Identity and the Bengals: Who Are We and What Should We Do (to be something better)?
by jsl413 on Feb 14, 2010 10:55 PM EST
in I Wonder..
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PrintI’m confused, Bengals fans. All the talking heads think that the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft is going to be a tight end. Particularly, I’ve seen ESPN, Draft Countdown, and Chad Reuter talk about Oklahoma product Jermaine Gresham. We’ve talked about it at length here at CincyJungle. But this is not entirely about the draft, this is about the identity of the football team we’ve grown to love. Given, the talking heads have not accurately projected a Bengals first round pick in recent memory, but it’s the off-season and since some people here seem to think that a new toy for the passing game is the way to go, it’s worth talking about. But, why would we draft a tight end (or as some others suggest, a receiver) in the first round of the NFL draft if we’re such a run-heavy team?
We already signed Matt Jones, whose combination of size and speed automatically makes him a candidate for the #2 receiver spot. We drafted a tight end in the third round last year. You might also remember that Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson were drafted two years back. Chad Ochocinco is still a Pro Bowl wide receiver. Since we’re a run-oriented offense, isn’t that enough?
A few days ago, James Walker asked the question: "Is the AFC North outdated?" In this blogpost, Walker rightfully asserts that the passing game is king in the NFL. The rules are trending toward protecting quarterbacks and wide receivers; it’s easier to complete a pass today in the NFL than it was even two years ago. The entire NFL playoffs this year featured only two (three if you count Baltimore) teams that like to run the ball and play defense. Only one of them, by the grace of god, made it to the conference championship round, and they were thoroughly dispatched by the 2nd (or maybe 3rd) best team in the NFL, the pass-happy Indianapolis Colts. There is an argument to be made that the best teams in the NFL this year were: New Orleans, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Arizona, Green Bay, Dallas, Baltimore, New England, Philadelphia, New York Jets, and Cincinnati, in that order. Baltimore proved highly capable of passing the ball, and unlike Cincinnati, their running back is always a threat to score. In response to James Walker, I would say: it’s more like the Bengals are outdated. At least Pittsburgh and Baltimore are adapting and learning to throw the damn ball.
This brings me back to the draft, free agency, and the future. The lack of Bengals coaching staff changes does not inspire hope that the offense will learn how to throw the ball in 2009. Football Outsiders pointed out in a recent article that when the Bengals tried to learn to pass, the team "totally lost its ability to stretch the field, and in a league that prizes throwing the ball downfield more than ever, that's not a long-term growth strategy." I’m inclined to agree, and this is my primary cause for concern for the future. "Palmer was sacked only 29 times, but the team totally reined in its five- and seven-step drop-back packages. By season's end, the Bengals were more conservative than Barry Goldwater. If the team is to build on its 2009 rebound, it must upgrade personnel on the flanks, get some speed in the lineup, and return to within shouting distance of its old, high-flying self."
If the Bengals draft a pass-catching TE (he probably won’t get out of training camp) or a Wide Receiver, they’re shooting themselves in the foot one way or another. Yes, the Bengals need to learn how to pass the ball again. Yes, the Bengals need to add new players in order to accomplish that goal. But a few problems stand in the way. Receivers drafted in the first (or two) round rarely work out (see Peter Warrick, Matt Jones, Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, Jerome Simpson… the list goes on). There are no surefire receivers in this year’s draft class that I’m convinced will be solid, consistent contributors in the NFL outside of Mardy Gilyard, and that’s just a homerism. The second problem is that if the play-calling is the same or even similar, new weapons like Gilyard or Gresham won’t even have the chance to develop. Furthermore, without an offensive lineman that knows how to create a pocket, defensive backs will be able to sit on quick routes because their pass rush will reach Carson before anything more elaborate has a chance to develop.
This begs the question, what should the Bengals do? From this fan’s point of view, the future is kind of bleak. Even if we add the tools we need, assuming they are a good fit with team and smart enough to learn an NFL playbook, will the coaches adjust the way they need to? What if the coaches adjust and the players don’t work out?
The Bengals have to build the offense from the offensive line outward. Right now, a couple of pass-blocking offensive guards would go a long way in giving Bob "The Devil" Bratkowski a little more freedom in calling long-developing pass plays. It would also make a 1st round TE like Gresham make a little more sense. The Bengals face a conundrum. First round pass catchers rarely develop into NFL stars because their projections are far too often derived from physical tools that don’t always translate to success. The offensive line is not correctly built to allow a great receiver to flourish in the first place. The coaches are adamant about running the football too much with a power back that’s just too slow to hit a home run.
