WhoDeyRevolution

Henry Ready To Turn The Page...Again

So fresh off my 4th of July hangover I receive my daily dose of the Sporting News.  Inside was a Q & A with Chris Henry. 

He talks about how he has changed for good and done a complete 360 (which would put him right back where he started, but I digress) with his life.  His mother told him he was around the wrong people, and that he was still in 'college' mode after he left early for the NFL.  This is all behind him now, and he has renewed respect for Carson, Coach Lewis, and Chad.

My question, again, is the following:  What exactly is the lesson that Chris Henry has learned?  The Bengals...the same team that cut him following his arrest last year...re-signed him before training camp in 2008.  He did not have to sit out from football for a year.  Remember, a lot of teams had a shot at Henry before the Bengals ended up signing him.  The other 31 passed.  It's very likely Henry would have been on the sidelines for the entire 2008 season if the Redeemer didn't give Henry another chance.

The Bengals fan in me hopes that this is the year for Henry.  I hope he blocks, I hope he runs the right routes, I hope he doesn't make silly drops.  A lineup of a healthy Chad Johnson, L-V Coles, and Henry is formidable, and that doesn't even count Andre Caldwell running over the middle and Chase Coffman down the seam. 

This team talks about how things will be different this year.  How the whole organization has changed.  It's fair to say that we won't really know until September against Denver...but I have about two decades of history to say this is yet another smokescreen full of hot air.

"The Lost Generation" - Lil Timmy Edition

Welcome to the latest edition of "The Lost Generation," a new recurring comic strip you will only see on WDR that will focus on, you guessed it, the Bengals consistent failures to win football games.  Click here to read the previous editions.  "The Lost Generation" is the work of Dayton native Steve Spencer, an avid Bengals fan since 1973 and currently a freelance artist.  You can view his recent work at http://www.stevespencerart.com.

Welcome to the latest edition of "The Lost Generation," a new recurring comic strip you will only see on WDR that will focus on, you guessed it, the Bengals consistent failures to win football games.  Click here to read the previous editions.  "The Lost Generation" is the work of Dayton native Steve Spencer, an avid Bengals fan since 1973 and currently a freelance artist.  You can view his recent work at http://www.stevespencerart.com.

A Friendly Reminder - Mike Brown Is No Paul

As the NFL tips their hat to 50 years of professional football and to legends such as Paul Brown who was able to see through racial lines with the drafting of Jim Brown, league lines with the acceptance of the AFL- NFL merger, and a modernizer of the football world we have but one man that carries Paul Brown’s legacy into the modern era.  That man…  is none other than the son of Paul Brown, Mike Brown.  “My father did think of himself as an NFL guy," Mike Brown stated in a recent article in USA Today.  An NFL guy he was - an influential figure that shaped the modern offense to what it is today.  A coach at one of college football’s leading institutions; Ohio State. He was the first to use intelligence tests to judge players, establish a game film library, instruct players in a classroom setting, use a radio transmitter to communicate with players on the field, and install face masks on helmets.  Paul Brown was a man whose record of  222-112-9 spoke for itself.

WDR salutes Paul Brown for his innovative and competent football coaching prowess and his ability to see beyond the box.  My how the apple falls so far from the tree.  Hold your breath fans because the end of MB’s reign is not near and asphyxiation may be the only cure at this point to relieve your pain.  Viva La Revolution.   

Bengals Ranked as 118th Best Franchise!

Ignore the misspelling of "Cincinatti" - ESPN the Magazine was pretty spot on in their judgment of the Bengals franchise, ranking them as the 118th best franchise in North America.  There were 122 teams ranked.  The Bengals are the 2nd worst NFL team, as the Lions and their reigning 0-16 record clocked in at a repspectable 119th. 

These rankings were based on their own teams fans voting.  Let's just say if the Bengals were an automaker they would have received a pretty big bailout from the government already.  I guess in the NFL this is called "Revenue Sharing."

