Another Poor Free Agency Grade For The Cincinnati Bengals

For all the reasons listed in the Scout’s Inc story the Bengals are a worse team in 2011 than they were at the start of 2010. To think they can enter the season with a worse QB, a worse Oline, a worse secondary and expect to better a 4-12 seasons is delusional.

Don’t get me wrong, letting JJo walk was absolutely inexcusable. HORRIBLE move. But for all we know (and I’ve heard rumors, though nothing concrete) we offered him a comparable deal and he just didn’t want to stay here. So maybe keeping him was never a real option.

But beyond that, when I look around free agency this year I’m not wowed. There are no real huge stars out there> Asomugah was over-priced, Haynesworth was a headcase, QB-wise I think we did fine. Otherwise we made solid short-term deals so that we can field a competent team that won’t get all of our youngsters critically injured this year. What else do we really want? We’re not actually going to win anything this year. All fo these one-year deals will expire after the season and we’ll go into next year’s offseason with a much better idea of where we stand with Dalton and our defense plus a GIANT PILE of cash that we actually WILL be obligated to spend. And who knows what the FA/trade market is going to look like next year. Maybe there’s some real elite O-line talent or a Julius Peppers-caliber defensive lineman. Maybe a Pro Bowl safety. Throw in a first-round running back and all of a sudden this team isn’t looking so bad.

So as tempted as I am to yell and scream about MB hoarding his money…and he is doing just that…there might actually be an upside to it. I’m much happier with him not spending that cash than I would be if he went out and made more bone-headed longterm deals ala Odom or Antonio Bryant.

Have any of you thought for a second that maybe JJ didnt want to stay in cincy no matter what the offer is especially when a team with a super bowl caliber offense and defense sans their secondary (but know they have a truly good cb) really really wants him. So lets quit blaming everyone but him when you have no idea what we offered or why he chose to leave.

Looks like Whitner has signed. He just tweeted Joe Reedy with a: Who Dey!

Perception is the Bengals use free agency as patchwork. Since they are the laughingstock of the NFL they need to take FA from a different point of view. I would have gone after Amobi Okoye or Vernon Gholston or both. Both came out early. They are still 24 and 25 and I think would have been good fits for this team. Both were top ten picks when they were drafted. Can someone explain why they want to keep paying Geathers like he’s all pro ? Anyway, Both those guys have upside and they could have out bid the Bears for their services. Clemens was signed because they lost Joseph. Lawson was signed because Rivers is hurt. Why didn’t they make a play for Veach and at least be solid at one position. Nah. They only allocate X amount of dollars for FB. Whitner is probably looking at a multiple year contract and they probably only want to sign him for a year. So instead of going out on a limb, taking a risk, they’ll sit back and wait for him to blink and if he doesn’t oh well, we tried. The perception is not to win but to field a team.

Donte tweeted a 2 yr deal!

At QB – Palmer has been awful for two straight seasons, he doesn’t look anything like he once used to. The offense has been very inconsistent under him for 2 straight seasons, although I would like to get some sort of compensation for him, his salary comes off the books this year and he can STILL be traded if a reasonable offer comes along. I don’t know much about Dalton other than what I read here and there, but how much worse can he be than Palmer at this point. He is definitely more mobile and he has a new coordinator and young receivers that he can grow with. So this position is a wash in my opinion and who knows the position can be improved based upon Dalton’s performance.

RB – Nothing changed here. We have Benson back.

OL – The O-Line was mediocre last year, they brought in Jean-Gilles, drafted Boling and get back a top 10 pick in Smith to add. How is that not an improvement or at least the status quo??? Mathis couldn’t even crack the lineup, regardless of how much Livings disappoints. Mathis may not even play in Philly.

WR – Maybe we declined in this position, but maybe not. All accounts suggest AJ is lights out, no more headaches from Ocho, no poor route running from Owens, and Shipley and Caldwell are reliable. And the verdict is still out on Simpson.

DL – Stayed the same.

LB – Much improved. Adding Lawson and Howard is a definite upgrade. Moch may provide more pass rushing in the nickel. Brandon Johnson is back, and Mauluga is playing his natural position. Losing Jones shouldn’t provide much of a loss besides for leadership which Rey seems to be taking on.

Secondary – The loss of J-Joe definitely hurts, no question he was excellent when he played, but Clements is no slouch, and now with Whitner on board we have another safety to throw in the mix. With Clements and Whitner we get two highly drafted players who were definitely not liabilities on their respective teams. They provide some experience and under Mike Zimmer’s defense can flourish.

So I would definitely not give the offseason a C-, C or C+ and would side in the B range. The team lost soooo many games by fewer than 5 pts last year. Not much has changed, some veterans were added to an already solid defense. The schedule this year is much worse than last year. If Dalton plays as good as Palmer did last year then the Bengals can easily improve upon their record.