Brain
by jim0ijk on Aug 16, 2011 3:39 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
Mike Brown would never move
LA won’t be stupid enough to give him the same deal as Hamilton county.
Also Rick Reilly knows nothing of the Bengals when he states that Palmer should watch the waiver wires like a hawk. MB will never climb within 11.5 million of the cap.
Carson: just sit back and relax. You’re not going anywhere anytime soon!
by sgiridharan1982 on Aug 16, 2011 3:48 PM EDT reply actions
Mike Brown promised if they built him a stadium, he’d win. They built it.
What are you complaining about? He DID win.
72 times.
Out of 176.
If I’m Palmer, I watch the signing wires like a hawk. As soon as the Bengals climb to within $11.5 million of the hard salary cap, I beeline it to Cincinnati and sign. That would force Brown to either cut five or six players to be able to pay me — or sign my freedom papers.
This would be a smart way for Palmer to try getting his way, but it’s not going to work for 2011 or 2012. Since there is no salary floor, we can easily keep $11.5m+ in salary cap “in case he comes back” (i.e. to prevent him making this kind of power play). Likelihood is, even when the floor comes in (in 2013), we’ll try to leave as much room as possible, and just cut some guys if he doesn’t come back.
I don't think he can
He was placed on the reserve did not report list, he is frozen for this season.
It must be inordinately taxing to be such a boob. ~ The Brain
Mandatory salary floor in 2013
shouldn’t allow for that much cushion. But how much market will there be for a QB who has not played in 2 full seasons. Someone would take a flyer, but they won’t give up more than a 6th.
"The only thing we have to fear is... Mike Brown himself."
I LOL'd when I read this part
What makes Reily think that MB would make it anywhere that close to the salary cap? Even without the threat of Palmer returning, we’ve always been one of the teams with the most cap space in the league. Palmer “watching the signing wires like a hawk” would be like me waiting to put gas in my car until the price drops to under $2.00 a gallon.
by Black&Orange on Aug 16, 2011 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
So if you're Andrew Luck...
You know this has to be on your mind. Do you think he’d pull an Eli Manning and refuse to sign if we ended up drafting him?
Knowing MB, though, we’d end up with the first pick, not be able to trade it, and actually pass on Luck because “Dalton’s our guy.”
Give Me the Real Take
Is it true that Mike wanted to draft Ryan Mallett? If so, then why did Mike not draft Ryan Mallett? Was Mike Overruled? By Whom? Is there something to this Rumor?
Who knows.
But Mallet would have been a disaster here. Even if he ends up being a great QB, he never would have gotten there if he had been drafted by us.
As for what happened in this draft, I’m assuming it was a condition of Marvin re-signing that he would have final say on something as big on the next “franchise” QB. That being said, I still think it is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of to re-sign a coach after 7 years of abject mediocrity and say “Go ahead and have even MORE control.” Whether or not it’s because Marvin has been Bengalized, he’s not a good football coach.
More evidence that Marvin should be the actual GM
He’s very good at the draft, getting players, etc. But come game time, he’s not very good at preparing his team for each opponent, and he’s not very good at running the team during the actual game. Poor use of the game clock, time outs, challenges.
Sure. Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
by UpStateMike on Aug 16, 2011 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think it's more evidence Marvin should be a DC.
He’s never shown any aptitude for anything except running a defense. I’d be all for swapping him and Zimmer. The fact that he sat by and watched Bratkowski waste away the most physically talented this franchise has probably ever seen for 7 years and couldn’t even get an interview with another team for a coaching position when his contract was up tells me we should have just moved on.
Seriously though I've never understood this push for Marvin the GM.
