Bengals Early Bird Special: This Isn't a Fluke, Bengals Have Exciting Future

by Ryan Harper on Jan 12, 2012 8:00 AM EST

Good morning Bengals Nation! I hope your day is starting off on the right foot. By that I mean you weren't stuck in an endless amount of traffic going to work, were on time for work, dodged a bullet of having to deal with that one coworker who only talks about the same thing day after day after day after...okay you get the point, and that you had one of those Texas Egg and Cheese biscuits from Waffle House. Those things are scrumdiddlyumptious.

Alright so who has two thumbs and is excited for the future of the Bengals? This guy, that's who. Then again, I'm sure I'm not the only one. For once the Bengals have a solid foundation of youth on both sides of the gridiron. And I feel as if that's never been the case in my lifetime. It's definitely the first time that the Bengals have had two talented groups of players on the field. And I'm meaning as a whole unit for offense and defense not just individual players.

The Bengals are in solid condition to make a run at the playoffs next season and for years to come with the tandem of Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, and Jermaine Gresham on offense and Leon Hall, Carlos Dunlap, Rey Maualuga, and Geno Atkins on defense. As long as they retain all of them for years to come the Bengals will have a nice run for quite a few years. And as long as they make wise decisions during the draft and with free agent signings then they are undoubtedly going to be considered a legitimate contender.

But first thing is first. Cincinnati will have to prove that this season wasn't a fluke by any means. I'm not saying it was. I believe in this team like everyone else within Bengals country, but I guarantee you that there are still plenty of people, (fans, officials from around the league, etc.) who are going to contend that the Bengals performance from this season will be nothing more than a mirage one year from now. But we all know that's not the case.

Dare I say it, but if Mike Brown keeps making similar moves he made over the course of the past year then the Bengals are going to be battling with the Steelers and Ravens on a yearly basis and not just once every four years.

Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Wednesday.

Are any of you interested in writing for Cincy Jungle? Well, if so then you're in luck because we're in need of some bloggers.
When football "guru" Mel Kiper and his hair graded the Bengals 2011 draft he originally gave them an A- but now he has re-graded the Bengals 2011 draft to a much more acceptable grade.
Jay Gruden believes that A.J. Green needs to improve his route running and recognizing coverages. And hopefully after getting one season under his belt Green will be able to make the necessary strides to become an elite receiver. Gruden also believes that once Jermaine Gresham gets the ball then he will be a dominant force.
ow that the 2011 season is over it's time to review the team position by position. And the grades are starting to trickle in starting with quarterback.
Check out this week's mailbag.
It's "believed" that Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga will soon be undergoing ankle surgery. Let's hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.

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Comments

I would go one step farther...

And say “If Mike Brown continues to make the same moves he’s made in the last THREE years, then we’ll be contending with the Steelers and Ravens each year.”

I know it’s the “cool” thing to bash Mike Brown – but if you look back at his track record over the last three years, he’s done a pretty fantastic job. Everyone wants to point at the JJ situation, but he was offered the same contract in Cincy – HE decided to leave.

by DiddyGotGrillz on Jan 12, 2012 8:16 AM EST reply actions

JJ

Is the only really bad move. They played around too long trying to low ball him and it hurt. Like others have said he could have been that extra factor we needed to swing a couple games. In that case we would have been hosting a playoff game again. Hindsight though. Even the best front office folks don’t always nail it. With his history he could have hurt his ankle again and we’d all be bashing Brown for giving big money to a guy that’s always hurt. I’ll give credit where it’s due. Mike has done a good job. Get rid of Benson and sign a decent FA RB to pair with a drafted RB and the purge of cancers will be complete.

by Jcon77 on Jan 12, 2012 8:39 AM EST via iPhone app up reply actions

I'm not so sure JJ was a mistake

Don’t get me wrong, I liked him, and I was sad to see him go.

But remember that at that point the team was holding on to $13mil in cap space trying to prevent Palmer from “unretiring” and forcing them to cut him.

I’m not sure that he would have been worth the big amount Houston payed him. He had a history of being hurt, and there was no way of knowing that Hall wouldn’t survive the season. And while he was a decent corner in Houston, he wasn’t an elite corner.

I suspect that the extra cap hit it would have taken for JJ would have also impacted other free agent signings, and what would the season have looked like without, say, Lawson and/or Howard?

As painful as it is to lose a good player, not to mention a good “guy”, I firmly believe that not overpaying for JJ was the right move.

by Skyhook on Jan 12, 2012 8:55 AM EST up reply actions

You're both right...

Yeah, we had to save some money for the chance that Palmer could return. It sucked letting JJ go, but look at it this way – we signed a pretty damn good corner to replace him with. It wasn’t too long ago that Nate Clements was regarded as the best corner in the NFL. He’s a pretty good backup option and you have to give the front office credit for getting a deal done with him.

The one that disappointed me was letting Whitner slip through our hands to SF.

by DiddyGotGrillz on Jan 12, 2012 9:10 AM EST up reply actions

i agree

also, its still too early to make a judgement on JJo. All signs are pointing that we should have just paid him the money but we still dont’ know if he can play like this throughout his contract. yes it was a special year for him this year but who’s to say he remain healthy the next couple years and play the majority of each year. If I was a betting man, I would bet that he still misses a good chunk of the next couple of years from injuries, just because of his track record with us.

