Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Brian wolf wrote:Taylor and Burrow will decide this one. Brown might be it, until then because he took them from expansion to contenders but underachieved like the rest of them. Lewis had consistent winners but let his team become a circus ... We probably all agree that Shula was the worst.

Had Brown hired Walsh instead of Johnson, we can only imagine what he might have achieved but Brown could never throw money around like DeBartalo, so Walsh would have had to draft and coach-up prospects pretty quickly, until he found his team chemistry. A harder task in the AFC Central.

The Bengals are the NFL's smallest market and run the lowest budget operation (believe they have smallest group of scouts) One of the things that franchise decided to do to help them compete in a league where they're at a disadvantage was to take chances on very talented but sometimes troubled players that other teams avoid.

To Cincinnati, if it works out they get a potentially outstanding player on the cheap since many times they're the only (or one of a few) teams willing to bring these guys in. As a result you're going to have to put up with a chaotic locker room...I don't know what more Marvin Lewis could've done. They know that some of these guys are gonna end up doing idiotic things, but some of them are also going to be great contributors for 4-5 years and grow up.

Youre right sheajets, yet Lewis needed tighter control of this team. They had their QB in Palmer but he got tired of the crap and left. The Red Rifle did everything but win a playoff game. Chad Johnson should be in the HOF but did things his own way. Burfict was aggressive like I favor, yet most people thought he was a thug and Pacman Jones should have never been signed. This guy got away with attempted murder and chaos wherever he went. Lots of troubled players like Chris Henry but also, lots of talented players that just couldnt put it together enough when it counted.

Brian wolf wrote:Youre right sheajets, yet Lewis needed tighter control of this team. They had their QB in Palmer but he got tired of the crap and left. The Red Rifle did everything but win a playoff game. Chad Johnson should be in the HOF but did things his own way. Burfict was aggressive like I favor, yet most people thought he was a thug and Pacman Jones should have never been signed. This guy got away with attempted murder and chaos wherever he went. Lots of troubled players like Chris Henry but also, lots of talented players that just couldnt put it together enough when it counted.

It's just a lot to ask of a head coach...and Lewis was a pretty good one. But to get these guys to win and to make sure your talented loose cannons behave like adult professionals...Cinci probably needed to hire chaperones/counselors to assist some of these players day in day out to make sure they remain on the straight and narrow. Who knows maybe Lewis tried his best and it still went haywire. But if ownership/front office is going forward with this philosophy then you should have some kind of in house program at the ready to assist these guys. But that costs $$$ and the Bengals were not flush with Cowboys money

Somewhere though between 2004 and 2015 the Bengals should've had at least one Super Bowl run where everything broke right for them. It never did...in those 11 years making the playoffs 7 times is impressive. 2016 that loss to Pitt is inexcusable...the game was over.

I still wonder how long Tomlin will get a pass with the Steelers? His teams are too talented to have any losing seasons, which Tomlin has avoided, yet they cant make any noise in the postseason, where they get blown out too often. Yes, he has went to two SBs with a victory but that last appearance was 2011. You have to wonder if the team is responding to him anymore? We will see if Pickett can lead a charge to the SB. Unlike Tua, his concussions last year didnt get nearly the publicity.

Brian wolf wrote:I still wonder how long Tomlin will get a pass with the Steelers? His teams are too talented to have any losing seasons, which Tomlin has avoided, yet they cant make any noise in the postseason, where they get blown out too often. Yes, he has went to two SBs with a victory but that last appearance was 2011. You have to wonder if the team is responding to him anymore? We will see if Pickett can lead a charge to the SB. Unlike Tua, his concussions last year didnt get nearly the publicity.

John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll have all been in place for a long time too. Sean Payton was in New Orleans forever, survived a scandal, left on his own terms. If you win you do seem to have a much longer leash nowadays.

Brian wolf wrote:I still wonder how long Tomlin will get a pass with the Steelers? His teams are too talented to have any losing seasons, which Tomlin has avoided, yet they cant make any noise in the postseason, where they get blown out too often. Yes, he has went to two SBs with a victory but that last appearance was 2011. You have to wonder if the team is responding to him anymore? We will see if Pickett can lead a charge to the SB. Unlike Tua, his concussions last year didnt get nearly the publicity.

From the moment Dan Rooney took over and hired Chuck Noll, the Steelers have followed the policy of hiring a coach they believe in and sticking with him. Of course, the Steelers won 4 Super Bowls under Noll, but they failed to make the playoffs in 11 of his 23 seasons and he coached through the 1991 season, 12 years after their last Super Bowl appearance, and they were 2-4 in the playoffs in that time.
Then they hired Bill Cowher, and stuck with him for 13 seasons before winning another Super Bowl.
At this point in his career, Tomlin has a better winning percentage than either Noll or Cowher and has won as many Super Bowls as Cowher.
I think the Steelers have pursued a very sensible philosophy. As Dan Rooney once noted, more than 70% of the coaches in NFL history have had losing records, so why replace a winning coach with someone who is likely to be a losing coach?

Dammit Ralph ... you convinced me! haha ... we will see. Championship expectations are always high in the land of Heinz ...