Well, the Chargers broke my heart by grabbing Marcus Gilchrist in the 2nd. Would have been a good conversion guy. But we have our QB and that makes me happy! Good draft so far. I thought Rosi Dowling out of Virginia might have slipped into the 3rd but he went at the top of the 2nd. Not really sure who I want the Bengals to take here. WR Hankerson out of Miami is still there which is surprising but we certainly don't need him now.
Lets hope they did more research for the draft than I did!
I wouldn't mind seeing Edmond Gates in the 4th round. WR that is Bernard Scott's cousin. Crazy fast.
Enjoy the rest of the draft!
Friday, April 29, 2011
2nd round board
Crap! In all the excitement I forgot to put up my board for the 2nd round! So with a few minutes to go here are my guys.
1. Andy Dalton, QB TCU
Super accurate, great decision maker, never lost a game in his life. Love him to death, wouldn't mind them moving up to make sure they got him.
Downside, doesn't have a huge arm. I can live with that though. Doesn't need one for our system.
2. Aaron Williams, DB Texas
I would LOVE this guy as a free safety. Was a corner at Texas and played at a high level. Ran just fine and makes big plays all day and all night. He should have gone in the first round probably and if the QB is gone then we can get our conversion guy right here.
3. Marvin Austin, DT UNC
I heard people say he could be a top 15 pick if he had played this year. Don't know a whole lot about him other than people I trust say he has top 10 talent. I'd roll the dice at this point.
4. Dequan Bowers, DE Clemson
This guy has top 5 talent but doctors are concerned about his knee. They say he might only be able to play a few years before his career is cut short. But then again, maybe not. Wouldn't be the worst gamble the Bengals ever took.
5. Ryan Williams, RB Virginia Tech
This dude is has that prototype size you want, runs well, makes people miss. Good back just needs to stay healthy. I don't want them to take a back here but you could certainly do worse.
Doomsday scenario
Ryan Mallet, QB Arkansas
He throws the ball well but he's not a great decision makes, has a really long delivery which is gonna get you killed in the NFL and is slow as christmas. Worst part is all the character concerns. I've heard him dropping as low as the 4th round but I could see the Bengals pulling the trigger anyway.
I'll have analysis and hopefully some guys to look for in the 3rd round up shortly. Sorry for the late notice!
1. Andy Dalton, QB TCU
Super accurate, great decision maker, never lost a game in his life. Love him to death, wouldn't mind them moving up to make sure they got him.
Downside, doesn't have a huge arm. I can live with that though. Doesn't need one for our system.
2. Aaron Williams, DB Texas
I would LOVE this guy as a free safety. Was a corner at Texas and played at a high level. Ran just fine and makes big plays all day and all night. He should have gone in the first round probably and if the QB is gone then we can get our conversion guy right here.
3. Marvin Austin, DT UNC
I heard people say he could be a top 15 pick if he had played this year. Don't know a whole lot about him other than people I trust say he has top 10 talent. I'd roll the dice at this point.
4. Dequan Bowers, DE Clemson
This guy has top 5 talent but doctors are concerned about his knee. They say he might only be able to play a few years before his career is cut short. But then again, maybe not. Wouldn't be the worst gamble the Bengals ever took.
5. Ryan Williams, RB Virginia Tech
This dude is has that prototype size you want, runs well, makes people miss. Good back just needs to stay healthy. I don't want them to take a back here but you could certainly do worse.
Doomsday scenario
Ryan Mallet, QB Arkansas
He throws the ball well but he's not a great decision makes, has a really long delivery which is gonna get you killed in the NFL and is slow as christmas. Worst part is all the character concerns. I've heard him dropping as low as the 4th round but I could see the Bengals pulling the trigger anyway.
I'll have analysis and hopefully some guys to look for in the 3rd round up shortly. Sorry for the late notice!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
First round big board!
I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited! Finally draft day! Lets get right to it here with my Bengals Big Board for round one.
For the draft noobs, a big board is what a team makes to use as a guide during the draft. They will list each prospect they've scouted, usually around 120, 150 in the order they would take them and with a grade for each guy. There is one of these sitting in every team's draft room and it is the culmination of a year's worth of work and debate.
For obvious reasons these are kept very secret so what I'm going to do here is put together a little board here for the order in which I think, from the information I synthesized, the Bengals should have their prospects for the first round. If you're the Bengals you really only need like 3 guys here but in case of a trade down or something else unforeseen I'm going to make a list a little bit longer so hopefully you will have an idea on how to feel about their pick this year.
Cincinnati Bengals Draft Board
1. Patrick Peterson, CB LSU
Corner is certainly not a need even if they let Jonathan Joseph go. However I believe from what I've heard that this guy will be a stud and some still think he's the best player in the draft. He can play all over the secondary for you and I think with his size and tackling ability he'd be a great fit with us as a safety/corner hybrid ala Charles Woodson if not a strait safety. Something I haven't talked about is he is a great return man too. Very dangerous with the ball in his hands. You don't take a guy at number 4 for his return skills but it sure does help. When a talent like this falls in your lap I think you would be stupid to let it go. Don't worry about the need, just grab a great player at an important position. I don't think there is a way you don't feel good about this pick.
2. Marcell Dareus, DT Alabama
If this guy is still on the board at number 4 they should sprint up to the podium, tuck the card into the commissioner's breast pocket, give it a pat smile and wink and skip back to their desk whistling a jaunty tune. I don't think he'll be there but this guy is another one I've heard as the best guy in the draft. He's big and very athletic. Has a high motor, productive, no off the field issues. Saw a replay of him tracking down Cam Newton who was trying to do his best Michael Vick impression of escaping out of the backfield. Darues tracked him down one on one and made the sack. Would love to see this guy hemming in Rapelisthburger. He really doesn't have anything going against him and he's at an important position. I think this is a safe pick with low bust potential and plenty of upside. We don't need a DT but once again, when talent like this falls into your lap you've got to take that opportunity.
3. A.J. Green, WR Georgia
This one sort of breaks my heart because it means one of our young talented receivers is going to come off the field. Once again though, I keep hearing how he's the best player in the draft. I know I said that about the last 2 but thats the nice thing about picking 4th this year. I think as long as one of these 3 are here you can feel really good about the value of the pick. Would be surprised if all 3 were gone since I'm pretty sure at least 1 team isn't going to be unable to resist Cam Newton between Carolina and Buffalo (sorry Pratt). Von Miller should be taken before number 4 too so it's pretty safe to say one of these 3 will be there.
