Homer Rice and Bill Johnson

[BengalChris]

(07-11-2021, 01:53 PM)impactplaya Wrote: I don't expect alot of replies cause some of you werent
Around then.
But after PB stepped down, were.these 2 coaches just basically
Figureheads and was PB still coaching the team from  his position
As GM and Owner?
Kinda like in.the mafia when.you have a real.boss and a front boss

Its been.speculated over and over that Bill Walsh was the logical
Replacement when PB stepped down.
I think PB realized right away how innovative and
Intelligent Walsh was on the brink of being the next great
NFL head coach and would be harder to control

I wonder behind the scenes if PB regretted the hirings
Of Johnson and Rice hence neither coach got the Bengals
In the playoffs

Paul Brown stepped down as head coach and he did turn over the coaching. Johnson and Rice were the head coaches, not figure heads.

As there is no such things "never made a mistake", it was definitely a mistake of large proportions to pass up on Walsh. He had him on the staff already.

Of course, not naming a GM prior to departing and thus setting the stage for son Mike appoint himself as the GM was another fairly large error.

But in all, Paul Brown has to be considered as the top or 2nd top innovator in the games' history. No one today, or even in the last 4 decades can contend for those lofty 2 spots. The top innovators, in my book, were Paul Brown and Sid Gilman. Walsh would be in the top 5 probably, but Walsh's trademark offense was developed under Brown in Cincinnati when Paul Brown was the head coach.