Be curious for them to do the chiefs Shouldn't the team leaders and veterans on the team be the main ones that establish, create and maintain a positive, tough, gritty, supportive culture. Who are those key leaders that uplift and show belief and inspire individuals to play their best (not as individuals racking up some stats) but as a team.... giving their all to win AS A TEAM. Because I see the opposite in how Burrow and Ja'Marr have handled things. Trey hendricksob gave credit to teammates in helping him get his stats after the raider game and was supportive of McPherson when asked about Evan missing those 2 field goals after chargers game Burrow acting all sorry for himself is a terrible look (especially when he doesn't acknowledge that his preferences/choices of Burrow ball requires expensive weapons, makes things difficult on the OL and the RBs and the skill players and make the offense too predictable)... bc Mahomes could have done the same in 2021, 2022, 2023 and in 2024. Instead Mahomes adapted and overcame a very cheap/financially responsible front office. Mahomes could have said "were not talented enough" everytime they lost another key player this season. Did Mahomes call out the chiefs when they didn't pay and traded Tyreek in 2021 or Sneed in 2024. or didn't pay juan thornhill in 2022 or willie gay in 2023 or others? Or when the chiefs refuse to pay any WR to keep them around like MVS or refusing to trade for and pay Kupp $26M (because that's too expensive lol). Or when the chiefs only bring back players cut by other teams and sitting on their couch like Juju and Kareem Hunt and only sign players that are cheap outside Mahomes and now Chris Jones and some OL... yes, Travis Kelce is a very cheap weapon at $17M per year (his highest contract as a chief... he made $12M for years and $10M for years). When Travis was making $12M a couple years ago, he said it would be nice to make more but they didn't give him more or even top TE money until last year Or when Chris Jones sat out of games last year because Jones thought he could force the chiefs front office into paying exactly what he wanted and exactly when he wanted to be paid... but it didn't work... so Jones played the rest of his contract year without the new contract he tried to demand. And then the chiefs gave his new contract when they wanted to... which was after playing on his last year of his contract And that's just some examples of Mahomes handling a very cheap/financially responsible front office trying to spend within the framework of what they actually bring in each year... instead of over spending and taking out loans against future earnings they hope to have Mahomes and Josh Allen went through this same defensive issues when their offenses had shootouts because their defenses were struggling. But did Mahomes and Josh Allen come to the podium every week saying "we're not talented enough" or what was the difference when they had the same struggles. I'd say that 30 of 32 teams could easily say the same bc almost all teams have holes they have to overcome and after the superbowl 31 of 32 teams could say "they're not talented enough"
As a Jaguars fan I'm confused at how we can have the first overall pick in every in-season mock draft, a historically disappointing season, and not be one of the first teams discussed. With that said, I'm going to listen to this video at least three times in the next week.
You guys mentioned at the end doing something like this but for the good teams and how they got there, and that feels like a great set up for "Franchise Fixed: Detroit Lions", especially if they finish the job this year
I'll buy a hat! Also another idea for a stream is to do either a fantasy draft with addicts on madden or warzone lobbies with addicts! Love the content as always!
Hate to be the draft police but trevor gave their 2023 draft an A-, loving the murphy pick. If Murphy was what trev hoped then they would be in alot better spot.
During the draft process Murphy had been projected much higher, I remember most places viewing that as a high value eating your vegetables type pick for their D-Line. He's just another ceiling type 1st Rd pick that hasn't manifested
Most teams behind them would have picked the exact same guy. It's like the Chiefs or Eagles also picking Dlinemen late in that same draft class. At that point there is not much left so just pick whatever pass rusher you have left on your board and hope for the best.
Every Bengals fan knew that Passing on Creed Humphrey and drafting Jackson Carmen was a terrible decision the second we drafted Carmen and it’s been detrimental to this team.
Bengals fan here- my belief is their top priority for both FA & Draft should be the trenches. Offensively- they need to get more athletic at G. Go get Trey Smith in FA. Draft another G. Do that, they can control the clock on O. Defensively they need a pass rusher, NT, S. For the pass rusher, they don't need another athlete with traits but doesn't have college production (myles murphy), has to have production for a RD 1 pick. Having a big dominant NT is a big part of Lou's defense. So is a smart S with range. Draft a 5th round power RB. If they upgrade at G to where they can run the ball (like the Lions), letting Tee walk is acceptable (it would be great if they could keep him but not at the expense of the trenches). They don't need a big play WR2. An Adam Thielen type consistent chain mover with good hands would be just fine. The Bengals Super Bowl teams of the 80s were balanced on Offense, had great offensive lines. They need to get balance so its not all on Joe.
As a bengals fan, you guys have the front office dynamic 100% correct. Whenever a current or former player talks about their experience with the ownership or upper management, I cringe. I honestly wonder if Mike Brown just doesn’t have enough cash to gurantee modern day players the guarantees they want. They just seem to operate in old ways and don’t want to change. While they have evolved a little bit from how they used to be, they still are behind other franchises. I find it unbelievable that the scouting department is so small how you guys mentioned. I like how you guys addressed FA and cut Rankins and Hubbard. Also enjoyed both the mocks. Maybe you guys can just fall into the ‘senior player personnel’ position in Cincinnati.
Sorry for the spamming comments and venting but I’ve been a fan of this team my whole life and love football and it is maddening watching this organization and coaching staff waste away career years from Burrow, Chase, and Hendrickson when we’re supposed to be competing for the Super Bowl.
For the TJ Sanders pick he may be lighter but remember the Bengals used to have Geno Atkins who was an undersized IDL and is arguably a HOF. Maybe they would look back to that and want to take Sanders.
