Hello Bengals Nation! It's an exciting time, as the fortunes seem to be shining brightly on the franchise. Out went the old, with high expectations and seemingly endless disappointment, and in came the new. Things couldn't have worked out better as the Bengals and the Panthers will each stake claims to getting the best QB in the 2011 draft for some time. However, barring disater, the Bengals always win since the price they paid was discounted to the point that they were able to get someone who will stake a claim as one of the best receivers in the NFL for years to come as well. Just remember, this is a time of promise and opportunity, the rebirth of the franchise. When you're in the midst of spring, enjoy it for what it is. Don't focus too much on summer, it will be here soon enough.

Anyway, I considered putting up several mock draft and off season plans in an attempt to solve all of the Bengals problems should anyone be listening, but that's been done by over 50% of the site anyway, so I figured I would go at it with a different approach. I thought a series examining each perceived major hole in the Bengals roster (guard, saftey, corner, running back and #2 receiver), and alternatives for filling them. I thought the guard situation was a good place to start as there are a wide array of opinions out there on this. Hopefully we can generate some quality discussion around this and glean some insight as to what would be the best way to move forward. Of course no one that matters will listen, but it seems like a much more productive way to spend some of these seemingly countless hours until the real fun begins in March (free agency) and April (the draft). So let's look at the guard position as it pertains to the Bengals roster:

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RB-Micheal Bush

OG-Carl Nicks

Re-Sign

Reggie Nelson

Pat Sims

PacMan Jones

Nate Clements.. if he's a FA..

Anthony Collins

Mike Nugent

Frostee Rucker

Jonathan Fanene

DRAFT

Round 1: Kendall Wright WR Baylor- We need a guy with blazing speed to create seperation and get open quick. Wright has the hands & the speed to really help out our offense. Teams wouldn't know what to do with our 6-4 Green and a burner like Wright.

Round 1: Mark Barron SS Alabama- Some may say we shouldn't take him in the first because of his "hernia problem". But i beg the differ & say we should take him because we are in need of a SS and i doubt he falls to the late 2nd round to us. He would be a huge upgrade over Crocker. He shows good awarness of locating the ball and where the play is going. He is a good run stopper & plays good coverage.

Round 2: Chase Minnifield CB Virginia OR Jayron Hosley CB Virginia Tech- Minnifield is a good press coverage corner, while Hosley on the other hand plays off of his guy at the line. They both play good coverage though, but one thing about Hosley is that he's undersized, but he could have potential as a Joe Haden in the league.

Round 3: Amini Silatolu OG Midwestern State- He plays at a smaller school, but dominates there competiton. He holds his blocks and i've heard he is very physical and plays with alot of intensity. From the highlights i've seen he plays fairly well and he may actually be able to start for us over Boling.

Round 4: Keenan Robinson OLB Texas- Robinson would be a good pickup in a late round. He can get off blocks and locate the ball and make a play. He shows good technique when attacking the ball carrier by taking good angles. I think he would be a good backup to Manny Lawson.

Round 5: Bobby Rainey RB Western Kentucky- Rainey is quick, he shows good vision and jukes defenders by making them shift there momentum. He doesn't break to many tackles but he makes it happen by manuevering his way past defenders. I like him as a late round pick he's got some skills.

Round 5: Hebron Fangupo DT BYU- Fangupo is a big 331 pound DT who shows good awarness. He can clog holes with his size & he's average at standing his ground at the line. I wouldn't mind taking him in the 5th round.

Round 6: Devon Wylie WR Fresno State- This kid is fast & can juke somebody out of there shoes, he could be a Wes Welker type player. I really liked what i seen from him on some highlights. He's a good kick returner showing good vision and can change his direction quick. He shows a quick burst off the line at WR and uses his quickness and speed to get open & he also has excellent hands.

Round 7: Bob Hebert C LSU- I'd take a center just to have someone behind Cook. He played for LSU and from what i've read he's been well coached and shows good technique. But he struggles with some injuries.

Devon Wylie Highlights...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faqfXBtF50I&feature=related...there are better highlight with a better visual but this is all of his highlights, check this guy out.

