Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Bengals Q&A with Mark Curnutte
It's unpopular to praise Mike Brown
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Write anything even remotely complimentary about Bengals president Mike Brown, and these are the types of responses you receive:
Question, from Dale in Glendale, Calif.: How much is Mike Brown paying you?
In a league designed for parity, he has consistently put a losing team on the field while bilking the taxpayers of Hamilton County.
Now, despite his arrogance and incompetence, they have won a few ballgames. And you write about how modest he is, not taking credit? It has taken pathological mismanagement on the part of Mike Brown for them to amass the record the Bengals have over the last decade.
If you're going to be a journalist, get your facts straight and put your pom-poms away.
Answer: Funny, I don't remember writing any defense of the decisions Brown made to hire Dick LeBeau as coach in December.
Q, from Henry in Mitchellville, Md.: As a long-suffering Bengals fan, I'm very happy about the 4-4 start. However, I have no confidence that the Bengals will have consistent success due to Mike Brown's incompetence. Will this man ever sell the team? I hope so.
A: No. The Bengals will remain in the Brown family for many generations, and Mike Brown worked very hard to ensure it.
Q, from Brian in Atlanta: I hardly ever see a game on TV, so I listen to them. During the Jacksonville game, the announcers kept talking about how bad the refs were. How bad were they?
A: It was the worst-officiated NFL game I'd ever seen. Besides the blown pass-interference call on Artrell Hawkins, there were inconsistencies on holding, clipping and other penalties, all of which went the Jaguars' way. That crew should be ashamed of itself. Credit LeBeau and his players for not using the officiating as an excuse.
Q, from Trey in Fishers, Ind.: I'm hearing a lot of talk about Akili Smith being exposed in the expansion draft. Do the Bengals save any money by letting him get taken by the Houston Texans?
Everyone talks about the Pro Bowl ability of Takeo Spikes. What about Brian Simmons reaching the Pro Bowl?
A: Smith's salary would go with him to Houston.
There is an ongoing discussion about who's more valuable, Spikes or Simmons. They're different kinds of players and both outstanding in their own ways. Simmons is a well-spoken man, but he's not as flamboyant as Spikes. Spikes has received more national attention to this point. Both are deserving of recognition, which will come when the team wins more.
Q, from Bill in Edgewood: Does Mr. Brown understand that (Jon) Kitna's slow starts cost us games? He's a one- to two-quarter player. A .500 season is not going to satisfy Bengals fans.
A: Brown would like to have another dominant quarterback such as Ken Anderson or Boomer Esiason. But Kitna deserves some respect for what he has accomplished in Cincinnati. The Bengals are averaging more than 200 yards a game passing after ending last season at 122. Brown obviously likes Kitna, or he wouldn't have signed him.
Q, from Kevin in Milford: With the new Houston Texans expansion team coming in, will the Bengals ever play them, or what division will the Texans be in?
A: The Texans will be in the AFC South with Jacksonville, Tennessee and Indianapolis. The Bengals will play at Houston in 2002.
Q, from Bob in Orange County, Calif.: What do you make of the Bengals tight end situation? It seems every year we end up with Tony McGee, and while he has been consistent, he's been unspectacular and unproductive. We drafted a TE in the third round this year (Sean Brewer), but we haven't heard much about him. Are the Bengals high on his potential?
A: Yes, they like Brewer, or they wouldn't have invested a third-round pick on him. They considered him the best route-runner and pass catcher available and like how he can stretch the field in the middle. He was put on the Injured Reserve list before the season because of a groin/abdominal injury.
Q, from Les in Niagara Falls, N.Y.: If Boomer Esiason is selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, might it pave the way for Ken Anderson?
A: Anderson belongs in the Hall and would be if the Bengals had won the 1982 Super Bowl. Esiason, although an outstanding NFL quarterback, does not, even if the Bengals had won the Super Bowl with him playing seven years later.
Q, from Jimi in Matthews, N.C.: When will Mike Brown realize that to get to the next level, we have to finally start investing more heavily in the offensive and defensive lines?
A: Again, for fear of saying anything nice about Brown, he did draft defensive end Justin Smith in the first round and signed veteran left tackle Richmond Webb in free agency. Brown busted the bank to sign Smith, and until Sunday at Jacksonville, Webb had played extremely well.
Q, from Mark in Virginia Beach (formerly of Cincinnati): It doesn't matter if the Bengals go to the playoffs for five straight years. I would never forgive Mike Brown for making our city and our team the laughingstock of the country every year. Do you think he'll pass on the team to another Brown/Blackburn? Maybe talent/common sense/pride skip generations in their family.
A: The plan is for Brown's daughter, executive vice president Katie Blackburn, to take over the team when he retires. Mike Brown has given increasing power to his son, club vice president Paul H. Brown; Blackburn; and her husband, Troy Blackburn, in the past few years.
Q, from Jim in Landen: You mention that Kitna might be the long-term solution at quarterback and that the Bengals should draft a mid-round quarterback to develop behind Kitna and (Scott) Mitchell. Give us the straight answer: Have the Bengals totally written Akili Smith out of the picture?
A: Only the Bengals can say for sure. LeBeau has said good things about Smith's work habits and maturity since the quarterback's demotion. But if I had to say yes or no, I would say the Bengals have written off Smith. There are just unspoken vibes I get from being around the organization.
Q, from Vicky in Hamilton: What college did Dave Lapham attend?
A: Syracuse University. He was in the broadcast school and was a classmate of Bob Costas.
Q, from Tim in Appleton, Wis.: Wouldn't the Bengals be riding high right now with Neil O'Donnell? He is great on short/intermediate stuff; he wouldn't throw deep, but Kitna doesn't, either. I still see the Bengals' biggest offensive shortcoming as QB.
A: O'Donnell appeared to care more about his completion percentage than winning, which could explain why he always threw short. Kitna has been a good fit at quarterback and makes many unseen contributions that have played a part in the team's modest turnaround. He is a leader, and he understands offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski's passing scheme because he played in it in Seattle.
Q, from Brian in Brunswick, Ohio: Just curious as to your opinion on this: Although the team has banked on Kitna as the quarterback of the future, what is your opinion of him so far?
A: See above, and I've probably been more public than anyone about the possibility that Kitna is the future, not just a stopgap solution. He's only 29 and has several years of NFL experience.
He may not be the answer, but with the players the Bengals have put around him, Kitna is in a position to be the most productive Bengals quarterback since Esiason.
I know the Jeff Blake lobby will disagree, and while Blake had a Pro Bowl season, he benefitted from having two great receivers, Darnay Scott and Carl Pickens, plucking his rainbow passes from the sky. Blake was not the team-oriented player that Kitna is.
Mark Curnutte covers the Bengals for the Enquirer. He can be reached at mcurnutte@enquirer.com. Please include neighborhood or hometown. Read more questions and answers at Cincinnati.com keyword: Curnutte.
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Bengals Q&A with Mark Curnutte