Whenever someone headlines an article as "Best and worst draft decision-makers", I cringe. No, I suddenly have stomach issues. You know the feeling; you kind of feel hungry, but you might be feeling sort of sick, but you think it could be solved by going to the bathroom twenty minutes after eating Pizza Hut? Wow.
So John Czarnecki took a stab, naming the obvious best draft decision-makers as Bill Belichick (Patriots), Bill Polian (Colts), A.J. Smith (Chargers), Kevin Colbert (Steelers), Ozzie Newsome (Ravens).
Counting down the worst minds are:
5) Mike Shanahan
4) Jack Del Rio
3) Al Davis
2) Scot McCloughan
And number one?
1. Mike Brown, Bengals owner — The Bengals have been striking out lately, and this is a franchise crying out for a solid football leader like a Polian or an A.J. Smith.
Yes, Duke Tobin (son of Bill Tobin, who built the 1980s Bears) puts together the team's draft boards. But Brown makes too many of the decisions, frustrating coach Marvin Lewis, who is a loyal soldier. Carson Palmer is a bright spot, but don't forget Akili Smith and Ki-Jana Carter. Yes, they have had bad luck with David Pollack (neck injury forced his retirement), but the Bengals tend to take risky players like Odell Thurman.
The Bengals lead the league in drafted players no longer in the NFL. The coaching staff has way too much influence at times, a bad idea considering they are not on the road scouting and don't always have good personnel judgments.