Proudiddy

Would love that. I believe someone posted also that Johnson has a history/connection with Richardson as well, should we choose to draft him.

Didn't Gunther Cunningham do that with the Chiefs back in the day? Was HC, got fired, then came back as DC?

Great thread, Ricky. Sadly, although I like Reich as a person and really liked him as a player (as a young football junkie, I used to trade for Reich on NFL95 on Sega because he was the guy that led the NFL's largest comeback win and one of our first franchise QBs), I just find the hire to be extremely uninspiring. He may be an offensive-minded coach, but he isn't one of the young guns everyone wanted, and he has a pretty strong, established history of the usual average results we've come to know and expect from our franchise. He had what, 4 years as HC in Indy? And he produced a winning percentage right in line with every coach in franchise history with 3 years or more of tenure - barely over .500. I did love his work as an OC with the Chargers and Eagles, but his results as a HC speak to mote of the same that we're accustomed to. On one hand, optimistically, I feel like 2 of his years as HC should be omitted because he was attempting to win with Matt fuging Ryan and Carson fuging Wentz. With Luck and Rivers as his starters, he went a combined 21-11 those years. But with anyone non-elite, he was extremely average, and that's what bothers me. We want a transcendent coach whose schemes make even average players look good, and good players look great. But instead, my feeling on Reich, is much like our past coaches, his success is far more dependent on the level of talent of his players than his players' production being enhanced by his schemes. It just feels like an offensive version of more of the same.

Smh. Damn.

Again, love Wilks as a man and a person from all that I know, and I do think he's an incredible leader of men and deserves to be a HC somewhere in the league... but I do NOT want it to be here after what games like Tampa and LA Rams exposed. If we went through this whole process and come back with Wilks as the hire, I just don't know if I can invest any more time or energy into this poo. It is not going to end well and we're gonna a be spinning our wheels for another decade. Why can't we ever just make the right decisions and stay on the path to success for a sustained period of time?

Was that actually said somewhere?

I found him to be extremely credible and helpful for a bit, then the Watson fiasco happened over the offseason and now I just think he's full of poo. He had bet someone money to a charity (which is a fine thing to do) if he was wrong on something he said about Watson's destination, and he ended up very wrong, IIRC. I think he had to pay. I mean, I get it, you trust your sources... but if your sources aren't poo, then neither is your reporting, and that's the feel I've got from him ever since the Watson stuff. He just seems to get fed a lot of misinformation but reports it like it's the gospel... and on top of that, he also seems to act like a bit of an asshole about it... like he has some sort of superiority over us mere fans and our opinions, which to me is even more hilarious when you act like that and then you're wrong so often.

Wow this is really taking a long time.

Damn. Even for me personally who really likes the idea of hiring him, kind of sours on the idea of paying that PLUS the picks we'd give up. Damn that's steep. But, again, I feel like it's about as sure of a thing as you can get, so I could accept it if it happened.

If that's what he wants, ain't no way Tepper ponies that up after overpaying for Rhule and how that turned out. His pride is hurt. Sure, Payton is about as sure of a thing as there's out there that we interviewed, but you just can't take that monetary risk again.

So do we know if Payton has even interviewed here yet?

It's a stupid rule... but also, my God this dude can't get out of his own fugin way.

It's not so much he looked bad, it's just that he didn't look good. The offense didn't ever seem to be in a rhythm and just seemed disjointed at times.

The QB looked horrible last season, is not a fit for Payton's system, and they play in a division with Mahomes and Herbert. If I'm looking for a quick turnaround in building a winner, that ain't it.

I'm pie'ing, not for Sean going there, but the overall sentiment. I don't have a particular favorite, but I also don't think Sean will lose, even if he goes there. That being said, regardless what happens I agree with you about their franchise and that fanbase. I hope that franchise occupies the 7th level of fan hell for eternity. They deserve every bit of it for exactly what you said. I hope their organization is cursed for what they did to Cam and what the NFL let them get away with.

I liked Lance's potential and physicals coming out, but if Shanahan can't make you look good, then you aren't gonna look good anywhere else. Period. No thanks.

In all honesty, i would be excited until he have me a reason not to be.

Watching them, I don't get it. It's not like a Cam carrying an entire staff and team to a Superbowl. We barely made the playoffs outside of 2015 because Rivera's coaching was that bad. From what I've seen of the Bengals, they are good - both personnel and coaching. If that's the results of backing into a particular hire, sign me up. Meanwhile, we managed almost 9 years under a guy who just sat the QB who was winning him games for the bust they traded for who had already been benched for his abysmal play on his third team in 3 years, got blown out by a horrible team, then admitted he didn't know that loss essentially eliminated them from the playoffs. Tell Bengals fans to come talk to us.

I really like Kafka. I also think Dorsey is getting shortchanged and is solid as well. I honestly would be happy with Payton, Kafka, Dorsey, or Steichen in no order. I just hope we act pretty quickly.

I am worried about the same. But I will say, if memory serves correctly, I believe the Eagles backed into Sirriani. Bengals might have with Taylor too. At this point, with Tepper, we're gonna have to hope that luck kicks in at some point, like right now.

I think my issue with him, if memory serves me correctly, was his time with the Dolphins. Wasn't he the guy that asked Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute and his father was her pimp? And if that was him, I don't think he had too hot of a tenure in Miami from a success standpoint either.

No doubt. I love his analysis. And again, I think Wilks is a hell of a football coach, but we just can't go with a defensive minded coach on this hire.

Ireland sucks.

Both guys that not only Greg knows and is close to via his career, but also guys with strong roots in the community which Olsen calls home as well, so I love him, but I don't think Olsen is super objective on this...

I agree. I've thought about your last point too. Again, if I can get it out of my mind that it's some kind of ulterior motive from him to screw us over, I can see that maybe, just maybe, he has an axe to grind with NO, and thus, he has extra incentive to come here rather than anywhere else to make their lives hell... and I would absolutely love that. And as you pointed out, I also think the division, regardless of his previous history with it or NO, is much more attractive because it is completely in flux and up for grabs for the next decade, combine that with the flexibility our team offers with good young pieces and the positioning to add more quickly... to me it just makes the most sense for any coach considering the two jobs.