So while WR isn't a terribly important position with them being easy to find and easy to take out of games this guy is just too good to pass on if you can't find something on defense you like. I've heard he's the best WR prospect since Megatron (Calvin Johnson). The Lions were a down trodden franchise and they went ahead and took the freak wide out because they knew he was far too talented to pass up and it worked out well for them. Like I said, I don't like taking a receiver this high and it takes a young talented player off the field but he's just too good to pass up.
4. Nick Fairly, DT Auburn
There is a significant jump in bust potential after those 3 on the board. Fairly was once considered a sure shot for the top 2 in this draft but for some reason has fallen as low as 8 in a lot of mock drafts without playing a snap. Well you're not fooling me media. Drafts almost always find a way to come back to the tape. I've heard work ethic concerns and character issues, all kinds of stuff about this guy. Great, whatever, dude is a freak. I've heard more than one experienced draft expert that I trust say they were giggling at his pro day about how fast he is for being so big. Not strait line speed but with his hands and agility which is what you want. Explosive is the key word here. He's dominated a high level of competition and taken over games like Ndamukong Suh used to in college. I'm not saying he's Suh because he's not. But there is no questioning the talent here.
I think I might have a spoiler alert on this one and I almost feel bad telling you guys cause it might ruin the surprise but I did hear that very recently John Hays (Bengals D line coach) was seen leaving Fairly's house. Could have tipped their hand. While he's obviously not my top choice I think he would still be a good pick up. He has that bust potential but also a crazy high ceiling (ceiling is what they use to refer to a guy's potential get better).
5. Von Miller, LB Texas A&M
Well, this pick doesn't make much sense to me. He's pretty clearly a 3-4 outside linebacker and is viewed as the best pass rusher in the draft. He's a great player and a very safe pick but I'm not sure where the Bengals put him. He's not going to be an every down defensive end and you can't use a 4th overall pick on your SAM linebacker as I discussed in the last post. You sure as hell can't use it on a situational pass rusher either. I'm sure Zimmer could find something to do with him on every down but I just don't think its a good fit. All that said, if they take him in the first you can't be too upset about it. He's a great talent and he could be the kind of guy you make room for in your defensive scheme.
6. Blaine Gabbert, QB Missouri
Well, he makes the list because you're sort of out of players worth the 4th pick at this point. It would be a reach but so would anything else at this point besides the players listed above. Good news is this guy can strait spin it. Has the big gun for an arm you look for, good accuracy and did a lot with a little at Missouri as far as receivers. He's athletic and smart for the position as well.
The reason he would be a reach is he isn't great in a pocket. When he gets pressured he gets bad. Has happy feet and will bail out and run instead of sliding in the pocket and keeping his eyes down field. He also struggled against bump and run coverage on his receivers. When he couldn't read the hole in the defense right away he looked lost. All this is what I've heard.
Maybe this is correctable, maybe its not. Scares me a bit though. If the Bengals take him here you shake your head a little and say "Damn it Mike Brown, I hope someone knows something about him I don't". He could be a very good starting QB but there are much more talented players that will be on the board at 4th overall.
Speaking of being scared, here are the doomsday scenarios for the Bengals that might actually happen.
7. Julio Jones, WR Alabama
I'm not saying Julio isn't a great player because he is. But he is NOT the 4th best player in this draft. I've heard reports that he Bengals have him ahead of Green which freaks me out a little. He's just not as good at football as A.J. Green. Julio is crazy athletic sure and I heard Mel Kiper say that he's the best blocking receiver he's EVER graded which is a hell of a thing since Mel has been at this shit since like 1972 or whatever. Coach Lewis loves his blocking WRs too but you sure as shit don't pay them 10 millions dollars a year to block defensive backs. This would be a mistake. Lets hope it doesn't come to this.
8. Cam Newton, QB Auburn (Noooooo!)
This is worst plausible scenario I can think of for the Bengals as far as it stands right now. This guy is loaded with potential sure, but he just has all those red flags that scare you to death. Upside here is he is big, strong, fast and has a god damn howitzer mounted on his right shoulder.
Downside is he's inaccurate, seems pretty dumb and I'm not convinced he won't stop giving a shit about football as soon as he gets a hold of his big fat signing bonus. He's just not a fit for the West Coast offense. Could be a bad fit for any offense. Lets hope this guy is gone well before the Bengals pick at number 4 so Mike isn't tempted to pike up Akili Smith 2.0.
Now maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he's going to be the best football player in the league 4 years from now and he certainly has the potential to do so but if the Bengals take him here I will be very upset.
There ya have it. Read up and enjoy! By the way I still have my big board I made for the Bengals last year, I'll put it up when I get a chance. Might be interesting to see how my picks turned out compared to where I had them on the wish list last year.
I think this is going to be an exciting draft for the Bengals this year. Past two years it was pretty clear cut who they wanted (Andre Smith and Jermaine Gresham) but I think it's wide open for them in the first round.
I'll put up my 2nd round board either tonight or tomorrow before the round starts. Hopefully the Bengals won't trade up into the first before I get a chance to post it.
Enjoy the first round everyone!
For the draft noobs, a big board is what a team makes to use as a guide during the draft. They will list each prospect they've scouted, usually around 120, 150 in the order they would take them and with a grade for each guy. There is one of these sitting in every team's draft room and it is the culmination of a year's worth of work and debate.
For obvious reasons these are kept very secret so what I'm going to do here is put together a little board here for the order in which I think, from the information I synthesized, the Bengals should have their prospects for the first round. If you're the Bengals you really only need like 3 guys here but in case of a trade down or something else unforeseen I'm going to make a list a little bit longer so hopefully you will have an idea on how to feel about their pick this year.
Cincinnati Bengals Draft Board
1. Patrick Peterson, CB LSU
Corner is certainly not a need even if they let Jonathan Joseph go. However I believe from what I've heard that this guy will be a stud and some still think he's the best player in the draft. He can play all over the secondary for you and I think with his size and tackling ability he'd be a great fit with us as a safety/corner hybrid ala Charles Woodson if not a strait safety. Something I haven't talked about is he is a great return man too. Very dangerous with the ball in his hands. You don't take a guy at number 4 for his return skills but it sure does help. When a talent like this falls in your lap I think you would be stupid to let it go. Don't worry about the need, just grab a great player at an important position. I don't think there is a way you don't feel good about this pick.
2. Marcell Dareus, DT Alabama
If this guy is still on the board at number 4 they should sprint up to the podium, tuck the card into the commissioner's breast pocket, give it a pat smile and wink and skip back to their desk whistling a jaunty tune. I don't think he'll be there but this guy is another one I've heard as the best guy in the draft. He's big and very athletic. Has a high motor, productive, no off the field issues. Saw a replay of him tracking down Cam Newton who was trying to do his best Michael Vick impression of escaping out of the backfield. Darues tracked him down one on one and made the sack. Would love to see this guy hemming in Rapelisthburger. He really doesn't have anything going against him and he's at an important position. I think this is a safe pick with low bust potential and plenty of upside. We don't need a DT but once again, when talent like this falls into your lap you've got to take that opportunity.
3. A.J. Green, WR Georgia
This one sort of breaks my heart because it means one of our young talented receivers is going to come off the field. Once again though, I keep hearing how he's the best player in the draft. I know I said that about the last 2 but thats the nice thing about picking 4th this year. I think as long as one of these 3 are here you can feel really good about the value of the pick. Would be surprised if all 3 were gone since I'm pretty sure at least 1 team isn't going to be unable to resist Cam Newton between Carolina and Buffalo (sorry Pratt). Von Miller should be taken before number 4 too so it's pretty safe to say one of these 3 will be there.
So while WR isn't a terribly important position with them being easy to find and easy to take out of games this guy is just too good to pass on if you can't find something on defense you like. I've heard he's the best WR prospect since Megatron (Calvin Johnson). The Lions were a down trodden franchise and they went ahead and took the freak wide out because they knew he was far too talented to pass up and it worked out well for them. Like I said, I don't like taking a receiver this high and it takes a young talented player off the field but he's just too good to pass up.
4. Nick Fairly, DT Auburn
There is a significant jump in bust potential after those 3 on the board. Fairly was once considered a sure shot for the top 2 in this draft but for some reason has fallen as low as 8 in a lot of mock drafts without playing a snap. Well you're not fooling me media. Drafts almost always find a way to come back to the tape. I've heard work ethic concerns and character issues, all kinds of stuff about this guy. Great, whatever, dude is a freak. I've heard more than one experienced draft expert that I trust say they were giggling at his pro day about how fast he is for being so big. Not strait line speed but with his hands and agility which is what you want. Explosive is the key word here. He's dominated a high level of competition and taken over games like Ndamukong Suh used to in college. I'm not saying he's Suh because he's not. But there is no questioning the talent here.
I think I might have a spoiler alert on this one and I almost feel bad telling you guys cause it might ruin the surprise but I did hear that very recently John Hays (Bengals D line coach) was seen leaving Fairly's house. Could have tipped their hand. While he's obviously not my top choice I think he would still be a good pick up. He has that bust potential but also a crazy high ceiling (ceiling is what they use to refer to a guy's potential get better).
5. Von Miller, LB Texas A&M
Well, this pick doesn't make much sense to me. He's pretty clearly a 3-4 outside linebacker and is viewed as the best pass rusher in the draft. He's a great player and a very safe pick but I'm not sure where the Bengals put him. He's not going to be an every down defensive end and you can't use a 4th overall pick on your SAM linebacker as I discussed in the last post. You sure as hell can't use it on a situational pass rusher either. I'm sure Zimmer could find something to do with him on every down but I just don't think its a good fit. All that said, if they take him in the first you can't be too upset about it. He's a great talent and he could be the kind of guy you make room for in your defensive scheme.
6. Blaine Gabbert, QB Missouri
Well, he makes the list because you're sort of out of players worth the 4th pick at this point. It would be a reach but so would anything else at this point besides the players listed above. Good news is this guy can strait spin it. Has the big gun for an arm you look for, good accuracy and did a lot with a little at Missouri as far as receivers. He's athletic and smart for the position as well.
The reason he would be a reach is he isn't great in a pocket. When he gets pressured he gets bad. Has happy feet and will bail out and run instead of sliding in the pocket and keeping his eyes down field. He also struggled against bump and run coverage on his receivers. When he couldn't read the hole in the defense right away he looked lost. All this is what I've heard.
Maybe this is correctable, maybe its not. Scares me a bit though. If the Bengals take him here you shake your head a little and say "Damn it Mike Brown, I hope someone knows something about him I don't". He could be a very good starting QB but there are much more talented players that will be on the board at 4th overall.
Speaking of being scared, here are the doomsday scenarios for the Bengals that might actually happen.
7. Julio Jones, WR Alabama
I'm not saying Julio isn't a great player because he is. But he is NOT the 4th best player in this draft. I've heard reports that he Bengals have him ahead of Green which freaks me out a little. He's just not as good at football as A.J. Green. Julio is crazy athletic sure and I heard Mel Kiper say that he's the best blocking receiver he's EVER graded which is a hell of a thing since Mel has been at this shit since like 1972 or whatever. Coach Lewis loves his blocking WRs too but you sure as shit don't pay them 10 millions dollars a year to block defensive backs. This would be a mistake. Lets hope it doesn't come to this.
8. Cam Newton, QB Auburn (Noooooo!)
This is worst plausible scenario I can think of for the Bengals as far as it stands right now. This guy is loaded with potential sure, but he just has all those red flags that scare you to death. Upside here is he is big, strong, fast and has a god damn howitzer mounted on his right shoulder.
Downside is he's inaccurate, seems pretty dumb and I'm not convinced he won't stop giving a shit about football as soon as he gets a hold of his big fat signing bonus. He's just not a fit for the West Coast offense. Could be a bad fit for any offense. Lets hope this guy is gone well before the Bengals pick at number 4 so Mike isn't tempted to pike up Akili Smith 2.0.
Now maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he's going to be the best football player in the league 4 years from now and he certainly has the potential to do so but if the Bengals take him here I will be very upset.
There ya have it. Read up and enjoy! By the way I still have my big board I made for the Bengals last year, I'll put it up when I get a chance. Might be interesting to see how my picks turned out compared to where I had them on the wish list last year.
I think this is going to be an exciting draft for the Bengals this year. Past two years it was pretty clear cut who they wanted (Andre Smith and Jermaine Gresham) but I think it's wide open for them in the first round.
