2020 Cincinnati Bengals Offseason Thread

[Sea Ray]

Not to take anything away from Jackson's skills and natural athletic gifts but the main reason for the Ravens offensive success this year was their offensive line. They opened huge running and passing lanes. It was often 9, 10 yards downfield before Jackson even got touched. In this day and age of spread offenses and all, you don't see dominant O line play like that very often.

Bob makes a very good point. This team has all kinds of holes to fill. QB is the biggest and most difficult to fill but they can use upgrades at every other "unit" on this team. Every one

[North]

This will just make you shake your head...

Duke Tobin explains the Bengals’ philosophy on trading
This explains why the Bengals never trade.
By Nick Manchester@NickManchester9 Jan 24, 2020, 9:00am EST

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2020/1/2...phy-on-trading

The article ends with

..."Notice that in the quotes above, Tobin never says “trade,” but he says “losing” or “lose” three times. A trade is equal to a loss.

Tobin is correct that trading talented players can destroy the current season, he fails to mention, or realize, the long-term benefit that it can have. Trades are not just about talent alone, they are also about draft capital and cap space.

The Bengals won two games with the players they have, and lot of their veterans are eating up their cap space. They could have traded away some of their larger contracts, acquired draft picks to add more players, and gain more cap space to sign premium free agents. Not to mention that most of the players mentioned in trade rumors were in their early-to-mid thirties. If the Bengals traded one of those players for draft picks, then they could use it to acquire younger players that can last longer in the league.

If the Bengals approach trading as simply “losing our best players,” then that explains a lot about the way the franchise operates.".

[GAC]

If you get drafted by the Bengals, make the squad, whatever, chances are you're secure in Cincinnati. From my experiences with the Bengals, they don't trade players unless they are in a situation where they have (need) to (Palmer, Dalton for example). You're "stuck" in Cincinnati baby till you've used up your worth or (in their minds) become too expensive for them.

While never big participants, under Marvin the Bengals did play the market (free agent signings) ..... Chris Crocker, Pacman Jones, Reggie Kelly, Cedric Benson, John Thorton, etc

I'm one who has always held the position that so goes your O-line? So goes your team. They're the heart, the nucleus. Yet when I look around the league I see a lot of teams struggling with building an O-line. Of course that line (of defense) takes a lot of hits/punishment every week too, so you need a strong reserve. They primarily build through (rely on) the draft, and when that player(s) prove their worth and it's contract time, the Bengals will either try to rework their contract or let'em walk into free agency. Over the years I've seen some solid offensive linemen walk away (FAs) from the Bengals in Eric Steinbach and recently Kevin Zeitler (all-Pro pass protector).

How much is a "Munoz/Wilson (Walter)" worth as an anchor for your O-line, as well as protecting a valuable asset named Burrow? But a lot of owners, like Brown, don't think like that. Working in the trenches is not a flashy job, and shouldn't cost that much to fill. It's always about the bottom-line and what can I do to "get by", not excel.

[redsfandan]

This will just make you shake your head...

Duke Tobin explains the Bengals’ philosophy on trading
This explains why the Bengals never trade.
By Nick Manchester@NickManchester9 Jan 24, 2020, 9:00am EST

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2020/1/2...phy-on-trading

The article ends with

..."Notice that in the quotes above, Tobin never says “trade,” but he says “losing” or “lose” three times. A trade is equal to a loss.

Tobin is correct that trading talented players can destroy the current season, he fails to mention, or realize, the long-term benefit that it can have. Trades are not just about talent alone, they are also about draft capital and cap space.

The Bengals won two games with the players they have, and lot of their veterans are eating up their cap space. They could have traded away some of their larger contracts, acquired draft picks to add more players, and gain more cap space to sign premium free agents. Not to mention that most of the players mentioned in trade rumors were in their early-to-mid thirties. If the Bengals traded one of those players for draft picks, then they could use it to acquire younger players that can last longer in the league.

If the Bengals approach trading as simply “losing our best players,” then that explains a lot about the way the franchise operates.".