Here's my attempt:

Resign

Reggie Nelson

Frostee Rucker

Brandon Johnson

Manny Lawson

Anthony Collins

Pat Simms

Jonathan Fanene

Mike Nugent

Donald Lee

Bobbie Williams

Do NOT Reign

Nate Livings

Mike McGlynn

Andre Caldwell

Jerome Simpson

Cedric Benson

Gilbril Wilson

Bo Scaife

Dennis Roland

Adam Jones

Cut/Release/Trade

Chris Crocker
Brandon Tate
Rey Malauga

Free Agent acquisitions

I’d obviously would really love to have Carl Nicks, Ben Grubbs, Brandon Carr, Marcus Colsten and a few others, but I honestly just do NOT see it happening and for this exercise I decided to be some what conservative with my selections. Therefore, here are a few other free agents that have above average skills and should be upgrades at their respective positions. They are not going to be overly expensive players but they are NOT exactly going to be cheap ones either. (Each free agent listed, has been rumored NOT to be resigned by there current teams)

Reggie Wayne WR (Indy) – Upgrade over Jerome Simpson - So far he has had a HOF career and he should be able to bring consistency and experience to our young talented WR corps, at least for a couple more years. (Robert Meechum is another option that would be a realistic WR for us to sign)

Stanford Routt CB (Oakland) – Upgrade over Adam Jones - After the Raiders lost Asumuya in FA, he struggled to make the transition to the #1 guy (just like Leon Hall did for us earlier this year). However, he is still very good in man to man coverage and has the speed and ability to be a #1 CB in the league.. His speed should also be a huge help in matching up against some of the faster WR's in the AFC north. (Would prefer Brandon Carr but do not think we will get him).

Jason Allen CB/S (Houston) – Upgrade over Chris Crocker (plays CB as well as safety) - He will be a nice safety net @ CB if Leon Hall is unable to come back fully healthy. He plays both CB and safety so he would be an ideal replacement for Chris Crocker, especially during passing downs.

Vernon Carey Guard (Miami) - Upgrade over Nate Livings - He is the type of guard the Bengals covet because he was originally a tackle then was converted to a guard, so there already a built in perceived value there for Mike Brown(remember we made a run at Robert Gallery last year). At 6'5 340 he is big and strong, which is another attribute the Bengals like in there lineman. (As I said, would love for us to go after Carl Nicks or Ben Grubbs but just DO NOT see it happening).

Draft (This is assuming DeCastro and Richardson are both off the board)

Round 1

#17 – Dre Kirkpatric CB – Upgrade over Kelly Jennings - Normally, the Bengals like to take bigger physical CB's who can play man to man coverage and are good against the run. He fits this description. (Stephon Gilmore is our backup option if Kirkpatric is off the board)

#21 – Donte’ Hightower ILB – Upgrade over Rey Mauluga - I like Rey and his potential but honeslty we have just made too many excuses for his lack of production. LB is a position group where elite players should be able to come in and have an immediate impact in the NFL (Odel Thurman, Clay Mathews, etc) and it's now been 3 years for Rey. I think Rey can be a good player and will actually have a nice NFL carreer. Having said that, this year we have an opportunity to grab an elite level player at a very important position and we should jump on it. Rey is starting to remind me too much of Ahmad Brooks with his developmental time table and all the talk still being about his potential instead of his actual play on the field. Plus him getting in trouble AGAIN, just pisses me off.

Round 2

Doug Martin RB – Upgrade over Cedric Benson - To me he seems like the perfect back for this offense. He is a 3 down back that can run effectively between the tackles, block, and also catch the ball out of the backfield.

Round 3

Brandon Brooks Guard - Upgrade over Mike McGlynn - Eventually he could be Boobie's successor. He can compete with Clint Boling, and Vernon Carrey for the starting job this year. Offensive line is one of the position groups that is often difficut for a rookie, so if we can grab a capable starter in FA and then draft a quality prospect in one of the early to mid rounds we should be in pretty good shape. (This is assuming DeCastro does not fall to us in round 1)

Round 4

Stephon Hill WR – Upgrade over Andre Caldwell - He could be our big downfield threat to stretch the field opposite of AJ Green.