Appreciate you guys, getting me through 2 am bottles feeding my 3 week old son. My question is you fix franchises and mentioned how a franchise got good. Im wondering can you do a take your team to the Super Bowl. I’m a Washington fan and they seem like they are much closer this year and I’d love to see you guys take them from good to chiefs level. You guys are great, thanks for all the content.
Trey Hendrickson gets $21M per year, plays 60-65% snaps every year to keep him fresh and because he doesn't like/isn't great at stopping the run Maxx Crosby gets $23.5M per year, plays 95% snaps. Maxx got a brand new $23.5M per year contract in 2022 Myles Garrett= $25M per year TJ Watt= $28M per year, 90% of defensive snaps plus he plays special teams when blocking important kicks Please explain how Trey is significantly underpaid Average per year from over the cap
You know who won’t be in this episode series any time soon? The Pittsburgh Steelers. Culture is everything and when you have a small front office, low national/global appeal, you’re not exactly the sexiest FA option. You can throw all the money you want but like the Steelers, they don’t wanna throw money either. But they manage it smartly and well and while the Bengals have been to a SB more recently, 3 coaches in the last 6 decades ain’t an accident. Just sayin. Great eppy boys
It's interesting looking at the coaching staff, Zac is an offensive minded coach and this has been Burrows best year. The team puts up a lot of points...However, his record is really bad. Bengals are an organisation who won't keep their premium talent, because we're stuck in a stone ages with how contracts are done, so it's a really hard place to win at. Have to hit on every draft to be competitive. It's really demoralising to root for this team
Be curious for them to do the chiefs Shouldn't the team leaders and veterans on the team be the main ones that establish, create and maintain a positive, tough, gritty, supportive culture. Who are those key leaders that uplift and show belief and inspire individuals to play their best (not as individuals racking up some stats) but as a team.... giving their all to win AS A TEAM. Because I see the opposite in how Burrow and Ja'Marr have handled things. Trey Hendrickson gave credit to teammates in helping him get his stats after the Raiders game and was supportive of McPherson when asked about Evan missing those 2 field goals after chargers game Burrow acting all sorry for himself is a terrible look (especially when he doesn't acknowledge that his preferences/choices of Burrow ball requires expensive weapons, makes things difficult on the OL and the RBs and the skill players and make the offense too predictable)... bc Mahomes could have done the same in 2021, 2022, 2023 and in 2024. Instead Mahomes adapted and overcame a very cheap/financially responsible front office. Mahomes could have said "were not talented enough" everytime they lost another key player this season. Did Mahomes call out the chiefs when they didn't pay and traded Tyreek in 2021 or Sneed in 2024. or didn't pay juan thornhill in 2022 or willie gay in 2023 or others? Or when the chiefs refuse to pay any WR to keep them around like MVS or refusing to trade for and pay Kupp $26M (because that's too expensive lol). Or when the chiefs only bring back players cut by other teams and sitting on their couch like Juju and Kareem Hunt and only sign players that are cheap outside Mahomes and now Chris Jones and some OL... yes, Travis Kelce is a very cheap weapon at $17M per year (his highest contract as a chief... he made $12M for years and $10M for years). When Travis was making $12M a couple years ago, he said it would be nice to make more but they didn't give him more or even top TE money until last year Or when Chris Jones sat out of games last year because Jones thought he could force the chiefs front office into paying exactly what he wanted and exactly when he wanted to be paid... but it didn't work... so Jones played the rest of his contract year without the new contract he tried to demand. And then the chiefs gave his new contract when they wanted to... which was after playing on his last year of his contract And that's just some examples of Mahomes handling a very cheap/financially responsible front office trying to spend within the framework of what they actually bring in each year... instead of over spending and taking out loans against future earnings they hope to have Mahomes and Josh Allen went through this same defensive issues when their offenses had shootouts because their defenses were struggling. But did Mahomes and Josh Allen come to the podium every week saying "we're not talented enough" or what was the difference when they had the same struggles. I'd say that 30 of 32 teams could easily say the same bc almost all teams have holes they have to overcome and after the superbowl 31 of 32 teams could say "they're not talented enough"
The other issue for the Bengals is that if you’re not going to pay big money in FA even to your own draft picks like Bates and Tee then you need to trade them for picks to get some value and give you a better chance of hitting on another good player but the Bengals don’t do either. So they essentially double handi cap themselves in FA and in the draft.
I was hoping for this episode but not sure it was gonna happen. Always appreciate your guys' takes on my team, I feel like you get them more than most. Now please handle the 2025 draft for Cincy! Lmao
Great video I would much rather see them move on from Duke than Zac. They already have Trey Brown in the building who has done good things with New England and Philly.
Y'all are the best for doing this! I know I've been begging for this for like 5 weeks now 😅 As far as the front office goes, it's a complete dumpster fire. I wish they would sell the team to a competent owner because it feels like this has been cyclical for the entirety of the Bengals existence in which they luck into a great QB and WR, (see Palmer and Chad, Anderson and Joiner) but let the roster fall apart when they become good enough to reach a SB. This current iteration has the top players, but it feels like ownership and FO can't keep up with the current demands of modern NFL franchises. Having 3 scouts in 2024 is a failure that cannot be stressed enough. Other teams are running circles around us in the draft while we trade up to draft players like "Zach Carter" and draft players like Jackson Carman when the educated fans were screaming for Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. We will never be a successful franchise as long as the Browns and Blackburns are in charge of the team and it saddens me deeply
Also, letting our best players go year in and year out is devastating. We lost Zeitler and Whitworth in the same offseason(the line has never been the same since), Jessie Bates, DJ Reader, and now Higgins and Hilton. As far as the coaching staff, I can't stand Zac Taylor. He has no fire, no grit, and comes off as incompetent when it comes to personnel decisions. I feel like he rode Burrow and Chase's coat tails to the SB and now won't be viable to be cut for 3 more years because of that. Pitcher has brought forward some nice things and brought back the explosiveness to the offense. Anarumo has coached himself out of a job this year as his "bend don't break" defense has completely broken down. Anarumo has never had a top defense in this league and continues to show that if he doesn't have the talent, he can't get the best out of who's there on the roster.
