CINCINNATI — As fans express disappointment over another Bengals season without a playoff appearance, the team's director of player personnel said it's his job to right the ship.
"We've got to make the right decisions," Tobin said. "It's on me to point us in the right direction. When we've had failures, I've pointed us in the wrong direction."
Tobin said he knows this season, in which Cincinnati finished 6-11 and third in the AFC North, was not what the organization or fans expected or should accept.
"We know that (the fans) have high expectations for us," Tobin said. "We embrace those high expectations. Believe me, we have high expectations for this football team as well. We didn't meet those expectations. The group we put out there did not fulfill those expectations."
Specifically, he noted the team's "failure early" on defense and the struggle to overcome Burrow's injury on the other side of the ball.
"We had a lot of challenges this year ... we didn't navigate them effectively enough," Tobin said.
He called Cincinnati's 20-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns a microcosm of the team's issues this season, with small errors — on either side — derailing things.
"(We've) gotta find the solutions to win and produce in the critical moments of games," Tobin said. "The last two seasons have been derailed by critical moment execution errors, and we have to find the group of 11 to put out there to execute in the critical moments, and we will do that."
But how will the Bengals do it? Tobin said this week has been filled with college scouting meetings. While Cincinnati bolstered its player personnel department last offseason, the organization is still known to have the smallest scouting department in the league.
We asked Tobin whether the smaller group had impacted perceived misses in previous drafts.
"Our scouting staff, in my opinion, is the size that it is because I think the collaboration is better at that size," he said. "We've never lacked information on a player ... it's not about the volume of information that we have. If we make a mistake, it's because at the decision point, it is the wrong decision."
He also said that while fans might not think they have, he believes "we've made a lot of good picks."
But Tobin said when the team does make a wrong pick, "it's because I let it get out of whack."
"I have to steer the ship away from poor decisions even though it's what we might feel at the time," he said. "And I have to do a better job to get us pointed at the right decisions at the critical times ... I've got to do a better job at weeding out the bad decisions."
Tobin was asked exactly what the team is looking at this offseason. While he didn't provide details on specific needs, he said this offseason is about "the who's doing it, the what they're doing and how they're doing it."
While he noted that the defense "started to find its footing" as the season went on, and said they have emerging talent on that side of the ball, Tobin said the Bengals "need multiple people to step up and lead our (defense)."
He admitted that the Bengals last offseason "did at the time what we thought would produce for us," but obviously, decisions like re-signing Trey Hendrickson did not work. Now, the team will look both internally and externally for defensive leaders.
"It's hard work — we have to find what we believe we need the most and find the players with those traits that'll fill those needs," Tobin said.
When it comes to the draft, Tobin said Cincinnati isn't looking at guys who may need to develop for a second contract. He said they want guys who can come in and play.
"We have excellent scouts. It's on us to make the right decisions," Tobin said. "And even if you want a player doesn't mean you get him ... the whole puzzle has to fit together."
While Tobin has been with the Bengals for decades, his longevity has not meant that fans have always had faith in his — or owner Mike Brown's — decision-making. Towards the end of this season, a billboard went live calling for the organization to fire both Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor.
Brown, for his part, wrote a letter to fans saying he understands fan frustration after a disappointing season but believes both Tobin and Taylor are the right leaders for Cincinnati.
"After thoughtful consideration, I am confident that Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor are the right leaders to guide us forward," he wrote. "They have proven they can build and lead teams that compete for championships."
Tobin, when asked about why he should still have his job, said he has confidence in himself and the organization.
"I've been here a long time. I don't take this job lightly. I don't take it for granted," Tobin said. "I wake up with the singular focus of how to make this team better. It's what I do. It's a part of who I am in the city that is my home."
He said the only thing that matters is winning a Super Bowl — something Cincinnati has never done before.
"That's the only thing I'm after, is a championship," said Tobin. "That really the only definition of success that I have."
