WhoDeyRevolution

Bengals Replace Medical Staff

Reported in a simple roster update by Joe Reedy last week, the Bengals finally made some changes to their medical and training staff that have been under fire for the last few years.  Dr. Heidt and Dr. Colosimo are gone (Heidt was the doctor for 27 years - are you suprised Mikey kept the same guy in there for that long?), replaced by Dr. Galloway and Dr. Reilly, who by all accounts are actual doctors (a legitmate worry for Bengals fans).   

Reedy points out that the past medical/training staff "came under fire this past season after the signing of Antonio Bryant and claims by Rashad Jeanty’s agent that Jeanty’s injury was misdiagnosed."  But it goes back well before that - Willie Anderson, Levi Jones, Jeremi Johnson, Chris Perry.  And Carson Palmer respected the Bengals doctors so much that he went to see six others before agreeing to a treatement.  CincyJungle has a great post from September outlining the challenegs. 

It is infuriating when the Bengals chalk up losing season after losing season to some gosh darn bad luck from injuries and then have a medical staff so severly criticized by the players who are pretty importatnt to the success of the team. So kudos to the Bengals for finally getting rid of these guys and bringing in some new guys.  Will they be any better?  Who knows - but it would be pretty hard to be worse.

Not to Belabor the Point But Our Medical Staff Generates Poor Outcomes

The Bengals media universe, both traditional and new outlets, are abuzz with articles aggressively questioning the competence of the medical/training personnel of the Bengals in light of two recent embarrassing incidents.  Both the above articles cover all the points worth touching upon and I highly recommend reading both as well as following the links in the Cincy Jungle post.

I will only add a few comments in addition to what has already been said.

First, though this issue is currently grabbing all the headlines, it's been a problem for awhile.  When we launched before the 2008 season, in fact, it was our 3rd demand on the original manifesto which you can see on the left side of this page.  The Cincy Jungle post links to an informal survey done in 2000 by the NFLPA asking players to rate their own medical staffs.  Plenty of teams had 100% of their players rank the medical staff as good or better.  The Bengals?  Only 19%.  The next worst after them?  Arizona at 50%.  Are you fucking kidding me?

Now, the article points out losing teams tended to rank lower, so consistent losing and the negativity associated with that affects the results.  And no one team in any pro sport could boast of more losing than the Bengals as of 2000.  But 19%?!  Way too much of an outlier to be dismissed.  Remember, this was 10 years ago.  It's been an issue for AWHILE.

Second, while all of us in the media universe clearly know jackshit about medicine and how a medical/training staff really functions on a pro football team, in this case we don't need to because the outcomes overwhelmingly indicate shittiness.  In this year's Football Outsiders Almanac, in their new injury section at the end by their injury expert Will Carroll, the Bengals rank 2nd to last in the NFL in staying on the field over the last three years.  Behind only the sorry ass Rams.  They specifically note that:

"Cincinnati doesn't invest in the infrastructure to be a healthy team"

Football Outsiders estimates that as much as 25% of team variability in wins year to year is due to injuries.  They go so far to say that if you could choose between having a healthy roster of 53 or choosing any one player in the entire NFL to join your team, you'd rather have a healthy roster (I think a team like San Fran, for example, might ask to have Drew Brees for a year though).

But what about that infrastructure FO talks about?  For example, Angelo Colosimo, the guy Doc called up for comment and who functions as the Bengals "team" physician, is really an employee of the University of the Cincinnati.  He is not exclusively the Bengals doctor.  He's also the Bearcats doctor for their sports teams, for example.  In fact, he can kind of be anyone's doctor.  I once went to him when I ripped my quad apart playing football.  He was great...at least as far as I could tell.  His credentials certainly are first rate (NYU & Duke).

Anyway, I see no reason why Angelo should be worse than most team doctors.  But on paper you could make a case that perhaps he spreads himself too thin with other responsibilities to handle the demands of a pro team.  Operationally, the Baltimore Ravens basically lead the NFL in everything.  They're a rival in our own division, so I like to benchmark the Bengals against them.  We have 3 listed medical/training people and they have 5.  Notice how the Ravens have their own section for medical staff while we bury our guys within a broader "Football Staff" section.  Maybe that has something to do with it.  Neither team appears to staff an actual doctor though.

