THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

There are a couple of old adages in the business I work in, the swinging, swirling world of television and radio. Adage number one: never take a vacation. Because good old Bob who’ll be filling in for you will use every opportunity to try and take your job away from you when you’re gone.

Think I’m a bit paranoid? No, I just think everyone is out to get me. But I’ve also seen some co workers at various places I’ve worked leave on a trip with one job and come back to work with a job that’s not quite so good. That’s adage number one in broadcasting: never take a vacation.

Adage number two, buy if you must, but it’s better to rent. People come and go in my business. Here today, gone tomorrow. What happened to good old Joe who used to do the weather? Or Frank the affabled sports guy. He hasn’t been on the air for a couple of weeks? What happened? Probably, as they like to say in broadcasting…he caught the blade, or he got ‘launched’. Adage number two in broadcasting: rent.

I’m not saying all this today because I’m paranoid. I’m not. You’re not paranoid if you think everyone is out to get you, right?

I’m saying this because I watched our beloved Bengals hire yet another defensive coordinator this week. If you’re scoring at home this morning, that’s three defensive coordinators in the Marvin Lewis era.

The Bengals defense, collectively under Marvin’s watch, has been bad. Not horribly bad, just bad enough to submarine any chance the Bengals have had to accomplish much. It’s been Kendrick Allen bad, Tory James bad, Rogers Beckett bad.

Not Reinard Wilson horribly bad, or George Hinkle horribly bad. But it’s been bad enough to ruin just about every one of the five seasons Lewis has been here, save one.

I don’t think it was Leslie Frazier’s fault, to any great degree. And if it was, how come Frazier is running around the country now interviewing for head coach’s jobs?

I don’t think it was Chuck Bresnahan’s fault. If it was, how did he get stupid on the drive from Oakland to Cincinnati?

Now comes Mike Zimmer, a self proclaimed yeller and screamer, the big noise out of Atlanta. He runs a 4-3, wants a defense that has an identity and will preach accountability in between tirades. He might be the second coming of Buddy Ryan, but excuse me, we’ve heard this before.

Zimmer’s resume is impressive. He not only was the defensive coordinator in Dallas for seven years, he also kept that job when Bill Parcells arrived in the Big D to run that team. If there’s one thing The Tuna loves more than prime rib dinners and sparring with the media, it’s cleaning house on arrival. Zimmer had some of his play calling taken away by Parcells, but he survived. No small trick.

Zimmer may or may not be the difference maker we all want for our Bengals. Benefit of the doubt, at the very least for now. But here’s something that will help him succeed immensely. And a lot of it will be out of his control.

First thing: sign some big name playmakers. I mean some real playmakers, not some stiffs that can’t make it out of training camp. Instead of signing this year’s version of Ed Hartwell, sign this year’s version of Adalius Thomas. Today, Thomas will try to help his team get to the Super Bowl. Hartwell will presumably help himself to some chips and dip watching Thomas.

Bottom feeding in the winter and spring delivers the same meal in the fall. With the salary cap heading toward $116-million this year, you either play with the big boys or watch them play. In this free agency arena, the Bengals have been spectators far too long.

Second thing that’ll help our new Mister Zimmer: draft players who can not only make plays, but stay out of the NFL’s version of jail. We’ve been over the Odell Thurman pick ad nauseum. But Thurman has now missed two full seasons because he couldn’t stay out of trouble. Do you know what players the Bengals could’ve selected, instead of Thurman in that 2005 draft?

How about Kalif Barnes, who now starts at left tackle with the Jaguars…he went four picks after Thurman. How about the player that went three picks after Thurman? Nick Collins, who’ll start tonight at free safety for the Packers? Or Justin Tuck, whom the Giants took in round three? What do you think he’s doing tonight?

Sometimes, it’s not the player you take, it’s the player you pass up. And when the player you take doesn’t pan out, it makes your ‘whiff’ even more devastating.

Matthias Askiew of roud four of ’04, Kewan Ratliff of round two of ’04, AJ Nicholson of round three of ’06…and on and on.

The Bengals aren’t alone in this. Plenty of other teams have had busted picks. That’s why there are plenty of other teams who’ve been watching the playoffs this month along with our Bengals.
But if you want your new guy Zimmer to succeed, Bengals, draft better. You don’t want to add more scouts, make the ones you have work harder. Not their fault, but because of the fewer numbers of scouts, they’ll always be held to a tougher standard.

Changing position coaches after seasons is as way of life in the NFL. But the Bengals have changed their defensive coordinators-out far too often in the last five years.

You want this third time to be the charm? Give Zimmer what he two predecessors never got. Maybe then, you’ll give us what we haven’t had but once in 18-years.