Even After Pacman And Wilson Are There Still Holes Left To Be Filled?
by ak513 on May 9, 2010 12:24 PM EDT
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PrintAlthough a lot of our pressing needs have been filled through the draft and free agency, there are still some holes needed to be filled for the Bengals to make a Superbowl run. I begin to think of the free agents still left out there on the market and there are STILL some quality guys out there who could come extremely cheap and could fill some needs and get the job done. There are former Pro Bowl quality guys ike T.O., Brian Westbrook, Kevin Mawae, Keith Bulluck and John Henderson just to name a few. With our secondary depth already being addressed with the signings of Pacman and Wilson there are other areas to be concentrated on:
1. Running Back: When I look at our running back position we need a backup RB that can take the hits but also be able to be a feature back. Obviously the strongest candidate for backup would be Brian Westbrook, with his ability to be yet another dangerous weapon for Carson. The only thing against Westbrook is his durability and he suffered two major concussions last year that forced him to consider retirement. The way I see it is that we already have some stable solid running backs with Bernard Scott & Leonard why not sign Westbrook for minimum and see what he has left? I think we should bring him in for a workout because he is a all around back who basically is a better faster version of Brian Leonard and could match Benson's production. Westbrook is easily the best available runig back right now. There are guys out there like Deshawy Wynn and Kevin Jones but neither of these guys have the track record to match Westbrook. I also keep an eye on the Seahawks it looks like maybe Julius Jones and Justin Forsett could both be on their way out. My top 3 guys I would feel the most comfortable with would be either Westbrook , Justin Forsett and Julius Jones. Either way we need a LJ replacement.
2. Backup QB During the draft I was pulling for Tony Pike or Dan LaFevour to get picked in the 5th, but that didn’t happen. We need a respectable backup QB that can come in when Palmer is hurt and still be able to run our offense effectively.With this roster we can't afford to let this team go to waste if Carson goes down. Names that come to mind are Marc Bulger, & Jeff Garcia both guys have been proven in this league. Although I would hate to see it, knowing Mike Brown I wouldn't be surprised to see Jamarcus "Lethargy Addicted" Russell being brought in for a tryout.I mean he did try to sign Vick right? If it were up to me I’d rather have Bulger or Garcia both have proven track records. Either way we need a better backup than JTO.
3.Kicker I was excited to see we singed Nugent until I looked at his NFL stats bc they don’t even come close to his OSU stats. His last 2 seasons have been injury plagued, but If he is healthy again and he can get back on point, I will love this pickup. There are a still few question marks surrounding this position and I just want someone who won’t SHANK GRAHAM a game deciding field goal. Any suggestions out there?
3.Guard You can never go wrong with getting more protection for Carson, we need to keep this guy on his feet plus Bobbie is 34, We addressed the Guard position a little too late and made a reach in the draft for Hudson. The guys we drafted appear to be project players, we need a veteran to backup Bobbie in order to protect Carson. I wouldn't mind us signing Chester Pitts to a 1 yr deal.
4.Tight End I know what your thinking Tight End? WTF didn't we draft Gresham? First of all let me say this: I love Jermaine Gresham and I Love Chase Coffman, but I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of Gresham Coats packages. I think there are a lot of respectable veteran tight ends still out there such as LJ Smith. I think there are guys out there that could better compliment Gresham if Coffman flops again this year. I really don’t think this is a big deal, but I wouldn’t mind adding another TE to the mix. Plus apparently Coffman isn't taking his job seriously with him missing mini camp.
With all of that being said I'd like to hear some feedback or even some other suggestions/players I haven't listed. I'd like to see how major of a need that the holes have to be filled.
5.FullBack I don't know how I forgot to keep this on here being that I had writte an article last week about us needing to address this weakness. We do need more competition at this position and there are still soe great value guys out there at this position. The Bengals must be kicking themselves over letting the "Face Mask Crusher'" get signed by the Bucs
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.
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What about FB?
Is this Fui’s position by default? There dosn’t appear to be any competition here.
by BamaBengal on May 9, 2010 2:47 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Joe Tronzo
We signed this kid outof Louisville.
Not flashy by any means, but big and powerful like Pressly.
In high school (St X – Louisville) he was a 4 time national power lifting champion and three time state shout put champ. I know this doesn’t necessarily translate to the football field, but at 5’11 248 he should be able to really push Fui in minicamp.
I don’t care either way as long as we get rid of JJ once andf for all.
I would like to see 2 of these positions upgraded
The 2 I would like to see is the backup QB position. I think we need someone who can manage the game if Carson misses a few games. Doesn’t have to necessarily win the game with our running attack and defense but can’t lose the game for us either. I like Bulger but doubt that will happen. I read on ESPN that its possible that Kyle Orton is traded. Depending on what they want for him we may be able to trade a 5th or later pick and/or possibly a player we were going to cut for him. I mean we are going to cut a talented player at Receiver and possibly other positions with the kind of depth we have accumulated. I would love to see a move like this or similar. Orton is what I would like to have in a backup. While he may not be the best starter in the world he could definitely win us a few games while Carson healed. I doubt this would happen either though!
The other position I would like to see addressed is Offensive Line. I would love to see another veteran O lineman get signed. I think our line is fine IF they stay healthy. Thats a big IF though. Plus if we could improve it and add depth that could be huge.
