Pre-game I-74 Battle Notes

by Kirkendall on Sep 1, 2006 2:15 PM EDT in Game Previews Comment 1 comment

When the Bengals announced a 5-year contract extension with three-time pro-bowl Willie Anderson on Thursday, I was elated. Anderson is a consummate professional, team-leader, mentor, and the anchor to an already all-star foundation. This signing brings up a few thoughts.

Is Stacey Andrews done as a project and relegated to backup status for as long as he's a Bengal? Did we expect more?
Eric Steinbach being the odd man out. The signing, some suspect, will deny Steinbach a monstrous contract. Let's examine a few things. On the Bengals.com depth chart as Steinbach's backup is Andrew Whitworth. Levi Jones and Willie Anderson sign long-term deals this off-season closing the door for any opening at tackle. Will Whitworth be the Bengals guard replacing Steinbach in 2007?

BigBlueShoe, Stampede Blue, is out for Friday night's game. That's ok. It just means we can hold our rants against each other until December 18th.

Matthias Askew is filing a $50 million lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati claiming police used "excessive force" during his initial arrest -- he was later found not guilty.

He couldn't even earn a single million while in a Bengals uniform, so he figures he'll get 50 times as much the easy way.

Well, we have our NBA talent going against the world's "best" and the U.S.A., again, loses. I thought they'd win it all, I really did. But it just goes to show how special the original dream team was; there will never be anything like it again.

Forbes released their annual list ranking value among NFL teams. The Redskins top the list valued at $1.4 billion. The Bengals are ranked 23rd with a value of $825 million.

TONIGHT'S GAME
Kickoff starts at 7 p.m. EDT on Channel 12 in Cincinnati (22 and 45 in Dayton, 4 in Columbus, 36 in Lexington, 41 in Louisville).

Current 3-0 record breaks long losing streak of pre-seasons without a winning record going back to 1988.
1971 was the last season the Bengals went undefeated in the pre-season.
If you're confused with the title, I-74 is the highway that connects Cincinnati and Indianapolis. The 110 mile drive is the "closest geographical rivalry among cities in the AFC" (Bengals press release).
Stampede Blue reports the Adam Vinatieri doesn't have a broken foot.

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Comments

On Anderson.

If Andrews were to replace Anderson, do you think that the team would have signed Anderson to a long term deal? Marvin continues to say, we'll do what makes our team better.
Would you re-sign Steinbach who, reportedly, has demanded Hutchinson type of money? And who knows, at the rate we're sealing guys up, we'll probably have Steinbach signed before the end of the season -- if he wants to stay. But I think the best move is sealing up our offensive linemen; that's the spot that will enable us to have a smoking offense for many seasons. And believe me, with the guys leaving after 2006, with the increased cap, we'll have plenty of money to sign the guys we want to keep around. It's the back-loaded cash you need to worry about that's easily fixed with more extensions.
Five years is plenty of time to draft and groom a guy to replace Willie. The fact there's an idea for the future will give this team enough time to plan map everything out.
Ahmad Brooks, likely, will be a back-up with his time in Cincinnati. Why? Because Thurman is a far superior talent.

I think the most telling part is that we have Andrews AND Whitworth on roster. And the team STILL signed Willie to a long-term deal. That tells me they don't have a big plan for Andrews other than backup duties and Whitworth, from the start, is being groomed as a multi-versatile guy.

by Kirkendall on Sep 1, 2006 4:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs