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Admittedly we're copying an idea from Windy City Gridiron, but we wanted to implement a weekly feature called Flashback Fridays, revisiting a story we had written on this date during previous years. Since CJ has been around since 2006, we have more than enough stories to share. Don't worry. We're not doing every one.
+ On January 25, 2012 we opened dialogue asking if Reggie Nelson was Cincinnati's biggest free agent, writing at the time:
Safeties. An integral part with any defense that not only supports the run, but transfers into a "last line of defense" mentality against the NFL's obvious favoritism for high-flying and exciting passing assaults. The better the safety, the better an overall defense becomes. Cincinnati's stock of safeties is weak, borderline scary. They have one proven safety and they could lose him this spring. Bengals safety Reggie Nelson is one of several unrestricted free agents this season that the Cincinnati Bengals would like to bring back next year. And depending on how strong his relationship is with (about to be Dolphins defensive coordinator) Kevin Coyle, Nelson could return to Florida as a safety for the Miami Dolphins.
Eventually the two major players for Nelson were the Bengals and New York Jets. Cincinnati signed Nelson on March 18, 2012, to a four-year deal worth $18 million, which included a $2.5 million signing bonus and another $1 million roster bonus this year. Nelson is scheduled to earn $2.45 million in 2013, finishing out his contract $3.8 million scheduled in 2014 and $4.1 million in 2015.
+ After a dreadful four-win season in 2010, I headlined a posting "What has to happen for the Bengals to get it?"
Let's go through all that's happened in the past month.
Marvin Lewis refuses to sign a contract, even publicly stating that unless things change, he is not going to re-sign. After that, a survey led by the Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy said that of 176 respondents, 117 claimed that they are not planning on renewing their season tickets. Finally, the team's franchise quarterback that's "central to everything" they do, demanded a trade, going so far as to say that he'd rather retire than return.
As I'm sure you noticed, they "got it" after consecutive postseason wins. Complain all you want about the Bengals today, but just remember our complaints then.