Round 5

Levy Adcock OT – Replaces Dennis Roland (adds versatility because he play both tackle postitions)

Travian Robertson DT/DE – Adds depth with lots of potential and a huge upsside

Round 6

Damario Davis OLB – Adds depth with lots of potential and a huge upside

Round 7

Dyrell Roberts WR/KR - Will need some development as a WR but has great speed and is explosive with the ball in his hand could be a huge upgrade in the return game.

Next year’s Roster

Offense (28)

QB – Andy Dalton, Bruce Gradkowski

RB – Doug Martin, Benard Scott, Cedric Peerman

FB – Chris Pressley, Brian Leonard

WR – AJ Green, Reggie Wayne, Jordan Shipley, Stephon Hill, Andrew Hawkins, Arman Binns, Ryan Whalen, Dyrell Roberts

Guard – Bobbie Williams, Vernon Carrey, Clint Boling, Brandon Brooks, Ottis Hudson

Center – Kyle Cook

Tackle – Andrew Whitworth, Andre Smith, Anthony Collins, Levy Adcock

TE – Jermaine Gresham, Donald Lee, Colin Cochart

Defense (30)

MLB – Donte’ Hightower, Dan Skuta

OLB – Thomas Howard, Manny Lawson, Keith Rivers, Donte Moch, Vincent Rey, DeQuinn Evans, Damario Davis

Utility LB’s (play multiple positions) – Roderick Muckelroy, Brandon Johnson

CB – Nate Clements, Leon Hall, Stanford Routt, Brandon Ghee

Nickel CB/S – Jason Allen, Dre Kirkpatric

Safety – Reggie Nelson, Jeromey Miles

Strong Safety – Taylor Mays, Robert Sands

D-line – Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, Pat Simms, Jonathan Fanene, Damota Peko, Frostee Rucker, Michael Johnson, Robert Geathers, Travian Robertson

Special Teams (3)

LS – Clark Harris
P – Kevin Huber
K – Mike Nugent

In this scenereo we have lost 13 players and have added another 13 players through both FA and the draft (9 draft picks and 4 free agents). We have also made a serious statement to our other young players by eliminating and replacing all of our high maitenence guys (Rey, Ced, Pacman, and Jerome).

I know it's not the perfect offseason, however we have managed to upgrade the majority of our position groups and we've eliminated virtually every headache on our team.

How do you approach the first round? As I size up mock drafts, it looks like they either have the Bengals taking a guard and a running back in the first round or some combination of defensive picks addressing either the line or the secondary and throwing in a linebacker here and there. I think the top pick has to go CB unless Richardson falls to #17. After that, I would go with a WR followed by the best RB available in the second round with the intent of keeping our defense off the field. I figure we'll get a compensatory pick for Joseph, probably 3rd round, that would allow us to address the offensive and defensive lines. Love the idea of adding Nicks and Mario Williams in free agency....

QB Dalton, Gradkowski

RB Martin(2nd rd), Scott, Leonard

Offense

WR Green, Wayne(FA-huge mentor for young WR's), Shipley, Broyles(3rd rd), Binns, Hawkins, Tate

TE Gresham, Lee, Egnew(4th rd)

LT Withworth

LG DeCastro(pick 17)

C Cook

RG Williams

RT Smith

Defense

DE Dunlap, Johnson, Fanene, Mario Williams

DT Peko, Atkins, Sims(if price is right)

LB Rey, Rivers, Howard, Moch, Johnson

CB Hall, Kirkpatrick or Jenkins(pick 21), Clements, Ghee, Jones(if price is right)

S Nelson, Laron Landry, Mays, Sands

Still a few blanks to fill in but I think it is realistic. We will still be young and coming with a few great vets mixed in to help show them the way.

Here is my attempt at the typical monthly calendar of a die-hard Bengals’ fan.

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1990’s~2000’s

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JAN – Watch other teams in the playoffs

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FEB – Watch other teams in the Super Bowl

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MAR – Look forward to the draft with optimist that “this year” they will figure it out

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APR – Cringe with every draft selection. Find yourself agreeing with the draftniks as they tear apart the Bengals’ draft, as you realize yet again that the Bengals just don’t have a clue what they are doing.

