02-21-2021, 04:09 PM
(02-20-2021, 07:47 PM)PDub80 Wrote: I have known the whole Thuney family very well for the last (roughly) 5 years and have met Joe a handful of times when he has been back in town. I have some insight on this....
Super nice guy (his favorite sport is soccer) and a wonderful family. Back in Jan I was speaking to his mother and, without giving away too much, would say that Joe would definitely listen to the Bengals, but they would have to come to the table with a competitive offer. The family travels to every game to support Joe (with the exception of most games this year because of COVID) and they would love to have him back home in SW Ohio. Nothing would make them happier, but this is Joe's job and his money that he is earning. They support whatever he does 100%!
I don't believe he loved it in NE. Very very business like there. A stale and cold organization, I would say, is the impression I got from conversations with the family. I would think he would be looking for a 3 year deal. 4 would surprise me. 5 would shock me. Not sure what the Bengals are going to be looking for in terms of length of deal and if that would be a deal breaker of not. The NFL is a job and it wears on people. I'm not sure it's fun for linemen like it was in college or high school. I don't see Joe playing far into his 30s. He's a very mature, grown up kid.
Something that was said to me is that, when he was drafted, Joe's agent told him that dealing with the Bengals was not where they wanted to be and that they were notoriously cheap and not like other teams in negotiations. The agent told the family that the Bengals would not be a team to be excited about getting drafted by from a business perspective. That was 2016. I think/hope the FO has changed a lot since then. We shall see!
I also deal with the same firm that does the Brown family taxes. In a meeting two weeks ago I was told, while talking football during a break in a meeting, that Mike Brown, due to health and other things, has all but stepped away completely and that Katie and Troy basically run everything now. That is why we are seeing some more progressive things introduced into the organization with FAs, ticket incentives, and social media modernization. Again, without giving away too much, it would seem to reason that Katie & Troy have had a lot of their own ideas planned for a long time and are finally getting to implement them without obstruction. Hopefully they get things done with Joe!
BTW, Katie Blackburn is a class act person and an incredibly normal human being (in a good way) for being an NFL owner. At season ticket events she is there in person, personable to speak to, and even holds doors open as fans come while she greats them. SHe's someone that would hold the elevator door open for you. I'm extremely excited for the Bengals future with her at the helm.
Something interesting to think about with Katie's arch into ownership is that she saw all of Mike's struggles at QB when he took over. It was awful. I think that she sees Joe Burrow as a gift her father never got when starting to run the team. I don't see her squandering this.
Joe Thuney as a Bengal would be amazing for the area, the team, and the family. They are all first class people. Hope it happens! IMO, the Bengals cannot overpay for O linemen. As in: It would be impossible to do so. They should pay whatever it takes to get premium, proven O Line talent in front of Joey B.
Thanks for this PDub80. All great things to know, especially the part about Katie. Makes me more hopeful for the future.
Especially with Burrow and yes, we cannot pay proven O-Lineman enough to put in front of Smokin' Joe.
We take care of him, he will take care of us and we will be winning playoff games and hopefully a SB or two down the road.