Joseph plays physical like a saftey but still has the size of a CB and I think thats why he tends to stay injured. IMO

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Jan 12, 2012 9:27 AM EST up reply actions

These aren't your dads Bengals

It seems like it’s a new team all around. It seems like most teams rebuild slowly and you don’t notice the change that much, but if they do a majority of it as quickly as the Bengals did your not suppose to make the playoffs. This team really has the chance to do something special. It’s a great time to be a Bengals fan.
You could almost say that Palmer had a lot to do with JJ leaving. That whole fiasco forced Brown to play his cards tight to his chest. Who’s to say that if it didn’t happen he would’ve payed him more to stay. IMO JJ wanted out and no matter what he was offered he was going to leave.

by Bigcatdaddy on Jan 12, 2012 10:29 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

Here's the thing

I know this isn’t a popular opinion, but the 2005 and 2009 teams always felt slightly fraudulent to me. Every win those seasons felt like they were winning despite themselves.

And no, I don’t personally believe they would have gone very far had Palmer’s knee not been blown out. Personally I think they were too fragile to handle the playoff pressure and I think they’d have lost to the Steelers anyway.

In 2011, though, I remember having a conversation with a friend where we agreed they had some inexperience issues, but that they were winning because of talent, scheme and force of will. They won because they just didn’t accept that they shouldn’t.

I was not one of those who were disappointed in the playoff loss. I thought they were playing with “house money” as they really should have won no more than 6. The playoff experience was like a bonus, a reward for a good season.

They’ll have two first rounders, they should also probably get an extra third or fourth because of JJo.

Gruden is back and will have a complete offseason.

Green and Dalton won’t be rookies.

My gut tells me the key this offseason will be revamping the OG position.

My gut also tells me they’re going to draft a fantastic running back. Richardson, maybe, or Ball. The extra first rounder lets them take a bit higher risk on someone like Richardson.

And while Zimmer will likely be gone, they’ve known this was coming, and I think they’re fully prepared for it. I think that everyone in that building thinks Coyle can step into the role with little fall off.

So, yes, I’m absolutely giddy about this team in ways I haven’t been since Norman Julius took them to the Super Bowl.

by Skyhook on Jan 12, 2012 10:03 AM EST reply actions

"Giddy" sounds about right

I’m pumped for next year already too. The season isn’t even over, and I’m already making plans to go to the draft (live in NY, so not too far of a hike). But with two first round picks next year I can’t wait to see what happens.

by M Shop on Jan 12, 2012 10:13 AM EST up reply actions

we should get a group to go lol

i’ve always wanted to go to NY

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Jan 12, 2012 10:22 AM EST up reply actions

that's a good thought

I’d be interested

personally

I don’t want to see Marvin fired, I want him to be promoted to G.M. while handing the reigns over to Zimmer as head coach and hiring Jack Del Rio as Defensive Coordinator. Who Dey!!!

by joeb69 on Jan 9, 2012 8:18 PM EST replyactions 2 recs

by joeb69 on Jan 12, 2012 11:02 AM EST up reply actions

anyone have the dates?

AMAS

by AMAS85 on Jan 12, 2012 11:55 AM EST up reply actions

April 26th

by Bigcatdaddy on Jan 12, 2012 12:10 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

My Birthday!!

Hope I get good draft picks for a present. :)

by Ben-GAL on Jan 12, 2012 1:19 PM EST up reply actions

I'm down

Orange and Black invasion.

by Bigcatdaddy on Jan 12, 2012 11:06 AM EST via Android app up reply actions

Very good point

From a similar viewpoint…

In the last 3 years, most of our games came down to 1 possession:

2011 – 9 games within 1 score (including Balt by 8)
2010 – 10 games within 1 score (including Miami by 8)
2009 – 10 games within 1 score

In a given year, its just chance that dictates whether we pull down more Ws than Ls when you play the game the way the Bengals play it.

by EarthwormJim on Jan 12, 2012 12:32 PM EST up reply actions

Great points

Just a couple clarifications:

Ball as said he is returning to Wisconsin so we won’t draft him unless he changes his mind.

And we may not get a comp pick or JJoe as we signed so many FAs

by Oregonbengalsfan on Jan 12, 2012 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

not sure why you think it's rational to put Leon Hall

In the core group. The dude has an Achilles injury… he may never be the same.

by occams_tiger_teeth on Jan 12, 2012 12:40 PM EST via mobile reply actions

true enough. Those are tough injuries to recover from. ACL's are a surer comeback.

My son, a Div 1 athlete suffered one, and even with tons of rehab, his career was shot. John Thornton said it best, consider Leon gone….until he comes back.

I do believe the only way the Bengals contend on a regular basis is building a defense that can stop any running game. They need a good pair of backs to keep the defense from sagging to Green and a good Oline to open some holes. Keep the youth flowing into the lines and they will do well. Also don’t spend big bucks in FA.

This draft is critical too and thank the NFL that the CBA made rookies cheap, otherwise Mike Brown would trade one of those first rounders. Got to get it right with these two.

by BENGALS69 on Jan 12, 2012 1:07 PM EST up reply actions