As a Bengals fan, I appreciate you guys consistently referencing how many of these decisions you make would not be made by the Bengals (cuz that’s the reality). I just wish you went one step further and explained how them not doing those types of moves is unacceptable in todays NFL and is malpractice
Whatever cap number you think the bengals have to use subtract that number by $10-$20 million. The bengals never spend to the cap and always roll over $10 - $20 million.
Your analysis is the same as mine. If they can get Belichick, do that. Otherwise just play it out with Zac. I would be happy with Vrabel but I don't think they can afford him.
So the assumption in Cincy was that we didn’t resign Bates because we wanted to secure Tee AND Chase. They went and got Orlando Brown for decent money which is was decent all around. But I think that’s why we are somewhat one of the few teams that has two wrs making top money room
A good video idea would be to review the cardinals draft class and how it impacted there season. With it being such a large draft class and so many picks top 100. Would be interested to see your thoughts on how they used this draft capital
The thing with not signing guys over 30 is that for the most part they avoid the high money busts in FA but it’s a double edged sword because if a guy is a very good player usually the team that drafted them extends them and they never hit the open market for their 2nd contract unless you get into a situation like Trey Hendrickson because NOLA is always in cap hell and even then people thought Trey was just a merchant off of Cam Jordan. We have to get lucky in FA to get an impact player whereas other teams just go out and get the impact players because they operate like a modern franchise.
The Chase contract situation pisses me off so much. The Bengals went to Chase to initiate the contract. Chase was fine with $90 million guaranteed while Justin Jefferson’s deal was $110 guaranteed. Chase was essentially giving you a $20 million discount on the guaranteed money and signing him that year earlier would’ve given you more cap flexibility because you could’ve spread out the money over that extra year. But the Bengals didn’t come to terms over 1 year difference in when the guaranteed money would vest. It’s maddening rooting for this terrible, stupid, and cheap organization.
I think the main issue that nobody realises is that Mike Brown doesn’t have any money outside of the Bengals, all of the other owners are millionaires and billionaires outside of football too. Mike’s only major money comes from owning the bengals franchise
Near the end of the season, we NEED a FYF Commanders addition. I know that they are exceeding expectations, but they are still a very weak roster, and I think it would be a good exercise to look at a "Year 2" of a rebuild
The 2021 draft haunts me. I remember drafting Carman over Samuel, Barmore, and Cosmi as well as McPherson and Hill over Trey Smith… looks even worse now
1:25:29 Are you guys just assuming Nick Emmanwori won't be there in the 3rd when you are ignoring him as a potential safety pick there? Or are you just low on him? Because I would be surprised if it was the latter. Dude looks like a baller to me.
@@TampaBayTre That makes a lot of sense now. Did see he's posting a 89.8 coverage grade in the article you put out the other day tho. Intriguing stuff on top of all of the physical tools. Also, thanks for the reply. I think it's cool you guys take the time to look through the comments and interact with us supporters. Team NFL Stock Exchange forever ❤
Tobin has been in the organization since '99. He's been in his position since 2002 (ignore Wikipedia). See football reference for clarification. Mike has given up some degree of control to Tobin, Troy & Katie (Mikes Daughter) Blackburn. Bottom line this is the family business, there's no outside support financially from any other business making the owner more money. Therefore they go cheap in alot of ways because all their money comes from this business. They don't mind paying higher salaries in many cases but hate giving out big guaranteed money (Jessie Bates), don't pay big money to certain positions (guard, safety, etc) don't like to pay for quality veteran backups (prefer to fill those spots with cheap draft picks), don't always cut cheap draft picks when they're clearly crap. They had to wait to pay Ja'Marr because of guaranteed money. They will pay him.
I'd try to hang on to BJ Hill, he's been a good player for the Bengals. The rest of the D-line is releasable outside of the younger players and Hendrickson. I think you have to sign a mid to high-end D-lineman/ and draft another. I think Corner is fine. Safety is bad though. They should have stayed with Jordan Battle this year and let him develop, instead went with retread players that sucked. So long to von bell and Geno Stone. Find a good safety in the draft. The defense has to be rebuilt this year!
I never felt so bad for Joe , he is having a MVP type of season and won’t get recognized for it. Plus I wanted tha team to make the playoffs because I believe that is the team that can stop Kansas City from a 3 peat
For what it's worth, Controller is an extremely common accounting leader title. Idk that it deserves to be on the Front Office page, but it's far from made up.
