Winning, or Just Seats and Jerseys?

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(01-18-2020, 04:14 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: So, Bengaldom, which is it?

Is this offseason about putting butts in seats and selling jerseys or is it about winning?

I’m all for drafting Joe Burrow #1OA.  That’s no longer up for debate unless Mike Brown is offered a one-sided deal not even any of us would refuse.  I give it 95% probability Joe Burrow will be inking his rookie deal with the Bengals in a few short months.

With Joe Burrow in the fold as of the evening of 23 April, let’s rewind to March 2020 when free agency opens.  This is the first indicator of which way the “butts in seats and jerseys vs. winning” debate will turn.  The Cincinnati Bengals have usually slept through free agency, sometimes “kicking the tires” on a player or two, signing one here and there, but pretty much laying low while all the good teams make big moves.

Mike Brown doesn’t like free agency and he’s gone on the record saying so.  However, this holds back the team’s overall progress.  Free agency, whether we like it or not, is a fact of life.  Along with drafts and trading, free agency is a viable way to build a competitive team.  The best teams use all three ways but the Bengals prefer to focus on the draft alone.

If the Bengals want to win they must be aggressive in free agency.  If they are not I’ll be very concerned until the 33d pick in the draft comes up.  If. I hear Roger Goodell announce the Bengals’ pick as an NFL-ready linebacker or offensive lineman, it will give me hope the Front Office wants to win.  If the 33d pick, and those after it, turn out to be a bunch of Drew Sample-like head scratchers I’ll know only butts in the seats and jersey sales are important.

Joe Burrow has the potential to be a very good NFL quarterback but he will  need a solid team around him to become a star.  I do not want him to become Archie Manning 2.0 who was an outstanding player surrounded by a team of drones led by awful coaches.  A player like Joe only comes along on rare occasion so let’s hope the Front Office prioritizes winning over selling seats and jerseys.

Besides, winning creates the demand for tickets and jerseys in and of itself.

If the Bengals sign Whit to play LG (2 year deal, club option for 3rd year), Thuney to play RG, Littleton to play LB, especially in nickel, and then go in to the draft (after Burrow) with sights set on a stud WR, RT, and depth at DE/DT, I would buy my season tickets back.  

Anything less, I will just be watching from home.  And that is fine.  But they need to know, Burrow alone will not change the team, nor will it change attendance.