If MB is finally serious about winning...

by NorwayMike on Feb 12, 2012 7:26 PM EST

If Mike Brown is serious about winning and winning now there are some free agent moves he needs to attempt ASAP. For once the Bengals need a sense of urgency from the front office that rejects a return to the status quo for the last 20 years (one good season, five bad seasons, one mediocre season, five awful seasons, etc. etc.) The Bengals have the league's largest cap room and Palmer is gone so they don't need that "reserve." It is not just a matter of drafting guys who will take years to develop and then move on once they reach playing maturity. Or catch other teams cast-offs (the Cowboys/Bears/49er connection) and see if they hit. He needs to pick up proven impact players that meet demonstrated needs to build on this season, 'cause it aint getting any easier next season!

There are four or five players on the free agent market the Bengals should prioritize in order to get the right combination of experience, performance and need. On the offensive side of the ball they should target receiver Marques Colston to complement AJ Green. This is a throwing league and he would add serious value to our investment in AJ and Dalton. All signs are that the league has entered a permanent era of airball and two number one receivers are a necessity to compete at the highest levels. Finally, he comes from a place where they share the ball and where team comes first. There needs to be a hard worker with The Ring to help the team succeed at the next level. The other guy the Bengals need to swipe from the perennial playoff and one-time Superbowl-winning Saints is offensive guard Carl Nicks. We need fresh blood to help protect Dalton and a load that can help open the holes for our first-round-pick, rookie running back. Again, this pick-up immediately adds value to Dalton and the running back.

On defense, they should make a serious move for Mario Williams (double move, the Bengals could face Houston again in the playoffs) to augment the pass rush and solidify the linebacking corps (say it aint so Rey! not more unnecessary lost time by a starter!). The ability to disrupt the opponent's passing game is as important as the ability to pass in today's NFL, and Mario's 6'6" frame adds to the height movement on defense the Bengals initiated a few years back. As a defensive end to create multiple DE packages on passing downs, Osi Umenyiora would be "nice" to create a top tier pass rush and bring the aura of The Ring to the defensive unit. This is also a double move (strengthens us/weakens them) as the Bengals face the Giants this season. Next on the must have list is Asante Samuel. The cornerback situation is a mess, given last season's JonJoe fiasco (I admittedly have trouble letting go of that one) and the question mark that is Hall. Samuel would provide immediate stability at cornerback and give the Bengals time to develop some longer term solutions. Oh, and they play the Eagles this season as well.

Draft picks should focus on a top flight running back and safety and then look for premium corners and add depth to the offensive and defensive lines. Exactly who these players are and in what order depends on who the Bengals resign and pick-up, and is therefore an article for another day. The point now is that we are beyond the point where we have to hope rookies perform in order to succeed, it's time to grow up, grow a pair, and join the big boys in the win-now league.

Is the whole wish list do-able? I seriously doubt it. Will it cost money? Oh yeah, buckets full! How much can we afford? Depends on how imaginative the front office is and how high the bidding wars go. Should the Bengals be aiming this high? Without a doubt - it's either that or a new generation of elite players get dragged down into the morass that is the more recent history of the Bengal-Way.

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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Comments

You got my vote for GM.

Now…go get ’em.

"Shiny. Let's be bad guys."

by KentuckianaBrowncoat on Feb 12, 2012 7:32 PM EST reply actions

cool, let me just book my flight.....

by NorwayMike on Feb 12, 2012 7:56 PM EST up reply actions

Now is the time to put up for our front office.......

we have no excuses. We have money to spend, young talent on both sides of the ball and a recent playoff berth. It’s great to build through the draft, which is the true blueprint for success. But right now we have a chance to win and look to make a deep run next year. If we make a few good moves in FA (Nicks and a vet WR-Colston, Wayne, etc. get my vote) then we can take the division away from Pittspuke and Baltimore once again.

"The next person you see that throws something, point em out! You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"
- Sam Wyche

by The Van Buren Boys on Feb 12, 2012 7:35 PM EST reply actions

I agree. The key is that we have to break with the past SOP and adapt the business model

The point is not stockpiling first round draft picks, looking good on the stats sheets, or winning the division. The Giants did a lousy job of that stuff all year! The point is to win the Superbowl and that DEMANDS a win now mentality because you can no longer plan for the the long term. JonJoe ,Ahmad Brooks and Simpson are stark reminders of what building projects get you. The confluence of planning, hard work and luck that is a playoff run happens when it’s least expected except for a few very well run organizations. The Bengals are not one of those organizations and therefore must be ready to surge when their number comes up.

by NorwayMike on Feb 12, 2012 8:04 PM EST up reply actions

I don't think we'll sign Colston..