What exactly has he ever done here that makes anyone thinks he would make a good GM? His resume points to him being an elite DC or at worst linebackers coach. Even as a DC his record is exaggerated from having gained that reputation with one of the most talented defenses in the history of the league. He’s drafted well since he’s been here? Based on what? We drafted Simpson over DeSeason Jackson, Andre Smith over Michael Oher. Keith Rivers has not been a top 10 talent. JJo and Hall were obvious picks who turned out exactly as they should have been expected. Maualuga, Whitworth, Dunlap all fell into our laps. What was Chase Coffman all about? On and on. I imagine if I really followed any of the 31 other NFL teams I would have a pretty similar list of hits and misses in the draft. Beyond that we can’t say at all what his handle on the overall personell management of a team would be. I would think just, having a sense of his personality, that his strengths are as a position coach. He’s gruff, clearly despises being in the public spotlight, has no real sense of overall game management. Maybe he would be a fantastic GM if given the chance. I just don’t see what he has ever done in his entire life that would make anyone suggest it, though.
the fact hes assembles what he has under mike brown
I think given an owner who cared, and let him.run the show, he would be a fine gm. Desean and Simpson is always the go to for people, but Marvin never drafts short recievers like desean. And its not like desean was a can’t miss talent, he was a 2nd rounder. Just my take on that situation. But as far as Marvin goes, he’s done more than anyone under mike brown, and that has to mean something. He’s getting power to do things more his way, so hopefully it pays off. Had we hired a new coach I think it would be mike brown calling all.shots, and we don’t want that.
by JCompton41 on Aug 16, 2011 7:17 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Like I said, you might be right
I just don’t see anything in his resume that really points to it. And if we are going to bitch about MB as the defecto general manager responsible for the state of the team, then we can’t exactly give Marvin full credit for the good talent that has landed here in the past 7 years and give MB the blame for the busts.
I don’t know, I was just ready for a total regime change and I think any other professional sports team would have done exactly that after last season.
any team would for sure
But I think had Marvin been fired, we would be worse off. I don’t see any other coach have the say Marvin does with mike brown and katie.
by JCompton41 on Aug 16, 2011 7:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
for the record
I’m not a huge Lewis fan, just think he’s the best option.
by JCompton41 on Aug 16, 2011 7:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Head Coach Mike ZImmer
Seemed like such an obvious choice. HUGE fan favorite, would have instantly swung public opinion back to MB’s side.
The thing with Marvin is I think we all identify with him too much. He just FEELS like one of us…a Bengals fan. He’s always so beaten down and dejected and it’s like looking into a mirror for us as fans. It’s cathartic. But it’s not like we would have been firing him. His contract was up after 7 YEARS of being a mediocre head coach. Now he’s being put in charge of ANOTHER rebuilding process, which means you have to give him 3-4 more years to see how he handles THIS time. Now your’e looking at over a decade of Marvin Lewis when he’s never demonstrated he was ever really competent to have the job in the first place. I hope he proves me wrong, I’m just saying 20 years from now when we’re still rehashing the horror stories of the MB regime, there is going to be a 10+ year window of “The Marvin Years” which we could all be shaking our heads over. At the very least a Zimmer tenure could have been a fresh start.Could have blown up just like Dick LeBeau, but at least it would have been something. And you know he’d have taken the job in a heartbeat.
until we get a gm and competent scouting staff
Were always going to have them “put coaches name here” years. A coach just can’t have continued success here.
by JCompton41 on Aug 16, 2011 8:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That's what baffles me most about MB.
I mean it’s the whole point of this article: Mike Brown is Cheap. Of course he is, to an extent. His spending record points to that. He clearly values profit over anything else. But the bigger issue is his delusion that he actually knows what he’s doing. Hiring a GM and a handful of scouts would not cost MB more than a couple million dollars a year…literally peanuts in the scope of an NFL franchise’s annual profits. He’s not NOT doing it because of the money, he’s not doing it because in his head he really believes he’s THIS CLOSE to getting it right himself. Katie might be just as cheap and bad at running a team as her dad, but at least she’ll take the ego out of it. And by that I mean she’ll move the team to LA before daddy’s body is cold. But even that woudl be a relief, I think.
i get thats why he wont get a gm
But scouts he should hire.
by JCompton41 on Aug 16, 2011 8:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Here's my reasoning
I don’t think that Marvin would be the world’s best GM. I really do not, but much like we should have signed J-Joe BEFORE LAST SEASON, and we should have been very aggressive on getting a solid vet guard in Free Agency, it is what it is here in Bengaldom.
