Ask Jim Owczarski

[jowczarski]

Thanks again for the patience!

@Truck_1_0_1_ not which city, but which VENUE has been your favourite/liked the most since you've been in journalism? Any sport, any league, what has been your best/favourite place to work at?

Love this question! Well, I’ve got two for two different reasons. One, was my first time at Wrigley Field back in ’03. That was strictly so I could sit on the spike-marked bench, just worn down so smooth, and looking out onto that crowned field, knowing how old it was and how many great baseball players had been on that same field, sitting on those same benches. Now, the actual stadium and press box were so, so terrible and that place needed all the work it has gotten. Actually covering a game there sucks. But back then, before they really took away some of the character of the playing dimensions, was just awesome as a baseball fan and sports history nerd.

The other is a weird one (maybe): Medinah Country Club for the 2012 Ryder Cup. Now, that had more to do with the “atmosphere” but I love golf and that was pretty unique and special.

@SunsetBengal regarding the Bengals scouting department. It's pretty much common knowledge that the Bengals employ one of the smaller scouting departments in the league, with coaches serving as pseudo-scouts as well. 

I know that now is not the time, but for future consideration, would you mind doing an in depth piece on the Bengals scouting department?

You’re right about its size and how the coaches do a lot of work as well. I would definitely like to – but Duke Tobin likes to keep his team in the shadows. I’ll work on him

@MoneyCityManiac - Do you think that if Marvin is let go/walks off into the sunset at the end of the season (I'm not pessimistic, just viewing all possible scenarios) that it would be a complete house cleaning of coaches?

“Complete” is an interesting question. I don’t think so – I think they like what certain guys do at their spots that they would like to keep them around.

Or do you think they promote from within?

That is possible.

If an in-house promotion, would that coach be allowed to chose his complete coaching staff?

To a degree. If it’s in-house, that guy might like some of the other guys currently on staff and would want to retain him.

Or would certain long-time employed coaches of certain positions (ummm let's say the o-line) have their blood signed contracts with the devil still honored?

Well, no one has a contract after 2017 – so I think anything is on the table regardless of what position they coach. I think that fact means the front office is willing to have an open mind re: change.

@PhilHos - But, what is your sense of how long before Mike officially retires and turns the running of the team completely over to Katie (or whomever) wherein he will no longer have any decision making responsibilities?

Honestly, I don’t think he’ll ever “officially” retire in that sense. And if he does, to the point where he cedes all of that to Katie et al. we won’t really know. I think the only marker for that type of thing will be when Katie is the one we sit with at an owners meeting regarding league votes, or the season-opening press conference. But again, we might not know that until it actually happens, if that makes sense.

@LeonardLeap – “journalistic jargon”
Ha! Your memory is better than mine. I guess I spend too much time with Marvin – I had forgotten that. Too funny. I should ask him about that. Guenther told me during my sit down with him last week for the Sunday Game Day feature that in those 8-9 minutes or so that they have in overtime there are a few tweaks they get into – so all I can say is Marvin was just being combative that day and didn’t want to cede that point to us?

@ShakeNBlake – Ha! I wouldn’t get escorted art, but depending on his mood I’d either get the 10,000-yard stare or his laugh.

@McC – “games do you see this team winning?”

Well, I predicted 8-8 at the start of the season. I think that’s still within reason. And that might win the division.