I feel like a 9 year old on December 23rd right now. From Peter King's MMQB:
I think one of the things you may learn from the new season of Hard Knocks, beginning Wednesday on HBO and featuring the Bengals this year, is how open the network presents the normally reclusive Mike Brown, the club owner.
Ever since it was announced that the Bengals would be the subject of Hard Knocks, I've been hoping that they spend some time on Mikey. A lot of time, actually. He may be able to avoid the local media, but surely he couldn't avoid a full-time camera crew with nearly unlimited access at training camp, right? He is the ultimate decision maker for the team, after all.
Will this open a pandora's box of new material? Will HBO dare to portray Mikey in anything but the most positive light? Will he have anything to say about air traffic over training camp? I'm not sure, but I know we're only a little over two days from finding out.
That makes two of us !!!!!
Posted by: Delta5243 | August 10, 2009 at 01:00 PM
How did you miss the paragraph in "Quote of the Week I"?
Something on the order of Dick LeBeau failed as a coach with the Bengals, but Vince Lombardi with Bill Walsh as OC & Bill Belichik as DC would still be a disaster.
Posted by: Oxford Douche | August 10, 2009 at 01:31 PM
How about his comments regarding Dick LeBeau's time as the head coach of the Bengals (even though I know he's said it before):
"LeBeau did not succeed as a head coach, going 12-36 in three seasons with the Bengals when he finally got his chance to run a team. But I can tell, having been around that team a lot over the years, that Vince Lombardi could have coached them with Bill Walsh his offensive coordinator and Bill Belichick on the defensive side, and it'd still have been a disaster."
While I think LeBeau's a better defensive coordinator than Belisuck, but the sentiment remains the same - the infrastructure wasn't there to build a winning team, and the infrastructure begins with the owner. So, in a way, that's King's off-handed method of calling Mikey Boy's ability into question.
Posted by: Wyatt | August 10, 2009 at 01:33 PM
Dave Shula coached this team and now runs his dads steakhouse. Mike Brown nows talent, just not football.
Posted by: Ejm1 | August 10, 2009 at 04:39 PM
My suspicion would be that they will portray MBB in a neutral to "It's about the team fellas, focus on the team!" HBO doesn't want to skunk its only skunky football show -- they don't want to cut their respective noses off in spite of their faces. If they make it look bad (the Bengals), all sorts of restrictions will be placed on HBO by the league -- restrictions they don't want -- frankly because it won't be entertaining -- just run-o-the-mill schlock.
If you think that they will do much more than maybe show a 3/4 second flash and say that there are detractors in Cincinnati, you are barking up the wrong tree. Now if they do a full show expose on 'WDR' then spend another show making MBB be held accountable... well, then I might give you some 'love' but until then... ...it is just another puff piece.
Bank on it!
Posted by: WCH | August 10, 2009 at 11:25 PM
HBO has said that the Bengals have to sign off on everything that makes it on TV, so you can bet it will have plenty of fluff....
Posted by: Robinsgr | August 11, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Get your colored pencils ready, Spencer. This show is bound to give you a plethora of material for "Lost Generation"!!
Posted by: MikeBrownGivesFreeBlumpies | August 11, 2009 at 12:08 PM