Defense, Defense, Defense..... wins championships!!!

by AMAS85 on Mar 20, 2011 4:05 PM EDT

The NFL draft has become more and more of a media spectacle. Every year the draft becomes more dramatic and entertaining than the last. ESPN does a great job of making the draft more than what it is. Each team has a particular way of scouting players and stick to it each year. Please keep this in mind, when it comes to the 2011 NFL draft, our biggest need is on defense.

My Defense (pun intended) in my conclusion:

Much of the attention has gone to the QB or WR position, but in reality these position will benefit the Bengals the most when drafting in the first round:

1. Patrick Peterson CB/FS: If we can’t sign Joseph back then will have a solid CB for the future. If we do sign Joseph back, we will have a solid FS for the future. Seems to me, a win/ win situation. This guy is gifted and would be a significant difference maker as DB. He has speed and size. Something that we need in AFC north to match up against TEs and bigger WRs.

2. Marcell Dareus DT: Point blank, we need a disruptive defensive tackle to put pressure on the QB and RB. And will free up our young DEs.

3. Nick Fairley: See above. Also, he is somewhat of a “dirty player” and the Bengals may benefit from that in the AFC North.

4. Von Miller LB: If none of the above are available, we should get the best value at the number four spot if we don’t trade down. Von Miller will simply make our LB group young and elite.

The speculation of drafting a QB in the first round is ridiculous. There are several different reasons why it won’t happen. If Carson Plamer is truly serious about retiring, if he is not traded, drafting a QB in the first round will give him the advantage. Guaranteeing millions of dollars to another QB will only make it easier for Carson to leave because Carson simply has to show up to camp and the team will have bigger problems than they do now. When there is a QB controversy it adds more pressure to the head coach on who to start and the team may get divided. This will make Carson trade value go down and may even allow him to get cut. Also, there will be too much money going towards one position, something I don't see Mike Brown allowing. The logically scenario, take the best available QB in the second round. Pick up the best available veteran QB in free agency and let them battle it out to start the season. And if Carson insists on not coming back to Cincy, trade him to a team that will guarantee a highest draft pick the Bengals can get. This may give the Bengals another chance to get a franchise QB in Andrew Luck. Luck would be worth the pick and money. One thing to always keep in mind, “who runs the show”. That would be Mr. Grinch, AKA Mike Brown. Brown will not allow the player to demand something and get it. So, he will carefully think out a way he wins. Right now, owners have way more power than players.

AJ Green wouldn’t be the worst pick and would probably work out. But in my opinion, the Bengals defense has the bigger needs in certain areas and I think would make more sense to address them first. If somehow we get Carson back and the Bengals felt like they needed a WR. There are quite of few veteran WR to choose that have the capability of AJ Green. Cough, cough, Plaxico Burress, wink, wink. Please remember, “Defense wins championships! “

P.S. Bengals fan for life!

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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Da’Quan Bowers off the list, otherwise a good article though!

by The Dealio on Mar 20, 2011 7:25 PM EDT reply actions

True..

he would be 5th for sure….

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 20, 2011 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree with just about everything you said here.

"I bet that sex Bengals fan is really pissed now." -DT3428

by sexsalad on Mar 20, 2011 7:56 PM EDT reply actions

me too

Other then the plaxico thing.

by JCompton41 on Mar 20, 2011 8:11 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

lol

I think if you would take the ability of Plaxico and the ability of AJ green right now, they would be very comparable. AJ Green would defiantly have a bigger upside, but Plaxico is proven. I was just pointing out there are veteran players to look at in other positions, but addressing team needs vs. what is available at the number 4 pick, without reaching is very important. I could very well see the Bengals trading down if their number 1 is gone by four because it sucks to over pay a player. I.E. Andre Smith.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 20, 2011 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions

im just tired of the problem players

Especially one who’s dumb enough to shoot himself in his leg, and been out of the league as long as him. And I really want to go with jerome, andre and jordan at wr. I really think jerome will be good, and I want to see if andre can be a solid number 2, because he’s pretty good at getting yac.

by JCompton41 on Mar 20, 2011 9:48 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Sorry, that's just wrong

Plaxico is like 35 and has been out of football for two years. That and, even in his prime, he couldn’t hold Green’s jock. Otherwise, the post makes sense.

by IgnatiusJReilly on Mar 20, 2011 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions

point taken

But being out of football isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If Michael Vick can come back and be as productive as he was after missing a few years of football, I really don’t see why Plaxico can’t. To be honest, I would rather go after Santonio Holmes. But when thinkin of someone who has a simialr build and playing style as AJ Green, Plaxico came to mind.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 21, 2011 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Difference: Vick came back when he was 29.