To fix these problems, the front office absolutely must spend draft picks or money on interior offensive linemen (and/or a left tackle that would allow Whitworth to move inside) that can give Carson and his receivers more time to get open. A tight end might add some flexibility to the passing game, but it certainly won’t open up the whole offense. When the offensive line is shored up, we can add some glue-handed receiving talent (Gilyard, please, Mr. Brown). Attention should also be devoted to the defensive line and safety position—another problem, hopefully we get all those third round compensatory picks we were talking about.
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I agree
If Baluga is there take him,move Whit back to guard.
Not happening. Continuity is what Marvin wants in the line. Me too.
If you don't live like you wanna, you live like you shouldn't
i agree with you
Tackle may be our deepest position
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by Joe Goodberry on Feb 15, 2010 2:52 PM EST up reply actions
Play Purify
Carson knows he’s ready. He knows he’s ready. You guys, you have no idea what we’ve got in him. He wants it. He has that athletic, glide in the stride, get there factor. I know. Just watch. I hope no one else gets him, then we’ll be kicking ourselves in our backsides.
He got his chance. I don’t remember Carson throwing to him once. There is absolutely nothing to suggest he can be a big part of our pass offense.
Carson threw to him in the end-zone against Cleveland at home...
…but receiver Mike Furry who had to play defensive back that game, knocked the ball down for an incompletion.
B. Clifton Burke
meh
palmer was coming off a serious injury and his non-throwing arm was injured all season, which certainly hindered him. Coles sucked. The tight end position sucked for the most part. Tight end is not a bad pickup for bengals. Bengals lacked a good possession receiver and blocking. A solid tight end fills both those roles.
Keep in mind that the Colts are not a deep passing team. They rarely threw for long games, and used their passing game much like other teams use their running games.
Why is it that when we were a passing team, the critics said we would never be a contender until we ran the ball. Now that we’re a running team, the critics say that we have to be pass heavy to contend. Is it me or does ESPN now dictate how the game is played and who’s schemes are right or wrong.
How about this; instead of using high draft picks on boom or bust diva WR’s, stack your team up with the best O-lineman that you can. A great O-line always makes everyone else on the team look better, from QB’s to WR’s to RB’s.
Currently, with the rules heavily favoring the passing game, the Bengals are trying to be a run-first ball-control team. 5-8 years ago when the league was dominated by run-first ball-control teams, the Bengals were a pass happy win-by-scoring-last team. It hadn’t occurred to me before, but it seems like the Bengals are always a few years behind the curve.
I think the passing game (outside Palmer) can’t be thoroughly evaluated until Palmer returns to form. Whether it’s an injury issue or not, something has to change there. If he can’t get back to the arm strength and accuracy he had before the injuries then the Bengals need to start grooming a replacement.
I’m a big Palmer fan, but he’s been a shell of his former self. If he can’t get it back, it’s time to move on.
by indesignkat on Feb 15, 2010 10:07 AM EST up reply actions
and btw, you’re completely right about the o-line.
by indesignkat on Feb 15, 2010 10:08 AM EST up reply actions
The pessimism blows.
Our play action was basically a bust this year with palmers hand being gimp. For a patchwork O-line we had one of the best running games in the league. After having some time to glue together the pass blocking should come together. We do need help at tightend/wide reciever but saying “the future looks bleak” is hardly the way to look at it. We knew the OL was the weak point back in training camp.
by Michael Rheault on Feb 15, 2010 8:33 AM EST reply actions
I'm not being a pessimist, I'm just concerned.
We have this identity – run the ball.
The league favors passing offenses right now.
The Bengals will probably draft a boom-or-bust receiver.
Bratkowski might not know what to do with him.
Pass protection is not this offensive line’s forte. Perhaps this is due to an overemphasis on running the ball.
The solution should be building an offensive line and finding WR talent later. Is Gresham really a CAN’T MISS TE? Dunno about that. Remember Vernon Davis? Took him 3 years to make an impact.
i find it interesting that you wouldn’t expect improvement from an offensive line that was just put together not even a year ago; it’s pretty much common knowledge that offensive lines don’t come together over night and the performance we saw from the bengals’ line last season was truly impressive. we should expect only improvement from the line. gilyard is the smart pick because he gives you a reliable receiver with shifty moves; that might not be what most people would look for in the first round, but it’s one way to avoid a bust pick.
i'm going to go america all over your ass!