Bengals fans thoughts: This organization does really need to update the front office. They don’t give guaranteed contracts that’s why the Jamarr contract wasn’t signed. I don’t think anything will change but I think Duke and his team may be on the hot seat, he definitely is with fans. I don’t think Zac is a good coach but unless he completely loses the locker room there’s no way he’s gone. I think Lou and a plethora of position coaches may be gone, no young players anywhere have developed and most of them aren’t even getting significant snaps. So Lou is probably gone. No one in the fan base thinks we’ll resign Tee unfortunately but hopefully we can get a tag and trade 2nd or 3rd round pick at least for him. Rankins is cut, Hubbard should be cut, Stone should be cut, Cappa needs to be cut cause that’s a 9 mil saving I believe(he sucks), I wouldn’t be super surprised if the bengals also maybe move on from a guy like Germaine Pratt just because he’s getting paid and not really producing at all. Hendrickson should be extended but this team prolly won’t unfortunately. This team constantly lets stars walk and then spends so much draft capital and money trying to find a replacement they would’ve been better off just keeping them in the first place. I hope we can bring back BJ or Mike Hilton but I’m not sure if we will. I think Davis-Gathers is back but you never know. I’d love Calais Campbell but bengals fans wanted him bad last year and the front office didn’t seem to be interested at all. Safety and D line are definitely targets for free agents and if we can grab a guard too I’d be happy. If Tee is done we probably need to get another receiver or a higher caliber TE. Either draft is fine by me. Just gotta go get some d line help for sure and probably a safety. The interior o line and really the o line depth in general is so terrible I really would be fine trading back and getting like 3 3rd round interior lineman. They would all honestly probably start immediately that’s how bad it is. Could use another wr or rb obviously but really I think the trench play is way more important at the moment. Great vid boys WHO DEY
Do you guys watch Mel Kiper and Field Yates first draft show? If you do have you heard Field say he’s hearing and believes that Nussmeier well go back to LSU instead of the draft?
The only real reason to fire Zac Taylor is the consistent slow starts to seasons and that’s on coaching not getting them ready during training camps and ota’s.
Slightly pedantic, bu Duke did not start as director of player personel in 99, the Wikipedia page is wrong. He joined the organization in 99, and was elevated to his current role in 2002. Many of his current responsibilities were still held by Mike Brown at that time, and Mike has gradually moved much of his work to Duke and Katie over the last 2 decades. The organization is now essentially headed by a troika, with Katie taking care of the money (and holding the most power), Duke picking the talent, and Zac as coach. I suspect that Duke is often hamstrung by the Katie's determination to not "overpay" the teams valuation of a player
In 2021 Detroit let Kenny Golladay walk while only signing smaller free agents like Anzalone and Jamaal Williams to get the top comp pick which they used on Kerby Joseph, I 100% believe this is what Cinci is going to try to do with Tee Higgins
the inverse episode might be like Anatomy of a ___ ... like i would say anatomy of a champion but ya gotta wait for super bowl to be over -- but y'all could really lean into the role good drafting plays in building good teams
I think the problem with bengals is long term. At some point Mike brown has to make changes to the hierarchy. With a healthy Joe Burrow there’s going to be competitive. If they continue to keep the same hierarchy then what?
You know your season is cooked when the NFLSE guys do a Fix Your Franchise video on your team lol
Grim reaper door meme 😂
Be curious for them to do the chiefs
Shouldn't the team leaders and veterans on the team be the main ones that establish, create and maintain a positive, tough, gritty, supportive culture. Who are those key leaders that uplift and show belief and inspire individuals to play their best (not as individuals racking up some stats) but as a team.... giving their all to win AS A TEAM. Because I see the opposite in how Burrow and Ja'Marr have handled things. Trey hendricksob gave credit to teammates in helping him get his stats after the raider game and was supportive of McPherson when asked about Evan missing those 2 field goals after chargers game
Burrow acting all sorry for himself is a terrible look (especially when he doesn't acknowledge that his preferences/choices of Burrow ball requires expensive weapons, makes things difficult on the OL and the RBs and the skill players and make the offense too predictable)... bc Mahomes could have done the same in 2021, 2022, 2023 and in 2024. Instead Mahomes adapted and overcame a very cheap/financially responsible front office. Mahomes could have said "were not talented enough" everytime they lost another key player this season. Did Mahomes call out the chiefs when they didn't pay and traded Tyreek in 2021 or Sneed in 2024. or didn't pay juan thornhill in 2022 or willie gay in 2023 or others? Or when the chiefs refuse to pay any WR to keep them around like MVS or refusing to trade for and pay Kupp $26M (because that's too expensive lol). Or when the chiefs only bring back players cut by other teams and sitting on their couch like Juju and Kareem Hunt and only sign players that are cheap outside Mahomes and now Chris Jones and some OL... yes, Travis Kelce is a very cheap weapon at $17M per year (his highest contract as a chief... he made $12M for years and $10M for years). When Travis was making $12M a couple years ago, he said it would be nice to make more but they didn't give him more or even top TE money until last year
Or when Chris Jones sat out of games last year because Jones thought he could force the chiefs front office into paying exactly what he wanted and exactly when he wanted to be paid... but it didn't work... so Jones played the rest of his contract year without the new contract he tried to demand. And then the chiefs gave his new contract when they wanted to... which was after playing on his last year of his contract
And that's just some examples of Mahomes handling a very cheap/financially responsible front office trying to spend within the framework of what they actually bring in each year... instead of over spending and taking out loans against future earnings they hope to have
Mahomes and Josh Allen went through this same defensive issues when their offenses had shootouts because their defenses were struggling. But did Mahomes and Josh Allen come to the podium every week saying "we're not talented enough" or what was the difference when they had the same struggles. I'd say that 30 of 32 teams could easily say the same bc almost all teams have holes they have to overcome and after the superbowl 31 of 32 teams could say "they're not talented enough"
As a giants fan it’s a given at this point we get one every year
F N Right brother
As a Jaguars fan I'm confused at how we can have the first overall pick in every in-season mock draft, a historically disappointing season, and not be one of the first teams discussed. With that said, I'm going to listen to this video at least three times in the next week.
