WhoDeyRevolution

10 out of 10 Scientists Say: Bengals 2nd Half of Season Was Meaningless

Folks - I cannot emphasize enough how foolish it would be to get your hopes up for next year based on the Bengals play in the 2nd half of the year.  Why?  Behold, ladies and gentlemen, a statistical breakdown of Bengals wins and when they came since 1991 (when Mike Brown took the helm).

The file, for your viewing pleasure disgust, is here:  Download Bengals 2nd Half Wins .

You can look at each season in the file, but here are the salient points:

1. In the average Bengals season under Mike Brown, 71% of the total wins come in the 2nd half of the season (more than 2 in 3 wins, in other words)
2. In 5 of the 18 total seasons under Mike Brown, all of the Bengals wins have come in the 2nd half of the season (including this year...that's almost 1 in 3 seasons where the Bengals start 0-8)
3. Of Mike Brown's 101 total wins, 31 have come in November and 36 have come in December.  This means Mike Brown's Bengals have more wins in December than they do total wins in the first half of the season combined.
4. MOST IMPORTANT, only 1 time out of 15 seasons where the Bengals have "finished strong" (more wins in the 2nd half), has this been followed by a season where we have had a winning season.  This is, of course, because we've only had 1 FRICKING WINNING SEASON IN 18 DAMN YEARS!

WDR Season Prediction Fulfilled; Do Not Get Fooled Again

Before the season, WDR was asked to write the Bengals season preview for Deadspin.  We had purposely shied away from making a preseason prediction on the Bengals record because of how often they are wildly inaccurate.  For this season, look at how many "experts" predicted the dominace of the Browns and Jags and the continual putridity of the Falcons and Dolphins. 

Turns out WDR was pretty close, predicting a 3-13 finish while most other Bengal sites and fans forsaw a much higher win total.  Baghdad Hob was confident that the 2008 Bengals were at least a 9-7 team.  Whoops!  Turns out failing to sign or draft a DT - then resigning the very DT you were trying to replace didn't work out.  Ditto on undercutting your head coach by bringing back a proven team cancer who failed to produce.  We could go on...

But this post is not totally about gloating on our vision(though it feels nice...).  This is to remind fans that if you hear anyone confident about 2009 because the Bengals finished the 2008 season 4-3-1 (a .563 winning percentage!), it is acceptable and encouraged to publically mock their intelligence, cognitiave reasoning, and for good measure, sexual orientation.  The Bengals have a LONG way to go.  Piecemeal changes to a team that has underpreformed for 18 season will not cut it.  As TJ said, this team is not a player or two away.  They are, to start, an entire new management structure, new coaching, a new offensive line, and a pass rush away.  Do not let a throw away free agent signing (Odom, Sam Adams) or a medicore draft sway you.  This team has a LONG way to go.

WDR Listed at 81 in Top 100 NFL Headlines of 2008 on ESPN.com

David Fleming of ESPN.com has listed his top 100 NFL headlines of 2008, and look who clocks in at a solid 81, between the invention of the pistol offense and Adrian Peterson willing the Pro Bowl MVP:

81. Who Dey Revolution fan group fights back against Bengals' ineptitude.

The other Bengals news to make the list:

98. Carson Palmer misses 12 games with elbow injury.

63. Bengals complete 17th season in past 18 years without a winning record.

59. Chad Johnson changes last name to Ocho Cinco.

The revolution marches on...

Whodunit?

Profootballtalk.com is reporting that Bengals LB Keith Rivers, the same Keith Rivers who got his jaw smashed by Hines Ward in Week 7 against the Steelers, received one vote for Defensive Rookie of the Year.  OK, not the end of the world, right?  Well, Jerod Mayo (Patriots LB) received 49 of the 50 votes...and he did umm...play more than half of the season.  In fact, he played all 16 games. 

We would love to know who in their right minds would vote for someone who played just seven games as Defensive ROY.  As PFT points out, this isn't Heisman-style voting (1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place votes).  It is one vote.  Period.