It is reasonable to believe that Mike Brown could be persuaded to hire a new head coach if Marvin was made GM. Marvin has a good relationship with Brown. I don’t know how that is possible, but he seems to be able to work with this insane, stubborn old man better than anyone else does. Therefore, IF Mikey Boy would release his GM hat, it would have to be someone he really, truly trusts, and that person is Lewis.
Classic upper management strategy. Guy is a horrible supervisor, but gets promoted to being a manager because the boss likes him and doesn’t want him to leave, so he promotes him. Crazy? yes. But we’re talking Mike Brown here, not a rational, reasonable person.
A reasonable person would have jumped at the chance to trade Ocho for 2 first round picks, and done the same this year with Palmer. The year when a vet QB is at an ultra premium.
Mike Brown could have actually spun this around to be a win-win for everyone. Think about it. If he had traded Palmer and stated publicly he did it for the sake of the team, and that he really wants to win this year, we’d be applauding him instead of braiding his hangin rope.
Sure. Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
Mikey Boy Will Never Change
Mike Brown is too stubborn to change. As long as there is profit sharing… things will remain as is in Cincinnati. I’ll always be a Bengals fan, however, I’m not attending anymore games. Now that DirectTV has made Sunday Ticket free… let’s hope that decreases attendance at PBS. That’s the only way Mike Brown will feel a sting.
Chances are good that unless Dalton is just terrible, we'll keep him on for next year too
Which leaves us looking at getting a CB in the first round.
Then look into DT, OG, Safety, etc. Same old same old.
Sure. Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
No matter how much I hate mb and hope he falls over with a heart attack! I still dont want my bengals to leave town it gives me something to do on sundays! And something to talk about through the week rather it’s good or bad! But it really wouldn’t surprise me if he did leave us High and dry and goes to LA
by Bfritts45 on Aug 16, 2011 4:08 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
thanks captain obvious. why do we need another article stating the same thing?
by ddbumpus on Aug 16, 2011 4:09 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Reilly is a moron also!
Still can’t figure out why every sports writer for ESPN is on Carson’s jock. Carson had chances to win here and didn’t. It’s his fault, not MB. Manning is in Indy throwing TD’s to guys they sign off the street. That’s what seperates a qb from a franchise qb. The ability to make those around him better. Carson simply can’t do that. Carson is doing us a favor. Hey Reilly…Carson did get to the playoffs with cheapskate MB twice. How many of those games did he win? Zero!
To be fair...
the year he really had a good chance to do well in the playoffs, he played less than one series. Kitna lost that game, not Palmer.
True wealth is a shelf full of unread books.
by Hometown Gyro on Aug 16, 2011 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree but......
That’s not MB’s fault!! Point is Carson’s just not that good!
Forgetting a HUGE thing
Manning has a competent owner, GM, scouting staff, etc. You can’t compare Palmer to Manning when they never had the same canvass. Apples to oranges bud.
We should be applauding Palmer for bringing this out in the open. I was hoping the it would embarrass Brown enough to relinquish control. What a fool I was to think that. That’s why I am done as a Bengals fan after 30 years.
Thats bullcrap
Manning’s canvass was way worse the last 5 years. They spent all their money on offense and had no D. If that was palmer in indy or any other QB for that matter it wouldn’t have been so pretty. Manning was like Marino they are different compared to guys like Big Ben not better just different. Peyton understands everything he is really a coach on the field which is the best thing you can get. However he is human and he struggles when players do unexpected things like jumping routes and dropping off their man. Peyton is so good because of his anticipation and knowing his one on one matchup. Big Ben however is like Favre and makes plays out of broken plays with his creativity. Palmer was not a coach on the field to the same degree you compaying apples to oranges bud.
by IFranchizeI on Aug 16, 2011 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Discussion over
Worse? Are you kidding? If you think that then we are done talking. That delusion is why Mike Brown is not pressured to change.
I will never say that Palmer is in the same class as Palmer but if you put Peyton in Cincy, he would have failed too.
Palmer is and was never the problem. Mike Brown is.