There are so many issues with Jacksonville, that even if they were the first video they wanted to do, they're still probably making it.
Cuz yall kept trent baalke
It’s coming!!
It’s impressive how bad you’ve guys been im sorry this team is so disappointing for you guys
Gonna be the first four hour episode in the history of NFLSE
Would absolutely buy a hat. I think you guys would sell beer koozies well too.
⬆️
I’d buy the coozie…
You guys mentioned at the end doing something like this but for the good teams and how they got there, and that feels like a great set up for "Franchise Fixed: Detroit Lions", especially if they finish the job this year
Merch? Absolutely. Hats? Hell yeah brothers.
Learning Trevor played the greatness that was Destiny 1 made me very happy
That team page section was way funnier than it should’ve been
Dude Connor was BAMBOOZLED when he laid eyes on that front office page 😂
I'll buy a hat! Also another idea for a stream is to do either a fantasy draft with addicts on madden or warzone lobbies with addicts! Love the content as always!
Oh shit am I first? Wasn’t expecting a bengals fix your franchise but I ain’t complaining.
Hate to be the draft police but trevor gave their 2023 draft an A-, loving the murphy pick. If Murphy was what trev hoped then they would be in alot better spot.
During the draft process Murphy had been projected much higher, I remember most places viewing that as a high value eating your vegetables type pick for their D-Line. He's just another ceiling type 1st Rd pick that hasn't manifested
His comp was Sam Hubbard which honestly not a first rd pick
Most teams behind them would have picked the exact same guy. It's like the Chiefs or Eagles also picking Dlinemen late in that same draft class. At that point there is not much left so just pick whatever pass rusher you have left on your board and hope for the best.
Destiny reference on the Stock Exchange??? Yeah I knew I liked y’all 🤣🤣
I fuckin love destiny that shit made me laugh
Waiting on the Cayde-6 scouting report. I see first round talent, but, bad in the building from a team construction standpoint
@@brettnaves8962”Connor, get your Mock off my map”
D1 forever. What a game
@@brettnaves8962 Connor, get your mock off my map😂
Every Bengals fan knew that Passing on Creed Humphrey and drafting Jackson Carmen was a terrible decision the second we drafted Carmen and it’s been detrimental to this team.
Fr low key cost us a superbowl(s)
Have a midterm to study for. This'll really help me get through the first part of the all-nighter
Dooope, good luck dude
Bengals fan here- my belief is their top priority for both FA & Draft should be the trenches. Offensively- they need to get more athletic at G. Go get Trey Smith in FA. Draft another G. Do that, they can control the clock on O. Defensively they need a pass rusher, NT, S. For the pass rusher, they don't need another athlete with traits but doesn't have college production (myles murphy), has to have production for a RD 1 pick. Having a big dominant NT is a big part of Lou's defense. So is a smart S with range. Draft a 5th round power RB. If they upgrade at G to where they can run the ball (like the Lions), letting Tee walk is acceptable (it would be great if they could keep him but not at the expense of the trenches). They don't need a big play WR2. An Adam Thielen type consistent chain mover with good hands would be just fine. The Bengals Super Bowl teams of the 80s were balanced on Offense, had great offensive lines. They need to get balance so its not all on Joe.
As a bengals fan, you guys have the front office dynamic 100% correct. Whenever a current or former player talks about their experience with the ownership or upper management, I cringe. I honestly wonder if Mike Brown just doesn’t have enough cash to gurantee modern day players the guarantees they want. They just seem to operate in old ways and don’t want to change. While they have evolved a little bit from how they used to be, they still are behind other franchises. I find it unbelievable that the scouting department is so small how you guys mentioned. I like how you guys addressed FA and cut Rankins and Hubbard. Also enjoyed both the mocks. Maybe you guys can just fall into the ‘senior player personnel’ position in Cincinnati.
I genuinely thought the construction noises were queued because Connor said “renovation” right as they started 😂
Crazy stat: Joe Burrow has 2156yds 18 tds and only 2 ints in JUST GAMES THEY LOST.
That is nuts. Such a shame they’re wasting this season
This situation reminds me of Drew Brees on those early to mid 2010s Saints teams
He should demand a trade or retire.
Sorry for the spamming comments and venting but I’ve been a fan of this team my whole life and love football and it is maddening watching this organization and coaching staff waste away career years from Burrow, Chase, and Hendrickson when we’re supposed to be competing for the Super Bowl.
For the TJ Sanders pick he may be lighter but remember the Bengals used to have Geno Atkins who was an undersized IDL and is arguably a HOF. Maybe they would look back to that and want to take Sanders.
Appreciate you guys, getting me through 2 am bottles feeding my 3 week old son. My question is you fix franchises and mentioned how a franchise got good. Im wondering can you do a take your team to the Super Bowl. I’m a Washington fan and they seem like they are much closer this year and I’d love to see you guys take them from good to chiefs level. You guys are great, thanks for all the content.