I'll put up my 2nd round board either tonight or tomorrow before the round starts. Hopefully the Bengals won't trade up into the first before I get a chance to post it.
Enjoy the first round everyone!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Draft!
Welcome Bengals fans and Bengals curious. This week is my Christmas. My team gets new toys! The NFL draft. I know a lot of you football fans that aren't nearly as nerdy as me are a little lost when it comes to the draft. It's no fun if you don't know a lot of the prospects and you have to spend a lot of time researching to learn them. Hell even I get lost after the 3rd round.
My goal here is to distill all the draft knowledge I've gathered for this year and brew it into all the Bengals relevant stuff. Hopefully it will be enough for you to be entertained or at least a little interested in the draft come this weekend.
Lets start with what the Bengals need in this draft. There are varying opinions on this of course but all the information here is a synthesis of what I've heard from experts (not 'experts') and my my educated opinion.
Before I get into this, keep in mind that the draft isn't all about fillings needs as it is finding talent. They don't have to find all these guys in the draft.
Need 1: Quarterback
With Carson bailing out on us we have one of the most uncertain QB situations in the league as it stands right now. I think we would be looking at a QB regardless because Carson's decision making and deep accuracy have been suspect at best over the past few years and those were his best qualities when he was good. I'm actually kind of excited at getting some new blood behind center.
While it would be great to get a guy in this draft, you can't force it eitehr. If you don't think Blaine Gabbert is going to be a very good QB then you don't take him at 4. If Ponder and Dalton are gone by our 2nd round pick you don't want to take a guy that doesn't fit just because you need someone. Remember that before we play football there will be free agency and trades. There are guys out there that can be a stop gap.
Also the Bengals are a great team to protect a weak QB right now. The new west coast offense Gruden is installing will be more QB friendly. Lots of short throws and quick reads. He's said he will rely heavily on the run game which is a QB's best friend. The defense is excellent too which is the last ingredient to having a QB friendly team. Puts less pressure on a QB and minimizes the damage on his mistakes. So while we may not have a great QB situation, the QB that starts will come in to a great situation.
Last thing we need to look at on QB need is the guys we have available. With a west coast system you need a QB that is athletic and accurate. A guy that can move around a little bit. Doesn't need to have a huge cannon as a lot of the offense is generated by yards after catch and the run game.
I know Jordan Palmer isn't an attractive option but he has been getting the team together for off season workouts which is encouraging. I've also heard he's more athletic than his brother as well. I would be willing to see what he can do after a few years of learning.
Dan LeFevour intrigues me a lot for this offense. He was a rookie last year that was nabbed off the waiver wire that I think Chicago was counting on hiding in their practice squad. At Western Michigan he threw and ran for a bajillion yards. More of a passer than runner but effective with the ball in his hands. He seems like a perfect fit for this offense. I don't know a ton about him but I wouldn't be upset if he won the job this year.
Need 2: Safety
I'm a firm believer that the Bengals should keep drafting defense early and often. Putting together a running offense is a lot cheaper than a passing offense so you can really blow your cap on D. We're in pretty good shape across the board on defense except safety. There really isn't much talent at this position for us and I think a good one would push this D over the edge to elite if the D line keeps developing. I do like the Reggie Nelson pick up and thought he played well this year. I'd like to see what he can do with a full camp and more Zimmer coaching. Roy Williams is serviceable but we could upgrade over either and there isn't much behind them. Roy is a free agent too so he might not even be back (I think he will). I would put this need above QB but the importance difference for the positions is just too big.
Here is the tricky thing about safety in the draft this year. There really aren't many good ones. However there are more guys than I can remember that play corner and are projected as possible safetys. I'll give a short list of these guys on my draft boards in the coming posts. Mike Zimmer (our D coordinator) has been calling for a guy like that for a while now. A guy with corner coverage skills he can put at safety. This would be a great time to do it.
The needs are significantly less after this and depend on a few things.
Need 3A: SAM Linebacker
Anyone else notice that no one in the media has mentioned this need? Dhani Jones is leaving via free agency probably and I've heard plenty of talk about Maualuga finally moving to middle this year. This leaves a starting position open on the defense with no one there really. I know it's only half a starting position because teams are in their nickel defense so often but you still need a guy here. Now if they think last year's 4th round pick Roddrik Muckelroy can step in and take that spot then great, we're good to go here. He hasn't worked at SAM much yet but I think he would be fine. Could still use another guy for depth behind both SAM and middle linebackers though. If you move Muck to SAM there isn't anyone behind either spots.
So if they move Muck to SAM this need drops dramatically.
For those of you that aren't familiar a SAM linebacker is the strong side linebacker. This means he typically lines up over the tight end. The 4-3 SAM backer is one of the easiest to find. Usually they are bigger and less athletic than the other spots since they are the first to come off the field when the defense goes into a Nickel defense. (when you have 3 corners and 2 linebackers instead of 2 corners 3 linebackers. It's used to match up against 3 receiver formations) So you want a guy that is a good run stopper. Pass rush skills are nice too.
Need 3B: Guard
This isn't a pressing need but we could stand to upgrade here. Bobby Williams is great but he's old as hell. We drafted a project in Otis Hudson last year for guard (in the 5th round for some reason) but I haven't heard anything about him since. Who knows if he'll pan out or not. The left guard spot isn't bad but its not great either. Would be nice to grab someone here. When you want to run the ball your interior O line is very important.
Need 4: Receiver
I almost feel like this is need 5 but I guess after the top 3 guys there isn't anything. A lot of people have this as the 1st or 2nd need but I really like the receiver corps we have right now. Jerome Simpson really broke out at the end of the season and coaches are saying he should have been on the field sooner. This guy was raw coming out of college and I think he's only going to get better. He needs a chance to play a full year before you say you need an upgrade over him.
Jordan Shipley blew it up in the slot last year as a rookie. I'm not sure if his ceiling is very high but even if he played exactly the same I would still like him as your slot receiver. I think he will get better though. Receiver is a tough position for rookies and he did a great job. When I said I'm not sure how high his ceiling is I meant I don't think he's going to be an elite number 1 receiver at any point like you might expect out of a guy that put up the rookie numbers he did.
Andre Caldwell I don't have as much faith in but I still think he can be a good solid number 2. Especially in the west coast offense since he's so good with the ball in his hands. Dude is wicked fast. He's taken the top off defenses that we're playing him deep and has some clutch catches I'm sure we all remember from '09. I would like to see what he can do with a full season of being the number 2 WR before you go replacing him.
