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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > November > 26 > Entry
Stunning indictment of Bengals front office
WILLIE ANDERSON: ‘People in the (Bengals) organization continue to mislead him (MIKE BROWN) about players.’
Friend, colleague and competitor Mark Curnutte of The Enquirer in Cincinnati dialed up Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle and ex-Bengal Willie Anderson the other day.
In typical Big Willie fashion, he spoke the truth … straight from the heart.
And the truth was pointed straight at Bengals owner and president Mike Brown and the club’s personnel department.
Asked to take a pay cut with a restructured contract on Cutdown Day, Aug. 30, 2008, Anderson refused … and got released.
He considered retirement, but fueled by former teammates Levi Jones and John Thornton — who told him he could still play at a high level — Anderson signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
And he’s glad he did. The 7-4 Ravens — one game behind the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North — visit Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday. The 1-9-1 Bengals join the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams as the first three teams eliminated from playoff contention.
Big Willie told Curnutte that Mike Brown was fed bad information about him … and that’s not all.
“People in the (Bengals) organization continue to mislead him about players,” Anderson said.
It’s a stunning indictment of the Bengals’ personnel staff headed up by Pete Brown, the club’s senior VP — player personnel.
The staff includes Paul H. Brown, VP — player personnel; Jim Lippincott, director of football operations; Duke Tobin, director of player personnel; Greg Seamon, scout; and scouting consultants John Cooper, Bill Tobin and Earl Biederman.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By Bob Thiem
November 26, 2008 10:06 AM | Link to this
Cronyism and nepotism is a Cincinnati tradition. It’s what made the area (and the Bengals) what it is today. Backwards and declining.By Bob Thiem
November 26, 2008 10:08 AM | Link to this
Cronyism and nepotism is a Cincinnati tradition. It’s what made the area (and the Bengals) what it is today. Backwards and declining.By Robert Young
November 26, 2008 11:17 AM | Link to this
Well kiss my grits. Finally a member of the media is calling out Pete Brown and his joke of talent evaluation. Now if he and Mikey will just realize how over their heads they are we might actually get a team with some talent. And Chick take a look into Paul Brown Jr as PBJ will probbably end up w/ the figure head position his uncle currently has. Ask him about the long held rumor that he flunked kindergarden twice. I was told this years ago by a classmate of his. It’s way past time PB’s bad sperm no longer receive the benefit of doubt. They continue to embarrass our fine city, it’s time we return the favor.By john
November 26, 2008 11:33 AM | Link to this
All that is probably true about the Bengals organization. PB ran the Bengals from his personal on the field football experience; something the leaders of the present day Bengals don’t seem to have.By Brian
November 26, 2008 11:39 AM | Link to this
Year in and year out the Bengals get burned by fixating on workout wonders and guys who put on a one-time show at a post-season all-star game (cough, cough, Jerome Simpson, cough!). For whatever reason, they were really in love with guys who excelled in the vertical leap tests at the NFL Combine last year. Next year they’ll probably go back to obsessing with bench press repetitions. Given Mike Brown’s childlike stubbornness, he’ll circle the wagons tighter than ever after catching wind of Willie’s criticism and devote even less resources to scouting in the future. So Lance McAllister better be prepared for the Bengals to ask to borrow his copy of the Drugstore List again on draft day…By tom
November 26, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
A minor league organization trying to compete in the big league. How sad.By Keith
November 26, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
And raise your hand if you’re surprised by this comment… I think everyone knows by now the entire front office knows nothing about football. They’re proven that season after season, just as fans have proven they’ll continue to buy tickets/merchandise despite the poor quality of play on the field. SOS, different day. Call me when MB sells the team. Until then, this isn’t really news, because it never changes.By islebfrank
November 26, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this
Are you (or is Big Willie) suggesting the Bengals personnel staff deliberately misleads Mike Brown? If so, what is their motive, since I would think they would all be striving for the same successful end result? It is one thing for them to mislead due to their own ignorance, but that is not how I read it. Please clarify.By Mr.DadSir
November 26, 2008 5:29 PM | Link to this
It seems to me that Willie has indicted everyone but Mike Brown.Is he refering to coaches and Mikes relatives?Mike does have an option to hire a G.M.one who has been in football all of his pre and adult life.Matt Millon is certainly available and he probably would come cheap…..Maybe that is not the kind of G.M. we would all want.By islebfrank
November 26, 2008 5:35 PM | Link to this
Maybe?By psychostats
November 27, 2008 12:45 AM | Link to this
I would also love to know more about the Brown Family, especially those running the team. In his autobiography, PB makes only occasional passing references to his three sons. (His eldest, Robin, died in ‘78.) And there is precious little information in either PB bio published this year. We really don’t know much about Mike. Pete is almost a blank slate. The same goes for the high-ranking grand kids, Katie and Paul. You really wonder how they’re all wired, but we don’t have much to go on.