RED ROCKET!

The ability is there with regards to the cap but is it there cash-wise? And even if the Browns (one of the NFLs poorest ownership groups, btw) CAN shell out that much cash, will they?

Assuming they will, you still have to make good use of resources. You're going to have a hard time convincing Bills or Chiefs fans that Joe not only NEEDS Chase but needs Higgins, too. They're built almost the opposite of the AFCs other good teams and will continue to be if they aren't selective.

Plus they'd really dig Jo's outfits out in SF. So there's that.

As crotchety and unchanging as he's been, his granddaughters are actually the ones that have changed his mind on some things recently, that have made them actually look like an NFL franchise. Those were all off-field things but at least it brought them into the 21 century.

On field, things are moving slower but the FA class of '21 was a major change.

I don't know if his death will bring much more movement because his daughter is the one that has run the team as much as anyone and along with her husband, treated Andrew Whitworth like shit at the end of his Bengals career.

I think there's a chance...a chance...that things start to change when he's completely out of the picture but more than anything, and this is kind of silly, the immense black cloud that seems to hang over this team will finally be gone.

The only thing that has ever looked "Scripted" was the AFCC against the bengals where Mahomes had maybe one of his best Halves in football, followed by the biggest epic meltdown.

One common denominator.

Mike Brown.

Do you remember Shula over Cowher?

Here you go…

To my previous post, it's one thing to tie up cap. If they were to sign Chase and Higgins to somewhat standard deals, they're looking at $20-25M, if that, for a cap hit in 2025. They will have plenty of cap space.

The problem for the Bengals ownership is that standard, back loaded deals almost always come with a bunch of up-front guarantees. They're looking at having to pay them way north of $100M just to sign. Do they have $250M in cash to actually do it? And if they do, will they want to spend that much in one off-season?

I'd be hard pressed to be a Bengals fan right now. Burrow is obviously one of the very best QBs in the game. His offense is loaded and it's exciting. The organizational dysfunction though is just astounding at times. They don't seem to be blazing the same trail that the guys on the field are. They don't seem to be making some of the bold moves that might be necessary. I mean let's face it, they have Burrow and Chase because they sucked bad enough to get those picks? What else have they really done?

I guess I just don't see much urgency from the Brown family.

Yes, they have the cash but as you said, will they? That's the major philisophical change that needs to happen.

Yes to your second point and it's why i keep saying they're trying to re-invent the wheel. It's almost a foregone conclusion that Tee will be re-signed. In a wierd, ironic twist of events, it's their penny-pinching that would allow them to sign both WRs and still put a team on the field to compete. Like i said before, they just need an average Oline and defense and they're competitive, but do they have the brains to find those players. the magic 8 ball isn't so sure right now.

I'd love for them to do things that have traditionally been sucessful for other NFL franchises, but they won't let me in the building to twist all of their stupid arms off.

Also, Joe Burrow is gonna have to suck it up some. He's got Chase. Allen watched his team trade away Diggs. Mahomes watched Tyreek Hill go to Miami.

Of course, if you can keep the guy and make it make sense financially, you want to do it. At the same time, how bad does Burrow want to win more than just Pro Bowl appearances?

I've been here since 1978. I can tell you exactly where i was when that announcement came over the radio.

More importantly, do you remember Gary Reasons patting Shula on the head while Shula was trying to yell at him during a game against the Steelers on MNF?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Update: The Bengals have had Orlando Brown Jr. for the last two seasons and the Bengals have missed the playoffs both of those seasons. <a href="https://t.co/tzXjNtarU0">https://t.co/tzXjNtarU0</a></p>&mdash; Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) <a href="https://twitter.com/Farzin21/status/1876315637078966740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That is some receipt-keeping.

Hey, don't pity me. I choose to support this team. :banghead:

All kidding aside, Mike Brown is only urgent about putting more nickels in the piggy bank.

Burrow has missed the playoffs three of his five NFL seasons… he’s done less with more.

An underachiever.