We Bengal fans seem to have a soft-spot for Gilyard.
The man is fast and is an exciting KR & PR, but I remember seeing him make a lot of drops at UC. I wouldn’t classify Mardy as “reliable”.
B. Clifton Burke
a pox on your house for speaking ill of st. mardy of gilyard!
nah, just kidding. i didn’t watch every game, but every time i saw mardy, i liked him. plus, on a completely arbitrary note, he went to high school where my grandparents live.
i'm going to go america all over your ass!
by Raging Clue on Feb 15, 2010 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
no the bengals fans from the state of ohio have a soft spot for Gilyard
www.fantasydaddy.com
by Joe Goodberry on Feb 15, 2010 2:55 PM EST up reply actions
I think they need to pick the best player available in the first round.
Need is best addressed in the third and fourth rounds, where we should/could have a bunch of picks.
I think the O-Line will be better. But Bobbie Williams is old and it never hurts to find an amazing guard in the draft. However, best available is the way I’d go regardless.
Build the Oline solidly and the passing game will come back.
Carson’s high throws were made because though he wasn’t sacked as much many of his passes were rushed and he couldn’t step into his throws. Give Carson just an additional second on the average and he can step into his throws, feel confident in the pocket and the WRs will have more time to get open. That. with the addition of a talented safety and another year in the Zimmer system and we play very strong. Emphasize D in the draft so our best coach can further develop his D and strengthen our Oline. Draft Shipley for the slot, cut Coles get a healthy Chase on the field and behind a healthy and strong Oline Carson should be Carson again. We do not need to draft a TE high unless he is a premier player and I don’t see anybody out there worthy of a 1st round pick.Go safety or Oline with #1.
" My enemy said "Love your enemy". I obeyed and loved myself." Gibran
I agree
Early in the season, we had a pretty good offense going, we could throw the ball when we had to and the running game was great. However, even when things were going right, the O-line could not pass block to save their lives. It was almost like our O-line could only push forward, but to drop back and pass block, the D-linemen would sneak by and Palmer wouldn’t be sacked (like bodacio notes below), but he would rush his throws, resulting in them going high
I'm sorry but the O-line did an excellent job...
They should be about No.4 as for the reasons why the passing game didn’t work…
1. WRs couldn’t get open even remotley consistently… Ocho got all the attention so that left it to the others to get open… it was like a magic trick… now you see it, now you don’t
2 or 3… these could be either or, but dropped balls and Carson’s inconsistency… it wasn’t so much we dropped alot but we were a runnning team so when we actually did pass (which was not overly much) you have to catch it… didn’t happen
the playoff game was all Carson… he was just all over with his throws with plenty of room to throw it… I can’t exactly remember who it was announcing (pretty sure it was Phil Simms) but he said it was Carson’s release that was the problem….
The O-line was great running and average pass blocking… Mathis played great but got injured and Andre was playing on a bum foot…. there is no reason to think that our O-line pass protection won’t improve with a healthy Andre Smith…
You realize...
Receivers had about 2 seconds to get open and many of Carson’s throws came under duress? The sacks allowed numbers look fine, but the peripheral offensive line numbers look bad.
I agree. The O-Line was really just average in pass protection. For every 16 pass attempts they allowed a sack. When you compare that to Indianapolis, who allowed something like 1 sack for every 45 pass attempts, it seems ridiculous to say that we had an elite line.
This is our year!
by Paul Cannon on Feb 15, 2010 10:59 PM EST up reply actions
I agree that the Oline did a great job
Considering their big changes they over achieved. I also agree that Carson didn’t connect several time when he was not ubder pressure. I do think we need to improve the receiver corps with an addition or maybe two. I guess my point, which I really did not make very well (my bad) is that just adding Golden Tate or Gresham will not necessarily be the answer. It may look like it if we get one of them but I think the O will be better if we don’t make any new additions. This team had 11 of 22 starters either rookies, new to their position or new to the team. With another year together they will be better. We do not need to reach for a player in any position. I agree a WR or TE is an area we should address but not if they are not top level talent. I would have top level talent on D or Oline than a run of the mill guy in an area of perceived need.
" My enemy said "Love your enemy". I obeyed and loved myself." Gibran
O-Line?
Bengals were Top 10 in least sacks allowed, which is something considering Palmer is one of the least mobile QBs in the league. Carson had plenty of time. He was bad. Give it a rest.