Trey Hendrickson gets $21M per year, plays 60-65% snaps every year to keep him fresh and because he doesn't like/isn't great at stopping the run
Maxx Crosby gets $23.5M per year, plays 95% snaps. Maxx got a brand new $23.5M per year contract in 2022
Myles Garrett= $25M per year
TJ Watt= $28M per year, 90% of defensive snaps plus he plays special teams when blocking important kicks
Please explain how Trey is significantly underpaid
Average per year from over the cap
You know who won’t be in this episode series any time soon? The Pittsburgh Steelers. Culture is everything and when you have a small front office, low national/global appeal, you’re not exactly the sexiest FA option. You can throw all the money you want but like the Steelers, they don’t wanna throw money either. But they manage it smartly and well and while the Bengals have been to a SB more recently, 3 coaches in the last 6 decades ain’t an accident. Just sayin. Great eppy boys
31:55 crazy shot at Andrew Wiggins out of left field
The D1 days were magical
I truly miss it
As a bengals fan I love this discussion because it gives me hope. Who Dey! I’ll take a hat
It's interesting looking at the coaching staff, Zac is an offensive minded coach and this has been Burrows best year. The team puts up a lot of points...However, his record is really bad. Bengals are an organisation who won't keep their premium talent, because we're stuck in a stone ages with how contracts are done, so it's a really hard place to win at. Have to hit on every draft to be competitive. It's really demoralising to root for this team
Be curious for them to do the chiefs
Shouldn't the team leaders and veterans on the team be the main ones that establish, create and maintain a positive, tough, gritty, supportive culture. Who are those key leaders that uplift and show belief and inspire individuals to play their best (not as individuals racking up some stats) but as a team.... giving their all to win AS A TEAM. Because I see the opposite in how Burrow and Ja'Marr have handled things. Trey Hendrickson gave credit to teammates in helping him get his stats after the Raiders game and was supportive of McPherson when asked about Evan missing those 2 field goals after chargers game
Burrow acting all sorry for himself is a terrible look (especially when he doesn't acknowledge that his preferences/choices of Burrow ball requires expensive weapons, makes things difficult on the OL and the RBs and the skill players and make the offense too predictable)... bc Mahomes could have done the same in 2021, 2022, 2023 and in 2024. Instead Mahomes adapted and overcame a very cheap/financially responsible front office. Mahomes could have said "were not talented enough" everytime they lost another key player this season. Did Mahomes call out the chiefs when they didn't pay and traded Tyreek in 2021 or Sneed in 2024. or didn't pay juan thornhill in 2022 or willie gay in 2023 or others? Or when the chiefs refuse to pay any WR to keep them around like MVS or refusing to trade for and pay Kupp $26M (because that's too expensive lol). Or when the chiefs only bring back players cut by other teams and sitting on their couch like Juju and Kareem Hunt and only sign players that are cheap outside Mahomes and now Chris Jones and some OL... yes, Travis Kelce is a very cheap weapon at $17M per year (his highest contract as a chief... he made $12M for years and $10M for years). When Travis was making $12M a couple years ago, he said it would be nice to make more but they didn't give him more or even top TE money until last year
Or when Chris Jones sat out of games last year because Jones thought he could force the chiefs front office into paying exactly what he wanted and exactly when he wanted to be paid... but it didn't work... so Jones played the rest of his contract year without the new contract he tried to demand. And then the chiefs gave his new contract when they wanted to... which was after playing on his last year of his contract
And that's just some examples of Mahomes handling a very cheap/financially responsible front office trying to spend within the framework of what they actually bring in each year... instead of over spending and taking out loans against future earnings they hope to have
Mahomes and Josh Allen went through this same defensive issues when their offenses had shootouts because their defenses were struggling. But did Mahomes and Josh Allen come to the podium every week saying "we're not talented enough" or what was the difference when they had the same struggles. I'd say that 30 of 32 teams could easily say the same bc almost all teams have holes they have to overcome and after the superbowl 31 of 32 teams could say "they're not talented enough"
NFLSE merch is a need 🙏🙏
The other issue for the Bengals is that if you’re not going to pay big money in FA even to your own draft picks like Bates and Tee then you need to trade them for picks to get some value and give you a better chance of hitting on another good player but the Bengals don’t do either. So they essentially double handi cap themselves in FA and in the draft.
I was hoping for this episode but not sure it was gonna happen. Always appreciate your guys' takes on my team, I feel like you get them more than most. Now please handle the 2025 draft for Cincy! Lmao
Great video I would much rather see them move on from Duke than Zac. They already have Trey Brown in the building who has done good things with New England and Philly.
Please Jacksonville next 🙃
For real! We are a hot mess
Hell yes u guys need merch
Would definitely get some NFLSE merch. Logo would look great on a hoodie.
Y'all are the best for doing this! I know I've been begging for this for like 5 weeks now 😅 As far as the front office goes, it's a complete dumpster fire. I wish they would sell the team to a competent owner because it feels like this has been cyclical for the entirety of the Bengals existence in which they luck into a great QB and WR, (see Palmer and Chad, Anderson and Joiner) but let the roster fall apart when they become good enough to reach a SB. This current iteration has the top players, but it feels like ownership and FO can't keep up with the current demands of modern NFL franchises. Having 3 scouts in 2024 is a failure that cannot be stressed enough. Other teams are running circles around us in the draft while we trade up to draft players like "Zach Carter" and draft players like Jackson Carman when the educated fans were screaming for Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. We will never be a successful franchise as long as the Browns and Blackburns are in charge of the team and it saddens me deeply
Also, letting our best players go year in and year out is devastating. We lost Zeitler and Whitworth in the same offseason(the line has never been the same since), Jessie Bates, DJ Reader, and now Higgins and Hilton.
As far as the coaching staff, I can't stand Zac Taylor. He has no fire, no grit, and comes off as incompetent when it comes to personnel decisions. I feel like he rode Burrow and Chase's coat tails to the SB and now won't be viable to be cut for 3 more years because of that. Pitcher has brought forward some nice things and brought back the explosiveness to the offense. Anarumo has coached himself out of a job this year as his "bend don't break" defense has completely broken down. Anarumo has never had a top defense in this league and continues to show that if he doesn't have the talent, he can't get the best out of who's there on the roster.