It still makes my needs list because we need a guy behind these 3. If one goes down then who comes in? Quan Cosby? Yikes. Shame we cut Des Brisco for Quan last year. This might not even be a need. Anyway, the ideal guy here would be versatile enough to play all 3 spots and contribute on special teams. Even better if he was a dynamic return man. That would be delish. However if a developmental number 1 type guy is sitting around in the later rounds that wouldn't be a horrible pick up either. We still have a 5th WR spot for a special teams guy.
Need 5: Fullback
I'm sure no one else noticed this (cause I'm a nerd) but the Bengals didn't have a fullback on their roster until the end of the season last year. When they did pick up Chris Pressley the running game got way better. They need to keep one on their roster. They are a running team, keep the fullback. The nice part about that is there aren't many teams that need or want a fullback. You might be able to pick up a total stud in the 5th or 6th round. I think Pressley did a good job last year and if they just want to bring in some college free agents for him to compete with in camp I'm fine with that too.
Need 6: Tight End
Clearly we don't need a number one here. I'm super happy with Gresham and every Bengal and Bengals fan should be too. However there isn't much behind him. I liked that Chase Coffman got a start at the end of last year. Would like to see him continue to develop. I've heard people in the organization say he has the best hands on the team. Would be nice to grab another guy though. Unfortunately this draft sucks for TE so we probably won't get one. Look for the Bengals to either grab a low end free agent or see if Reggie Kelly can do it for another year. Who knows though. Could be some late round magic at this spot.
So that about wraps it up for Bengals needs right now. I guess RB could be on there too but they are a dime a dozen. Now if the Bengals take a player at a position not on this list that doesn't mean it was a bad pick. The best teams draft for talent, not need. You can always use more D lineman and it might just fall that way for them this year at the top of the draft.
I'll post my draft boards each day from rounds 1-3 in the coming days with details about each player and how they might fit or not with the Bengals. Hope you'll read up with me!
Btw draft starts Thursday at 8pm EST. Whose excited!? I know this guy is.
My goal here is to distill all the draft knowledge I've gathered for this year and brew it into all the Bengals relevant stuff. Hopefully it will be enough for you to be entertained or at least a little interested in the draft come this weekend.
Lets start with what the Bengals need in this draft. There are varying opinions on this of course but all the information here is a synthesis of what I've heard from experts (not 'experts') and my my educated opinion.
Before I get into this, keep in mind that the draft isn't all about fillings needs as it is finding talent. They don't have to find all these guys in the draft.
Need 1: Quarterback
With Carson bailing out on us we have one of the most uncertain QB situations in the league as it stands right now. I think we would be looking at a QB regardless because Carson's decision making and deep accuracy have been suspect at best over the past few years and those were his best qualities when he was good. I'm actually kind of excited at getting some new blood behind center.
While it would be great to get a guy in this draft, you can't force it eitehr. If you don't think Blaine Gabbert is going to be a very good QB then you don't take him at 4. If Ponder and Dalton are gone by our 2nd round pick you don't want to take a guy that doesn't fit just because you need someone. Remember that before we play football there will be free agency and trades. There are guys out there that can be a stop gap.
Also the Bengals are a great team to protect a weak QB right now. The new west coast offense Gruden is installing will be more QB friendly. Lots of short throws and quick reads. He's said he will rely heavily on the run game which is a QB's best friend. The defense is excellent too which is the last ingredient to having a QB friendly team. Puts less pressure on a QB and minimizes the damage on his mistakes. So while we may not have a great QB situation, the QB that starts will come in to a great situation.
Last thing we need to look at on QB need is the guys we have available. With a west coast system you need a QB that is athletic and accurate. A guy that can move around a little bit. Doesn't need to have a huge cannon as a lot of the offense is generated by yards after catch and the run game.
I know Jordan Palmer isn't an attractive option but he has been getting the team together for off season workouts which is encouraging. I've also heard he's more athletic than his brother as well. I would be willing to see what he can do after a few years of learning.
Dan LeFevour intrigues me a lot for this offense. He was a rookie last year that was nabbed off the waiver wire that I think Chicago was counting on hiding in their practice squad. At Western Michigan he threw and ran for a bajillion yards. More of a passer than runner but effective with the ball in his hands. He seems like a perfect fit for this offense. I don't know a ton about him but I wouldn't be upset if he won the job this year.
Need 2: Safety
I'm a firm believer that the Bengals should keep drafting defense early and often. Putting together a running offense is a lot cheaper than a passing offense so you can really blow your cap on D. We're in pretty good shape across the board on defense except safety. There really isn't much talent at this position for us and I think a good one would push this D over the edge to elite if the D line keeps developing. I do like the Reggie Nelson pick up and thought he played well this year. I'd like to see what he can do with a full camp and more Zimmer coaching. Roy Williams is serviceable but we could upgrade over either and there isn't much behind them. Roy is a free agent too so he might not even be back (I think he will). I would put this need above QB but the importance difference for the positions is just too big.
Here is the tricky thing about safety in the draft this year. There really aren't many good ones. However there are more guys than I can remember that play corner and are projected as possible safetys. I'll give a short list of these guys on my draft boards in the coming posts. Mike Zimmer (our D coordinator) has been calling for a guy like that for a while now. A guy with corner coverage skills he can put at safety. This would be a great time to do it.
The needs are significantly less after this and depend on a few things.
Need 3A: SAM Linebacker
Anyone else notice that no one in the media has mentioned this need? Dhani Jones is leaving via free agency probably and I've heard plenty of talk about Maualuga finally moving to middle this year. This leaves a starting position open on the defense with no one there really. I know it's only half a starting position because teams are in their nickel defense so often but you still need a guy here. Now if they think last year's 4th round pick Roddrik Muckelroy can step in and take that spot then great, we're good to go here. He hasn't worked at SAM much yet but I think he would be fine. Could still use another guy for depth behind both SAM and middle linebackers though. If you move Muck to SAM there isn't anyone behind either spots.
So if they move Muck to SAM this need drops dramatically.
For those of you that aren't familiar a SAM linebacker is the strong side linebacker. This means he typically lines up over the tight end. The 4-3 SAM backer is one of the easiest to find. Usually they are bigger and less athletic than the other spots since they are the first to come off the field when the defense goes into a Nickel defense. (when you have 3 corners and 2 linebackers instead of 2 corners 3 linebackers. It's used to match up against 3 receiver formations) So you want a guy that is a good run stopper. Pass rush skills are nice too.