Plaxico’s coming back at 35. That’s a pretty big difference between ages and that really matters in the NFL.

by Doc Scratch on Mar 21, 2011 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions

True

In most cases age matters in the NFL, but that usually means a player has played for so many years. In a sense, Plaxico had two years to rest his body and allow to fully recovery nagging injuries. But there are probably better options than Plaxico. I’m just saying if like what you see in AJ Green, you get it out of Plaxico for a short amount of time. And honestly I didn’t realize Plaxico was that old, hopefully he can keep himself in shape like T.O.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 21, 2011 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions

He shot himself in the leg.

Uhhhhhh

But seriously, I’d rather have many years of A.J. Green than one, two years at the most from Plaxico.

by Doc Scratch on Mar 21, 2011 1:42 AM EDT up reply actions

For sure, if WR was the number one need.

The point was address a bigger need and fill another by free agency. I think AJ Green has a ton of upside and interested to see how he developes in the league. Who knows, Green may end up in Cleveland and we may get to see him play often lol.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 21, 2011 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Plaxico fills no need whatsoever so far as I can see

It’d be worse than keeping T.O. around. Ignoring the facts for the moment that he’s 35, that he’s been out of the game for a couple years, and that he shot his own dumbass, he just wasn’t all that good to begin with. Hell, the Steelers cut him.

by IgnatiusJReilly on Mar 21, 2011 3:38 AM EDT up reply actions

i didnt realize he was 35 either

by JCompton41 on Mar 21, 2011 9:05 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I am all for taking defense with our first-round pick...

…and I’m all for continuing to make it the new strength of our team. (I think it’s been carrying us since ‘09, personally, and it’s much closer to being elite than our offense is.)

But let’s be honest, the last two Super Bowls were won by teams with good offenses and great quarterbacks (Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers). While we’re building the defense, we also need to find our QB of the future this year, or trade for a QB of the present.

by Big Sky Bengal on Mar 20, 2011 10:10 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

I just think if you want long term success, a great defense will give a team a good chance to make it to the super bowl every. I see the Ravens with a decent QB and a solid defense make it to playoffs year in and year out. I believe that is the right formula. But the Bengals are in a very tricky sitution, their best of chance of winning now is Carson. So, I would try to create a situation where Carson could see we can win without him, while preparing for the future. Carson will have to decide if he wants to sit or not. My gut feeling is telling me Carson will not let that happen and come back. I still like Carson a lot and it sucks that the Bengals are in this situation.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 21, 2011 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions

You need a great defense and a great QB. WR’s and RB’s and TE’s are not essential. There is not stud QB (Manning, Brees, Rodgers, Brady) in this year’s draft. So let’s continue to build up the Defense.

by ephram on Mar 21, 2011 7:55 AM EDT up reply actions

...

Patrick Peterson CB/FS: If we can’t sign Joseph back then will have a solid CB for the future. If we do sign Joseph back, we will have a solid FS for the future

Already got one. Next!

by Doc Scratch on Mar 20, 2011 10:19 PM EDT reply actions

Not sure what you mean.

Are you talking about CB or FS. Either way, most of the Bengals starting DB’s contracts will be up within a year. I would take Peterson over any of the FS the Bengals have right now. They tend to get injured easliy and not as fast as him.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 21, 2011 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions

>Not as fast as him

Bro, Al Davis owns the Raiders, not the Bengals.

>Tend to get injured easily
Fair point, but when our starters are two, injury-prone 30+-year-old safeties, well.

Look, to everyone who suggests that we should draft Peterson to play safety, I urge you to go find a Reggie Nelson draft profile and look for comparisons.

by Doc Scratch on Mar 21, 2011 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions

I will have to look up the comparisons.

