Would Anderson give intel to the enemy?

by Josh Kirkendall on Sep 4, 2008 11:06 PM EDT

I need your help here. I've made it clear that Willie Anderson is my favorite player. I've also made it clear that I believe cutting him hurt the depth of the offensive line. There's people that disagree with my assessment, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Sometimes opinions just clash, like sometimes, innocently enough, with other sites. I'm like the Alan Cutler of this business. I'm just like you guys, a fan that drinks more beer than water, and would rather die at 50 years old eating a life-time of succulent red meat, whenever I want. I just got lucky over the years to actually find my niche in all this.

But in a sense, I'm not level headed enough -- or in truth, clear-headed about it -- to examine this on my own. It's not an issue of one particular thing. It's one of those issues in which both answers are, you know, reasonable. See, James Walker, the fine ESPN AFC North blogger that writes like the Bengals are that kind of annoying team that you have to write about to fulfill contract requirements. Nothing against the guy, it's just the way it is. Though I'm not convinced that if Chad ~~Johnson~~ Ocho Cinco wasn't with the team that Walker wouldn't be saying "oh crap" on his ride home from work, remembering like he left the iron steaming hot, forgetting to write the Bengals -- god I love run-on sentences).

The wonder is this: Would Willie Anderson give the Ravens the "ins and outs, check downs, audibles and personnel of the Bengals' high-powered offense?" I'd like to think no; on the other hand, I'd understand yes.

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As much as I'd like to say no...

it’s a business, and he has a responsibility as a member of their franchise now to do whatever he can do to better their chances of winning.

That means…yes.

by Craig Conrad on Sep 4, 2008 11:21 PM EDT reply actions

:(

I could see Willie say that he won’t, just out of principles. You know? But you’re probably right.

Blogger at CincyJungle.com -- SB Nation Cincinnati Bengals blog.

by Josh Kirkendall on Sep 4, 2008 11:32 PM EDT reply actions

Now having said that,

Losing Steiny to Believeland last year didn’t seem to hamper our ability to score against them. lol

by Craig Conrad on Sep 4, 2008 11:43 PM EDT reply actions

I'm a Ravens fan, who checked the site over as a customary pre-hame look

Players who get cut at the end of training camp, and have a lot of experience with the team, typically do give intel to the other side. Think Lawyer Milloy dishing over the goods to the Buffalo Bills.

I also don’t think it’s a matter of honor. Willie Anderson was fired by the Bengals, that was their choice. However, he has every right to take another job, and the Ravens made the best offer (and he’s most likely to be able to start at some point for Baltimore). Now that he is a Baltimore Raven, his loyalty to the Ravens has to exceed his loyalty to Cincy. That means that he does whatever he can (within constraints of legality and safety) to help the Ravens win. If his first loyalties are to the Ravens, then he tells them whatever they need to know. If his first loyalties aren’t to the Ravens, then he should not have been signed.

Good luck Sunday!

by math_geek on Sep 5, 2008 10:08 AM EDT reply actions

Of course he would

I think we all know that Willie Anderson is , above all things, a consummate professional who takes his job seriously and has a lot of integrity in the way he goes about his business.

However, he is also a competitor at the highest level of professional sports. He is going to want to see his team win. It was true with the Bengals and will be true with the Ravens. If spilling a little juice can give his team an edge, you better believe he will do it.

(BTW, new to this site. I grew up in Covington and have been a bengals fan my whole life. I’m looking forward to sharing thoughts and opinions with everyone on this site. Who Dey!!!)

"Here's to you, Mr. Ceremonial First First Pitch Thrower Outer"

by jmgard6 on Sep 5, 2008 11:45 AM EDT reply actions

willie

if you’re really quiet, and listen really hard. you can hear willie saying everything he can possibly think of right now. no hard feelings, that’s the game. if willie really had some sense of loyalty that would keep him from sharing team secrets, he would have taken the pay cut and stayed here helping the team that made him the highest paid right tackle in history.
i love what willie brought to this team for a decade, but i believe willie is all about the money. he will play 20 years and let his qb get killed as long as you keep feeding him those checks. the rest of what he says is bullshit and lip service.
sounds bitter, but actually i’m not. willie was a great bengal, and it’s sad that he won’t retire in stripes, but again, that’s the game. i hope he keeps baltimore’s bench even warmer than he kept ours.
remember, if willie was the best right tackle we had this year, he would still be a bengal. i’m with marvin on this one, too many players turned him out last year. jared allen should pay levi jones a commission for his new contract. if you can’t practice, you can’t play. i could keep rambling…..
answer….yes….willie is definately spilling everything he knows, and should, they paid him for it.

by bigfatstella on Sep 5, 2008 12:47 PM EDT reply actions

I would assume....

the Ravens staff would probe him for some tips but it won’t matter. The Bengals have been playing the Ravens for years and there is an abundance of film that I am sure the coaching staff have reviewed. Quite frankly it is a non-issue expcet for paranoid types.

by SevenRings on Sep 5, 2008 2:36 PM EDT reply actions