Need 3B: Guard
This isn't a pressing need but we could stand to upgrade here. Bobby Williams is great but he's old as hell. We drafted a project in Otis Hudson last year for guard (in the 5th round for some reason) but I haven't heard anything about him since. Who knows if he'll pan out or not. The left guard spot isn't bad but its not great either. Would be nice to grab someone here. When you want to run the ball your interior O line is very important.
Need 4: Receiver
I almost feel like this is need 5 but I guess after the top 3 guys there isn't anything. A lot of people have this as the 1st or 2nd need but I really like the receiver corps we have right now. Jerome Simpson really broke out at the end of the season and coaches are saying he should have been on the field sooner. This guy was raw coming out of college and I think he's only going to get better. He needs a chance to play a full year before you say you need an upgrade over him.
Jordan Shipley blew it up in the slot last year as a rookie. I'm not sure if his ceiling is very high but even if he played exactly the same I would still like him as your slot receiver. I think he will get better though. Receiver is a tough position for rookies and he did a great job. When I said I'm not sure how high his ceiling is I meant I don't think he's going to be an elite number 1 receiver at any point like you might expect out of a guy that put up the rookie numbers he did.
Andre Caldwell I don't have as much faith in but I still think he can be a good solid number 2. Especially in the west coast offense since he's so good with the ball in his hands. Dude is wicked fast. He's taken the top off defenses that we're playing him deep and has some clutch catches I'm sure we all remember from '09. I would like to see what he can do with a full season of being the number 2 WR before you go replacing him.
It still makes my needs list because we need a guy behind these 3. If one goes down then who comes in? Quan Cosby? Yikes. Shame we cut Des Brisco for Quan last year. This might not even be a need. Anyway, the ideal guy here would be versatile enough to play all 3 spots and contribute on special teams. Even better if he was a dynamic return man. That would be delish. However if a developmental number 1 type guy is sitting around in the later rounds that wouldn't be a horrible pick up either. We still have a 5th WR spot for a special teams guy.
Need 5: Fullback
I'm sure no one else noticed this (cause I'm a nerd) but the Bengals didn't have a fullback on their roster until the end of the season last year. When they did pick up Chris Pressley the running game got way better. They need to keep one on their roster. They are a running team, keep the fullback. The nice part about that is there aren't many teams that need or want a fullback. You might be able to pick up a total stud in the 5th or 6th round. I think Pressley did a good job last year and if they just want to bring in some college free agents for him to compete with in camp I'm fine with that too.
Need 6: Tight End
Clearly we don't need a number one here. I'm super happy with Gresham and every Bengal and Bengals fan should be too. However there isn't much behind him. I liked that Chase Coffman got a start at the end of last year. Would like to see him continue to develop. I've heard people in the organization say he has the best hands on the team. Would be nice to grab another guy though. Unfortunately this draft sucks for TE so we probably won't get one. Look for the Bengals to either grab a low end free agent or see if Reggie Kelly can do it for another year. Who knows though. Could be some late round magic at this spot.
So that about wraps it up for Bengals needs right now. I guess RB could be on there too but they are a dime a dozen. Now if the Bengals take a player at a position not on this list that doesn't mean it was a bad pick. The best teams draft for talent, not need. You can always use more D lineman and it might just fall that way for them this year at the top of the draft.
I'll post my draft boards each day from rounds 1-3 in the coming days with details about each player and how they might fit or not with the Bengals. Hope you'll read up with me!
Btw draft starts Thursday at 8pm EST. Whose excited!? I know this guy is.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Free Agents
Hey there blogger faithful. Before I get into my Bengals draft board, which is coming, I wanted to take some time to talk about the brief period that teams had after the season to resign their guys.
I'm sure most people who read this know that I LOVE JONATHAN JOSEPH. I think he's one of the top 5 corners in the league right now and will be for a while. I feel good about him going one on one against any receiver all day (maybe a little safety help vs Andre or Calvin Johnson). I think the Bengals blew a great opportunity (surprise) and here's why.
With the CBA going down this is probably the last year with absurd rookie contracts. What will most likely happen to the money saved by having a rookie wage scale is it will be redistributed to proven veterans. Everyone is happy, yay rookie wage scale. This means that the price of veteran players will go up obviously.
Follow me here.
The Raiders resigned their number 2 corner, don't even remember his name, they paid him I think 10 mil a year for like 4 years. So you have to assume that J-Joe is going to ask for more than that after seeing that signing (aren't crazy senile owners fun?). So lets say worst case scenario he wants 13 mil per year. Big price, sure but with corner being a big money position and the market about to inflate for veterans I'm willing to bet thats a damn good price for an elite (top 5) corner in his prime once the new CBA is in place.
Now I would imagine that once a new CBA is in place it will be open season right away. Once J-Joe sees other teams that aren't hopeless throwing him huge offers its hard to imagine Mike Brown letting his equally inept daughter, Katie Blackburn spend the kind of money it would take to keep him.
Here is the cherry on top. Nnamdi Asomugha is about to hit the open market. For those of you that aren't huge football fans this guy is the Tom Brady of cornerbacks. 2nd best if not THE best in the league at his position. He's going to get a huge deal right away and while J-Joe won't get the same, he will look to get something close.
I know a lot of people are probably wondering about Cedric Benson too. It would be nice to resign him for 2 years but I think that will get done at a reasonable price anyway. He's a good player but who else would have him as a starter? Most teams that need running backs this year need depth and youth. The Redskins come to mind but for the most part, the Bengals make the most football sense for him and I know he's stoked on Jay Gruden so far and Jay is stoked on him. So I think a deal gets done for 2-3 years at a reasonable price.
Some might be saying, we're stacked at corner, why not let him leave? I hear ya. Pacman can start for sure. Leon is still a very good corner. We have depth with Morgan Trent playing alright and we drafted Brandon Ghee in the 3rd round last year who could be a serious dude in years to come. There is a very real possibility of who some think is the best player in the draft, corner back Patrick Peterson, staring us in the face at number 4. So I get that argument. Check this out though.
Next year Leon Hall and Pacman Jones's contracts are up. So even if you get Patrick Peterson you're looking at the same problem next year and are treading water instead of making your team better. I guess you resign Leon next year? Is he better than J-Joe? I would have a hard time believing anyone can put together a good argument on that other than he's more durable.