Look, I do not know truly know how the Bengals differ from other teams, I just know they get poor outcomes and it fucks us.  My best guesses for why they suck are:

1. Chief physician Their primary doctors have too many other responsibilities, need someone more dedicated
2. Too few training staff working with too small a budget to give the care they need
3. (talking out my ass here) I believe the NFL requires teams to pay for 2nd opinions on injuries and surgeries done not by team-related practicioners...I would speculate, and I emphasize speculate, that perhaps when it comes to allowing and paying for the second opinions and other procedures, the Bengals make it much more of a hassle than other teams

Until something changes though, expect Dr Nick's image to pop up again and again on WDR.

UPDATE:  commenter John M points out Rob Heidt also gets credit as team doctor.  His link seems legit and Heidt got an award as outstanding team physician.  Heidt also does not exist on bengals.com, like Colomsimo.  This proves two things 1) I have no idea what I'm talking about and 2) there appears to be no exclusivity when it comes to "team" doctors as far as I can tell

Bryant Saga Reveals Bengals' Ongoing Problems

Sleeping with Bienemy and Sly have already given you their takes today on the Bengals wasting almost $9M on Antonio Bryant. But as Mo Egger points out this morning, this highlights an ongoing problem with the Bengals medical and training staff that goes back at least till 2007.

Still though, this organization needs to seriously examine its medical staff. Someone put this dude through a physical. Someone decided his knee was going to fine. Someone thought Antonio Bryant was healthy enough to give a ton of money to. Someone decided he could go through OTAs and minicamps. Someone decided to have him practice on the first day of training camp.

And remember, this is the same staff that misdiagnosed Chris Perry's knee, more or less blew off the pain Levi Jones had in his knee, and let Willie Anderson's bad foot go untreated in 2007. They also claimed Andre Smith didn't need surgery on his foot a year ago.

Those are some pretty important players.

We rip on the Bengals for having substandard scouting and personnel departments, but and NFL team cannot have sustained success with a medical staff that couldn't diagnose my face as having a nose.

These are the sorts of upgrades that we at WDR have been calling for since our founding in 2008. Yes, it is great that we won the AFC North last year.  But until we have the personnel and facilities that are considered top in the league, we will continue to have to deal with these easily avoidable issues.  Our third manifesto demand has always been:  "THAT all training, rehabilitation and medical facilities are considered best-in-class compared to other NFL teams" for this reason.

As Doc writes: "How does a frugal, family-owned NFL corner store such as the Bengals blow millions on a defective receiver? How will this effect the PBS electric bill? I mean, will they shut down the AC until next July? Will MB charge M. Lewis now, for a place to park? Will players have to brown-bag lunch? Get a membership to the weight room?"

If you are a Bengals fan who wants the team to improve, having the team invest in better medical and training facilities will do much more in the long run than signing receivers like TO to make up for mistakes like Bryant.

I Remain Skeptical, but...

...this line from Joe Reedy's chat transcript caught my eye:

A lot of teams aren't addressing long term deals right now because no one knows what the next CBA deal will entail. I also think it is holding up some improvements to the stadium and possibly (and yes I will say it) building a practice bubble.

I'd rather the Bengals just committed to building a bubble even with the uncertainty around the new CBA because they're gonna need one no matter what the new CBA looks like.  But it seems as if a new openness exists, at least in concept, to an indoor facility that did not exist previously in the minds of mgmt.  It's somethin'.  Though not much.

I do understand uncertainty will definitely affect how teams sign players though, even though I fear that it might just be used as a smokescreen to not sign both JJ & Leon.

Rashad Jeanty Is Parked in Scooby-Doo Row 4

Bengals are back in Mason today.  You think this affects playoff preparation?  Nahhhh.  Wonder if the Jets are busing to an indoor soccer facility 25 miles away?  Oh.  Guess not.