Apparently there was interest by a few teams (like the Patriots) in Tyler Eifert. Eifert most likely isn't going to be a Bengal in 2022 and that's the soonest that the Bengals could realistically compete for a playoff spot. So, why not get anything for him??? But, no, not the Bengals, they don't want to help other teams get better. Reading what Tobin said is depressing because it would be great if the Bengals could be one of the better teams but it's hard to be optimistic when they keep acting like they're afraid of making trades or signing free agents. The best teams aren't like that. The best teams are proactive and open to ANY ways to improve, including trades or free agents. Drafting Burrow will help attendance but it will only help the team so much to become competitive again. The Bengals have six years to show the fans that things will be different. Hopefully they can do that but comments like that aren't a good sign.

[Sea Ray]

This radio host from Pittsburgh says that the concussion Burfict gave Antonio Brown in the playoffs started his spiral downward and has never been the same since:

And the 93.7 The Fan host told CBS Sports Radio's The Zach Gelb Show that he's "a firm believer" that Vontaze Burfict's hit on Brown in the Cincinnati Bengals' loss to the Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Game in 2016 changed Brown's life.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo...ap/4585756002/

[Todd Gack]

This radio host from Pittsburgh says that the concussion Burfict gave Antonio Brown in the playoffs started his spiral downward and has never been the same since:



https://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo...ap/4585756002/

CTE is the new cancer.

[RiverRat13]

It's not going to happen, but the Bengals should take a look at what the Reds have done this offseason. The Reds have drafted terribly, therefore they need to use free agency to get better. The Bengals have also drafted terribly the last 3-5 years. They should be looking hard at free agent options, especially at LB because it's a weak draft class.

[WVRed]

It's not going to happen, but the Bengals should take a look at what the Reds have done this offseason. The Reds have drafted terribly, therefore they need to use free agency to get better. The Bengals have also drafted terribly the last 3-5 years. They should be looking hard at free agent options, especially at LB because it's a weak draft class.

The problem is free agency in the NFL is different from MLB. Salaries are still high but the salary cap makes it hard to add impact free agents, plus Cincinnati isn’t exactly a prime FA destination.

You can build a team in FA in baseball to compensate for sucking at drafting players. Football FA is good if you need an impact piece to get you over the top.

[bucksfan2]

This radio host from Pittsburgh says that the concussion Burfict gave Antonio Brown in the playoffs started his spiral downward and has never been the same since:



https://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo...ap/4585756002/

I don't know, I wouldn't doubt any football player has CTE, but nailing it down to one play is a little out there for me.

Brown coming out of Western Michigan was said to already be a diva WR. Once he achieved some fame, it seemed like those antics go worse.

I can assume that this radio guy is trying to get attention by going here, but what about all the other hits in the rivalry and their impact? Had Gio or Keith Rivers or Kevin Huber or AJ Green or 'insert name here' gone off the deep end, could you attribute it to a hit by a Steeler?

[Bob Sheed]

This radio host from Pittsburgh says that the concussion Burfict gave Antonio Brown in the playoffs started his spiral downward and has never been the same since:



https://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo...ap/4585756002/

<----- this guy said the same thing on this very forum, a long time ago.

[WVRed]

<----- this guy said the same thing on this very forum, a long time ago.

I thought it was common knowledge

[Sea Ray]

<----- this guy said the same thing on this very forum, a long time ago.

Does that avenge some of the Steeler hits and how it affected careers of Bengal players?

[Bob Sheed]

Does that avenge some of the Steeler hits and how it affected careers of Bengal players?

Not even close.

[Oxilon]

I’m not a doctor, but I was under the impression CTE is caused by repetitive hits to the head, not just a single one. If that’s the case, it sounds like the Steelers’ radio host just has sour grapes and will look for any reason to blame the Bengals for Antonio Brown’s downfall.

[Kingspoint]

This radio host from Pittsburgh says that the concussion Burfict gave Antonio Brown in the playoffs started his spiral downward and has never been the same since:



https://www.cincinnati.com/story/spo...ap/4585756002/

"A radio host from Pittsburgh"