Here are my solutions ranked best to worst. (I'd love to hear what you think)
1. As soon as the new CBA comes out re-sign both J-Joe and Leon Hall until they're 32 or 33. Pay them whatever the hell they want, 11-12 mil a year? No problem. You probably don't have to pay that much with contracts that long anyway. Move all that money from offense (Chad an Carson) to D. Also I think that number is going to look real reasonable with the new CBA. This defense doesn't work without them and this team doesn't work without the defense. The Bengals don't spend money on free agents so they can resign their own. Well, lets see it Bungs. Resign two of your best draft choices in the Lewis era.
2. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this before. I might like this more than my first solution. Resign J-Joe obviously, dude is a beast, pay him what he's worth. Since Leon is in his contract year, shop him around! I know trades don't happen often in this league but this dude is just under elite, in his prime and is high character. He's in the last year of his contract, which he's happy with, so theres no baggage for the trading partner or the Bengals as far as cap penalty. If you're not going to sign both of these guys why not sign the better one and get something in return for the other. My guess is you could get a second and maybe 4th of 5th from a desperate team. Pacman can take his spot and that would make Patrick Peterson make a lot of sense. Am I wrong here? Am I missing something? Sounds like a solid plausible plan to me . Well plausible for a team without a crazy stubborn owner anyway.
3. These options get a little less attractive to me. I guess let J-Joe walk and pick up a 3rd round compensatory draft pick next year and let Pacman step in. I would think you would have to resign both him and Leon next year so have fun with that. Also if Patrick Peterson is there at 4 and you don't have plans to resign J-Joe he looks a lot more appealing. Seems like you're treading water to me though.
4. If they don't resign J-Joe I might just be a full time Lions fan. Their front office knows whats up. Hey Mike Brown! The Ford family might have some insight as to how to run a company! Maybe take a look at how they run their football team. THEY LET PROFESSIONALS DO IT! Actually this is solution number 3 for me. Flip the last 2.
Back to solution number 1 real quick. If Patrick Peterson's big beautiful face is sitting there at number 4 and you already have probably the best corner trio in the league (J-Joe, Hall and Pacman) Go ahead and pull the trigger. Dude is big, 6'1 219. Move him to free safety and you have a pretty nasty secondary. Maybe a corner/safety hybrid ala Charles Woodson. Marvin was just bitching about how there aren't many good safetys out there anymore. Well, how about a dude that runs like a gazelle and has elite coverage skills? Bengals have been hurt by tight ends recently. Heath Miller? How about we just put Patrick Mf'in Peterson on him all day. Try to smoke him on your delayed release you overrated check down artist. He's a willing tackler and while it will probably take a bit for him to learn the new position, that speed makes a lot of mistakes go away at safety.
So there we have it. I know I got a little ranty and less objective but the off season and being a Bengals fan can do that to a guy. Little disappointed I don't have any comments. Would love to hear from you guys. Thanks for reading!
-Joel
I'm sure most people who read this know that I LOVE JONATHAN JOSEPH. I think he's one of the top 5 corners in the league right now and will be for a while. I feel good about him going one on one against any receiver all day (maybe a little safety help vs Andre or Calvin Johnson). I think the Bengals blew a great opportunity (surprise) and here's why.
With the CBA going down this is probably the last year with absurd rookie contracts. What will most likely happen to the money saved by having a rookie wage scale is it will be redistributed to proven veterans. Everyone is happy, yay rookie wage scale. This means that the price of veteran players will go up obviously.
Follow me here.
The Raiders resigned their number 2 corner, don't even remember his name, they paid him I think 10 mil a year for like 4 years. So you have to assume that J-Joe is going to ask for more than that after seeing that signing (aren't crazy senile owners fun?). So lets say worst case scenario he wants 13 mil per year. Big price, sure but with corner being a big money position and the market about to inflate for veterans I'm willing to bet thats a damn good price for an elite (top 5) corner in his prime once the new CBA is in place.
Now I would imagine that once a new CBA is in place it will be open season right away. Once J-Joe sees other teams that aren't hopeless throwing him huge offers its hard to imagine Mike Brown letting his equally inept daughter, Katie Blackburn spend the kind of money it would take to keep him.
Here is the cherry on top. Nnamdi Asomugha is about to hit the open market. For those of you that aren't huge football fans this guy is the Tom Brady of cornerbacks. 2nd best if not THE best in the league at his position. He's going to get a huge deal right away and while J-Joe won't get the same, he will look to get something close.
I know a lot of people are probably wondering about Cedric Benson too. It would be nice to resign him for 2 years but I think that will get done at a reasonable price anyway. He's a good player but who else would have him as a starter? Most teams that need running backs this year need depth and youth. The Redskins come to mind but for the most part, the Bengals make the most football sense for him and I know he's stoked on Jay Gruden so far and Jay is stoked on him. So I think a deal gets done for 2-3 years at a reasonable price.
Some might be saying, we're stacked at corner, why not let him leave? I hear ya. Pacman can start for sure. Leon is still a very good corner. We have depth with Morgan Trent playing alright and we drafted Brandon Ghee in the 3rd round last year who could be a serious dude in years to come. There is a very real possibility of who some think is the best player in the draft, corner back Patrick Peterson, staring us in the face at number 4. So I get that argument. Check this out though.
Next year Leon Hall and Pacman Jones's contracts are up. So even if you get Patrick Peterson you're looking at the same problem next year and are treading water instead of making your team better. I guess you resign Leon next year? Is he better than J-Joe? I would have a hard time believing anyone can put together a good argument on that other than he's more durable.
Here are my solutions ranked best to worst. (I'd love to hear what you think)
1. As soon as the new CBA comes out re-sign both J-Joe and Leon Hall until they're 32 or 33. Pay them whatever the hell they want, 11-12 mil a year? No problem. You probably don't have to pay that much with contracts that long anyway. Move all that money from offense (Chad an Carson) to D. Also I think that number is going to look real reasonable with the new CBA. This defense doesn't work without them and this team doesn't work without the defense. The Bengals don't spend money on free agents so they can resign their own. Well, lets see it Bungs. Resign two of your best draft choices in the Lewis era.
2. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this before. I might like this more than my first solution. Resign J-Joe obviously, dude is a beast, pay him what he's worth. Since Leon is in his contract year, shop him around! I know trades don't happen often in this league but this dude is just under elite, in his prime and is high character. He's in the last year of his contract, which he's happy with, so theres no baggage for the trading partner or the Bengals as far as cap penalty. If you're not going to sign both of these guys why not sign the better one and get something in return for the other. My guess is you could get a second and maybe 4th of 5th from a desperate team. Pacman can take his spot and that would make Patrick Peterson make a lot of sense. Am I wrong here? Am I missing something? Sounds like a solid plausible plan to me . Well plausible for a team without a crazy stubborn owner anyway.
3. These options get a little less attractive to me. I guess let J-Joe walk and pick up a 3rd round compensatory draft pick next year and let Pacman step in. I would think you would have to resign both him and Leon next year so have fun with that. Also if Patrick Peterson is there at 4 and you don't have plans to resign J-Joe he looks a lot more appealing. Seems like you're treading water to me though.
4. If they don't resign J-Joe I might just be a full time Lions fan. Their front office knows whats up. Hey Mike Brown! The Ford family might have some insight as to how to run a company! Maybe take a look at how they run their football team. THEY LET PROFESSIONALS DO IT! Actually this is solution number 3 for me. Flip the last 2.
Back to solution number 1 real quick. If Patrick Peterson's big beautiful face is sitting there at number 4 and you already have probably the best corner trio in the league (J-Joe, Hall and Pacman) Go ahead and pull the trigger. Dude is big, 6'1 219. Move him to free safety and you have a pretty nasty secondary. Maybe a corner/safety hybrid ala Charles Woodson. Marvin was just bitching about how there aren't many good safetys out there anymore. Well, how about a dude that runs like a gazelle and has elite coverage skills? Bengals have been hurt by tight ends recently. Heath Miller? How about we just put Patrick Mf'in Peterson on him all day. Try to smoke him on your delayed release you overrated check down artist. He's a willing tackler and while it will probably take a bit for him to learn the new position, that speed makes a lot of mistakes go away at safety.
So there we have it. I know I got a little ranty and less objective but the off season and being a Bengals fan can do that to a guy. Little disappointed I don't have any comments. Would love to hear from you guys. Thanks for reading!
-Joel
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Off season thoughts take 1
Hey there Bengals fans.
We knew it would be a tough off season after laying an egg at 4-12 but no idea it would be this bad. The Bengals once again find themselves in out looking for a franchise QB. I don't want to get into the Carson situation too much but let me start off with saying, he's gone. He's done with Cincy. It gives a real sense of hopelessness about the franchise that the dude they've given the most money to wants to get out. Our QB, the leader. He's usually rock solid. Really irritating to me. Mike Brown needs to move him as soon as we get a CBA. A draft pick in 2012 would be fine, obviously one this year would be better. Possibly a 3 way trade could work with another QB. If we could strait up get Kolb or Orton for Palmer by sending him to a 3rd team who sends a draft pick to the team sending us a QB that would be fantastic. (ex. Palmer goes to Miami who gives a 2nd rounder to Philly who gives Kolb to Cincy). A trade like that happened 2 years ago with Ernie Sims, Tony Scheffler and a 5th rounder so it's not as crazy as it sounds.
As far as the coaching moves I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm glad Marvin came back. He's a good coach and his return should signal a transition of some power from Brown to Lewis. I know Marvin has some bad seasons but his boss is just SO terrible that it makes having a near 500 win pact impressive. I love the Gruden hire but even more than that I love the Bratkowski firing. They made me sweat when they waited until after the senior bowl. It's well documented that I hate Bratkowski as a football coach. FOOTBALL SAVVY IS NOT ALWAYS HEREDITARY! (Brown and Bratkowski)
In interviews Gruden has been talking about the perfect offense for this team I believe. He's saying we're gonna pound the rock like his brother loved to do. Awesome! Thats what this team was built to do! The O-line is huge and strong, not terribly athletic. In the passing game he wants it to be short high percentage passes that are QB friendly. All good stuff to help an already great defense.
Glad the WR coach went too. Tocho were freelancing way too much last year and it killed us. Could be an advantage having Philly's old QB coach on your staff. He knows all about Kolb who people have been saying would be a great West Coast QB. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather draft a guy but having the inside track on that can't hurt.
That's it for now Bengals fans. I'll start writing more often, thoughts on the draft coming up soon!
We knew it would be a tough off season after laying an egg at 4-12 but no idea it would be this bad. The Bengals once again find themselves in out looking for a franchise QB. I don't want to get into the Carson situation too much but let me start off with saying, he's gone. He's done with Cincy. It gives a real sense of hopelessness about the franchise that the dude they've given the most money to wants to get out. Our QB, the leader. He's usually rock solid. Really irritating to me. Mike Brown needs to move him as soon as we get a CBA. A draft pick in 2012 would be fine, obviously one this year would be better. Possibly a 3 way trade could work with another QB. If we could strait up get Kolb or Orton for Palmer by sending him to a 3rd team who sends a draft pick to the team sending us a QB that would be fantastic. (ex. Palmer goes to Miami who gives a 2nd rounder to Philly who gives Kolb to Cincy). A trade like that happened 2 years ago with Ernie Sims, Tony Scheffler and a 5th rounder so it's not as crazy as it sounds.
As far as the coaching moves I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm glad Marvin came back. He's a good coach and his return should signal a transition of some power from Brown to Lewis. I know Marvin has some bad seasons but his boss is just SO terrible that it makes having a near 500 win pact impressive. I love the Gruden hire but even more than that I love the Bratkowski firing. They made me sweat when they waited until after the senior bowl. It's well documented that I hate Bratkowski as a football coach. FOOTBALL SAVVY IS NOT ALWAYS HEREDITARY! (Brown and Bratkowski)
In interviews Gruden has been talking about the perfect offense for this team I believe. He's saying we're gonna pound the rock like his brother loved to do. Awesome! Thats what this team was built to do! The O-line is huge and strong, not terribly athletic. In the passing game he wants it to be short high percentage passes that are QB friendly. All good stuff to help an already great defense.
Glad the WR coach went too. Tocho were freelancing way too much last year and it killed us. Could be an advantage having Philly's old QB coach on your staff. He knows all about Kolb who people have been saying would be a great West Coast QB. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather draft a guy but having the inside track on that can't hurt.
That's it for now Bengals fans. I'll start writing more often, thoughts on the draft coming up soon!
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