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MAY – Still sick from the draft, watch a couple Reds’ games, trying to put football out of mind. Think to yourself, “Reds’ look good this year. Maybe the Bengals can do that in the fall?”

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JUN – Spend the month trying to rationalize the Bengals’ draft choices hoping that perhaps they know something the rest of the NFL doesn’t know (besides how to lose consistently).

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JUL – Sell yourself on the excuses you made in June trying to find a way to convince yourself that the draft picks weren’t as terrible as they seem.

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AUG – Go to Wilmington/G-town with optimism hoping this is the year, the year they can hit 0.500 or better. Feel good, since they look good playing against themselves in preseason scrimmages.

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SEP – Season begins. Lots of optimism. This is the year we make the playoffs!!! OK, slow start, but we’ve got a lot of football still to play.

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OCT – Ok, we aren’t 8-0, but hey, we’ve won a couple games. We’re just getting warmed up for our 2nd half of the season surge. All isn’t lost.

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NOV – Hmmm... season isn’t exactly going as I’d hoped. At least not every loss was a blowout.

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DEC – Well, we avoided going 0-16, and as least we’ll have a great draft spot in the draft next year. We can’t screw that up, again.

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Last half decade to present

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JAN – Occasionally watch the Bengals in the playoffs – huh, I like this whole “Bengals in the playoffs” thing!

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FEB – Watch other teams in the Super Bowl

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MAR – Look forward to the draft with optimist, hoping to build on a good draft last year

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APR – Draft didn’t go exactly as I was mocking, but all the picks seem pretty good. Bengals get an A or B from every draftnik. Smile that Mike Brown gives Marvin Lewis some input in the draft.

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MAY – Full of optimism. Watch a couple Reds’ games and wonder, “Reds look bad this year. I thought this Griffey guy was supposed to make them better?”

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JUN – Full of optimism. Watch a couple more Reds’ games and wonder, “Sure seems like the Reds could use a starting pitcher, or five.”

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JUL – Hoping the draft picks get signed. Looking forward to camp.

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AUG – Go to G-town with optimism hoping this is the year, the year they can make another playoff run. Rookies look good. Not a ton of injuries.

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SEP – Season begins. Lots of optimism. This is the year we make the playoffs!!! Team playing well.

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OCT – Cool, good start. Hoping they keep it up.

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NOV – Team is still playing well. I’m liking this. We’re in contention.

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DEC – Another fade at the end, but we might get in the playoffs.

Over at TST, were doing a Mock Draft, so i wanted to know what you guys wanted my to do with your picks. its a two round mock draft. At the moment i have offered a trade to someone for Justin Blackmon. I have offered your first, first round pick, second in 2013, fourth in 2012 for Blackmon and there fourth rounder in 2013. im also thinking of drafting Lamar Miller with your first round pick and whoever you want in the second. Your opinons would be appreciated.

Can anyone tell me why there is no talk of moving Andre Smith to right guard and resigning Anthony Collins to play right tackle? It seems like everyone feels there's no way we can resign AC because he could be a starter elsewhere, let's make him a starter here and see if we can address the Livings issue with Boling, Hudson, or a free agent like Nicks or bringing back Mathis. Seems like that would free up our first round options nicely to address the secondary or take the best player available at DT, DE, or WR.

If Brown would have had his way Ryan Mallet would be tossing TOUCHDOWNS to Green and Gresham. 60 million is alot of cap space and we all know that Brown WILL NOT bring in that elite free agent. This team needs a player on defense that worries opposing QB'S. Dunlap is good but he can't stay healthy and our best defender walked to Houston and then to the pro bowl. Who even knows if Rey M will be starting week 1 or if he will be suspended. This team went through the same thing with Odell Thurman and on his 2nd alcohol related incident he was suspended 4games. If Carl Nicks or Ben Grubbs reach the market will Bengals try and sign one. LET'S HOPE SO.

With 3 picks in the first 50 and with alot of cap space the Bengals can have the division run through the Queen City for a change and this has me excited.......................................2012 Cincinnati Bengals........LET'S GET IT!!

Leggo!!

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