Comments on: It takes all kinds

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 03:47:27 +0000

@Hobson: In a recent article you stated the Bengals had 40M in cap space. According to NFL.com they have 55.5M before franchising Johnson. Another site, spotrac.com that tracks salaries in professional sports, shows the Bengals with 46.5M in cap space after putting Johnson in at a contract of 11.175M. They show it based on 51 active contracts and 1 dead money contract (from cutting Shipley) at a total of 86.5M and 10.2M in rollover from 2012. Based on PFTs recent report of a 123M cap this year, that leaves 46.5M. If you use the NFL.com numbers and deduct 11.175M for Johnson’s cap hit that leaves 44.3M. Using your 40M number it leaves us with about 29M. I know that since teams don’t confirm salaries it makes it guess work to figure cap space at a given point in time. Mainly wondering if your source was an inside one or maybe it wasn’t including the rollover or something? Also wondering if we officially took the option to rollover the 10.2M from 2012 yet or if it’s being assumed that we will. Last question…any idea how the 89% rule works that starts this year? Is 89% for each team or the league as a whole? And do cap rollover from previous years factor in?

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:19:38 +0000

Good to see Whit get that knee taken care of. It has hampered him some. Mainly in the run game where he’s been kind of an average presence since the knee started bothering him in 2011. It was effecting his ability to drive in run blocking and also when someone got their pads underneath of him pass rushing. He’s always been the type of guy when beaten at pad level who could plant the leg, then turn and drive the pass rusher down into the ground. This last season when he attempted it he only slowed the pass rusher instead of stopping him, and it often led to Whit hooking the guys neck with his arm and getting called for holding. Often the result would be holding or a QB pressure or worse. Yet he still was one of the best pass protectors in the NFL this year. THe run blocking is the same issue. He rarely gets lower pad level when run blocking. He’s just too tall. But he gets push by planting, striking and driving with legs. Prior to the injury, in 2010, we were running as much or more to the left than to the middle or right. The past 2 seasons we have been running heavily to the middle and right. Part of me began to wonder if he wasn’t starting to lose something physically. But I just forgot about his injury. I remember it being said that he was hampered int he last half of 2011 by the knee, and you could see it. And in hindsight it was the same symptoms this season. I bet we are going to see an improved Whit come Sept. Especially in the run blocking dept.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:46:30 +0000

THe RB I mentioned above, CHristine Michael, kept tearing the workouts up. His 40 was adjusted to 4.54 which was 10th amongst RBs. His 27 reps in the bench press ranked him 3rd. 43″ vertical jump, 4.02 20 yd shuttle, and 6.69 3 cone drill were all three ranked 1st. 3rd in the broad jump at 10’5″, and ranked 6th in the 60 yd TD shuttle at 11.56. Again his size is prototypical at 5’10″ 220. I mentioned some of his problems hurting his draft stock above. Well there was one thing (or maybe two it’s not clear yet) that hurt his combine performance. He overslept and missed two group drills/meetings. It’s unclear whether he overslept once and missed two drills/meetings or whether he overslept on two different occasions. Seems like a small deal, could be. But for a guy who already has baggage that says he might be an attitude problem or have problems conforming, it just reinforces the idea. ONe thing I’m left with after the combine is this is a good group of CBs with lots of size and speed.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:56:38 +0000

One RB and one FB caught my eye at the Combine today. Texas A&M RB Chrstine Michael. He ran a 4.41 40 and did 27 reps in the bench press at 5’10″ 220. He had a great freshman year, then injuries marred his sophomore and junior seasons. He reportedly butted heads with the new head coach his senior season and only received 88 carries. He’s a north south runner, who has a great cutback, low center of gravity and top end speed to break long runs. Initially thought of as a 3-5 round prospect, buzz is his stock may rise to 2nd rounder by draft day. Wake Forest FB Tommy Bohanon ran a 4.81 40 and did 36 reps in the bench press. He’s 6’1″ 245 and has 10″ hands. He was primarily a blocking back, but had carried in short yardage. Had 23 receptions for 208 yds and 5 rec TDs in his senior year. Not a bad 40 for a FB and the 36 reps are over the top. There will be plenty of lineman that don’t top that number. Reportedly scouts were impressed with his consistency at the Sr Bowl. A blocking FB that can catch passes, can really help to open up the WCO.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:45:14 +0000