Agree:
1. I’m not confident Brat can find ways to score no matter what kind of talent he has.
Disagree:
1. Is adding a guy that didn’t play football last year(Matt Jones) enough? I’m going to say probably not. Put a fork in Simpson. Caldwell disappeared down the stretch and is medicore at best. We know what we have in Coles. That leaves us with Chad as the only reliable receiving option….again. My fear is that, say, we draft a TE in the 2nd, who the Bengals say is talented, but needs time to develop. We go another year with Foschi and some other retread, the TE doesn’t develop, Chase Coffman is still playing in a skirt, and we’re back to square one. Find the best TE, Gresham or not, and take care of this problem immediately.
Read carefully!
They didn’t give up too many sacks, but playcalling was more and more conservative, pass plays were less and less adventurous.
The offensive line was great against the run, but did not hold up very well in pass protection. Carson was often aware enough to get a quick throw out of there, and he was much more mobile this year than we’ve ever seen. That contributed to lower sack numbers; but what doesn’t show up on paper is pressure, and that’s what Football Outsiders points out.
No, I understand the stats don’t tell the whole story, but the pass protection was adequate. Our tackles were overmatched at times, but I think blaming the O-line for our passing woes is, largely, coming from a segment of this fanbase still not willing to place any responsibility on Palmer’s shoulders. It’s a bit of a copout.
Carson was inaccurate.
But the offensive line was also poor. Carson was average. Some throws had me scratching my head. Others, I saw pressure in his face. Receiver is a problem area, but teams must be built from the inside out. The offense simply is not explosive, and part of that is that we have a power running game (antiquated) and an inability to execute quick passes because teams sit on them. There’s no threat for a long play because the pass rush will get there before routes develop downfield.
I dunno. I hear how poorly the offensive line played, but I just didn’t see it. Palmer wasn’t sacked much, rarely got hammered. I’ve seen some god awful Bengal lines and ‘09 certainly didn’t rank up there with the worst. More than anything, we just weren’t fooling anyone. Hard for Palmer to operate when the defense knows what’s coming, so a good deal of the blame goes on Brat. Sure, I’m all for upgrading the line. It can be better and I think it will be once Andre replaces Roland. However, I think the key to the passing game lies in upgrading talent and Palmer getting himself straightened out. He’s been average at best since ‘07 and we treat him like he’s actually had more than two good years. Most QBs don’t have the luxury of playing behind a line like the one we had in ’05. The good ones figure out how to get it done without 6 or 7 seconds to make their throw.
You're looking at the wrong side of the line.
I don’t think pass protection issues came from left tackle. They came from right guard and right tackle.
Smith is going to get the starting job at right tackle which should make us more stable. Roland just didn’t cut it, he got beat too many times.
I do think we should draft a right guard to replace Bobbie Williams, but even Iupati is iffy since he’s more of a mauler than a pass protector. We could get a real good one in the 3rd.
If you don't live like you wanna, you live like you shouldn't
We do need to draft for O Line....
And his name is Andre Smith. Most of the pressure last year came from the right side. Give Andre a full preseason under his belt and I would bet that that problem is likely to diminish. Then we can move Roland or Collins inside.
Roland is 6'9" hes not moving inside
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by Joe Goodberry on Feb 15, 2010 2:59 PM EST up reply actions
Is being tall prohibitive to being a guard?
Livings is 6’5",
Mathis is 6’5"
Williams is 6’4"
Whitworth is 6’7 and he played guard…
Not sure what height has to do with it. Also Collins is 6’5"…
My point is that there is already room for improvement and change within the system we have… Assuming Smith comes along of course
Wit's natural position is LT, although
they used him as a guard when he first came b/c of Levi Jones being here. So you may have a point there and that goes for the whole line.
They must love tall lineman for some reason, except for Guichump, he was 6’1" and a pushover.
yes it hinders them
most teams likes thier guards shorter than the the tackles. How is a QB going to see over guards if they are all 6’6"-6’9"?
plus they will have to block 6’1"-6’4" defensive tackles and leverage is everything in the trenches
www.fantasydaddy.com
by Joe Goodberry on Feb 16, 2010 1:23 PM EST up reply actions
If you’re really smart, you aren’t going to try to throw THROUGH another player. And given the wingspans of most DE/DTs, throwing over is just as dumb as throwing through. You need to throw AROUND the players in front of you. With that caveat, height of the guard no longer means jack squat.
For those who can't remember the uncapped FA rules, this link's for you.
no way, i disagree
have you ever played QB?
