Brown's ownership has been criticized for a lack of on-field success, his refusal to cede football operations to a general manager and the team's relationship with Hamilton County before and after a voter-approved tax increase to fund Paul Brown Stadium.
Before Bengals ownership
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| Paul Brown |
Brown eventually followed his father into football management. Paul Brown founded the Bengals, then an American Football League team, in 1968. (This was several years after Paul Brown was dismissed as Cleveland Browns head coach in a well-publicized falling out with Art Modell). Mike Brown began his executive duties with the Bengals as assistant general manager. Along with personnel decisions, he was a spokesperson for the team on issues of league rules and team policy.[4][5]
Taking over the team
Threats to move and a new stadium deal
In 1995, he announced that Cincinnati had breached its lease agreement when it was late by one week in paying $167,000 in concession receipts.[11] He threatened to move the team to Baltimore if Cincinnati or Hamilton County would not fund a new stadium.[12] The leverage of this threat proved successful as Cincinnati’s City Council and the Hamilton County Commissioners opted to fund the new Paul Brown Stadium with a proposed county sales tax increase, which needed voter approval. In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the building of a new facility for the Bengals and a second new facility for the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds.,[13] the Bengals filed suit against the County for the right to manage it in 2000.[14] County commissioners agreed to let a Bengals' subsidiary run the stadium[15] and it opened later that year.[16]
Rick Eckstein, co-author of "Public Dollars, Private Stadiums," describes the Hamilton County arrangement as "the single most lopsided stadium deal since 1993" and questions Bob Bedinghaus'[19] role with the team after having been County Commissioner when the deal was reached.[20] A 2008 Forbes survey suggests the team's rankings in direct revenues have dropped since the stadium's construction (placing the team 21st in total value at $941 million).[21]
The Bengals have requested that the County extend the lease for the stadium for 20 years, while Portune maintains his criticisms of the original agreement.[22][23]
Lack of on-the-field success
The Bengals hold a number of distinctions for the time frame of Brown's ownership: It is the only team with three nine-game-or-more losing streaks.[26] It also holds six of the twenty-five 0-6 starts (24%)[27] and four of the thirteen 0-8 starts (31%) in that time.[28] The Bengals have gone winless in October eight different times in twenty years under five different head coaches (Sam Wyche was originally hired by Paul Brown).
The most successful coach during Mike Brown's tenure is current coach Marvin Lewis with a .465 winning percentage (60-69-1). The Bengals won the AFC North Division in 2005 and 2009 (then losing to the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets respectively).
Philosophy
Brown is considered the de facto general manager of the team. In 2009, the Cincinnati Enquirer publicized details of testimony in a Hamilton County Probate Court trial over the $300 million estate of Austin Knowlton. Brown testified that he received a general manager bonus every year since he took over the team in 1991.[29] Due to the team's record under his ownership, Brown has been subject to criticism for his approach to the running the football side of the Bengals' organization.Tolerance of off field conduct
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| Chris Henry |
Later in 2008, the Bengals signed running back Cedric Benson, whom the Chicago Bears had waived, in part, due to his off-field activities.[36] In 2009, the team added Larry Johnson to provide depth for the position after the Kansas City Chiefs released him for "detrimental conduct."[37] Johnson had also experienced recent legal difficulties. Benson was among 2009's leading NFL rushers, while Johnson saw limited action.
Brown has commented that the league's current attitude towards discipline is a change from a past "boys will be boys" attitude.[38] Brown's father welcomed tailback Stanley Wilson back to the Bengals in 1988 after two drug suspensions. Wilson relapsed the night before Super Bowl XXIII[39] and his absence in short-yardage situations affected the Bengals' efforts in one of the closest Super Bowl games in history.[40]
Loyalty Issues
Brown is historically reluctant to fire personnel after multiple losing seasons. His first hire as head coach, David Shula, lost fifty games faster than any NFL coach in history (69 games).[41] Shula's successor, Bruce Coslet, resigned with a 21-39 record in 2000; Brown had yet to fire him.[42] Current head coach Marvin Lewis has two winning seasons out of eight in Cincinnati, two playoff appearances, and a 60-67-1 regular season record (0-2 playoff record). Nevertheless, Brown agreed to extend Lewis' contract shortly after its expiration at the end of the 2010 season.[43]Brown also values his family's connection with the franchise; evident in his choosing to name Paul Brown Stadium after his father rather than to sell corporate naming rights for it.[44] Daughter Katie Blackburn is the president of the team and her husband Troy is an executive VP with additional family members among the front office staff.[45] From 1994-2000, the Bengals paid out over $50 million to the Brown family members of Bengals staff in salaries.[46]
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| Boomer Esiason |
Scouting
Brown employs a small scouting staff. A 2008 comparison between the Bengals' scouting department and five AFC teams with a .540+ winning percentage since 1991 showed the winning teams employing five or more scouts whereas the Bengals employed only one.[48] In his first press conference as Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis claimed Brown assured him of a retooled scouting staff.[49]Emphasis on the quarterback
