The Cincinnati Bengals have struggled to attract top head coaching candidates. They might as well lean into it for comedy’s sake.
When you haven’t won a playoff game since 1990, why change now?
That seems to be the modus operandi of owner Mike Brown, who continues to make bland personnel moves and uninspiring hires. Now, after firing Marvin Lewis with the backdrop of muffled hope from a half-empty stadium, Brown is back on his nonsense.
Instead of going down a new road with dreams of different results following, Brown interviewed Hue Jackson. The same Hue Jackson that only three and a half hours up I-71 posted a 3-36-1 record with the Cleveland Browns. The same Hue Jackson who threw coaches and players under the bus while parading in front of it, letting everybody know that nothing was behind him to see.
And, you know what? The Bengals should promote him to head coach. They already made the move to bring him back as a special assistant to Lewis. Why not just go for broke and complete the cycle of insanity?
Everybody loves a good laugh. Cincinnati can provide a real knee-slapper for the entire league. The Bengals played the role beautifully throughout the 1990s. Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet and myriad high first-round picks all say hello. Heck, maybe Brown should call up Shula and Coslet to get the band back together.
Cincinnati is the worst possible combination for a sports team. Bad and boring. The Bengals have a couple of stars in A.J. Green and Geno Atkins, and yet their Q ratings are lower than sandpaper. If Green walked down Madison Avenue, would anybody recognize him without his jersey on?
All of this ties back to Brown. The Bengals have been a waste of a franchise for the last 30 years, owned by a man who should understand football far more than he does. He was raised by father Paul, who is also the godfather of the modern game.
Paul Brown did everything within football operations because he believed he could do it better than anybody else. Mike Brown acts the same way. The difference is Paul actually could do it. Mike doesn’t have the slightest clue.
Which brings us back to Jackson. There isn’t another team in the league that would consider Jackson as a head coach. The record is awful, but his actions behind closed doors and with the media regarding staff and players is enough to turn off just about anybody. Anybody, that is, except Brown and the Bengals, who seem all too willing to consider the possibility.
And if the Bengals will even entertain the idea, they should entertain us all and make the move. Give Jackson a four-year deal, let him get a third shot at being a head coach. Let Cincinnati take that hit, so we can all sit home and laugh ourselves into hysteria.