The mock turtle soup, a Mike Brown favorite, tasted great on July 27. It always does at the Bengals’ annual preseason media luncheon.
But it had a major missing ingredient: The Bengals’ owner didn’t hold court with reporters like he has for decades at the event.
Brown, 90, is doing just fine. He did speak briefly to hand out an annual high school football award. But his absence from the interview table was merely an outward sign that things are changing in the Bengals organization. It was another step in the ongoing process to pass the ownership torch onto another generation of one of America’s great football families.
While missing Brown’s insights on the team and the NFL, it was hard not to wonder: Will the Bengals win a Super Bowl in his lifetime?
It was also hard not to get a little sentimental. For all Brown’s decades of stubbornness, penny-pinching and stadium battles, he’s a dang good man. He’s loyal to his employees. He’s dedicated his life to professional football in Cincinnati. He loves his family and is deeply committed to honoring the legacy of his late, football-pioneering father, Paul Brown. That’s a meaningful life whether the Bengals win another game or not under Mike Brown’s watch.
But how awesome would it be for Mike Brown’s Bengals to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in the twilight of his life? For those long-suffering Bengals fans. For this long-suffering sports city. And for the legacy of Paul Brown.
It might be a stretch to think the Bengals are going to win it all this season. But Brown, his daughter, executive vice president Katie Blackburn, and player personnel director Duke Tobin have assembled a solid team, thanks in part to the owner’s willingness to make changes to the organizational philosophy of trading draft picks and spending big money in free agency.
No matter what happens, the decision to trade the No. 10 overall draft pick for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was the type of bold, go-for-it move Bengals fans have kicked and screamed about for decades. You have to respect it.
And if Lawrence plays well and leads the overhauled defense, then it might not be a stretch at all. But, so what for right now? This is the time to dream, a day or so before training camp starts. The Bengals have Joe Burrow. He’s healthy. The Bengals always have hope as long as Burrow remains healthy.
Brown, who has a birthday next month, will continue to be active in the Bengals’ day-to-day operations. He still comes to Paycor Stadium every day, Tobin said. Brown will remain a presence during training camp, zipping around the practice fields on his golf court. He is expected to continue to meet with coach Zac Taylor the day after each game.
Brown hasn’t talked to the media outside of mock turtle soup day for years, but he may still do an occasional media interview, a team official said. The team has been working through the best way to make ownership and top executives accessible to the media.
“He is involved,” Tobin said. “He is very positive about our football team and what we’ve accomplished.” Regarding the offseason moves, Tobin added, Brown “was instrumental in getting a lot of things done.”
But did Brown make the final call on the Lawrence trade and all other major decisions? Bengals fans have wondered for years who is ultimately calling the shots at Paycor Stadium, especially when the team struggles.
“Everyone’s always after that,” Tobin said. “We work collaboratively as a group. Ultimately, it’s me. But I’m not making it happen without them.”
Contact columnist Jason Williams at jwilliams@enquirer.com
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals owner Mike Brown’s voice missing, not his presence | Williams
Reporting by Jason Williams, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Jason Williams, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
