New season draws close; Bengals in the playoffs?
by Josh Kirkendall on Jul 15, 2009 9:36 AM EDT
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PrintTwo weeks from this Friday, the Cincinnati Bengals will be in Georgetown with the start of the 2009 Training Camp. For some bloke like me, there's a mixture of excitement, anxiety, anticipation, nervousness and, within a small part of me, dread. God of the Golden Arms returns. New personnel on the offensive line. Defensive changes. More blitzes. Refined offensive playbook, which still holds an aura of mystery as to what that actually means. There's within this dynamic an uncertainty. Reports suggest that this is the best team, on paper, that Marvin Lewis has put together. Great draft. Solid free agent signings to, at most, fill in gaps and strengthen the depth chart. Return of USC alumni players in Palmer and Keith Rivers and the introduction of another in Rey Maualuga.
Where this team is four to five months from now, is something that's unforeseen. But that's the excitement, isn't it? The total unknown of it all. Each day building to a climax that could arrive early in the season, or really late when the sun departs during rush hour. You can smell it, can't you. The football season draws ever closer.
Note: If the Bengals are to sign Shayne Graham to a long-term deal, they must do so before 4 p.m. today.
Pete Prisco says the Bengals are in the playoffs because Carson Palmer was back. Concern remains on the running game (why does no one see Bernard Scott?), while writing that the defense keeps improving. Prisco even calls our playoff chances good. So here's to you, mainstream media guy giving the Bengals a chance at making the playoffs. You are a real man of genius.
One suite owner asks the front office that they'll renew only if there's a defining moment with Mike Brown.
Chick Ludwig makes the argument that NFL players aren't as "rich as some would think." Therefore, stay in school.
I'm starting to think that others are making a bigger deal about signing franchise player Shayne Graham to a long-term deal.
Chris Steuber ranks the Bengals' Top Ten prospects -- prospect meaning players under 25 years old, or entering their third season in the NFL.
The Bengals have a site in which fans can buy and sell Charter Ownership Agreements. (thanks Mickey)
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Bernard "Walter Payton x Barry Sanders" Scott
Yes. Why hasn’t our multiple-arestee 6th round pick from Abilene Christian set the league on fire yet? Prisco, you’re a joke!
Just to set
you straight, it wasn’t prisco that mentioned Bernard Scott, might want to actually read the article which was pretty decent.
Prisco article "Decent?"
I can name a halfdozen dudes that regularly contribute to this site that have better inputs and opinions than Pete Prisco.
by JohnCockToastin on Jul 15, 2009 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought
that the article was decent. The Bengals have a solid shot at the play-offs this year. As I see i the wildcard spots could easily come down to Baltimore, CIncinnati, and the Titans. (Assuming PIT, Indy, NE and SD as division winners.)
Stay in School
I would say to Chick that the money a NFL player make in 2 years, after agent and taxes, will come to at least half a million dollars. If you have any sense at all, that could pay to go back to college, finish your Bacheloers, complete a masters and then you can start life. Further, most players come out early to either get a big signing bonus, or because they aren’t making it in school. In all honesty, it makes good finacial sense to play as many years in the NFL as early in life as you can.
Depends on where ...
and if they’re drafted. After paying agents and Obama taxes, for lower-round picks there’s not a whole lot left. Higher-rounders, yes.
I disagree
Each of the Bengals sixth and 7th rounder signed four year deals at the minimum plus an average bonus of around 55,000. Thats 310,000 1st year, and 355,000 the second year if I remember correctly, for a total of thats 720,000. After 3% for agents (1,500, 10,000, and 11,500 = 23,000) and 35% taxes at (19,200, 108,500, and 124,250 = 248,500) they have 461,500 left pretty close to 500,000. I lived off about 30,000 a year in college. They could spend 2 years in the NFL, living frugally, for $30,000 a year; buy a house and car, for 250,000; and have 150,000 to pay for 1 year of college and a masters, and come out with at least 50,000 for a nest egg, and start a post college job. Seems very reasonable to me, as long as you poor people don’t harrass them for autographs the way you do some 7th rounders.
First ...
I said Obama taxes. To Obama, anyone making more than $300,000 a year will burden the cost of his massive $1.8 trillion government healthcare takeover plan. So, lower-round draftees will take a huge tax hit. Makes me laugh when I hear these athlete talking up Obama. It’s like, ’don’t you know he’s coming after you!’ Second, an NFL rookie “living frugally”? Very rare. Look at Chris Henry, and he was a third-rounder. Last year Henry was essentially broke. Your numbers are based on perfect-case scenarios, an agent taking under 5-10%, and a 22-year-old being totally responsible with money. Ninety-nine percent of 7th-rounders staying in the League for 2 years is likely to leave with little or no money in the bank.