They include a quote from a guy who is involved with some undefined anti-Establishment site too.

Joe Reedy breaks down how they came up with the rankings here.

By categories, the Bengals are:

• Affordability – from tickets to apparel to parking to concessions – what it costs to be a fan of a franchise: 99th (sixth-worst in NFL, Redskins worst at 118).

• Coaching – quality of on-field coaching/managing for the franchise: 84 (10th worst in NFL. Bills worst at 118).
  
• Title track – how successful and dedicated the team has been in pursuing and winning championships: 107 (third worst in NFL, Lions worst at 121).
  
• Ownership – overall commitment and effort owner makes to players, coaches and fans, as well as a willingness to spend money and commit to winning:: 113 (second worst in NFL, Raiders worst at 114).
  
• Players – effort given on the court, field or ice, in addition to how likable they are off them: 118 (third worst in NFL, Lions worst at 120).
  
• Fan relations – how the teams and owners interact with the local fan base: 122 (worst in the survey).
  
• Stadium experience – the cleanliness, parking, security and promotions at the home venue: 100 (eighth worst in NFL, Raiders worst at 118).
  
• Bang for the buck – wins over the past three years, measured against the money it receives directly from fans: 106 (sixth worst in NFL, Rams worst at 122).

Here's to the Bengals - not the worst team in the NFL!

Some Comrades Just Want To Have Fun

While most fans in Bengaldom (whats up Bagdad Hob) are spending their summer plotting ways to conduct a hostile takeover of the Bengals franchise, it is nice to see some comrades get the chance to have a little bit of fun. This particular comrade, who goes by the name "Treats" or "Ralph Nader" in some circles, sent in some photos of him in his awesome WDR gear catching 16 lb trout off the coast of Chicago.

If you get a chance to snap some shots of yourself doing awesome stuff in awesome WDR gear, please send it in! Viva la revolucion!  

The Bengals are Number 1!!!

That's right.  You heard correctly.  The Bengals are number 1.  No, no, you haven't been in a coma for the past year and missed the entire 2009-2010 NFL season, Mikey Boy Brown hasn't changed any of his ways, and the Bengals have not won the Super Bowl.  Then how are they number 1???

Well, a few days ago, ESPN writer Paul Lukas published his Uni-Watch column and this month, the title was Uni Watch: Operation overhaul.  If you don't feel like reading the column (and I don't blame you) Lukas and associates created the S.U.C.K index, in which they rank all of the uniforms for the major sports teams.  The S.U.C.K index provided the top 10 WORST uniforms in sports, or the ones which are most desperate for an overhaul.  The top 10 worst uniforms/need the biggest overhaul in sports are:

10. New Jersey Nets
9. Buffalo Sabres
8. Golden State Warriors
7. Washington Nationals
6. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Chicago White Sox
4. Buffalo Bills (apparently this guy hates the city of Buffalo)
3. Sacramento Kings
2. Jacksonville Jaguars

Hyperbole?

This off season Chick reads like the anti-WDR.  Everytime I check in he seems to have an optimistic piece up, including one where he predicted a 10-6 record and a playoff berth.

Chick's optimism comes with credibility since last year he came down hard on the Bengals before most people realized things were going to be ugly.  However, a recent article by him strikes me as ridiculous (though I must admit I also am dangerously intrigued...douche bag alert...again).

Chick discusses the off season performance of Kyle Cook and how he has seized the role of man to beat for starting Center.  My main concern about the Bengals, and Carson's future, lies with the offensive line.  So I am looking for reasons to hope.  But right at the beginning of the article a picture of Kyle comes with the caption:  "Kyle Cook:  the next Rich Braham?"

Kyle has zero starts and only 5 NFL appearances.  Cool it with the Rich Braham talk.  Good God.