Brown has publicized his belief that a "bell cow" quarterback is a necessity in turning a team into a winner.[50] In a 1999 interview, he remarked "If you don't have a productive quarterback, you won't go anywhere...I know it doesn't seem that simple, but it is."[51] Comparing quarterbacks to other positions on a football team, Brown has said "He's the hub of the wheel...like a queen on a chessboard. These other guys are like rooks or bishops or other pieces that are not quite as valuable. Some are more valuable than others. That's just a fact."[52]Brown turned down then-Saints coach Mike Ditka's offer of nine draft picks for one in the 1999 NFL draft[53] against then-coach Coslet's advice. Coslet wanted as many draft picks as possible to help the Bengals' defense.[54] Instead, Brown overruled Coslet and selected University of Oregon quarterback Akili Smith.[55] Smith only played 22 games in his NFL career. Coslet later regretted that he "didn't insist hard enough" in trying to persuade Brown to accept the Saints' offer.[54]
Before the 1992 Draft, press reports stressed the Bengals' need for either a cornerback or defensive lineman.[56] Brown himself had been quoted the day before the draft as stating "we would dearly love to get a top defensive lineman, they're at a premium, and it's less true of other positions."[57] Instead, the Bengals selected Houston quarterback David Klingler. Then Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason and strong-safety David Fulcher both openly questioned the move the next day, arguing the team needed help on defense.[58] Klingler became an eventual bust. Esiason has since revealed that he had actually demanded a trade at the end of the 1991 season, which may have influenced Brown to select Klingler (Esiason was traded to the New York Jets in 1993).[59]
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| Carson Palmer |
"Carl Pickens Clause"
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| Lee Johnson |
In 2000, the Bengals instituted a "loyalty clause," which allows the Bengals to deny various bonuses to players depending on the remarks they make about the Bengals.[65] The ability to enact such a clause appears justified under the collective bargaining agreement which states an NFL team can fine a player one week's salary and suspend him without pay for up to four weeks for any action the club considers detrimental to the team.[66] Brown responded that the clause would only be enacted under extreme circumstances. He wrote an editorial for the Cincinnati Enquirer, citing team cohesion as his main motivation for the clause.[67]
It is often dubbed the "Carl Pickens Clause," stemming from the 2000 offseason. Brown renewed Bruce Coslet's contract despite his 21–36 Bengals record. Pickens responded, "I don't understand it. We're trying to win; we're trying to turn this thing around out there. And they bring (Coslet) back."[68] Pickens finished his career with the Tennessee Titans.
Over the years since the clause, Bengals players have commented on a negative atmosphere within the organization, notably Takeo Spikes,[69] Jeff Blake[70] and Jon Kitna.[71]
The most vocal critic of the Bengals since the clause was instituted was Corey Dillon.[72] In 2001, after becoming the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in five consecutive seasons, he remarked "at the end of the season, what do I have to feel good about? Nothing at all. It's not cool." After a fifth losing season with the team in 2002, he remarked ""I'm tired of it, six years of this B.S. I ain't lying to you. I'm sick of this crap, period."[71] Dillon demanded a trade at the end of 2003 and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.
Frugality
Agent Drew Rosenhaus described it as a "matter of hours" before the Bengals would sign Sapp, only a day before the Raiders signed him.[73] Sapp accused the Bengals of "playing with the money" on the original deal they offered him, deferring more money to incentives rather than in guarantees.[74] The Associated Press reported a completed trade between Cincinnati and the Detroit Lions on February 29, 2008 for Rogers.[75] However, the trade fell through and the next day, it was confirmed that the Lions instead traded Rogers to the Cleveland Browns. [2]
Fan Response
Who Dey Revolution (WDR)[79] has staged "Project Mayhem" since 2008 in an effort to persuade Brown to make changes to the Bengals. These steps ranged from calling the Bengals "JERK line"[80] to report Brown's behavior as abusive[81] to purchasing billboards displaying a request for a General Manager[82] to merchandise and ticket donations/boycotts[83] and letter-writing campaigns.[84] The website's purchase and distribution of 1000 urinal cakes at a Bengals' home game advertised Brown's lifetime regular season record of 98-186-1 to that point.[85]
WDR publishes a comic strip titled "The Lost Generation", presenting Mike Brown in a Charlie Brownesque caricature, presumably to correlate Brown's track record to the famous cartoon character's history of hard luck and failure.[86]
Despite these protests, the Bengals have remained popular within Cincinnati. A November 21, 2010 game vs. the Buffalo Bills marked the first time since November '03 that network affiliates and DirectTV were legally obliged to "black out" the Bengals game within a 75-mile radius of Paul Brown Stadium for lack of ticket sales. The remaining home games against the New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, and San Diego Chargers were also blacked out.[87] Prior to this, the team sold out 57 straight games, a club record.
Responses to criticism of Brown
Several people cast Mike Brown sympathetically in response to fan and media criticism. After a surprising upset of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003, Marvin Lewis tearfully awarded the game ball to Brown and told his players "he has put up with so much for you guys."[88] Former Bengals dismiss notions that Brown is unconcerned with winning. Boomer Esiason, now a CBS analyst, refers to Brown as a "nice man" who is simply over his head running the team.[89][90] In 1998 interviews, Cris Collinsworth and Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham also rejected notions that Brown did not care about winning. Collinsworth remarked "I don't think anybody could be suffering more over this than Mike is."[47]Personal life
Brown is considered somewhat reclusive although he occasionally grants interviews, mostly to discuss offseason moves with the Bengals. In 2008, Brown and the Bengals donated $250,000 to assist the Cincinnati Park Board in paying for Cincinnati Riverfront Park.[91]
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