$1.8 trillion government healthcare takeover plan...
….will turn hospitals in to a DMV with compound fractures. And yes, people under estimate the amount of taxes taken out of things such as lottery winnings and signing bonuses. The farmer in North Dakota that won the butt load of money playing powerball ony walked away with 36% after taxes.
by smoormandiddy on Jul 16, 2009 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Obama and others ...
in his wing of the democratic party have pretty much declared war on those making over $100K or so … and outright war on the $300K level, where a lot of these young players fall. Not to mention the war on small businesses, of which I’m a part. Obama’s brilliant Cap ‘n “Tax” plan has essentially killed our plans to hire 3 new account people in August. And there are thousands and thousands of other business owners like me doing the same thing—not hiring people due to Obama’s assault on small businesses, which is what most of these draftees are, too … a small business. That was my point back to jim0ijk … yeah, that $300K sure sounds like a lot, but it’s gone is a blink.
and Bush was so much better?
After Bush II destruction of this country, everyone needs to sacrifice a bit to get America back on track. Those with more can afford to sacrifice a little more.
And as for health care, the government is not perfect, but a government option for people that are currently uninsured does alot to reduce health care costs in the long term by allowing for preventative and maintenance care, not just serious illness care. To say the market will fix it ignores the incentive structures against providing care that currently exist in the “free market” of private insurance. Moreover, there is NO such thing as a free market for health insurance because all plans are not available to all buyers, notwithstanding geographic and local limits on the “free trading” of private insurance. A free market requires the ability to for the consumer and seller buy and sell freely. If Obama sets up a government option for the uninsured, standardizes claimant procedures et al. for private insurers, removes geographic limitations to insurance purchases, and requires all doctors to take all types of insurance, that will create a natural competition among both insurance providers and caregivers. This way, bad insurers will be forced to compete with better insurers and bad doctors can no longer make drugdeals with insurers to funnel patients to them for a kickback. Obama’s plan aint perfect, but the current system is seriously broken.
"Ryan, Things in here don't react too well to bullets." - Marko Ramius
Does anyone else see the irony in the party of “Jesus” and “Family Values” hellbent on denying poor people the right to live a healthy life? We can’t afford it, right? Yet no outrage over the cost of the Iraq war(whoops!) or the absolute bumbling of the economy by Bush. But I guess if Bill Cunningham says the economy is Obama’s fault, it must me true. And if Rush and Glen Beck say poor people(those with the least power) are the cause of all of our problems, who are we to question?
I am just saying
that the 300,000 starting salary is better than they will get in any other industry, take it run and go back and get your degree. 300,000 taxed at 50% is better than 60,000 taxed at 25%. As for them not spending frugally, that is their fault, and they will get no sympathy from me.
Your list of expenses ...
don’t include the hundreds of other expenses incurred by people, esp all the new taxes headed for people in the 300K range … not including just normal regular living expenses. I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be one low-round draft pick or free agent in the League for just 2 years who’d have enough left over for a full 4-year college degree. Beauty college, maybe … but not a legit university.
Not 4 years
They have to do 3 years before coming into the league. They can probably also get a student job as an assistant if they formerly had a scholarship. It is good for the program to have a former NFler on hand.
then we both agree ...
Obama’s takeover plan isn’t perfect, and the system needs to be better. You want Obama to control your health care, but most American’s don’t, including more and more democrats. And this has nothing to do with Bush, this is Obama’s plan.
Pointing to the dirt on somebody else’s fingernails — which, BTW, doesn’t actually exist except in your imagination, because one of the very few things bush didn’t manage to screw up on was the economy — doesn’t improve the cleanliness of your own hands.
It’s a particularly foolish logical fallacy that somehow seems to come up anytime politics comes up… sigh
What?
Bush completely screwed up the economy. He took a high performing economic machine and drove it into the ground. Obama has alot to fix because of that idiot. Are you seriously suggesting the struggling economy is Obama’s fault? I admit, it was not entirely Bush’s fault – and some Dems in congress enabled the mess – but the buck stops at the president.
And I was making the point that Obama has a lot to fix from the failures of the previous administration, not saying Obama is good because Bush was bad (that would be a logical fallacy).
And TimZilla, where did I say in my post that I want Obama to control my health care? I said nothing of the sort – I support a public option for those currently uninsured and changes to insurance company and care provider regulations which promote competition. Your assertion is a typical Republican “straw man” canard where they paint any government involvement in health care as “control” of the entire system. Nobody that is reasonable is arguing for a complete takeover of health care.
