Too simplistic

The story line wrote itself. Greg Doyel of CBS Sports was among the throng to take advantage of that.

With TO and Chad, the Bengals lose. Take them away and the Bengals win. They rack up personal statistics, but destroy team chemistry. What they do best is lose, according to Doyel.

It’s too simplistic to blame them. My interest in the Bengals is much more of a lab for organizational dynamics than as a sports entity. I grant Doyel and the other observers some points, but disagree where they lay the final responsibility.

TO has had issues everywhere he’s been and I submit that Chad, if he had traveled, would’ve, too. Have issues one place and that’s understandable. Several, and the fault doesn’t lie with all of those different organizations where they butted heads. It becomes obvious where the problem lies. That’s the mark of a loser and the Bengals should’ve seen that coming with TOs public history, not to mention that he was heavily advocated by his stable mate in the problem child crib. See “birds of a feather.”

Organizations that let the inmates run the asylum stagnate and become losers like those who foment the bad chemistry. But, those inmates aren’t the ones in authority.

In business, you frequently have the prima donnas. It’s a balancing act. You have to keep them productive without allowing them to negatively affect the corporate culture. If they choose to play their trump cards or be a disruption, you must make the tough choices and come out ahead. As a successful business owner once told me, “If you don’t put out the garbage, it stinks up the kitchen.”

So, I don’t blame the receivers for making the team a loser. It was management that allowed it to happen.