But i think we may actually take a shot at signing Carl Nicks…but i doubt we sign Mario Williams..but that’d be great if we did, i don’t think Michael Johnson is as good as we all thought he’d be…& i would be all for picking up Asante Samuel just to have a good player for depth, he has a ton of picks….my cb situation would be..Hall, Kirkpatrick (if we drafted him), Samuels, PacMan, & i even keep Clements..its tough to decide between PacMan & Clements in this situation.

1st RD-Dre Kirkpatrick-CB
1st RD-Cordy Glenn-OG
2nd RD-Brandon Thompson-DT
3rd RD-Amini Silatolu-OG
4th RD-Marvin Jones-WR
5th RD-Marquis Maze-KR

FA:
SS-Laron Landry
RB-Micheal Bush

by Bengal4ever on Feb 12, 2012 7:38 PM EST reply actions

I doubt we can get all or most of my wish list, the point is that there is a plan and it is comprehensive

We don’t have to be the Eagles, but we have to realize that we’re not the Patriots , Steelers, Packers, Saints or Giants either. We have no modern history to draw on. No glory days to inspire the players and fans. No core of storied veterans to teach the kids how to win.We are wannabies until we take the next step to become perennial contenders. To be honest, we have not been loaded with character guys regardless of their draft position. To win takes a change in the way we do business. It can be done, but not by blindly following formulas and outdated business models.

by NorwayMike on Feb 12, 2012 8:14 PM EST reply actions

I totally agree with you

On the fact that the FO has to make some moves to improve this team. The fans are just tired of this rollercoaster ride of win one season loose horribly the next. Those empty seats at PBS last season should’ve sent the message that the fans want better and we have a good chance at that. The ball is defiantly in their court and we are about to see if their going to shoot or just run out the clock. Mikey boy better pony up or he’s going to loose alot of his fan base that just may not ever come back.

by Bigcatdaddy on Feb 13, 2012 1:37 AM EST via Android app reply actions

Too true!

I have loved and followed the Bengals since they started (do not estimate my age :-)) and never have I been so torn. I really like the players we have and respect their effort, but I have zero confidence that the front office has any coherent plan for moving forward. I just see them tweeking and fitting players into budgeted slots and, once again, missing the opportunity to be a CONSISTENT player in the AFCN – the toughest division in football. The Steelers are not standing pat, the Ravens are are trying to improve – we can’t just look to the draft, add cast-offs and hope that noone gets injured, jailed or slumps. The window of opportunity is ALWAYS closing in the NFL.
And I agree, we are on a rollercoaster thet tries the pattience, the big problem is that we are on the kiddy rollercoaster with this front office.

by NorwayMike on Feb 13, 2012 4:43 AM EST reply actions

still of the opinion

the biggest free agent moves the bengals can make is a commitment to resigning most of our own free agents.

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 13, 2012 6:54 AM EST reply actions

Respectfully disagree

Brown only commits to resigning our “cost effective” free agents and uses them until there is nothing left. In the parlance of industrial design, he designs the team to meet the minimum customer satisfaction standards and then runs it to breakdown. His mantra of building through the draft can only go so far when the true stars(not the media stars) either refuse to sign after they begin making their mark (JonJoe) or beg to be let out. Much like Green Bay needed Reg White to change the dynamic for the Packers, the Front Office (GM/MB) has to innovate or they will fail yet again. To paraphrase Einstein, the definition of insanity is to do the same thing again and agin and to expect a different result.

by NorwayMike on Feb 13, 2012 7:32 AM EST up reply actions

so you disagree its important to resign simms, fanene, nelson, rucker, collins, lawson, nugent?

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 13, 2012 7:36 AM EST up reply actions

No, I do not disagree with resigning young talent that performs..