"Ryan, Things in here don't react too well to bullets." - Marko Ramius
Bush inherited an ...
economic recession from Clinton (and the dot-bomb crisis). Bush’s economic philosophy, BTW the same philosophy successfully used by John Kennedy and Ronald Regan to fix bad economies, led to a quick recovery. Honest people who really know how the economy works knows the current mess is due to lots of factors, including the democrats’ belief that owning a home is a birth right, which led to hundred’s of thousands of economically destroying, politically correct mortgages (Google ‘Community Reinvestment Act’). Dishonest or unknowing people simply blame Bush.
cant you guys talk politics on 550’s website or something? these days no one agrees on anything political, esp if you talk to a very liberal democrat.. they just hate everything right now except Obama. so lets try and keep it football related, unless Obama starts playing for the Steelers, then we can all hope Maualuga takes his head off after hes done with Ward.
by 80%OFTHETIMEIMRIGHTEVERYTIME on Jul 19, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm sick of the topic - back to Bengals after this.
I simply took issue with some of the mudslinging going on about Obama. I’m not a “very liberal democrat” – I just expect debates to focus on the merits of policies. Don’t take the high road if you are going to caricature your opponent; we have Fox News and MSNBS for that.
For the record, I’m not a “dishonest or unknowing person” at all – I live, breathe, and eat policy debates in my line of work. My honest assessment is that Bush’s regulatory structure took the downturn of the dot-com bubble bursting and made it much worse. Bush’s policies took a simple philosophy like “make government smaller” and applied it in a haphazard manner to the detriment of the country. The old joke that conservaties claim government doesn’t work and then prove it when they get into power was definitely true with Bush – I just hope the Republican party can advance more well-thought out policies in the future. The two party system really is essential to the health of the country.
And if Obama does play for the Steelers, I’ll be the first to put up a Palin 2012 sticker in my window – well, on second thought, I not willing to totally throw any semblance of intellectual honesty to the wind….
"Ryan, Things in here don't react too well to bullets." - Marko Ramius
I think
that it is both parties’ fault. Our government is frozen in inaction until a problem hits crisis stage, then they panic. It was obvious that the housing bubble was waiting to explode 2 years ago. Meanwhile congress is off investigating steroids in baseball and whether the BCS is fair.
You're the first liberal ...
I’ve heard actually blame Bush for the dot-bomb. I own an interactive, new media marketing agency, and in July 2000 we lost several dot-com clients to the bomb. … and it had nothing to do with Bush. So I stand by my ‘dishonest or unknowing’ assessment.
Wow -
you can advance an argument with a self-identified conservative, but you can’t force him to actually read it. I never blamed Bush for the dot-bomb. I said he took a high performing economic machine and drove it into the ground, going on to clarify that his policies took what would have been merely a downturn and made it into a recession. The dot-bomb would have happened under any adminstration; whenever you have something that revolutionizes economic potential like the internet, there are going to be boom and bust cycles as the market self-corrects and stabilizes. The housing crisis pulled to economy down even farther, enabled by a lack of regulation of lenders and poor choices by home buyers – the more important factor being, however, the lack of regulation of Wall Street where banks could lump together bad mortgages into securities and then not reveal to buyers what those securities contained.
Where in my posts did I ever say that Bush caused the dot-com bubble to burst; his record in 2006-2008 economic policy is much more damning.
Maybe I don’t understand your “complex” arguments that essentially distill to: “Reagan=good, Obama=bad, more taxes=socialism.” Can you explain to me how Reagan was not a Keynesian at heart with his tremendous increase in defense spending to pull America out of the stagflation of the 1970s? Can you explain to me how your continual appeal to your sole individual experience to justify national policy positions is not a bastardized econometric argument trying to predict a statistical outcome for a large population by citing a single phenomenon? I did not realize that the term “owner of an interactive, new media marketing agency” actually means an expert on macro and micro economics as well as health care policy. Silly me.
We can agree to disagree, and I honestly love policy debates, but when you make it personal by calling someone “dishonest or unknowing,” there’s only one term for you – “asshole.”
"Ryan, Things in here don't react too well to bullets." - Marko Ramius
I'm ratcheting this down...
obviously we both feel strongly about these issues and we’re not solving anything in this manner. I’m sick of this mainly because this is a Bengals site and we should focus on what connects us (being a fan) vs. what divides us (politics). This site is truly a respite from the crap I have to deal with everyday; let’s keep it that way. I apologize for the tenor of my last post, but I really took exception to what seemed like an attack on my personal integrity. I’ll still buy you a beer when the Bengals sweep the Ravens and the Steelers this year…
"Ryan, Things in here don't react too well to bullets." - Marko Ramius
I agree, TZ ...
while I love very spirited political jousting, let’s focus on the agreed-upon evil empires-Pittsburgh, Baltimore!