So, who has the honor around this fair city to vote for Defensive ROY?  I can't imagine that Geoff Hobson or Mark Curnutte would vote this way.  How in the world could someone actually think he was the best defensive rookie this season?

What's next?  Tom Brady as league MVP after playing one quarter?  Odell Thurman for Comeback Player of the Year after playing all of zero games?  Bob Bratkowski for Assistant Coach of the Year after cracking the formerly unreachable star...over 200 points in one season?

Can we blame Mike Brown for this one?  Probably not...

(Oh what the heck...I'm taking Mikey Boy in the PBS underground parking lot with his 2002 Chevy Impala).

New Club Seat Agreements Now Only Two Years

Bengals fans looking to buy premium club seats in 2009 (or those current club season ticket holders who have their agreements of for renewal this offseason) will now only be locked in for two seasons.  Previously, club seat holders had to sign a three-year agreement.  Probably the state of the economy combined with the diarrhea like product on the field caused the Bengals to make the change. 

The new agreement is available for your viewing pleasure at Bengals.com.  The cost of a Charter Ownership Agreement (lovingly referred to as COA's) remains at $750 per seat.  The cost is the same for the entire section of club seats, whether you are at the 50 yard line or the goal-line. 

Ticket prices remain the same:

Club 1:  $260/game
Club 2:  $210/game
Club 3:  $145/game
Club 4:  $125/game

Perhaps the only reason left to consider club seats is the opportunity to buy tickets to the Oklahoma - UC game in September 2010.  The Bengals gave club seat holders the chance to buy tickets to the now infamous Ohio State - UC game in 2002, where the Bearcats almost upset the eventual national champs.

Per the agreement, the team "shall use reasonable efforts to allow Club Patron the opportunity to purchase tickets for other games or public events at the Stadium (other than Super Bowl games)."

Pioli's Interest in Browns = Very Bad News for Bengals

Fresh off an 11-5 season that included Tom Brady not playing for 10 of those wins, Scott Pioli's stock has never been higher.  Now is the time to cash in.

The New England Patriot's VP of Player Personnel is ready to become a fully vested General Manager, and one of the teams on his radar is the Cleveland Browns.  He will also likely interview with Kansas City, after the recent departure of Carl Peterson. 

In a shocking development, however, the Bengals have no interest in Scott Pioli. 

Pioli has played a large part in building three Super Bowl winners in New England, and he would bring an entirely new attitude to the Browns.  He would hire his own head coach, scouting department, etc.  The point here is that it's not just Pioli coming to town, but the people he would bring with him.  Much like Bill Parcells in Miami, he brought in the right people for the right spots.  Guys like Tony Sparano, his own personnel guys, and Chad Pennington.  All of a sudden, 1-15 become 11-5. 

In a year where the Bengals will likely stand pat after another pathetic season, the Browns are actively trying to get better.  We all know the Steelers and Ravens will get better, mostly through shrewd selections in the NFL Draft.  And with 6 of their 16 games next season against the AFC North...it's going to be another long season in Cincinnati next year.

But what do we know...apparently we don't know how hard it is to run an NFL team.

Bengals Stand on Sideline with Hand Up Butt

Are you kidding me?  Curnutte and Hobson are fooling no one.  My 58 year old father wrote an e-mail to Curnutte today informing him that he's fooling no one and calling him for what he is...a megaphone for Mike Brown's propaganda. 

Dustin Dow's question was a great, pressing question that needed to be asked and highlights the important issue that's often plagued us in the past:  Would winning 3 games in a row camoflauge obvious areas of need allowing management to justify that no changes need to be made?  When Hobson and Curnutte simultaneously come out with similar reports suggesting just that, as Comrade Buck highlights, it is not a coincidence.  It looks like winning the last three games may have just done that...allow Bengals management to stay the current course.  My only wonder is if the Bengals are simply looking for a justification to make no changes or they really are that naive.  My guess is the former. 