On thing that’s hard to gauge in all this is what are the chances of getting Adam Jones back. Pro Football Focus has him as the #3 free agent CB available. They say he graded out as #1 available, but some rumbling in their panel about his past issues demoted him to #3. THe big question is what will his value be in free agency. I’m certain we aren’t going to get him at league minimum again. My worry is with his financial issues, he may chase a big contract if it’s offered and who could blame him. We can’t afford to give him starting money because he won’t start for us (barring injury to the starters). If I had to guess what we’d offer I would say up to about 3M for 2 or 3 years. We’ve put in 3 years on him, we’ve only spent 2.5M in that time on him, and despite turning 30 this season he has only played in 68 games starting only 47 of them. He’s seen the same playing time of your average 3-4 year starter. There are guys still on their first contracts with more play time than that. So as he showed last year, there is quite a bit left in the tank. We no doubt want him back. Question is this…is there a team needing a starting CB willing to give him 5M for 4 years? I think we have a chance for him, but if his price gets over the 3M per year range, or gets beyond 2 years, we are going to have trouble working a deal.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:21:32 +0000

@tepid….Moore and Goldson would be good signings to fill the SS position. Don’t know how much money they are going to draw or if they will be worth it. But IMO they are the 2 best Ss out there in free agency for our D system.

By: tepidfan31

tepidfan31 — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:08:50 +0000

Why not sign one of the following Free Agents?

Age Rank Player Pos Team
27 13 Jairus Byrd S Buffalo
26 14 Andy Levitre OG Buffalo
27 19 Phil Loadholt T Minnesota
28 22 Dashon Goldson S San Fran
27 26 William Moore S Atlanta
27 36 Sam Baker T Atlanta
25 47 Victor Butler LB Dallas
25 48 Louis Vasquez OG San Diego
26 50 Geoff Schwartz OG Minnesota

By: tepidfan31

tepidfan31 — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:39:45 +0000

My take:
Bengal Free Agent Priorities
1 Michael Johnson DE
2 Andre Smith OL
3 Pat Sims DT
4 Robert Geathers DE
5 Adam Jones CB
6 Brian Leonard RB
7 Kevin Huber P
? Josh Brown K
? Mike Nugent K
Nate Clements CB
Chris Crocker S
Wallace Gilberry DE
Bruce Gradkowski QB
Clark Harris OL
Thomas Howard LB
Manny Lawson LB
Rey Maualuga LB
Terence Newman CB
Cedric Peerman RB
Dennis Roland OL
Bernard Scott RB
Dan Skuta LB
Brandon Tate WR

Need
1 OLB
2 S
3 OL man
4 MLB
5 RB
6 QB

By: tepidfan31

tepidfan31 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:21:12 +0000

I am concerned as to what several pundits are saying about some of our players. One, they have been saying the Boling had a very poor season; Two, the Mays will never be a good safety; and Three, that Maualuga is an average MLB at best. I wonder what the degree of truth there is to such reports, and if the Bengals concur.
If Boling is a problem, there are several touted OLmen in the draft; if not a guard, could they possibly consider a tackle, and move Smith inside?
It is obvious that we need a top grade safety.
If Maualuga is only average, dow we need a MLB as well as an OLB?

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 05:36:33 +0000

Congrats to Jim Anderson for winning the Pollard Alliance lifetime achievement award! Nice to see him and Mike Brown recognized in consecutive years. Says a lot about this organization.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:11:23 +0000

Really glad to see Hue Jackson get moved to the offensive side of the ball. I think he’s one of the best out there. Shouldn’t even be saying this, but I would rather have him as OC than Gruden. I have no complaints about Gruden, I don’t think he needs replaced or anything. I actually think he’s one of the best OCs in the NFL. I just happen to feel Jackson is even better. It will be great to get his ideas in the mix. And also with him having an administrative role, it could have a profound effect. Much like Marvin Lewis, players tend to respond well to Jackson and buy into what he’s teaching. A lot of the players called for him to be kept when Oakland changed regimes. You know your players believe in you when you are about to be fired and they stand by you. Usually that’s when people abandon you. It’s a great thing when you have 3 assistants that are qualified to be head coaches. Can’t wait for free agency to see how it all shakes out. Who we chose to re-sign, who we can’t afford or don’t want to sign, which at large free agents we target if any. Once we know some of these things then we can start to get an idea where we might go in the draft. As it is, with only half a roster, every position is a need until we sign some people.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:53:00 +0000

