You would think he would get the roster he wants, at least to a point.  Will he get the FA's he wants?  The Rams spent some money to fill out their roster.  Does he get that luxury here?  Or even anything close to it?

Are they gonna give him carte blanche or what Marvin had or somewhere in between?

I gotta say--he must have knocked their sox off in the interview.  They didn't even seem to have a second interview, took out a lot of the staff, which included most of Marv's lifers and now they've let go of the guy they were giddy about hiring just a year ago and was, according to more than one, the best coach on the staff last year.  

When you read the tea leaves, you know you're in uncharted territory.  This relative babe in the woods is gonna be steering the ship, driving the bus, in a way that maybe even Marv was not allowed to.

And we get to sit around and wait for it to break ground.  Can't root for the Rams any more, sorry Whit.

Players and assistant coaches move around from team to team all the time. Brown and Tobin may not be the smartest, but they have been around so long they probably have more networking connections than most other teams. Somebody they trust must have given a glowing recommendation for Taylor.

That could explain why the inept Bengals front office has been sharp enough to make hires like Zimmer, Gruden, and even Hue as an OC. It is easy to hate on him now based on his head coaching production, but our offense ran pretty well in '14 and '15 with Hue as OC.

BTW don't expect Taylor to get 4 first team All Pro's added in free agency like McVey got with the Rams.

Not trashing McVey, but I bet his record would be worse without those 4.

You would think as far as they have gone they're gonna go ahead and go all the way. Bring in real top shelf free agents at LB and Oline and whatever else.

Big question is what does he do at QB ? And what will they "let him do" ?

(01-15-2019, 07:48 PM)fredtoast Wrote: BTW don't expect Taylor to get 4 first team All Pro's added in free agency like McVey got with the Rams.

Not trashing McVey, but I bet his record would be worse without those 4.

Nah, I wouldn't expect anything like that.  Maybe a scaled down but impressive for the Bengals haul--something crazy like a couple starters at points of glaring weakness.  Not mega money, just well spent money.  And God forbid, return on investment.

(01-15-2019, 07:46 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Players and assistant coaches move around from team to team all the time.  Brown and Tobin may not be the smartest, but they have been around so long they probably have more networking connections than most other teams.  Somebody they trust must have given a glowing recommendation for Taylor.  

That could explain why the inept Bengals front office has been sharp enough to make hires like Zimmer, Gruden, and even Hue as an OC.  It is easy to hate on him now based on his head coaching production, but our offense ran pretty well in '14 and '15 with Hue as OC.

I find it hard to believe that MB opens his checkbook and signs top tier free agents. Unless he does the Bengals will have to slay the draft. Too many holes to fill. 

(01-15-2019, 07:52 PM)Catmandude123 Wrote: I find it hard to believe that MB opens his checkbook and signs top tier free agents. Unless he does the Bengals will have to slay the draft. Too many holes to fill. 

You could get a couple guys right below the top tier and remake the fabric of this team almost instantly.  And then the draft is for finding good players and not a desperate search to fill a hole with every pick.

I can't help but see unprecedented say so going on for this guy.

(01-15-2019, 07:52 PM)Catmandude123 Wrote: I find it hard to believe that MB opens his checkbook and signs top tier free agents. Unless he does the Bengals will have to slay the draft. Too many holes to fill. 

He's got his checkbook out right now. He has to pay out the rest of the contracts to these coaches he's releasing and paying new ones.

(01-15-2019, 07:58 PM)Synric Wrote: He's got his checkbook out right now. He has to pay out the rest of the contract to these coaches he's releasing and paying new ones.

Yeah.  Imagine that.  Who saw all this coming?

I think he's going to get a say in that sense.

I mean, how many of us expected the Bengals to fire their HC, OC, and DC this year? So far they've fired 7 coaches (may be missing some).

It's going to be interesting to see who Taylor brings, and how many.

I'm also interested in seeing how the Bengals evolve this team all the way around. What aspect will Taylor value the most in building up?

(01-15-2019, 07:58 PM)Synric Wrote: He's got his checkbook out right now. He has to pay out the rest of the contracts to these coaches he's releasing and paying new ones.

Exactly, and when season ticket and merchandise sales start skyrocketing, the Bengals will for once be contributing to that big pot that is the NFL Revenue Sharing Pool.  I have a feeling that the next generation of Bengals Management understands the principle that it takes spending some money, in order to make more money.  Hopefully, us fans are rewarded with a winner for our life long loyalty.

I know Glenn was a trade instead of a free agent signing, but that make zero difference to Mike Brown's budget. Just last year be brought in one of the top ten paid OTs in the league.

$5 million for Brown doesn't seem like top tier money, but spotrac.com has him listed as a 4-3 MLB and his salary was 7th on that list. Don't know how many teams run a 4-3, but even among all ILB (4-3 and 3-4) his salary was 17th. That should be decent starter money. I think Brown's injury slowed him down, but his less than stellar play make people forget that he was not our usual over-the-hill has-been free agent LB.


One top tier free agent and another good starter from free agency would be pretty good this year.

