Do You Think the Brown Family Feels Embarrassed?

[Wes Mantooth]

Kind of an oddball question, I know. But this is something I've wondered for quite some time.

Do you think Mike, Katie, Troy, or Duke (basically family) has any shame whatsoever? Do you think they ever feel embarrassed or humilated by just how terrible at their jobs they are?

I honestly don't think they really do. I do think they feel disappointed, and I'm sure they realize they could do better. But I doubt they feel as embarrassed as they should.

I think they probably rationlize it by either blaming the people underneath them (coaches and players), or by attributing it to bad luck or bad breaks (just like a lot of posters do here sometimes).

I just don't know how you could continue to throw out such a piss-poor product and never really look at youself being part of the problem.

Like, how do these people take themselves seriously? How do they go into an owners meeting, or meets with agents or the media, and not realize they're a complete joke to everyone else? Do they not understand how stupid they look continuing to do the things that they do?

I don't know, guys. It just seems so odd. If they did feel shame or embarrassment they'd obviously do something to correct it. They'd acknowledge they need help and aren't capable of doing this themselves. They bring in new people to the Front Office and change their entire approach.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope someone like Duke Tobin knows just what a loser he is at his job. I hope Mike and Katie feel incredible embarrasment that this is what they offer to this city. I hope Troy knows he has no business being anywhere around the game of football. I hope they all know they're underqualified for what they do, and that everyone knows it.

I just can't imagine being one of these people and not doing something to make improvements, and to make myself look better in the process. Not caring is taken to entirely different level when you're at the top of a 2 billion company, in a sport that's under a microscope and watched by millions. But that's what it appears to be, they just don't give a shit what anyone thinks.

[tBengal]

No, the Bengals are a way for them to make money. Now i’m sure they’d like to win and prefer to win but it doesn’t really matter because they can’t be fired. They say talent skips a generation so hopefully Katie is better at the helm because Mike Brown is an apple that fell way far from the tree.

[Geno_Can_Dunk]

One thing I've learned in life is that trying to read other peoples' minds is a losing proposition.

But having said that, I think the psychology of somebody in their position is most likely to blow up their accomplishments and minimize their failures. Like, "well we had a few championship calibre teams under Marvin, but we got unlucky in the first round, as happens in football." And "sure we've had some epically bad seasons, but so do some other teams [Lions for instance], and that's because at the time we didn't know X. And now we've figured out X so the road to winning is just around the corner."

Like they look at AZ and say to themselves, "their history of success isn't much better than ours, but they hit on the right QB and the right coach and whiz-bang, look at them now. So we're really just a few key ingredients away." And they're probably very worried they made the wrong decision in Zac, but knowing they have their QB in place re-assures them the puzzle is half complete.

As for whether they "feel embarrassed," well that's impossible to say. I'm just trying to speculate what somebody in a leadership position says to themselves when things aren't going well.

[Nicomo Cosca]

Doubtful. They probably look at the Browns, Lions, Bills, etc and rationalize that it’s not just us. Instead they should be looking at teams like the Pats, Steelers, and Seahawks, and striving to do things exactly like they do.

[Geno_Can_Dunk]

(12-05-2020, 01:26 PM)tBengal Wrote: No, the Bengals are a way for them to make money. Now i’m sure they’d like to win and prefer to win but it doesn’t really matter because they can’t be fired. They say talent skips a generation so hopefully Katie is better at the helm because Mike Brown is an apple that fell way far from the tree.

Duke, Katie and Troy are already at the helm, and it has been a few years since Mike Brown had any real control of this team. Last time I saw him in a press conference, when they introduced Zac, he looked every bit of his 85 years. (And he didn't hire Zac). 

[tBengal]

(12-05-2020, 01:34 PM)Geno_Can_Dunk Wrote: Duke, Katie and Troy are already at the helm, and it has been a few years since Mike Brown had any real control of this team. Last time I saw him in a press conference, when they introduced Zac, he looked every bit of his 85 years. (And he didn't hire Zac). 

Yes, and as I said I’m hoping she ends up being better than her father.

Edit: Taylor hire isn’t looking promising for them

[Destro]

Most of the nation have no idea who the family is. Jerry Jones gets worse press and he actually has rings.

[*bengalfan74*]

(12-05-2020, 01:14 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I think they probably rationlize it by either blaming the people underneath them (coaches and players), or by attributing it to bad luck or bad breaks

This
MB fancies himself a football guru. Everything that's went wrong is someone else's fault. 

[Big Boss]

We have heard time and time again that Mike Brown really wants to build a winner here. Sorry to say, I don't see evidence of it.

Prove it to us now and get this clown head coach out of here.

[*michaelsean*]

Nah. In the end the family is worth a billion dollars and that’s what counts. Winning is a happy accident for them.

[RunKijanaRun]

Hell no

[GreenCornBengal]

“Zac’s made progress, we are no longer the worst team in the NFL, and that’s something to be proud of.”

[Wire22Wire]

(12-05-2020, 01:14 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Kind of an oddball question, I know. But this is something I've wondered for quite some time.

Do you think Mike, Katie, Troy, or Duke (basically family) has any shame whatsoever? Do you think they ever feel embarrassed or humilated by just how terrible at their jobs they are?

I honestly don't think they really do. I do think they feel disappointed, and I'm sure they realize they could do better. But I doubt they feel as embarrassed as they should.