According to NFL.com we lead the league in cap space going into the off season. We have 50.6M. The Browns rank 2nd with 45.6M. The Ravens rank 13th with 12.9M. The Steelers are one of 12 teams over the cap. They are 13.8M over the cap, ranking them 28th. There are ways to restructure contracts, etc. to lower the cap number, but they both have some some high profile free agents. At the very least I think it’s safe to assume that both the Steelers and Ravens will be doing their best to keep the roster as intact as possible.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:31:09 +0000

I know it’s not a popular opinion…but I was glad to see the Ravens get the win, and see Ray Lewis get his second ring. The 2000 Ravens along with the 1985 Bears are the 2 best teams I’ve ever seen. Lewis was the last player from that team in the NFL. Really what the Ravens did in the 1st round of the draft from 1996-2003 was amazing. Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Duane Starks, Chris McCalister, Jamal Lewis, Todd Heap, Ed Reed & Terrell Suggs. 9 picks 8 pro bowlers, and one 8 year NFL starter. It proves out that the AFC North is probably the toughest division in the NFL. The Ravens just like the Steelers are about to change as we’ve known them over the last 15 years or so. The Ravens have little cap space and quite a few guys like Flacco, Reed, Kruger, Ellerbee, Pitta, McKinnie & about a dozen others to sign. They will be lucky to get Reed, Flacco, their RFAs & rookies signed. They could choose to bypass Reed, and maybe sign 2 of the other guys, but either way they are losing some of the core. Plus with Lewis retiring it’s going to be an adjustment. One thing they got going, is Jim Caldwell, who proved himself one of the better play callers out there. Pittsburgh is in even worse shape. They have even more free agents, and virtually no cap space. Plus they have a lot of guys under contract whose skills are deteriorating. Both teams have stuck to a certain MOs for a long time, and think they will both look quite different next year.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 21:21:09 +0000

George Halas, Paul Brown, Curly Lambeau, Al Davis, Lamar Hunt…this is all of the owners in the HOF. It would be a disgrace to 5 of the greatest figures in NFL history to put his name in the same category with them.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 21:18:08 +0000

With HOF announcements to come in a few hours I found this gem of an article. It details why Art Modell does not belong in the HOF. And it’s not your standard “he took our team” explanation. It goes back to 1961 and works forward. Reveals details about Modells supposed pioneering in TV deals and Monday night football. They pretty much prove them to be myths. They tell you all the bad stuff he did too, but argue he has no real credentials to be in the HOF, or perhaps to even be viewed as anything but a mediocre to bad owner.
http://jimkanicki.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/art-modell-has-no-hall-of-fame-credentials/

By: tepidfan31

tepidfan31 — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:49:10 +0000

An opinion on Andy. Coming to the NFL there was a question as to his arm strength. I think there still might be. Yes, he can heave it 60 yards, but throwing it accurately down field is my question. Arm strength is not only how far you can throw, but more how accurately you can throw both short and long. Towards the end of the year the accuracy was lacking.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:50:58 +0000

There seems to be a little rumbling from some media, about the Bengals needing to sign Greg Jennings in free agency. The theory being he will be a little cheaper than the top tier so we could afford him. And that by virtue of him already playing in a multiple WR scheme were 4 or 5 guys get utilized, that he can add to the team without stunting the young WRs growth. He can play inside and out, and is known as a great leader and role model for his teammates. The second thing I seen, was a lone article that said Andy Dalton is poised to become an elite QB this season. That’s quite a bit different than what I’ve been reading. Which is mostly articles questioning whether he can improve anymore than his current level. This article pointed out that he continued to improve in key areas this year. He believes Dalton will reduce his 16 ints from this year, and put up 4000+ yds and 30+ TDs this coming season. That would be nice. And so would signing Jennings, but my biggest concern about the team right now, is how the roster will shakeout. Who will/can we re-sign and who we have to/choose to let go. And then what we can do in free agency to fill any remaining holes. A lot of it going to come down to getting an agreement on money between the two parties. Some players like Newmann & Adam Jones played for pennies last year. And they had such a good year that they will draw more on the open market than they did last year. So they have to get a raise. But how much can we afford? There are guys like Geather who we want to keep, but for about half of what he’s paid now which is probably his market value right now. Can the two parties find a middle ground. Then you have the Smith & Johnson contracts. You have to keep them. But they both were top 5 at their position this year. So they aren’t going to be cheap!

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:34:46 +0000

Very sad to see Jim Anderson retiring. He’s one of the best at what he does. You can’t really replace that kind of knowledge. Hopefully we’ll move Jackson over to that spot, if he wants it. Or maybe we have our eye on someone else. You just can’t say how much having a guy that’s been around football that long does for your team.