More Bengals Love
Here’s another guy who thinks Cincy has a shot at the playoffs. I thought that Prisco’s argument for the Bengals was pretty shallow (to be honest). His argument was that Carson’s return was going to make Cincy a playoff contender, but if that was all this team needed, they would have been in the playoffs the last two years.
This writer, AJ Mass, has a much better grasp on what’s been going on with our team and also predicts playoffs for Cincy. It’s a good read and goes to show that Fantasy players pay a lot closer attention than your run of the mill beat writers.
In 2009, Palmer is back, and although T.J. Houshmandzadeh has taken his receiving talents to Seattle, the Bengals QB still has two Pro Bowl-caliber options in a rededicated Chad Ochocinco and newly acquired Laveranues Coles. They spent their top draft pick on Andre Smith, a run-blocking specialist who should help Benson continue his surprising success of last season, as well as keep Palmer from a return to the injured list. With the offense back to its high level of success, and Marvin Lewis’ defense getting a boost from veterans Tank Johnson and Roy L. Williams, along with Rey Maualuga (drafted out of USC), the Bengals are primed and ready for a trip to the postseason for only the second time since 1991.
I got that off of ESPN’s Fantasy Draft Kit website, where they are doing camp previews of all the NFL teams.
http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?page=nfldk2k9bengalscamppreview
This is our year!
An AWESOME running attack?
As usual,im up later than i should be.Tonight has gone much the same as any other. me rushing home from my 2nd shift job to grab a quick bite to eat and check the new posts of my fellow bengals fans.Guess it doesnt take much to get me excited huh?Real quick i just want to thank Kirk and all of you for your posts and comments as i really enjoy reading them in the spare time that i have.Like most of you i’ve been trying to look into the crystal ball to see what our 2009 team can do.I wish the seaon started tomorrow.Anyway i’ve been thinking about our running game lately and wanted to see what you guy’s think.Ced looked great at the end of the 08 season.He’s been hitting it really hard through the off season.Palmer trying to get him to ease up a little.Sounds great doesnt it?Then theres Scott,could he be the diamond in the rough?The (scat back) change of pace running back we’ve been lokking for? Next we have Brian Leonard.What tape i’ve seen of him,he seems to be a smart power back with a good burst of speed and soft hands out of the back field.Finally theres Fui.A strong and legit full back with some hb skills.I know i may be dreaming a little,but if this ends up being our line up,and if our O-line (IF) can buck-up like we think it can.I think this running game can be down right nasty.What do you guy’s think?
by Who-DeyWilloughby on Jul 16, 2009 5:18 AM EDT reply actions
I think
that we’re all still wondering about the big IF known as our Offensive Line.
IF Cook is actually NFL ready against the 3-4 package and their no-neck Nose tackles, and IF he can read defenses really well to make the right calls for the line, and IF Andre (Sponsored by Chunky Cambell Soup) Smith is present and paying attention every day during training camp, and IF we make the right move with Whit and the gang, then YES, Should be a potent Running Game and an Amazing Passing Game.
This does look like the most complete team we’ve suited up in a long time.
I think
our schedule will help our defensive line. Our first two games are aginst Denver whose defense was poor last year, and Green Bay who is switching to a 3-4 defense this year. As of the 2nd game, its likely that Carson Palmer, Chad, Whit, Bobbie Williams, and Reggie Kelly will know the 3-4 better than Green Bay. It sets the Bengals up with 2 early winnable games to propel them into the season, then Cleveland in week 4.
I think you guys are CRAZY
Not because of your opinions…but if those time-stamps are accurate, you guys don’t sleep!
by JohnCockToastin on Jul 16, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions
The O-line.
I think Cook has the mental toughness.Hopefully he’s as smart as they say he is.I also think Whit was the right choice for left.Back to his natural position coming out of LSU where i believe he got a championship.Bobbie is going to be Bobbie,not sure if Livings is the better choice over Collins?Hopeing Andre (Campbell’s Kid) the giant gets signed by camp and proves some people wrong. Guess the good thing is the fact that Palmer’s healthy again.Surely this O-line understands we can not afford to let anything happen to him again.They better gel together quickly.
by Who-DeyWilloughby on Jul 16, 2009 1:11 PM EDT reply actions
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