(01-06-2013 02:36 PM)beck Wrote:  Chatter, little early to write off Kirpatrick though this season has been a complete bust for him, and they could have used him.
Beer Cat, shouldawouldacoulda but I am pretty sure Irons was considered a steal where they got him, until he blew up his knee. Still, no doubt they need someone who can pound the ball and has a little speed.
Agree with Signing Johnson and Smith, and if oh if they could get Barwin.......

I have sworn off buying Bengals apparel but I would buy two Barwin jerseys ASAP. Damn that would be fun.

I still wondering how Gruden even got mentioned as a head coach candidate? Better question is how do you not fire him. His offense is brutal. How do you game plan to ignore your best player? Dalton has regressed. Some on here say don't replace him yet. And the bengals have a lot of holes.

Btw, where was the defensive line yesterday? No pass rush and they couldn't stop the run either. Schaub was only one stopping Houston offense yesterday. hall played well it appeared and is out scoring this miserable offense the last 3 games.

Offensive line sucks. Whitworth is very overrated. And Cook is awful. I thought offense had been better with Robinson. Average unit on its best day and those aren't usually on Sundays.

Bengals lines were outplayed badly by the Texans.

Again, on big stage under Lewis, another flop.

.50, my buddy tells me they did not blitz at all, and watching the text it looked like the offense did their freaking best to wear down the defense. I didn't see you saying they went up to Pittsburgh and flopped, however, and a lot of us,myself included, were ready to jump ship when they dropped three in a row.
Not dogging you because I think you're frustrated, as we all are. Marvin might be just the guy to get us 10-6 or 9-7, but maybe we need someone else if we want to start discussing championships.

As for Gruden you have hit the nail on the head.

from Bengals.com:

THE DRAFT

Thanks to Carson Palmer and the Raiders, the Bengals get a top five pick in the second round in addition to their own in the bottom middle of the round.

It would appear to be the perfect spot to get a play-making running back. They've got the consummate blue-collar runner in Green-Ellis and to team him with an explosive stretch-the-field guy would make Dalton better in a hurry.

Other spots they could grab with those first three picks? A safety, an outside backer, and what about a tackle? Right tackle Andre Smith is a guy they'd probably like to re-sign, but at the moment he's scheduled to become a free agent. The Bengals have drawn raves for their last three drafts. Three solid picks here can go a long way in making them better. The buzz will be just as intense as last year's draft run-up with two first-round picks

Got to re-sign Smith or OT probably goes to the head of the line for the R1 pick - obviously depending upon availability. If Smith is re-signed, I agree that S, LB and RB make the most sense to target with the first 3 picks at this point. Of course things may and probably will be very different by draft day, but after skimming some of the draft stuff, there may not be any R1 worthy RBs and maybe only 1 S so right now I'd guess LB in R1.

When Smith was drafted, who would think that we would be calling for him to be resigned?

In fact most were calling for him to be cut!

(01-06-2013 08:29 PM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  When Smith was drafted, who would think that we would be calling for him to be resigned?

In fact most were calling for him to be cut!

Being cut is an exaggeration, but it wasn't a popular pick among many including myself I must admit, especially when it was followed by a holdout and multiple injuries iirc. And in fairness he was looking like a bust, or at least vastly over-drafted after his first couple of years. But he's really come on last year and especially this one even if quite a few fans haven't noticed. I like some of what we saw previously from Collins, but I think the Bengals know they need to make a strong effort to keep Smith.

(01-05-2013 08:01 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  I'm assuming they draft 22 or 23. That's a tough spot to get anyone that will make an impact next year. They're gonna have a ton of room under the cap they're gonna have to spend in free agency.

Doubtful both because it's not the Bengal way and they've got a lot of returning guys to spend money on. Even though he's signed for another year, arguably first and foremost is Atkins. Conventional wisdom is sign him to a LTC a year early but he will still be backing up the truck. Sticking with defense, Michael Johnson is eligible for free agency and he won't be cheap either even if we tag him. Then we've got to figure out what to do with Rey - maybe he walks but that creates a new hole. Plus there are a bunch of free agent eligible vets who contributed to what was a very good defense by the end of the season: Geathers, Howard (was injured but was considered our best LB coming into the year), Lawson, Newman, Adam Jones and Nate Clements. I could see Zimm pushing to keep nearly all of them around (assuming Zimm is here).

Then on offense, Andre Smith will be looking for a mega deal and the Bengals probably will and should give it to him. It's also decision time on Bernard Scott - do you just let him walk without ever having really seen what he could do as a starter?

Add in the fact that the salary cap is flat this year compared to last and I think as usual this offseason will be about re-signing guys; not that it is a bad thing.

Good post. Atkins #1 and the corners, then Smith, then Johnson.

(01-08-2013 07:51 AM)beck Wrote:  Good post. Atkins #1 and the corners, then Smith, then Johnson.

Actually, I'd probably go with Atkins and Smith as 1A and 1B. Then Johnson perhaps with a tag if it comes to that.

Then Geathers and the CBs. As solid as Newman and Pacman were playing down the stretch and as valuable as Clements' stability and versatility was, they are all up there in age and probably won't be in big demand elsewhere. I also suspect they won't be eager to leave Zimm and his system assuming he's back (obviously things change otherwise). Don't forget that Dre should be back 100% along with Jason Allen (who was expected to start) and even Ghee was supposedly looking great before getting hurt. Granted that's a lot of ??, but it's also a lot of CB options (depending upon injury recoveries) from the Bengals' side even if they move Clements to S or if he moves on.

I'm not sure what to think about the LBs aside from Burfict who deserves to keep a starting spot. I like Rey but I'm frustrated with him just like everybody else and couldn't fault the Bengals if they let him walk. I'd think they'd bring Howard back if he's looking healthy since he should be fairly cheap. Lawson might be an either/or with Rey.

They get most of that done and/or something similar with a free agent or two and I'm currently eyeing LB, RB and S for those 3 early draft picks, quite possibly in that order.

Smith was pretty solid this year, but after all it was his contract year coming off of disappointment after disappointment. They may have to tag Johnson but I think Smith would ne more easily replaced than Johnson.If possible, I'd secure that long term deal for both Adkins and Johnson, if possible....