USA Today did a poll of NFL agents asking them to rate clubs on various subjects. They rated the Bengals as the worst prepared team for contract negotiations and Mike Brown as the 4th least trustworthy GM. Pretty sad, though not entirely surprising.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/04/19/nfl-agent-poll-bruce-allen-redskins-bill-belichick-demaurice-smith/528741002/

(04-19-2018, 10:23 AM)wcu Wrote: USA Today did a poll of NFL agents asking them to rate clubs on various subjects. They rated the Bengals as the worst prepared team for contract negotiations and Mike Brown as the 4th least trustworthy GM. Pretty sad, though not entirely surprising.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/04/19/nfl-agent-poll-bruce-allen-redskins-bill-belichick-demaurice-smith/528741002/

Yep, just look how well they had the team prepared for the 50th anniversary season.

(04-19-2018, 10:23 AM)wcu Wrote: USA Today did a poll of NFL agents asking them to rate clubs on various subjects. They rated the Bengals as the worst prepared team for contract negotiations and Mike Brown as the 4th least trustworthy GM. Pretty sad, though not entirely surprising.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/04/19/nfl-agent-poll-bruce-allen-redskins-bill-belichick-demaurice-smith/528741002/

of course agents of Free agents don't like us... we don't over pay for their clients.

Being unprepared is kind of the hallmark, across the board, of the Cincinnati Bengals.

No big shock there

(04-19-2018, 10:32 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: of course agents of Free agents don't like us... we don't over pay for their clients.

If that were the leading criteria, the Redskins wouldn’t be lumped into the bottom of the pile with our office. They’re certainly not afraid/unwilling to overspend.

I didn't need agents to tell me that haha.

Yep. Sounds about right

(04-19-2018, 10:23 AM)wcu Wrote: USA Today did a poll of NFL agents asking them to rate clubs on various subjects. They rated the Bengals as the worst prepared team for contract negotiations and Mike Brown as the 4th least trustworthy GM. Pretty sad, though not entirely surprising.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/04/19/nfl-agent-poll-bruce-allen-redskins-bill-belichick-demaurice-smith/528741002/

I would imagine that Mike Brown treats contract negotiations like a Poker Game until documents are actually signed.

The Agents better be on their toes because Mike likely draws negotiations out to gain as much information and leverage as possible, (which makes him seem unprepared) to the agents. It is a feeling out process and they are negotiating with a guy that likely has become an expert at getting others to show some of their cards while hinting at showing some of his. (making him seem untrustworthy)

Mike probably feels that negotiations are the time for both sides to try to gain their advantage and nothing is promised until documents are finalized & signed.

Probably not a pleasant experience for the Agents to battle with Mike for more of his cash.

I thought Katie handles all that stuff?

(04-19-2018, 10:51 AM)depthchart Wrote: I would imagine that Mike Brown treats contract negotiations like a Poker Game until documents are actually signed.

The Agents better be on their toes because Mike likely draws negotiations out to gain as much information and leverage as possible, (which makes him seem unprepared) to the agents. It is a feeling out process and they are negotiating with a guy that likely has become an expert at getting others to show some of their cards while hinting at showing some of his. (making him seem untrustworthy)

Mike probably feels that negotiations are the time for both sides to try to gain their advantage and nothing is promised until documents are finalized & signed.

Probably not a pleasant experience for the Agents to battle with Mike for more of his cash.

I think you're giving Mike an awful lot of credit here.

The 5th best part of the CBA: It is about to expire

lol

I'm calling complete BS on this article. Least trustworthy??? Mike Brown and the Bengals are widely known for honoring contracts. If the agents don't like this organization, it's because they can't get one over on them.....

They should have asked the Hamilton county board of stadium deal negotiators how unprepared the Bengals are.. Paul Brown didn't send his kids off to Ivy League law schools for nothing. 
Agents are really little more than  used car salesmen when you get right down to it . Here, let's ask our favorite used car dealer who they'd rather see walk onto the lot. Someone armed with all the facts and knowledge of cars or someone buying their first used car based on whether the car is pretty enough?   They've bought quite a few used cars over the years.  Lol 

I'm not surprised in the least at the results of the poll.

I think what makes this even worse is that if the agents think so poorly of Mike Brown and don't like dealing with the Bengals, that probably hurts the teams chances when trying to bring players in. If the player has options and their agent is in their ear bitching about the Brown family, I'm sure that doesn't help the Bengals at all. Just another reason why there is a dark cloud over this organization. At the very least, Mike Brown being gone could only help, but the best medicine would be if the Brown family sold out and someone else ran the team.

(04-19-2018, 11:16 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I think you're giving Mike an awful lot of credit here.

Maybe...

I just don't see Mike Brown as being an "unprepared" person when it comes to committing his Money Long Term.

He strikes me as being a guy that would be very systematic and thorough heading into negotiations that involves his money.

He may give the appearance of being unprepared to stall the negotiations or buy some time or to obtain more information from the Agents.

I also doubt that he flat out lies to the Agents making him untrustworthy.

He likely qualifies his statements with words like "may" or "may be able to do this" and the Agents hear what they want to hear making it an absolute in the Agents mind. Then the Agent feels betrayed.

Mike nailed the City of Cincinnati pretty good on the stadium deal and I would bet that he is a sly negotiator.

I could be wrong, however, and Mike could be like the old Mr Magoo cartoon character that was blind and would walk onto building construction sites, get high up on the various beams of the building then step onto a swinging beam just before falling and get taken safely back to the ground unharmed. Maybe Mike is a completely unprepared and clueless negotiator who's word can't be trusted and he Mr Magoo's his way into the good deals he makes.  

I don't care how the agents rate our front office.

That is like asking criminals who is their favorite police officer.

(04-19-2018, 11:32 AM)Sled21 Wrote: I'm calling complete BS on this article. Least trustworthy??? Mike Brown and the Bengals are widely known for honoring contracts. If the agents don't like this organization, it's because they can't get one over on them.....

Me too! I was thinking of a way to say it, but you said it very well. Our FO isn't very good at a lot of things, but I don't think it is bad when it comes to over paying for a FA. I'm pretty sure agents don't like the 1 year "prove it to me" deals. 

(04-19-2018, 12:03 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I don't care how the agents rate our front office.  

That is like asking criminals who is their favorite police officer.

That's right...


I want Agents feeling like they just got their hiney handed to them after signing a deal with the Bengals.

(04-19-2018, 12:03 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I don't care how the agents rate our front office.  

That is like asking criminals who is their favorite police officer.

Or used car salesmen who their favorite customers are ... Same thing really .

The Bengals also made it into the article below about cheerleaders..

"The Ben-Gals, who once generously granted a three-pound “leniency weight,” now say that “fitness is very important. You must be in good physical condition and proportioned for your height.” Whatever that means."  

Seems like USA Today doesn't really like our team . I'm cancelling my non-existent subscription right now!  I never thought it would come to this..