Bengals Prepare Fans for Yet Another Off-season of Status Quo

As soon as the clock hit 0:00 yesterday, the Bengals were already quietly leaking information (thru Baghdad Hob at Bengals.com) that wins over the Redskins (completely collapsed at the end of the season), the Browns (haha...) and the Chiefs (2-14) are enough to not make major coaching or personnel changes.  Mark Curnutte of the Enquirer also has the same sentiment.

This, after a 4-11-1 season, where the home town 53 started 0-8.

I'm not calling for the head of Mike Zimmer, who has done an admirable job with a patchwork group on defense...but it still should be noted that they only notched 17 sacks on the season - 30th in the league. 

Meanwhile the Bengals offense scored a paltry 204 points (12.75 pts/game), good enough for worst in the NFL.  If Bob Bratkowski keeps his job, only under the guise of no Carson Palmer for 12 games...it's a joke.  (FYI - the next lowest point total was St. Louis at 232).

Then there is Marvin Lewis.  Behind the scenes (and again today in his annual recap meeting with MIke Brown), Lewis likely offered to accept $4 million of the $8 million remaining on his contract just to walk away.  However, Mike Brown likes it when people honor their entire contract (just ask Chad!)...so that offer will be declined.  Personally, I think Marvin Lewis will be a very successful head coach in his next NFL stop.  Remember that Bill Belichick was run out of Cleveland, then went on to coach a dynasty in New England.  Now, I'm not calling Lewis the next Belichick, but in an organization that has a competently structured front office, I can absolutely see Lewis coaching Super Bowl champion.

Here's hoping that the team really takes the time to identify quality players in the draft, especially since Coach Lewis said there really will be 'no intriguing free agents' at the end of the day.

Peter King Gets It

A helpful reader clued us into the following comment by Peter King of SI on Marvin Lewis, the Bengals and our final 3 wins.

Marvin Lewis likely returns, though he's one of those guys (and there are a few in coaching and management in the league) who I think would love to be fired, get paid and start over somewhere else. Leave it to the Bengals to win their last three totally meaningless games and think it translates to a positive feel for 2009. You beat Washington, Cleveland and Kansas City, Mr. Brown, which is like the Celtics beating Oklahoma City, Washington and Montclair Kimberly Academy.

Dead on.  We have written and some sources have confirmed that Marvin wants to be fired so he can collect cash and get out from under the Brown Family Project.  Marvin's desire is to be elsewhere, it's just a question of money at this point.

Post Party Wrap-up

WDR's End of Season Party at Blackfinn is now over, and has been deemed a great success.  Many of our readers were able to come out and meet the writers, crush out dozens of Miller Lites, and vent their frustrations of Bengals management in general.  Blackfinn was more than generous with the never-ending supply of food and the freshest Miller Lite outside of Nick Lachey's kegerator.  We had several fellow comrades win free t-shirts in contests of strength and skill including a beer chug, push-up race, and a break dance competition. 

Not only was the atmosphere fun, but was inspiring as well. I myself met a diehard Bengals fan who has not missed a home game since 1984, and who in fact made it to Riverfront Stadium in time for kickoff on the day of his son's birth. What we would like to highlight here is that a man who has not missed a game in 24 years, decided to join the comrades at Blackfinn in lieu of giving Mike Brown any more of his hard earned dollars.  This shows that the revolution is taking hold firmly in the foundation of Mike Brown's empire... within the roots of his unconditional support base.  The most hard core fans are not going to put up with his BS anymore. 

WDR has pointed this out before, but I will reiterate that big changes are coming to the Bengals, in one form or another.  One type of change we can expect to see is on the Bengals' income statement.  In a recession, small businesses and the independently wealthy are not going to sink their dollars into a crappy team. They will take their money elsewhere, like the Bearcats.  This could mean millions in lost business for Mike Brown.  Mike's other option is to bring in outside help in the form of a GM, relinquish control, and to win football games at all costs.  

Sorry to get deep on you there... But the point is that the post season is upon us and we all look forward to watching the Bengals off-season decisions.  Stay tuned to WDR for your Bengals news, raw and uncut.