WDR Manifesto Demand 3

From the left sidebar:

THAT all training, rehabilitation and medical facilities are considered best-in-class compared to other NFL teams

From Lance's blog:

Bengals practice today has been scheduled indoors at the Wall2Wall Soccer complex in Mason, Ohio.  It's playoff week...so extra oranges slices and juice packs will be provided.

Sigh.

Joe Reedy Is Just Reportin' The Facts, And We Like It.

Joe Reedy went Old School on the Bengals upper management yesterday in an article about the teams lack of a indoor practice facility. And he is right on the target with his assessment. The Bengals are woefully behind when it comes to facilities for the team to use when it gets too cold outside to run a productive practice. They waste precious time commuting to Mason instead of having a facility of their own/one they share with the Bearcats a couple minutes away. Even the Steelers have one, albeit they have to share it with an ever increasing number of vagrants. I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Brown makes the players and coaches spring for gas money for the trips to Mason as well. As Mikey always says, "I'm cheap, so go F yourself Bengals." 

Next Project Mayhem Task? Bring Bengals Hot Chocolate During Practice...

...or find some Bearcat Boosters and ask if they'll play nice with the Bengals.

I am not here to debate whether or not an indoor practice facility would make the difference between the Bengals winning and losing.  On a list of factors that matter for success, it would probably not fall in the top 15.  Though Brian Kelly might disagree with you.  Strongly.

However, I will say that our lack of an indoor facility says a lot about how far our owner will go into his pocketbook to ensure he gives the Bengals the best possible chance at success.  Which is basically as far as the salary floor makes him go.

From CNati writer Scott Priestle comes this tidbit about the upcoming game vs Minnesota:

Mother Nature is not helping. Because the Bengals do not have an indoor practice facility, Palmer and his receivers must prepare for a game in the Metrodome by practicing in the elements, and the forecast is for rain Wednesday and winds and sub-freezing temperatures Thursday. It likely will be similar next week when the Bengals prepare for a game in sunny San Diego.

And from Carson himself:

"It's going to be tough," Palmer said. "We have to come in focused, really understand the game plan, and whatever the situation is in practice, we have to fight through it and get as mentally ready to play and as physically ready to play as possible. Because we're not going to beat those two teams unless we play our best football."

I will go out on a limb here and predict the weather will not improve for practices during the playoffs either.  Of course, under Mike Brown, the Bengals haven't had many seasons with meaningful games late in the season when weather becomes more of a factor so I guess I can understand why he has been slow to come around on this concept.  (Mike Brown:  "Curse this winning and the marginal adverse effect it will have on my wealth even though winning consistently would make me much richer!")

It wouldn't take much to get this done.  A high school has done it.  And now UC has too.  This collection of players and the city deserves better.

More on UC vs the Bengals

Claims.  Counterclaims.  Awesome comments.  Lots has been said so far about the UC and Bengals situation but more clarification is needed.  So here goes:

We originally posted that UC and the Bengals are having some difficulty settling on two things:  1) Potential use of PBS and 2) An offer to build an indoor practice facility.

Bill Koch of the Enquirer spoke with UC official Bob Arkeilpane who played down any rumors.  You can read what we think of that article here.  The key points are the following:  1) Bob claims UC has not tried to move '09 games to PBS, 2) The Bengals approached UC about moving games there, 3) Discussions never got to the point of fees, 4) UC's desire is to play at Nippert, 5) UC is investigating the costs of renovating Nippert and 6) UC approached the Bengals about a practice facility but the Bengals did not express interest at this time.

Got that?

More recently, Lance McAlister outlined on his blog comments on this issue from a Bengals executive. 

The key points to this post are:  1) The Bengals offered UC the basically the same rent terms as UK/Miami, 2) The Bengals reached out to UC about the '09 WVA & Louisville games for NFL scheduling reasons, 3)The Bengals have been proactive towards UC but UC prefers Nippert to PBS, 4) The Bengals and Hamilton County split 50%/50% revenues from rent, suite sales, and parking for all "other events" held at PBS and 5) The Miami/UK game was negotiated with Brad Bates (Miami AD) for almost four years.

Got that, too?