Mike Brown is NOT a horrible boss
Brown is an effing great boss. Think about it. Here’s your job description:
- high pay great bennies
-
- mediocrity rewarded as long as you keep your mouth shut no demand for/expectation of success
-
— loyal to a fault
It’s a frikkin’ dream job: sit around, screw off, mouth platitudes about how Mike Brown has been berry berry good to me if asked, collect a paycheck. Lather, rinse, repeat.
It’s not a wonder Palmer quit, it’s a wonder he didn’t stay.
Tater Tots for everyone!!
Sure. Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth - Mike Tyson
Most teams have four or five scouts; Brown keeps one or two.
Yet we still draft better than most teams…. hmm… whats his point here I’m confused? He is getting better production than most of the league from two guys.. so I guess your local fast food chain should hire more staff for down times as well… Stupid Stupid Stupid
truthfully?
I think the Bengals just listen to Mel Kiper and those types when they do their mock drafts, and pretty much do what they say. Seriously, when’s the last time you saw the Bengals do anything in the draft that really shocked you? I think that’s why they get the high draft grades from everyone… they’re not about to have them follow their mock draft to a T and then give them a bad grade.
by Black&Orange on Aug 16, 2011 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Better production?
You call 20 years with no playoff wins better production?
This delusion is why the Bengals still have fans.
"Cincinnati's not the city it once was. Getting a new franchise wouldn't happen; not with other markets that still haven't been tapped."
While I agree Cincy’s not quite the draw it used to be, if somehow the Bengals do leave (which I honestly doubt, they are under lease until 2025 and will never get as good of a sweetheart deal somewhere else), would it be that impossible to get a new team? we would be left with a relatively new stadium with no team in it, where these other markets would have to build all new stadiums. When the (now) Ravens left Cleveland for Baltimore, it was not very long before Cleveland got a team back, and we’re a comperable market to them. Maybe parting ways with the Brown family (but still holding onto the Bengals colors and logo) is the smart thing to do… to bad it would mean at least a few years without football here.
cleveland has one of the bigger national fan bases in the nfl if im not mistakin
And Cleveland demanded football back, they were left with the name of browns. I don’t know if cincy would care as much honestly.
by JCompton41 on Aug 16, 2011 7:25 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
what mike brown does
Reilly, who writes that Brown “makes four people do the work of eight” remembers:
but Mike brown tops that
he does the work of three people—— larry, curly and moe
Carson
Playing with the 3rd worst Run game in the NFL, #1 Toughest Pass D schedule in the NFL, 9 of 16 games vs Playoff teams, worst owner and headcoach in the NFL, rookie TE, Slot WR still had 3 most yds in the AFC. Carson 2x as good as everybody thinks.
Release Cedric Benson for the magic to begin.
But he quit
and that was before last season started. He was already deciding which team he most wanted to go to while he was supposed to be out there playing football.
Who cares about Carson at this point anyway? He’s no longer a Bengal. He doesn’t want to be here, so any circumstance of him coming back would be ruinous.
by Oregonbengalsfan on Aug 16, 2011 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Palmer
Ignoring the absurb salary cap remark by Reilly I have always expected Palmer to return at some point. He wants to play and the only way that is going to happen is if he returns and forces Mike Brown’s hand. Once MB has to start paying Palmer and no one wants him around, then he will have to make a decision. I actually appreciate his stance to not be bullied by these players and I think the Bengals have been better off for it. Yes, we lost out on 2 potential 1st round picks for Chad (it was only one, the other pick’s round was determined by performance objectives) but, outside of Palmer, we haven’t had the issues with holdouts that other teams have had. Palmer is holding out because he is on the downside of his career and he signed a long term deal that, if fulfilled, would take him to a point he would be out of luck in a chance at a SB (assuming Cincy doesn’t turn this thing around).
With a new offense there is now purpose served by having CP here. He can’t mentor Dalton b/c he doesn’t know the offense either. CP doesn’t even really know the skill player’s tendencies either b/c most of them are new. Right now CP’s trade value is high b/c Miami and Seattle would give their right arm to get him. If the Bengals wait and CP comes back midway through the season, they lose leverage and CP loses value b/c the teams have figured out who is in the running for Andrew Luck. Although I like MB’s strategy, I think with CP he needs to trade him. His return will hurt this team, unlike Chad’s.
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