Honorary Members of WDR: John Clayton

Out of all of ESPN's football talking heads, John Clayton is by far the most tolerable.  In fact, I might say that he provides intelligent, insightful, and level headed analysis.  It is only a matter of time before ESPN gives his air time to someone else.  But in the meantime, John Clayton in his most recent article on espn.com, answers two questions about the Bengals, something almost unheard of in the national media.  During his first answer, Clayton states, "Brown needs a general manager and more people in the scouting department."  John Clayton, welcome to WDR, you are welcome anytime.  Full Q's and A's, with WDR commentary after the jump.

Q: Mike Brown's skewed vision of how to run an organization has never been more painfully clear. An assertion that a healthy Carson Palmer would have led to a "quantum leap" forward for the Bengals is ridiculous.

Simon in Lebanon, Ohio

A: You have a pretty good read of things. We've seen how the loss of a franchise quarterback affects things. The Bengals are a seven-win team with Palmer, and you see what they are without him. The Patriots drop six or seven games without Tom Brady. It took until midseason for the Colts to look like the Colts as Peyton Manning battled back from his knee problems. Brown needs a general manager and more people in the scouting department. Next year the schedule will be easy, so if Palmer is back, the Bengals can make a pretty nice run toward .500, believe it or not. But a better record doesn't mean the core group of the team will get better. Talent-wise, the Bengals don't match up against the Steelers and Ravens.

WDR's Take: First of all, thank you Mr. Clayton for joining the Revolution.  Next, the Bengals were 0-4 with Carson at QB.  I know two of those games he was hurt and one was in the wind of Tennessee, but the record speaks for itself.  Second, even if Carson did not get hurt when he did, with this offensive line the chances of him getting hurt at some other point in the season is remarkably high.  It does not make sense for Mike Brown to think that Carson Palmer is the sole difference between winning and losing (which he is not), and then put a crappy offensive line in front of him.  I know Mike Brown thought our O Line was good this year, but he was clearly 100% wrong.  Maybe if we had real football scouts actually examining our talent we would have made better evaluations.  Finally, John Clayton reveals exactly what Mike Brown is thinking.   With Carson we can win 6 or 7 games and make a run at .500, so why should I change?  Bengals fans need to DEMAND success not MEDIOCRITY.  There is no reason why we should not hold ourselves to the standard of other NFL teams (Pitt, Indy, Tenn, etc).  This is not college football where no matter how much IU fans demand, they will never be OSU.  The socialist NFL creates a system where every team can succeed, the teams just have to want it.

Q: John, what are the Bengals going to do with Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh? Also, please tell me Mike Brown will hire a real general manager who actually knows what he is doing.

Ty in Cincinnati

A: You heard the word from Mike Brown on Monday. He is not hiring a general manager. The organization is staying the same. Because Brown and the organization don't believe in extending contracts to receivers over the age of 30, Houshmandzadeh is gone. That's why Johnson will probably stay. Replacing two starting wide receivers is almost impossible, which is why Johnson will be stuck in Cincinnati another year. What the Bengals should consider is a trade for Johnson. Let's say Philadelphia or another team offers first- and third-round choices; the Bengals would be wise to jump on it. They could get a defensive end or offensive tackle with the first pick, and possibly another starter with the third-rounder. It's a thought.

WDR's Take: Mike Brown will not have the final word.  The Revolution will make Mike Brown's life increasingly difficult and will hurt his bottom line.  Bengals fans need to support Project Mayhem, and demand change.  With TJ, there is no right answer.  He is our best player not named Carson Palmer.  TJ represents everything we want in a Bengal player.  On the other hand, our team is so far away from being a good team that paying a boatload of money to a 32 year old WR may not make sense.  I do not know the answer, and I do not trust Mike Brown and co. know the right answer either.  This is why we need real football people making real football decisions. 

Comments

[Bolshevik Bengal]

Right on, Comrade Jenkins. John Clayton is by far the most intelligent (if not only intelligent) analyst working for ESPN. I liked Len Pasquerelli, but I think he's basically in retirment following health issues.

Anyway, Clayton is dead on here as usual. 100%, absolutely, nothing will change until Mike Brown gives up control of the team. Barring that, I'd predict 6-10 next year with the easy schedule and a healthy Carson Palmer. Scary thing is, Bengals' fans have such low expectations, I'm sure they would sell out the stadium and be satisfied with a 6-10 season.