Peter King to Bengals: Your Stubborn Refusal to Change the Way You do Business Would Have Greatly Helped the Broncos this Offseason

We've heard this line of reasoning before with respect to how the Bengals dealt with Chad Johnson last year. 

The line goes:  the Bengals said they wouldn't trade him and they didn't...and good for them for not giving in to his demands which would set a bad precedent.

Peter King (scroll down) brings this up again.  Saying:

The short view is, "Let's get rid of this unhappy jerk.'' The long view is, "This guy's a great player, he's a handful, but if we trade him, we're handing everyone else in the locker room a blueprint for how to shoot his way out of town. Plus, we won't get real value for him.'' I can't believe I just told the Denver Broncos to study the Bengals. Frightening.

Good point, Peter.  But you're mistaking the Bengals stance on Chad as a well thought out tactic for what was really just another manifestation of Mike Brown's stubbornness and insistence on doing things his way (which has proven to be a failure).  In an earlier post I'm too lazy to search for, I mentioned Mikey once said "If people would confront me, I would show them how to spell confrontation."  Point is, making demands of Mikey will get you nowhere.  He will not give you what you want out of principle, even if a reasonable solution presents itself.

In this case, that reasonable solution was Washington's offer of two draft picks for Chad...which Mike ignored.  Peter acknowledges this.  So basically, Peter is just saying in the nicest way possible that Mike Brown is a stubborn fool, but if the Broncos had adopted a stubborn stance in this particular instance it would have prevented the mess with Jay Cutler/Brandon Marshall.

My take:  no franchise should ever take lessons from the Bengals and no one should give Mike credit for how he dealt with Chad - it's equivalent to giving him credit for being a curmudgeon.

Mikey Can't Redeem Everyone - Nor Would He if He Could

Blogs have a reputation for (among other things) launching anonymous, critical posts without regard to their truthfulness or the fallout from their statements.  Sounds awesome, right?  I know, so let me join in the on the fun.

One thing that bugs me is when I hear people say Mike Brown does deserve some credit for his willingness to give players the benefit of the doubt when it comes to off the field issues - that he deals with people on a more human level.

I might be inclined to agree if the times when he offered second chances did not seem to be so convenient for his purposes and wallet.  Most "redemptions" offered by Mikey that I can easily recall involve situations where it allows him to sign a talented player for cheap.

But what about when it comes to "redeeming" a beloved ex-Bengal and former team career rushing leader James Brooks, a man with limited prospects outside of football because he never learned to read?  Chick reveals that James came looking for a redemption and got the cold shoulder from Mike.  James applied for a job as assistant RB coach to Jim Anderson.  I see no listing for Assistant RB coach on the Bengals website so I assume James was hoping to create the role.  But Mike wouldn't ante up and turned him down.

James has had a tough time post football, racking up child support payments he cannot afford and spending some time in jail because of it.  While he does bear some responsibility for his lack of non-football skills, read this old Tim O'Sullivan article for some perspective.

So color me skeptical that Mikey has a big heart and loves second chances.  Perhaps.  But to me it seems his door remains open only to family & the closest of friends - or a first round talent with a history of trouble he can sign at a discount. 

The cost of bringing on James as an assistant RB coach likely amounts to a fraction of even a back up RBs salary.  Perhaps other factors matter and Mikey obviously can't say yes to everyone who approaches him looking for something, but can we officially kill the line of dialogue that says Mikey deals on a more personal/human level with players/coaches/employees than other owners?  I'd say evidence points to the fact that he is no more generous or compassionate than the average person, and probably much less.

"The Lost Generation" - Who Goes to Bengals Games? Edition

Welcome to the latest edition of "The Lost Generation," a new recurring comic strip you will only see on WDR that will focus on, you guessed it, the Bengals consistent failures to win football games.  Click here to read the previous editions.  "The Lost Generation" is the work of Dayton native Steve Spencer, an avid Bengals fan since 1973 and currently a freelance artist.  You can view his recent work at http://www.stevespencerart.com.