Im 6’3" and thats tall in high school for a QB. But when your center is 6’5" and RG is 6’2" its so hard to see over them. You have to be able to locate the LBs and anybody else in the box. I know NFL is different and its all timing based. but you get my point
www.fantasydaddy.com
by Joe Goodberry on Feb 18, 2010 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
We could draft a an O-lineman
but I don’t think we should burn an early pick on one. maybe a mid to late rounder.
This is our year!
Keep Whitworth where he is
Most of the hurries, especially in the playoff game, came from the right side. I expect that Andre Smith will go a long way to taking care of this problem (with the money he’s making, he needs to).
I’m not sold on Gresham as a first-rounder due to the missed season. If he falls to the second round like Rey did, then fine; a #21 pick could be better invested. I would like to see us play to strength and go defence with the pick. Safety was the one position of obvious weakness when the D was on the field in ’09; hopefully a good one (not Taylor Mays) is available when our number comes up.
By the way, re: Maualuga
Looks more and more like he belonged in the second round. Once he learns how to read a play though, he’ll be a gem. 2nd rounder because he needs time to learn the game.
At first I wasn’t high on Taylor as a Safety… but if he were converted to linebacker you might have me as a believer. The guy is lightning fast, could disrupt the QB, and guard TE’s (and maybe WR’s)
you dont take a guy in the first round if your going to completely change his position
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by Joe Goodberry on Feb 15, 2010 3:00 PM EST up reply actions
1) that’s not quite as dramatic a change in position
2) just because the Bengals did it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good idea
For those who can't remember the uncapped FA rules, this link's for you.
I agree
that it’s not necessarily a good idea but, it is a big difference in positions. Ask Pollock….
DE’s tackle a lot differently than LB’s. They also man up differently too. The speed and angles of tackling are completely different. Different schemes unless you play in a 3-4 D. Then LB’s and DE’s are switching. Not to say they don’t switch in a 4-3 though, but they don’t switch all that much. I know this b/c I played DE in High school. Trust me, it’s different.
One of Pollocks requests to come back and play was to play DE again. It wasn’t going to happen…
I'm optimistic the Bengals will make a pick that makes sense
Before the Marvin Lewis era, I’d be worried the Bengals would find some reason to draft Tim Tebow to apprentice behind Carson Palmer.
oh, heaven help us
don’t rule that Tebow thing out yet, it really all depends on what Mikey boy wants to do, I could see him on hard knocks this summer saying “that Tebow guy runs pretty well, maybe he could be our tight end” then the tight end coach rolls his eyes and smiles
I'm afraid of that, too.
I can picture Tebow falling to the third or even fourth, and then MB can’t resist the urge to get great “value.” Hopefully some crazy team takes him early on.
by Big Sky Bengal on Feb 15, 2010 1:09 PM EST up reply actions
I absolutely agree
I don’t think we should take Gresham, either, and I think the best move we could make is to bolster the interior OL. Teams find non-project TEs after the first round every year…
Free Agency, and 1st pick thru 3rd pick
We need to build the defense through free agency and Friday or Saturday in the draft. We need to build the Passing Attack through free agency and Thursday in the draft.
We need a WR, blocking/receiving combo TE, another WR, Safeties to replace Crocker and Williams, and desperately need pass rush depth.
With that said,
Free Agency: Sign Steve Breaston and Aaron Kampman. We also need one more Guard, and Coach Alexander (O-Line) has shown an amazing aptitude at developing O-Linemen. (Bobbie Williams, Rich Braham, Evan Mathis, Nate Livings, Kyle Cook, etc.)
Draft: Top WR or TE left at Pick 21, Mardy Gilyard or another WR in the 2nd Round, and a Safety in the 3rd round.
We have our #1 WR (Chad) and #3 WR of the future (Quan Cosby), we have a blocking TE returning (Reggie Kelly) and we have 2 old guys at Safety, but no quality depth. Ndukwe is burnt toast in coverage – fact.