It’s more the Simpsons and Pacmans I have problems with. And the Bengals have the largest cap room of ANY team in the NFL. Finally why do the Eagles, Giants, Ravens etc always seem to find cap room through innovative cap management. Brown is the only opwner who has trouble reaching the minimum spending requirement! What I’m saying is that no job should be safe from year to year, every position should be open to an upgrade, and that there needs to be a vision that has a 2-3 year timeframe, not a 10 year building program. Failure is endemic in Browns decisions. Is there any doubt that if he had been a GM for an owner, instead of for himself, he would have been fired long ago?

by NorwayMike on Feb 13, 2012 7:43 AM EST up reply actions

the simpsons, bensons, and jones can stay away

hoping mikey doesn’t give us another thrift trip in free agency where he looks for all the busted careers in the discount reject bin of former nfl careers.

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 13, 2012 7:55 AM EST up reply actions

That's the problem...

Don’t you know it! He always fishes from the shallow end of the river, and in doing so ends up with bottom feeders. His management decisions resemble more a rigged game of roulette (where he looses WAY more than wins) instead of Silicon Valley. I think Jorden Palmer typifies his thinking, cheap, looks good on paper and keeps everyone just happy enough.

by NorwayMike on Feb 13, 2012 8:12 AM EST reply actions

I just want us to sign quality vs. quantity......

we should re-sign our key guys (Sims, Rucker, Fanene, etc.) and sign a few key guys via FA. If we just re-signed our own guys and signed a guy like Nicks I would be thrilled. I don’t need to sign 5-6 free agent vets to call it a success for us. We’re close, we don’t have to spend huge on every position. Just O line and WR #2 and then draft well. We can still have money left under the cap to extend guys that we want as well.

"The next person you see that throws something, point em out! You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"
- Sam Wyche

by The Van Buren Boys on Feb 13, 2012 8:20 AM EST reply actions

Quantity is not an issue, every team is the same size..

I agree we need to resign our key guys but I don’t think one player, and I too would be thrilled with Nicks, is enough to stabilize and improve the Bengals. This year’s schedule is going to be harder and the Ravens and Steelers even more desperate. We made the playoffs as the final wildcard team, on the last day, not by win-and-you’re in but by backing in through a complex mathematical formula. Otherwise known as luck. And this was built on multiple last minute come-from-behind wins. Without a real effort to change the dynamics of failure, the Bengals will be sitting home again, wondering what happened to the promise of 2011. You can bank that with all the money Brown saves under the cap….

by NorwayMike on Feb 13, 2012 8:54 AM EST up reply actions

dont think he's speaking of quantity as a measure of roster size

rather an indicator of moves made during free agency =)

think we all agree nicks signing in cincy, would be epic. one of those moments, brown haters like myself, would have to sit back and eat crow from the other bengal’s fans anytime you called brown cheap.

"the bengals are not a west of the 104 longitude team."

by palewook on Feb 13, 2012 10:01 AM EST up reply actions

Yes, that is what I meant.

I would rather make a couple big moves than sign several marginal players. That might mean paying a little bit more, but we have the money. Not exactly what our organization’s known for, that’s what makes me pause and worry….even though we have all this $$$.

"The next person you see that throws something, point em out! You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"
- Sam Wyche

by The Van Buren Boys on Feb 13, 2012 10:10 AM EST up reply actions

We're definitely on the same page when it comes to quality

I guess the point I’m making is that one signing is not enough. The other guys I mentioned are also quality guys and we need more of them. AJ, who may slump needs somone on the other side to take some pressure off him. Hoping a rookie will do that is the wrong way to go. Buying someone’s problem child or a one hit wonder is business as usual. They need to secure character guys in their prime to teach this team how to move up from the minor leagues to the big leagues, to anchor the team for years, and signal to the team and to fans that the goal is the Superbowl, not just a “good season”

by NorwayMike on Feb 13, 2012 10:24 AM EST up reply actions

I'm with you and agree that plugging some holes with proven players would be ideal.

But I guess I’m not expecting us to make that big of a splash via free agency where I’m ready to get my hopes up that high. We definitely could, with the cash we have. But I think if we re-sign the guys we should, we don’t have gaping holes at every position. In addition to signing 1-2 impactful free agents, a few additional signings will be necessary also (2nd tier guys most likely).

"The next person you see that throws something, point em out! You don’t live in Cleveland, you live in Cincinnati!"
- Sam Wyche

by The Van Buren Boys on Feb 13, 2012 10:30 AM EST up reply actions