As a Bengals fan, I appreciate you guys consistently referencing how many of these decisions you make would not be made by the Bengals (cuz that’s the reality). I just wish you went one step further and explained how them not doing those types of moves is unacceptable in todays NFL and is malpractice
Hangars was the underrated goat drop of Verdansk
Move over mock draft simulator, the defcon system is this pods greatest battle
Lmaooo
Whatever cap number you think the bengals have to use subtract that number by $10-$20 million. The bengals never spend to the cap and always roll over $10 - $20 million.
Ha never noticed that 😂
destiny 1 reference fortnite reference man yall just took me down a road of nostalgia
16:49 tech guy here, the controller is actually very important right below the CFO when it comes to handling money.
Think you mean comptroller.
tech guy might have a virtual finance controller in the cloud
We missed a lot on high picks before burrow too, which should still be very stable or good or great players now, if you draft right.
Your analysis is the same as mine. If they can get Belichick, do that. Otherwise just play it out with Zac. I would be happy with Vrabel but I don't think they can afford him.
D1 raids sound like the more ideal outcome tbh
The godfather for low moving costs 😭 😭
So the assumption in Cincy was that we didn’t resign Bates because we wanted to secure Tee AND Chase. They went and got Orlando Brown for decent money which is was decent all around. But I think that’s why we are somewhat one of the few teams that has two wrs making top money room
Hell yeah been waiting for this
A good video idea would be to review the cardinals draft class and how it impacted there season. With it being such a large draft class and so many picks top 100. Would be interested to see your thoughts on how they used this draft capital
The thing with not signing guys over 30 is that for the most part they avoid the high money busts in FA but it’s a double edged sword because if a guy is a very good player usually the team that drafted them extends them and they never hit the open market for their 2nd contract unless you get into a situation like Trey Hendrickson because NOLA is always in cap hell and even then people thought Trey was just a merchant off of Cam Jordan. We have to get lucky in FA to get an impact player whereas other teams just go out and get the impact players because they operate like a modern franchise.
You should grade the Fix Your Franchise teams' moves sometime post-draft, pre-summer scouting
Hats would be dope
Trevor is a destiny player? Favorite podcast confirmed
Hello, guardian
The Chase contract situation pisses me off so much. The Bengals went to Chase to initiate the contract. Chase was fine with $90 million guaranteed while Justin Jefferson’s deal was $110 guaranteed. Chase was essentially giving you a $20 million discount on the guaranteed money and signing him that year earlier would’ve given you more cap flexibility because you could’ve spread out the money over that extra year. But the Bengals didn’t come to terms over 1 year difference in when the guaranteed money would vest. It’s maddening rooting for this terrible, stupid, and cheap organization.
merch before christmas??
I need a hoodie stat
Da bois!! Sad day for a bengals fan
Dukes dad also was a part of the bengals front office
Ah! I didn’t know this. Makes even more sense now
@ he held the same role as Duke in Chicago from 87-92 Indy 94-96, Detroit 01-02. Then worked privately for Mike Brown also helped Duke get the job.
@ he held and executive role with the bengals Bill Tobin that is.
Bill Tobin, who was 83, joined the Bengals as a scouting consultant in 2003 and worked in the team’s player personnel department through 2022.
Fix The Jaguars.....if that is even possible
i don't think it is.
(hopeful answer was given by a Texans fan, so extremely biased 😂)
The Verdansk locations :')
You better get international delivery on these hats!
I think the main issue that nobody realises is that Mike Brown doesn’t have any money outside of the Bengals, all of the other owners are millionaires and billionaires outside of football too. Mike’s only major money comes from owning the bengals franchise
Lol the raider owner is in the same spot
@@khanhnguyen-tt3ffAnd he’s having to sell 15% of the team to help fund it
Love the trade down draft.
Near the end of the season, we NEED a FYF Commanders addition. I know that they are exceeding expectations, but they are still a very weak roster, and I think it would be a good exercise to look at a "Year 2" of a rebuild
Count me in for a hat!
Who else had the Cowboys & Bengals getting a FYF before the Jags & Panthers? Not me!
Trevor can you get L2 and L3 Oracles? I’ve gotta run relic
This makes me so happy
Connor calling out Verdansk WZ locations lmao
Like a vet!!
The 2021 draft haunts me. I remember drafting Carman over Samuel, Barmore, and Cosmi as well as McPherson and Hill over Trey Smith… looks even worse now
HELL YEAH BROTHER. (would rock a NFLSE trucker hat).
1:25:29 Are you guys just assuming Nick Emmanwori won't be there in the 3rd when you are ignoring him as a potential safety pick there? Or are you just low on him? Because I would be surprised if it was the latter. Dude looks like a baller to me.