I still think Peterson has size and speed that is necessary to play FS in the AFC North. But I really think he would end up playing CB because I don’t see Joseph coming back. I only mentioned speed because the Bengals current safties tend to be slower compared to other teams in division and I’m tired of watching them get burnt. The Bengals could use an up grade in saftey. If not in the first, the will draft another one in the mid-rounds. If you look at overall need vs value at the number 4th pick, Peterson seems the logical pick.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 21, 2011 2:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Um, Doc?

Reggie Nelson wasn’t- and isn’t, half the physical specimen that Peterson is. At no point was Nelson thought of as the most complete player in the draft, at no point did Nelson dominate the SEC the way Peterson did, and at no point was Nelson projected as a star at any other position than the one he played in college. Patrick Peterson is a whole different animal.

If we manage to let Joseph walk, there’s no question Peterson, if available, should be our pick. I trust neither the health or the remaining skills of Adam Jones enough to pencil him in as a starter. If we keep Joseph, it’s a little less clear. Ordinarily, I would say that drafting what would essentially be someone new to the safety position at #4 would be insane. But, if we could get Peterson in to play safety initially, with an eye towards him replacing Leon Hall in 2012? I think we can all agree that it’ll be a cold day in hell before Mike Brown coughs up two elite corners at the same time. Just a thought.

by IgnatiusJReilly on Mar 21, 2011 3:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Reggie Nelson will be a break out player this year in Zimmers System!

He had a good 2nd half of football last year at FS. He is young and hungry and wants to prove ppl wrong about him like Benson did in “08”! In 09 Benson went for over 1200 yards and helped us get to the playoffs. Nelson is feeling the same way right now!!! He wants to prove he isn’t a bust and has the potential to be a great FS! If we have to let go of JJ, draft the kid Petersen for his CB skills but not as a free safety!!! Guess what, He is going to say whatever a team wants to hear to be a higher pick ie"I’ll play safety!" Don’t fall for that mess!!! Draft him because of what he has done not what he says! We have a good FS, we will need 2 lock down corners though for Nelson to get off!!! I hope we keep JJ but if not I’ll buy drafting Petersen to be a lock down CB with Hall!!!

by Dwight Carter on Mar 21, 2011 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Nelson has potentional

I think he does have a chip on his shoulder and he did seem to have an impact towards the end of last season. Probably because he actually got to play, However, Peterson would work perfectly in the AFC north as a Safety. He is big enough to cover TE’s and fast enough to cover most WR.

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Mar 21, 2011 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Wouldn’t be bad to get Peterson because even if we sign J Jo, there is no guarantee we sign L Hall the next year. Although we already have A Jones & M Ghee and we can really only play so many DB’s at any 1 time on the field.

Von Miller could likely be the best available, but a 3-4 OLB like Miller (or Clay Matthews for example) would only help us to the extent that we would use them correctly. We usually don’t send our OLB’s towards the QB on a regular basis.

If the Bengals go for Best Available over Need, then no worries about them taking a QB early. Hopefully they will get a vet FA.

I agree that Defense wins championships, but it’s hard for a lot of people to ignore the flashy ornamentation that a WR can tempt with. It’s like buying a car: the O-Line and D-Line are like the frame & engine of the car – essential but often ignored and undervalued. The WR’s are like the body design and material used to decorate the interior – nice to have, but not as essential.

The problem we have is that the Bengals are a Chevy Malibu with some rusty frame members and an engine that needs a serious tune-up (O-Line is only average and Defense was middle of the pack last year). But instead we’re talking about putting a nice new coat of paint on the outside of the car and replacing the interior fabric with leather (taking AJ Green or Cam Newton).

by ephram on Mar 21, 2011 7:53 AM EDT reply actions

i would be fine with d 1st rd

but i think we have a good mix of young talent on the d line i think geno atkins is gonna be special and von miller would be an outstanding pick but i cant stress enough how bad our saftey position if peterson is there i think we get him and put him at saftey

by palmerisgod#9 on Mar 21, 2011 12:41 PM EDT reply actions