I think they probably rationlize it by either blaming the people underneath them (coaches and players), or by attributing it to bad luck or bad breaks (just like a lot of posters do here sometimes).

I just don't know how you could continue to throw out such a piss-poor product and never really look at youself being part of the problem.

Like, how do these people take themselves seriously? How do they go into an owners meeting, or meets with agents or the media, and not realize they're a complete joke to everyone else? Do they not understand how stupid they look continuing to do the things that they do?

I don't know, guys. It just seems so odd. If they did feel shame or embarrassment they'd obviously do something to correct it. They'd acknowledge they need help and aren't capable of doing this themselves. They bring in new people to the Front Office and change their entire approach.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope someone like Duke Tobin knows just what a loser he is at his job. I hope Mike and Katie feel incredible embarrasment that this is what they offer to this city. I hope Troy knows he has no business being anywhere around the game of football. I hope they all know they're underqualified for what they do, and that everyone knows it.

I just can't imagine being one of these people and not doing something to make improvements, and to make myself look better in the process. Not caring is taken to entirely different level when you're at the top of a 2 billion company, in a sport that's under a microscope and watched by millions. But that's what it appears to be, they just don't give a shit what anyone thinks.

They do not

It’s because it’s Cincinnati. Cincy sports fans are lemmings and just eat mediocre/shit with a grin on their faces

The bungles are the marquee laughingstock nfl franchise over the last 30 years.

Same w the baseball team a mile up river.

The browns don’t care. They try to be incompetent and have zero standards or care or plan to succeed

[HarleyDog]

I think you can really only be embarrassed when you realize you’ve done something stupid. The Brown family believes in everything they do.

[Fan_in_Kettering]

The Family has been seriously grifting for half a century. They’ve made a fortune from Paul Brown’s respected name and career.

[Bilbo Saggins]

Once or twice every 30 years or so they'll get a 2015 season or a 2005 season where they can really pat themselves on the back.  They're awesome!  

These people are surrounded by ass kissers, hand maids, servants, obedient butlers, and fellow nepotist heirs who are well trained to just massage their egos and never talk about anything of substance.  Their football team could never win a game from now until the sun burnt out and they'd still be billionaires, still be able to take as many vacations as they want, still drive the nicest cars, still afford the best healthcare, and still be publicly relevant...even if they were TRYING to fail.  No I don't think that they feel that they've ever done anything imperfectly.  They probably believe that they could colonize mars if only the peasants of the world would break their backs with more enthusiasm.  

"For nothing can seem foul to those that win." - William Shakespeare

[Yojimbo]

People born with silver spoons in their mouth rarely feel embarrassed, think they’re wrong or self-reflect.

[t3r3e3]

Hard No. If they felt embarrassed they would have moved all the smooth brains into the ticket office, concessions, or some inconsequential dept. and hired actual football minds to run the front office. And, let the front office hire a scouting department, hire the coaching staff, etc. If embarrassment were a thing this would have happened around 1998 or 9 when it was obvious Mike, his brother, and kids had no clue what they were doing.

Here we are 30 years into this circus and the Family, along with Detroit and the Browns, sport the worst record in the NFL over that time period. They are not embarrassed, nor are they ashamed. All the kids have jobs, they have a guaranteed revenue stream, own a product that will increase in value no matter how bad they bungle the operation, and they can’t be fired for incompetence.

[*psychdoctor*]

The short answer is no. The Brown family do not feel humiliated or embarrassed probably due, in their eyes, to the rich heritage the Bengal franchise historically represents. In other words, they are proud.

They would point out that the Brown family patriarch, Paul Brown, is considered one of the greatest innovators of today's NFL. Ironically, the first coach to hire full time staff and developed play books for players. Basically turned meetings into a classroom and used film to scout and game plan. In 1981, Paul Brown approved the coolest helmets in the NFL. The franchise went to the Super Bowl twice and came close to winning in both games. The Brown family will point out that the Browns, Lions, Texans, and Jags have never even played in the Super Bowl. Mike Brown has stated that winning in the NFL is tough for 31 of the 32 teams, and there is only one champion team.

There was a time when the front office saw themselves as a small family owned business. The Brown children probably see themselves as underdogs of sorts going up against BIG corporations types in the NFL in big market cities. If this is the case, it is more of a Red Herring than truth. Bidwell, Rooney, Halas, and others have been family owned since 1930s or so. The CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) in 2011 was huge because teams now have salary cap minimums, requiring clubs to spend an average of at least 89% of the salary cap (if my understanding is correct). It also ended "two-a-days" by the way. The cap in theory provides opportunity for small market teams to compete with the big boys. Again, in theory. Using the "small family owned business" going up against big market cities is no longer an excuse. Mike Brown has publicly stated that something to the effect that the fans deserves a winner, a championship. Yet you cannot fire GM who is the owner of a team. Even if Katie is now in charge and wanted things to change, to modernized the team, she cannot fire her father. Quite frankly, the Brown Family excuses over the last 30 years are void. When Paul Brown died in 1991, part of the franchise died with him; at least the football aspects.

If you had a business, lets say selling shoes. And that business was guaranteed to make money, would things need to change?

Even if you were horrible at sales, and produced inferior quality shoes that made your business the laughingstock of all shoe retails yet your bottom line would not change. Would things need to change? It sure would make some complacent, even if they had some pride, especially if you ignored all social media and negative reviews of your product.

[BigPapaKain]

Even if they do, I'm sure the piles of dirty cash dry a lot of ***** tears.