Ask Jim Owczarski

[jowczarski]

Thanks for keeping this particular thread civil and for your patience, since I can’t always get here as regularly as I like - ☺ It’s been fun and I’ll for sure continue to do it.

Also, Happy New Year to all of you as well!



1. Is Paul Alexander's job in any danger (I think I know the answer)

Yes, you know the answer – but just because a coach isn’t fired doesn’t mean he isn’t evaluated. With the issues surrounding Bodine for years, now Ogbuehi (and to a lesser extent Fisher) it’s fair to take a hard look and maybe think about changing/improving techniques and styles. But the track record is good and no one said a word about the o-line, really, the last two years (aside from Bodine).



2. Does Art Modell firing Mike Brown's father still have an influence on him to this day? Namely his extreme patience with coaches?

Not sure about that direct correlation, but Mike does think that coaches are teachers and motivators. He does believe in giving them time. If he’s made a coaching change, it’s because he feels the players aren’t being taught properly or players have quit/been lost. He doesn’t feel that’s the case with this current group of coaches.

1. Is there any way you (the press), or the fans, have to gain access to the draft prospect projections that the NFL provides to the teams? I would really like to see that some time.

An NFL-produced dossier? I’m sure there is one, in some fashion, but no, we don’t get access to that. The teams do their own scouting and they’re already on to the freshman who played this year in college, so even if the league itself put something together (which I’m not sure they do) it would be nothing more than a reference point.

2. Have you been able to see the actual draft board that the Bengals have created in previous drafts?

Yes, I have seen it, in the physical sense. I’ve been in the room, and I’ve seen what it looks like.

3. Any whispers of the Bengals being interested in Malik McDowell, DE/DT from Michigan State?

Honestly, until the season is over they really don’t like to talk about players they’re evaluating. I’m sure they have players already on the board, but that will change with bowl injuries, underclassmen declaring, and then even free agency and years given to players there. We’ll start to get a better handle on this stuff after the players do their season-ending meetings with players on Sunday night and Monday.