Confidence in Katie?

[McC]

(01-22-2018, 07:51 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: You're right in the sense that we haven't seen what she may or may not do with complete control - with Mike 100% out of the picture. However, I think it is fair look at what her role has been for at least the past few years, where she's been heavily involved in every aspect of day to day operations, as she talked about in this interview with Jenny Vrentas:


VRENTAS: Your dad has spoken about his role changing, telling a local TV station in 2014 that you and head coach Marvin Lewis run the team now. How has your role grown over the past several years?

BLACKBURN: There are two parts to it. One, things have grown in terms of what all we are doing. For example, marketing is much bigger; we didn’t even have a marketing department in 1990 or whatever it was. As the business has grown, I have become more involved and played a bigger role in some of those areas and overseeing them. And on the other side of it with my dad, he is involved in everything still, but he steps back and counts on us to really carry the ball on most things these days.

VRENTAS: There really weren’t examples of other daughters of owners taking on a role like you have, becoming involved in contract negotiations and the football operations side. How did you make that happen?

BLACKBURN: I love football and the NFL, and I think that football is a great business. I love the competitive side of it. I like the business side of it. And it just ties those together, as well as being involved in the community. To me, it was just such a unique business because it has those three aspects. And let’s face it: going to a football game is fun. Watching football is fun. Being involved in that has always seemed like a great opportunity. And then there is the family history part. I am honored to play a part and carry on the lineage. That means something to me. I am honored that I can do that.

VRENTAS: In 25 years working in the NFL, what’s the most important lesson you have learned?

BLACKBURN: The one thing that I probably feel has been ingrained in me, and I believe in, is looking out for the best long-term interests of the team. I want the Bengals to be a successful organization 50 years into the future, and so I firmly believe in stepping back and looking at the steps and decisions we are making to make sure we are not doing something that will just be beneficial this year, but work well for many years to come.

VRENTAS: Since you’ve taken the day-to-day reins, what are changes or the perspective you have brought to the table?

BLACKBURN: A lot of it comes down to communication and making sure there is the right communication between everyone who is involved. As the organization grows, you have to make some adjustments as you go along. I think we have tried to take a look at areas where, for whatever reason, there is room for improvement. You are always thinking, How can we do things better? We bring issues up for everyone to give input on and then hopefully make better judgments going forward as a result of making sure we are getting everyone’s thoughts.

VRENTAS: Speaking of issues to address, last season ended with another loss in the first round of the playoffs, and this one was an emotionally charged game against the rival Steelers in which some Bengals players lost their cool in the final minutes. How do you address that in the organization in order to move forward?

BLACKBURN: I do think you have to step back and look at the positives. We have a good team, a strong team, and it is always hard when the season ends, but the main thing is to go back and remind everybody of all the positives, and then you have to go forward and build on those.

VRENTAS: You have also been very patient with both Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis. Why do you believe those two people can lead the Bengals over that hump and toward a championship?

BLACKBURN: Games are hard-fought. We have done so many good things. And we have such a good team, we have good leadership, and I am obviously hopeful that we can take those things and get that playoff win here. But yeah, it is hard work every year, and you can’t just assume it is going to happen again. You have to go back and do all the hard things you did last season, and even if you win you still have to go back and do it, too. That’s what the season is about.

Guess that says it all.  Mike Brown 2.0.