Well howdy there, folks! Things have been pretty busy lately for me, which is why I've been doing the Conversational Commute lately in lieu of writing. However, with the inclement weather as of late, driving has been difficult enough without recording a Vlog. So here I am!
Lots to talk about lately, hasn't there been? As a matter of fact, I'm not really sure what to think about our Bengals right now. Are they actually being proactive and looking at players who could possibly help fill some of the holes that became evident over the course of the second half of the 2009 campaign?
I'm not dreaming all of this, right? Hit the jump.
Matt Jones. Dave Rayner. Adam "Pacman" Jones. Donte Stallworth. The Bengals have already signed the owners of two of the four names I just listed for you. Matt Jones and Dave Rayner are now the proud owners of two spots on the Cincinnati Bengals' offseason roster.
At first blush, Matt Jones and Dave Rayner may not excite you very much. After all, Matt Jones came in to the league as a likely over-hyped quarterback to wide receiver convert for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He then decided that playing in the snow was more fun than catching an oddly shapen leather ball and got himself kicked out of the game. Dave Rayner is a journeyman kicker who spent five years with five different football teams including our very own Bengals in 2008, when he filled in for Shayne Graham for one game going 3-for-3 on extra points and one successful field goal attempt.
Donte Stallworth and Adam Jones? Who knows how their stories will pan out or if orange and black uniforms are in their collective futures.
Oh, don't forget about all the Terrell Owens talk. There's been a fair bit of that too recently.
My point is this: the sum of these players and what the Bengals' interest in them means is greater than their parts. Signing Matt Jones brings a legitimate #2 type receiver in for a pittance. He is big, strong and deceptively fast. Why not give him a shot? If he screws up, he's a vapor trail.
Signing Dave Rayner puts the first candidate for the kicking competition that will commence in training camp in place already. It signals to the fan base that Shayne Graham, his short kickoffs and his inconsistencies over the past couple of seasons likely aren't going to draw a Bengals paycheck again this year.
Moves like this are something we aren't especially used to here in Bengal Nation. These are the sorts of moves that would be lauded incessantly in the national media if they were being made by a team like the New England Patriots or the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is an effort to make moves, right now, that will improve this team. No players are available in Free Agency right now, so no big deal. They're checking out players that are available now that may be able to help this team get better.
Something strange is happening, folks. The Bengals are, for the second offseason in the row, making moves that appear to make sense.