If Earl Thomas were available in the 2nd Rd, I’d love to see us grab him, but he won’t be, so c’est la vie. Or, for that matter, Lamarr Houston. He’s a beast DT at Texas, and will be a Pro-Bowler based on performance in the brutal Big 12.
by Yaccub Fleishcman on Feb 15, 2010 2:09 PM EST reply actions
Quan
I agree with you Yaccub…why does everyone seem to forget about Quan? He’s got potential to be a solid WR in a year or two. A small, quick guy in the slot with some decent big play ability and isn’t afraid to get hit…almost like a certain Pro-Bowl white guy that plays for the Pats…
i like quan except he was 26 years old last season
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by Joe Goodberry on Feb 15, 2010 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
+1 on Kampman
Thats a guy who we haven’t heard enough about in all the Free agency hoopla. The question is whether coming off injury will he be on enough of a discount to be MB’s interest
your post was a joke
Quan is not better than Caldwell
We would have to give a at least a 2nd round pick for Breaston
Earl Thomas will be gone before the 2nd round
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by Joe Goodberry on Feb 15, 2010 3:02 PM EST up reply actions
I'm not big on Breaston
because it seems like he was mostly a benefactor of a great passing game and a two really good wide receivers on either side of him. He’s good, but I don’t know if he gives us much more than we already have.
This is our year!
Defense Defense and Defense
If their is a need to be filled, Defense should be first priority…. Defense wins Championships… I think Defense makes Dynasties
the last decade is a testament to that… hell the Pats win 3 Cahmpionships but when they finally get an all world offense they lose… to a Dominant defense I might add
our pass rush is average because we have no penetrating DT to go with Peko and our Safeties make average TEs look like Pro Bowlers
I see some people having us go offense for the first 5 picks of the Draft… that is not good
I agree
unless there’s a sure thing on offense, we ought to draft for holes in our defense. It was good last year, but with a few more pieces, they could dominate.
This is our year!
On the AFC North, SImpson and Drafting a TE
On the AFC Norh Being outdated.
SB Wins 2000-2009
AFC East-3
AFC North-3
AFC South-1
NFC South-2
NFC East-2
AFC North is argueably the best division of the decade, since NE won all of the superbowls in their division while ours were spread out.
I am not ready to give up on Simpson. SIndey RIce did nothing his 1st 2 years and was one of the top recievers in the league this year, same with Miles Austin. Caldwell is on pace for 800 yards next year, based on comperable receivers.
I think that TE is the position that could improve the most on the team through a 1st round pick, that is why so many prognosticators are picking it. I expect The Bengals to go after Ben Watson. We have brought in several TE through free agency. I think that trend will continue.
But the league is trending away from defense/running-first teams.
That’s my concern. I don’t know who we are or who we want to be or how we’re going to get there.
but you have to find an identity and stick with it. As soon as we try to change back to a passing team, the Jets will win the SB and everyone will say that it’s all about a running game and great D. If we try to bounce back and fourth on our style of play based on what ESPN tell us is the trend, we will never reach the top.
by smoormandiddy on Feb 15, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions
Well...
I think they can have a balanced draft. They should have a bunch of compensatory 3rd round picks. So in the first 3 rounds, we could potentially acquire OL help, a reliable WR, a serviceable NFL TE (a la Visanthe Shianco), a safety, and a defensive tackle/end. It’s not out of the question that we’ll have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds.
I hate to say it but look at Pittsburgh
They’ve always been a power running team with a great D regardless of what the competition was doing. The only two times I remember them drifting from that style, 2009 and 1999-2000ish era, are the only two times I remember them missing the playoffs. While most top teams should be good in all phases of the game, I think you should choose your identity, pick up the players that fit it and stay true to it.
I think all team strive to have a balanced draft, it just depands on how many of their picks work out.
by smoormandiddy on Feb 15, 2010 8:18 PM EST up reply actions
Draft pick
My guess is that the person drafted will have Johnson as his surname – it is well known M Brown has an affinity with this name!
I Disagree with this article's assessment of what the bengals need.
I do agree with grabbing the best player regardless in the first round. OR, better yet, trad off the first round for a proven player.
A bad-ass TE that can block and CATCH, and CATCH is absolutely critical. He is also a lineman, btw, at least he should be able to block DE’s and DTs. If not, then he’s the 4th WR like Coffman will end up being, just called a TE.
Carson needs some targets, and it looks like they are going after them, and they should IMHO find Carson’s replacement. We rely on him too much for our success. Don’t give me that look. You know what I’m talking about.
I think they need a home run threat.
Be it an explosive running back (CJ Spiller) or a wide receiver (Brandon Marshall). I don’t think, though, that the team has any sense of where it’s going.
Carson is a little injury prone
but he is only 30 years old, we don’t need to start looking for his replacement already. Having a developing QB on the bench, who may or may not beat out Carson for the starting job in 3 years, isn’t going to help us beat the Steelers or Ravens next season.
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