I like Nick as a box safety. I feel they need more of a true coverage/deep safety
@@TampaBayTre That makes a lot of sense now. Did see he's posting a 89.8 coverage grade in the article you put out the other day tho. Intriguing stuff on top of all of the physical tools. Also, thanks for the reply. I think it's cool you guys take the time to look through the comments and interact with us supporters. Team NFL Stock Exchange forever ❤
I wonder if the Fins try to come up for a Ward or Shadeur to replace Tua and his health issue
Hell yeah I’d wear a hat
Tobin has been in the organization since '99. He's been in his position since 2002 (ignore Wikipedia). See football reference for clarification. Mike has given up some degree of control to Tobin, Troy & Katie (Mikes Daughter) Blackburn. Bottom line this is the family business, there's no outside support financially from any other business making the owner more money. Therefore they go cheap in alot of ways because all their money comes from this business. They don't mind paying higher salaries in many cases but hate giving out big guaranteed money (Jessie Bates), don't pay big money to certain positions (guard, safety, etc) don't like to pay for quality veteran backups (prefer to fill those spots with cheap draft picks), don't always cut cheap draft picks when they're clearly crap. They had to wait to pay Ja'Marr because of guaranteed money. They will pay him.
lets go addicts
In the Kermit/Mahomes voice:
"We're here!!!!"
hell yeah i would buy a hat
I'd try to hang on to BJ Hill, he's been a good player for the Bengals. The rest of the D-line is releasable outside of the younger players and Hendrickson. I think you have to sign a mid to high-end D-lineman/ and draft another. I think Corner is fine. Safety is bad though. They should have stayed with Jordan Battle this year and let him develop, instead went with retread players that sucked. So long to von bell and Geno Stone. Find a good safety in the draft. The defense has to be rebuilt this year!
Can’t see Belichek being an option. He’ll want too much control. Also, won’t he want to bring McDaniels?
I never felt so bad for Joe , he is having a MVP type of season and won’t get recognized for it. Plus I wanted tha team to make the playoffs because I believe that is the team that can stop Kansas City from a 3 peat
For what it's worth, Controller is an extremely common accounting leader title. Idk that it deserves to be on the Front Office page, but it's far from made up.
Bengals fans thoughts:
This organization does really need to update the front office. They don’t give guaranteed contracts that’s why the Jamarr contract wasn’t signed. I don’t think anything will change but I think Duke and his team may be on the hot seat, he definitely is with fans.
I don’t think Zac is a good coach but unless he completely loses the locker room there’s no way he’s gone. I think Lou and a plethora of position coaches may be gone, no young players anywhere have developed and most of them aren’t even getting significant snaps. So Lou is probably gone.
No one in the fan base thinks we’ll resign Tee unfortunately but hopefully we can get a tag and trade 2nd or 3rd round pick at least for him. Rankins is cut, Hubbard should be cut, Stone should be cut, Cappa needs to be cut cause that’s a 9 mil saving I believe(he sucks), I wouldn’t be super surprised if the bengals also maybe move on from a guy like Germaine Pratt just because he’s getting paid and not really producing at all. Hendrickson should be extended but this team prolly won’t unfortunately. This team constantly lets stars walk and then spends so much draft capital and money trying to find a replacement they would’ve been better off just keeping them in the first place.
I hope we can bring back BJ or Mike Hilton but I’m not sure if we will. I think Davis-Gathers is back but you never know.
I’d love Calais Campbell but bengals fans wanted him bad last year and the front office didn’t seem to be interested at all. Safety and D line are definitely targets for free agents and if we can grab a guard too I’d be happy. If Tee is done we probably need to get another receiver or a higher caliber TE.
Either draft is fine by me. Just gotta go get some d line help for sure and probably a safety. The interior o line and really the o line depth in general is so terrible I really would be fine trading back and getting like 3 3rd round interior lineman. They would all honestly probably start immediately that’s how bad it is. Could use another wr or rb obviously but really I think the trench play is way more important at the moment.
Great vid boys WHO DEY
Do you guys watch Mel Kiper and Field Yates first draft show? If you do have you heard Field say he’s hearing and believes that Nussmeier well go back to LSU instead of the draft?
Fix the bears plz!
Please do Browns next
The only real reason to fire Zac Taylor is the consistent slow starts to seasons and that’s on coaching not getting them ready during training camps and ota’s.
Could Ben Johnson be swayed to lead the Bengals?
Slightly pedantic, bu Duke did not start as director of player personel in 99, the Wikipedia page is wrong. He joined the organization in 99, and was elevated to his current role in 2002. Many of his current responsibilities were still held by Mike Brown at that time, and Mike has gradually moved much of his work to Duke and Katie over the last 2 decades. The organization is now essentially headed by a troika, with Katie taking care of the money (and holding the most power), Duke picking the talent, and Zac as coach.
I suspect that Duke is often hamstrung by the Katie's determination to not "overpay" the teams valuation of a player
In 2021 Detroit let Kenny Golladay walk while only signing smaller free agents like Anzalone and Jamaal Williams to get the top comp pick which they used on Kerby Joseph, I 100% believe this is what Cinci is going to try to do with Tee Higgins
I actually died laughing when Connor didn’t want to give the bengals Jack sawyer after cutting Hubbard 😅 they look too similar
plz do my panthers next.
Need a Patriots ep
As Kollmann said, "kidnapping the Bengals front office? Easier than you might think"
If you double dip at edge, then are you completely out on Myles Murphy?
No. We still need 4-5 guys and Murphy hasn't been that bad, just not 1st rounder good.
I still dream about Vrabel or Billy B
Bengals fan here. Most of this is sad and true
the inverse episode might be like Anatomy of a ___ ... like i would say anatomy of a champion but ya gotta wait for super bowl to be over -- but y'all could really lean into the role good drafting plays in building good teams
I would absolutely rock a hat
Safety has the same issue of Lou refusing to play the young guys to develop them even though the current starters are terrible.
I think the problem with bengals is long term. At some point Mike brown has to make changes to the hierarchy. With a healthy Joe Burrow there’s going to be competitive. If they continue to keep the same hierarchy then what?
If the Seahawks drop 2 of the next 3, I request a Seahawks fix your franchise, please!
No idea how bears haven’t been done yet