I like our RB’s. If Benson were to get hurt we could sign a veteran RB at that point to come in and backup Scott. I think Scott has the ability to contribute heavily if Benson went down for a few weeks. The issue would be if Benson did go down I would like to see someone solid backing up Scott and provide insurance in the event that Scott couldn’t get the job done.
I am hoping that the winner between Nugent and Rayner will be enough. I think Nugent will win the job. A lot of times it takes young kickers a few years a while to become good. See our former Kicker Neil Rackers. Couldn’t get the job done here despite a HUGE leg. He changed teams and done great. Hopefully that will be the same situation for Nugent.
I think we are “ok” at TE. I would definitely love to see Kelly resigned. If you go to the Bengals site and look at the video’s they have on their with TE and Receivers at rookie camp you will see Dan Coats drop the ball about 5 times in a 3 min video. It hits him in the hands most of the time in the video and bounces right off, LOL. He is horrible and shouldn’t be used as anything more than a blocker. That being said I would rather send Rolland out in a route then see the ball bouncing off Coats hands again!
That being said I am all for upgrading any position. I would like to see all of the ones you mention upgraded. Especially the QB and O line!
+1 on Orton
I was thinking the same exact thing. Orton is a game manager we should pull the trigger on that now
Orton will want a chance to start
I say go for an older guy who still has a year or two left in him and is looking for a couple more paycheck before he retires. To be honest Kitna would fit the bill. He already knows the system and he and Carson work well together..
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
He probably will want a chance to start
But, I If he was traded he wouldn’t have a choice. Like I said its not going to happen with Orton but I would like it. I would love for Kitna to come back but I don’t think the coaches or Front Office are concerned about upgrading the QB position. It doesn’t seem that way anyway. I wish they would but I think they are going to enter the season with what we have right now. I hope I’m wrong though.
I just feel nervous about the team being one Von Olhoffen hit away form JTO.
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
Why Guard?
I think Guard has been our most over-hyped position of “need” this summer. Bobbie is coming back, we drafted two guys, and Andre Smith will make that right side look infinitely better. I also don’t think there will be room on our team for another RB. I’m a bit confused as too why people think that B. Scott can’t handle back up duties, I think he and Leondard do a great job in backing him up.
The line last year was mediocre, and we can’t just expect that Andre Smith will be the answer to all our problems. And even if he does help as much as we hope, all it takes is one injury anywhere on the line and we’ll be back to the same as last year. Our rookie’s could pan out, but both of them projected as projects for this year so it seems unlikely.
This is our year!
True
But we have experienced guys in Collins and Roland. Those guys fit the bill perfectly for being solid back-ups. Plus Tackles convert to guards all the time in the NFL.
I think Scott an handle it
I said so in my post. If Benson gets injured we would need to pick up a player that can be Scott’s backup until Benson is healthy. Who knows Cedric Peerman may be that guy???
Guard I think we could use a Guard still though. Neither Mathis or Livings took the job outright and that has me concerned. If we could find a starter who could also play Center I would feel better. you can never have enough O line help.
FB
is another position that could use a little competition for camp
"wherever Brad St. Louis is and Shayne Graham is about to be." -R.F. Mehl
RB and FB
Adding depth there will only allow our running attack to get better.
I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.
Coverage ability at safety
On paper, all of the above are good ideas, but we only have a 53-man roster and a finite budget to work with. For instance, I would question the idea of bringing in a Brian Westbrook with all three of our existing RB’s in apparent good health; either he takes playing time from somebody else who would do well with it (probably Leonard), and / or we sacrifice needed roster depth elsewhere to carry 4 RB’s (or an extra TE, or…).
I hate to say it, but the free agent signings provided great depth for the skill sets we already had, but did not beef up the secondary in the one area we really needed, namely interior coverage by the safeties. Chris Crocker is adequate in this respect, I suppose, but that really isn’t the strength of Williams’ or Ndukwe’s games (see for example the Keller TD in the playoff game). The scouting report on Wilson is that he too does a better job stacking the box against the run than providing coverage. Unless the staff’s expectation is that Jeromy Miles will (1) make the team, (2) show particular strength in covering slot receivers and tight ends, and (3) get significant playing time once the regular season starts, then I’d say that this constitutes our one true need, as opposed to the wish list that every team has.
I hate to put my head in the lions mouth but
I would like to see Pacman tryout at FS. His coverage skills are just OK for a corner but good enough for safety and he is an aggressive hitter and fast.
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
John Henderson is still out there
Big John Henderson is out there still. Tank is a decent tackle but he can be over powered. John Henderson commands double teams everytime he is on the field. Henderson could also keep Tank fresh because he simply broke down last year and had to play hurt.
Kenneth Lewis Moore
Henderson
We dont need anyone to fill for Tank, he will be a better player this year. He just got a 3 year deal and Im sure he will want to fulfill Coach Zimmer,s aspirations of how he will play DT.
by James Schmid the great on May 9, 2010 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
nothing against Henderson
but we invested a 4th round pick at this position. Lack of depth was a problem at DT in ’09, but I feel pretty good about the 4-man rotation we have now (Peko / T. Johnson / Sims / Atkins), especially if one of the tackles is occasionally spelled off by a DE on obvious passing downs. Zimmer used Odom to great effect that way in the Green Bay game.
Without a doubt
I say QB backup is the weakest part of the offense right now.
Sure, another guard, running back and fullback would be great to acquire prior to camp, but who doesn’t cringe thinking about JTO snugging up his chinstrap and running out onto the field in the 4th quarter of ANY game?
My top picks are Garcia, then Bulger, then Kitna.
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