Different Day, Same Result

Mike Brown’s train to Suckville is now departing, with stops at Laughingstock, High Draft Pick, and Total Fan Apathy. Final destination: 2-14.

I am highly curious how much of a GM bonus Mike will pay himself for the total train wreck he has general managed. I say he should split that bonus amongst everyone who ponied up their hard earned cash to buy season tickets to watch this bilge. It wouldn’t amount to much per person, but at least it would be an acknowledgement that he expects better than what he has given us.

On the radio broadcast in the 4th quarter, Dave Lapham said that the Bengals came out of half time expecting the Bills to quit, but instead they were the ones who ended up quitting when the Bills came out fighting. Where exactly does a 2-7 team get off assuming that another team is going to quit? I find the fact that the Bengals rolled over even more concerning than the loss itself.

For further evidence, take this quote from Tom Archdeacon’s review of the game in the Dayton Daily News:

"Buffalo cornerback Drayton Florence said the Cincinnati Bengals quit in the Bills’ unfathomable, come-from-way-behind 49-31 victory at Paul Brown Stadium.Bills running back Fred Jackson, who rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns — the last one coming on a late-game, 30-yard sprint where some Bengals defenders seemed to give only half-hearted pursuit — said his team simply wanted Sunday’s game more."

The issues facing this team going forward are monumental. This isn’t something that you are going to fix in one draft. The entire system is broken. The talent evaluation isn’t at an NFL level. The game plan sucks every week. (A gimmick play to start the game that results in a false start? Really, Bratkowski?) The players don’t look like they believe in the plan or in each other. Those aren’t things you can fix with a top 3 draft pick, no matter how good he is.

There is only one way out of this mess that I can see. Find the best proven coach out there and give him everything he wants. The money, the staff, the scouts, the control… EVERYTHING. The entire organization is a mess, and it is going to take that caliber of a mind who wields the power to fix it. Anything less will perpetuate the status quo, namely Mike Brown’s nearly 65% losing record as owner.

But let’s be real. This is Mike Brown we are talking about. 21 years of failed ownership will not convince him that his system won’t work next year. He doesn’t care about winning enough to acknowledge the obvious failure and try something new. And I’m beginning to wonder why I care anymore.