(01-15-2019, 08:06 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Exactly, and when season ticket and merchandise sales start skyrocketing, the Bengals will for once be contributing to that big pot that is the NFL Revenue Sharing Pool.  I have a feeling that the next generation of Bengals Management understands the principle that it takes spending some money, in order to make more money.  Hopefully, us fans are rewarded with a winner for our life long loyalty.

Nobody knows how good he will be.  A lot of people in the know think a lot of him.  If you somehow do get "The Guy" and he's this young...And if you have ownership on board...you could be like a real NFL franchise.

(01-15-2019, 07:52 PM)Catmandude123 Wrote: I find it hard to believe that MB opens his checkbook and signs top tier free agents. Unless he does the Bengals will have to slay the draft. Too many holes to fill. 

(01-15-2019, 07:58 PM)Synric Wrote: He's got his checkbook out right now. He has to pay out the rest of the contracts to these coaches he's releasing and paying new ones.

He is definitely already opening the pocketbook with these coaching moves. I truly believe we are going to see a FO that is more aggressive in their attempt to improve this team. Mike Brown has a bugaboo and it’s the Cleveland Browns.

I cannot help but think that this Cleveland Browns resurgence has really ruffled Mike Browns feathers. The disdain he has for that franchise is unparalleled. Seeing that team make his Bengals look like the younger brothers two times this year was the final straw, and they were rubbing it in to boot.

I think the front office is more interested in turning it around than they have ever been.Things are already markedly different and I truly believe we may have the Cleveland Browns to at least partially thank for it. They poked the stubborn bear.

(01-15-2019, 08:07 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I know Glenn was a trade instead of a free agent signing, but that make zero difference to Mike Brown's budget.  Just last year be brought in one of the top ten paid OTs in the league.  

$5 million for Brown doesn't seem like top tier money, but spotrac.com has him listed as a 4-3 MLB and his salary was 7th on that list.  Don't know how many teams run a 4-3, but even among all ILB (4-3 and 3-4) his salary was 17th.  That should be decent starter money.  I think Brown's injury slowed him down, but his less than stellar play make people forget that he was not our usual over-the-hill has-been free agent LB.


One top tier free agent and another good starter from free agency would be pretty good this year.

It really did all start last year.  Nice to be taking the next step.

I would think it much too early to begin speculating on roster turnover. We haven't even announced the HC, and he hasn't named a staff of assistants. Much of what becomes of the current roster won't be determined until all of the coaching personnel are in place, and they have had an opportunity to review the current roster and determine who they feel fits into what the team is wanting to do, going forward.

(01-15-2019, 08:07 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I know Glenn was a trade instead of a free agent signing, but that make zero difference to Mike Brown's budget.  Just last year be brought in one of the top ten paid OTs in the league.  

$5 million for Brown doesn't seem like top tier money, but spotrac.com has him listed as a 4-3 MLB and his salary was 7th on that list.  Don't know how many teams run a 4-3, but even among all ILB (4-3 and 3-4) his salary was 17th.  That should be decent starter money.  I think Brown's injury slowed him down, but his less than stellar play make people forget that he was not our usual over-the-hill has-been free agent LB.


One top tier free agent and another good starter from free agency would be pretty good this year.

I will definitely give credit to Mike Brown for making that trade.

Sure, Glenn had a down year. But being able to grab a good OT (when healthy) and only moving down a few spots in the draft was a smart move.

I also did like Brown. Beginning of the year he was doing well. Granted he had some troubles in pass coverage, but other than that he was a very solid pickup and easily the Bengals best linebacker

(01-15-2019, 07:58 PM)Synric Wrote: He's got his checkbook out right now. He has to pay out the rest of the contracts to these coaches he's releasing and paying new ones.

Yeah he is paying peanuts. The rams are paying Donald, Gurley, Suh, Whitworth, Berry etc. and the difference is that money spent this year has made them legit contenders for the SB. MB isn't creative. He doesn't play to win he plays not to lose. Until he runs the team like other successful teams operate the Bengals will be also rans. 

(01-15-2019, 07:58 PM)Synric Wrote: He's got his checkbook out right now. He has to pay out the rest of the contracts to these coaches he's releasing and paying new ones.

Yes he did

(01-15-2019, 08:12 PM)The Real Deal Wrote: He is definitely already opening the pocketbook with these coaching moves. I truly believe we are going to see a FO that is more aggressive in their attempt to improve this team. Mike Brown has a bugaboo and it’s the Cleveland Browns.

I cannot help but think that this Cleveland Browns resurgence has really ruffled Mike Browns feathers. The disdain he has for that franchise is unparalleled. Seeing that team make his Bengals look like the younger brothers two times this year was the final straw, and they were rubbing it in to boot.

I think the front office is more interested in turning it around than they have ever been.Things are already markedly different and I truly believe we may have the Cleveland Browns to at least partially thank for it. They poked the stubborn bear.

I was skeptical about this at first but the more I think about it the more I think this theory has some merit.

It really depends on how aggressive the new HC (whoever that may be) out of the gate and what positions need upgraded within his sense of urgency and approach? This team can be fixed pretty quickly, but how you do it and what’s available are key factors. If we brought in 50 coaches (in theory) as HC, all would approach a different way. So here’s hoping we win the lottery.