The two Mike Brown Eras - Why there is still Hope for the 2nd but time is running out

[BonnieBengal]

(04-25-2017, 11:36 AM)depthchart Wrote: I break down Mike Brown's Ownership into 2 distinctive Eras.

Era 1:
The first ERA was the Train wreck that lasted for basically 2 decades.
The train spent the 1990's decade and half of the 2000's decade in a seemingly constant state of Keystone Cops style yearly wrecks that left fans without Hope. These same fans, however, could not stop Rubbernecking the crash sites. Small glimmers of hope would come through Drafts but Lucy would always pull the Football away. Enter Marvin Lewis and Carson Palmer in 2003 and things got better but Mike Brown's 1st Era still had not ended. The best chance for winning big was actually happening during the 2005 season up until Carson Palmer and Chris Henry both left the Home Playoff game versus the Steelers with injuries that wrecked the train again. The Steelers go on to the Super bowl while we pick up debris from the tracks again. This didn't end Mike Brown's 1st Era. It ends a few years later when Carson Palmer demands a trade and Marvin Lewis demands more Control.

Era 2:
It begins with Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown at odds after Lewis 2010 contract with the Bengals had expired.
Mike Brown had to be a little taken aback when Marvin didn't jump for joy at the chance of signing a new Contract.
The hang up. Marvin wanted more CONTROL. The ERA changer was Mike Brown ceding that Control.
Marvin agrees to a New Deal with more Power to determine the players on the Roster. Mike Brown's 1st era is over.

Enter Andy Dalton and AJ Green in 2011 and 5 straight Playoff appearances. Of those 5 Playoff teams, I see only 2 that were really built up enough and ready to maybe make a run. The team that lost to the Chargers at home and the best team of the 5 which went 8 and 0 to start the season in 2015 only to have Andy Dalton who was leading the MVP race in the minds of many at the time go down with injury. Even without Dalton that team was good enough to take the Super bowl winning Denver Broncos to overtime in Denver that could have changed Playoff seeding and had the Steelers on the ropes in the Playoff game with AJ McCarron versus Big Ben.

The 2015 team was a PEAK ROSTER team and we soon lost experienced players like Andre Smith, Reggie Nelson, Marvin Jones, Sanu, Leon Hall going into the 2016 season. Then Tyler Eifert spends a big chunk of the 2016 season injured, AJ Green injured, Gio Bernard injured. Players like Tyler Boyd and Shawn Williams spent half the season learning while even a veteran like Brandon Lafell had to adjust to his new team. Couple that with a Brutal early season schedule, a New Offensive Coordinator and 2016 becomes the first season since 2011 that we miss the Playoffs in Era #2.

I see the 2015 team as a PEAK ROSTER team that was BUILT UP to starting in 2011.
2016 saw a depletion of that Roster bringing us OFF of the Roster Peak.
I think we have bottomed out Roster Wise as of right now with the loss of Whitworth and Zeitler.
Andre Smith has been brought back to ease the loss of Zeitler and now the Bengals need to NAIL this offseason to start climbing up that hill again towards another Roster Peak season. It will be in a ROSTER PEAK season that any real Playoff runs are made and that will also require Health.

I have not given up on ERA #2.
Mike Brown is 81 years old so Era #2 has limited time to pan out. It won't last very many years longer.
I would like to see Mike get at least one more ROSTER PEAK team that stays healthy to see if the Train could finally make it to the Station. It would be an Amazing way to end the Madness.
An IRONIC ending to see Charlie Brown actually kick the Football before Lucy pulls it away.

Great post. This is why I voted for you as best new poster.