Purpose of Mike Brown's position on Marvin Lewis extension?

Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown will turn 80-years-old this August and after reading this interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer and Bengals.com, I momentarily confused him as a 30-year-old contestant on Dancing With The Stars. As was pointed out on Sunday, the Bengals owner danced around the question of a Marvin Lewis extension. After expressing gratitude with the history between Lewis and the organization, Brown said that an extension isn't really necessary right now.

"I think Marvin has done a fine job with us," Brown said to the Cincinnati Enquirer and Bengals.com. "He’s been with us for a long time now. We have a good relationship. I hope that relationship goes forward into the future. But we aren't at the future yet. We don't have to make this decision until after this year. He doesn't have to make this decision until next year. Right now he’s under contract and he’s fulfilling it as we would expect and he know he should."

Two thoughts:

1) Mike Brown really wants to win a playoff game and is publicly placing Lewis on notice about this expectation. While it might sound great to Bengals fans who demand action, Brown doesn't make public proclamations about expectations other than to say, he expects people to fulfill his contract.

"We have done this kind of arrangement with Marvin off and on through the years," Browns said. "This is not the first time. It's not something unusual at all to expect people to fulfill their contract before you talk about their next contract."

According to our recollection, the Bengals have allowed Lewis to enter the final year of his contract... once. In 2010. The Bengals finished with four wins that season and the offseason led to significant front office changes while the roster required an overhaul. At the very least, the team always has added a year onto his contract -- even those seasons with one-and-done results in the playoffs.

2) The Bengals are still struggling to sell season ticket and playing to the crowd like a WWE babyface wrestler generates excitement. Fans are angry with Lewis, who has been with the Bengals for 12 years and has reached the postseason in six of those seasons. Yet, no wins. Tell those potential season ticket buyers that there is hope on the horizon because "the future is now" and get those unsold season tickets rolling.

I have a third thought...

3) Can we start hearing from Katie Blackburn?