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Benihana · 02-21-2012, 06:03 PM

My Bengals plan for this offseason:

1. See what happens with the Saints situation. If they don't sign Brees before FA begins, they'll have to franchise him leaving Colston and Nicks unprotected. I'd monitor the situation and make a play for whichever one we can get on a better deal. If they do sign Brees before FA begins, they can use the Franchise tag on either Nicks or Colston. I'd then pursue whichever doesn't have the tag. Nicks is the best OL on the market and he plays our biggest position of need, and Colston is the exact kind of receiver we need- big possession guy that can also be an occasional deep threat. However I wouldn't give him top 5 WR money.

2. Pursue Michael Bush if he doesn't get the Franchise tag. As we've discussed, he is a local guy who is quite versatile and has proven himself despite not accumulating a lot of wear and tear. That said, he is best used as a complimentary player, and would give us the flexibility to "wait and see" if Richardson falls to 17. If he does, take him and you have one of the best dynamic-duos of a running game in the league, bowever you don't have to overpay and trade up to get him, as we'd be nowhere near as desperate for an RB. If Bush is franchised or we can't get him, pursue Peyton Hillis on a one year deal and employ the same strategy regarding Richardson.

3. If you cannot sign Colston or Nicks, sign Ben Grubbs.

4. If we've only signed one of the above FA (Grubbs/Nicks/Colston/Bush/Hillis) then sign LaRon Landry. If we've already signed two of those guys, we're probably done with impact guys in FA. Regardless, I would definitely sign at least two of: Grubbs/Nicks/Colston/Bush/Hillis/Landry. If we can sign three of them, we get an A+

5. DRAFT: If we do NOT sign a RB like Bush or Hillis, wait to see if Richardson drops out of the top 10. If he does, trade up using our 21 pick and 2nd rounder and draft him. Then, trade down from 17 to a spot in the mid-to-late 20s and pickup the 2nd rounder that we lost. Draft the BPA at that point, especially if one of Barron/Kirkpatrick/Floyd/Glenn are still on the board. One of those guys + Richardson would be a great haul for the 1st round, especially with 2-3 of the FA I mentioned signed.

If we DO sign Bush or Hillis, just be patient and draft the two BPAs from Richardson/DeCastro/Barron/Kirkpatrick/Floyd/Glenn. Then draft the absolute BPA in the 2nd round, almost regardless of position (except QB). At that point we are just building depth.

IN SUMMARY
1. Sign 2-3 FA from the list of M.Bush/Landry/Nicks/Grubbs/Colston/Hillis (the latter on a 1 year deal only)
2. Draft Trent Richardson (if he's there) and/or BPA from DeCastro/Glenn/Kirkpatrick/Barron/Floyd

Thoughts?

02-21-2012, 06:03 PM	#14
Benihana Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 8,434	Re: 2012 Bengals discussion My Bengals plan for this offseason: 1. See what happens with the Saints situation. If they don't sign Brees before FA begins, they'll have to franchise him leaving Colston and Nicks unprotected. I'd monitor the situation and make a play for whichever one we can get on a better deal. If they do sign Brees before FA begins, they can use the Franchise tag on either Nicks or Colston. I'd then pursue whichever doesn't have the tag. Nicks is the best OL on the market and he plays our biggest position of need, and Colston is the exact kind of receiver we need- big possession guy that can also be an occasional deep threat. However I wouldn't give him top 5 WR money. 2. Pursue Michael Bush if he doesn't get the Franchise tag. As we've discussed, he is a local guy who is quite versatile and has proven himself despite not accumulating a lot of wear and tear. That said, he is best used as a complimentary player, and would give us the flexibility to "wait and see" if Richardson falls to 17. If he does, take him and you have one of the best dynamic-duos of a running game in the league, bowever you don't have to overpay and trade up to get him, as we'd be nowhere near as desperate for an RB. If Bush is franchised or we can't get him, pursue Peyton Hillis on a one year deal and employ the same strategy regarding Richardson. 3. If you cannot sign Colston or Nicks, sign Ben Grubbs. 4. If we've only signed one of the above FA (Grubbs/Nicks/Colston/Bush/Hillis) then sign LaRon Landry. If we've already signed two of those guys, we're probably done with impact guys in FA. Regardless, I would definitely sign at least two of: Grubbs/Nicks/Colston/Bush/Hillis/Landry. If we can sign three of them, we get an A+ 5. DRAFT: If we do NOT sign a RB like Bush or Hillis, wait to see if Richardson drops out of the top 10. If he does, trade up using our 21 pick and 2nd rounder and draft him. Then, trade down from 17 to a spot in the mid-to-late 20s and pickup the 2nd rounder that we lost. Draft the BPA at that point, especially if one of Barron/Kirkpatrick/Floyd/Glenn are still on the board. One of those guys + Richardson would be a great haul for the 1st round, especially with 2-3 of the FA I mentioned signed. If we DO sign Bush or Hillis, just be patient and draft the two BPAs from Richardson/DeCastro/Barron/Kirkpatrick/Floyd/Glenn. Then draft the absolute BPA in the 2nd round, almost regardless of position (except QB). At that point we are just building depth. IN SUMMARY 1. Sign 2-3 FA from the list of M.Bush/Landry/Nicks/Grubbs/Colston/Hillis (the latter on a 1 year deal only) 2. Draft Trent Richardson (if he's there) and/or BPA from DeCastro/Glenn/Kirkpatrick/Barron/Floyd Thoughts? __________________ Go BLUE!!! Last edited by Benihana; 02-21-2012 at 06:06 PM.