(Lance also includes the fee schedule charged to Miami/UK for use of PBS which is really interesting but not relevant - it'll be for another post - to our discussion)

So what to make of these comments from UC and the Bengals?  Here is what WDR believes are the salient points:

1. Both sources confirm that the Bengals reached out to UC about playing games in '09 at PBS and UC was not interested.  UC preferred to play at Nippert and there is no reason to doubt that.  HOWEVER, the key point here is that these discussions both parties mentioned happened before the high cost of renovating Nippert was known.  At least, that is WDR's understanding of the situation.  The expenses required for renovation make PBS a more attractive option than UC originally believed so prior talks are not relevant.

2. In UC's statement, Arkeilpane claims the discussion for rent never reached the point of fees.  However, the Bengals (via Lance) claim they offered preliminary terms similar to the UK-Miami game.  This is inconsistent.

3. The only fees discussed by either party concern single game events:  UC v OSU (2002) and Miami v UK.  However, the pricing WDR is concerned with are for multiple games, where UC effectively "rents" PBS (more similar to the Pitt and South Florida arrangements we mentioned).  One would assume the pricing for single, big-name games versus multiple games would be different (quantity/quality discount).  This may help explain the discrepancy in the 5 times the normal rent claim in our original post:  we're comparing a single game price to a multiple game price. 

4. And why UK v Miami would be a relevant benchmark for fees charged to UC for multiple games is perplexing given the very different nature of their situations.  It is virtually impossible for Miami to attract BCS teams to play them at Yeager so if they want a marquee opponent at a home game they must look elsewhere (less negotiating leverage).

5. While the Bengals have disclosed their fees for one time usage of the stadium they do not, however, disclose if they make those using the stadium pay for the associated game day costs (such as security) which can be quite expensive.  Making the 3rd party cover those costs is equivalent to raising your fee so it's very important to find out that part of the story too.

6. Aren't you thrilled that the Bengals get to keep half of all the revenues for 3rd party events that have little to do with them?  Actually, I'll shut up, I should be grateful their lease doesn't give them the rights to all revenues for a stadium the county owns.

7. It took 4 years for the Miami v UK game to get arranged?  Is that a boasting point?  Cause that seems like a shockingly long time to negotiate use for one game.  Obviously a lot goes into that process but price is part of the element - so it seems the two sides were far apart on price for a loooong time.  Though that is admittedly speculation.

8. The indoor practice facility receives barely any attention - only an off hand comment from Bob Arkeilpane.  This issue has not been addressed at all.

So, in sum, while a lot has been said, not much of substance has emerged to refute our original post.  Both sides cleverly dance around the issue without hitting it head on.  So until we find out more about the PBS usage fees for multiple games and what talks are in motion regarding indoor practice facilities, we still see nothing to lead us to believe our original post needs to be materially updated.

If the issues are addressed head on, we'll back off.  But until then....

 

ps - now that the Bengals have disclosed their usage fees, WDR would love to solicit some help researching comparable fees at other publicly funded stadiums.  anyone who can find or help find this information please email us at whodeyrevolution@gmail.com

Mike Brown Enters His Golden Era

Mike Brown has been waiting for this day his whole life. He has saved and screwed and saved for his shining moment. Tomorrow, with the blessing and financial underpinnings of the Clermont County Bureau of Commerce, Brown will be the proud landlord of a 12 store commercial zone on Route 32.

    "It's been a long journey, but someday somehow I knew I could get here." Brown said between raindrop sized tears of joy. "The Bengals Organization was only a stepping stone towards my ultimate goal of running a strip mall anchored with a Denny's and a Men's Wearhouse."

    As of now, the Bengal's franchise has been put in a storage facility near the Lion's Den Porn Outlet off of 71.

    With his family alongside him, Brown will get to cut a big ribbon in half with a big pair of scissors. Coincidentally, the same pair of oversized scissors he has team doctors use when exploring hurt Bengals for their "owwie spot."

"I will leave no stone unturned to make sure that this cropping of land will be competitive in bringing in commuter traffic." Brown said, "Just this morning I met with a potential company. They technically are insolvent but I see a lot of promise and I think with my help they can turn it around at the Browntown Plaza."