The glory years are over

If you haven't yet heard the news, brace yourself: after 21 groundbreaking years as Bengals director of football ops, Jim Lippincott has decided to "retire" (ie. move back to his old job as Moeller High School defensive coordinator). Devastating news, I know. It's uncertain how in the hell the Bengals can fill the gaping hole left by Lippincott's departure. Who else will preside over the drafts that have yielded two (or maybe three!!!) playoff teams over more than two decades? Who else will, as Hobspin so lovingly writes, show up "with a gleam in his eye or a quick in his step"? Few personnel executives in the NFL today look so alive, so full of life and passion as that man to the right. But most importantly, who will wake fringe players up at 5:30 in the morning to inform them of their release? Who can ask for playbooks with such grace? This quote by Lippincott about Mikey Boy truly says it all: “To me, Mike is the living example of what a man sh...