Something isn't right about our free agency

[bengalsturntup926]

I'll start off by saying my early days of being a fan starting in 2001 I didn't really know all the free agents out there or what other teams were doing. Except I remember the Sapp bluff pretty good. 2011 is when I started following the off-season closely with the internet.

Every damn year since 2011 I have done a group on facebook for this team . I remember the first off-season. Anybody who wanted a free agent was about attacked and told we do it the right way that's through the draft. Every year it's the same story,the same articles being put out.

Here's where y'all will moan and groan. Half the time I think the NFL is fixed. And that's my only explanation why we never get anyone good and popular. So let me get this straight. If eifhurt was more healthy of a player he would most likely be signed . We was going to pay Marvin Jones the same amount but since he didn't we went with bargain bin Brandon lafell. And since we don't have to pay neither now,we still get nobody else. O line was a big reason for our failure for two years? Well the o lineman are out of Bengals price range so just risk it on the draft and hope they are good quick.

We just cleared Adam Jones and probably can do the same with other guys. Still we only have 15 million their favorite number every year. Our situation is always the same hmm. But any other team somehow has enough money for any guy they want somehow. I see it every year. Can you imagine if we had brady,the story line would be ,we got the best qb in the game to pay we have nothing. While the pats get Shelton for hardly anything like ho hum. That trade already makes ours look like crap.

Two explanations is all I can come up with. Mike Brown gives all the extra money to himself and his family. Or Roger Goodell and execs are in charge of who goes where. There's just no way we are in a situation to get bottom of the barrel players in free agency. And there was a sports guy I seen on twitter not long ago if your only getting players in the draft and not anywhere else. Well you just ain't going to win. And we havnt.

[reuben.ahmed]

the only way to find out is to wait until m. Brown croaks

[samhain]

I think it's tough to sell anyone that's paying attention the line that you can win a title without being at least somewhat active in outside free agency. Team building through the draft certainly is the most important aspect of acquiring talent, but that talent needs to be supplemented.

If you hope to achieve the highest goal in the NFL, then avoiding free agency is like fighting with one hand behind your back. You can get to be a decent team without it, but so will others. Then the others will add free agents, then you will be passed on the food chain.

[reuben.ahmed]

Decent is all money bags brown cares about.

[jj22]

The Bengals are the Dollar General of the NFL.

While everyone else is playing Chess, they are playing Connect 4.

We can only hope a good OT gets arrested or cut for being a team cancer. That's our only hope of improving through FA.

[PlayadLc]

This board is so depressing.

[Pat5775]

(03-11-2018, 01:01 AM)PlayadLc Wrote: This board is so depressing.

Blame the franchise

[reuben.ahmed]

(03-11-2018, 01:10 AM)Pat5775 Wrote: Blame the franchise

No, blame those of us who are realistic, hah! It's funny as hell to hear Cleveland fans say "we're going to the playoffs" every year in pre-season. At least they're not as depressed as us I guess.

[reuben.ahmed]

(03-11-2018, 12:47 AM)jj22 Wrote: The Bengals are the Dollar General of the NFL.

While everyone else is playing Chess, they are playing Connect 4.

We can only hope a good OT gets arrested or cut for being a team cancer. That's our only hope of improving through FA.

And not even the original connect 4. the rip-off version that Amazon sells because they bought out Hasbro and every other board manufacturer to sell it for a cheaper price with lightweight pieces.

[J24]

Every team has a budget and every team is strict with there budget. The problem with the Bengals is they keep guys who they know are not worth with what they are getting paid past their prime and thus keeps their bugdet lower than other teams. For example do we really need MJ, V Rey, or Laffell on the team? Did we really need Pat Sims last season? Did we need Robert Geathers from 2012 to 2014? Did we need Leon Hall in 15? I could go on and On but I think I made my point.

[BengalChris]

(03-11-2018, 12:17 AM)bengalsturntup926 Wrote: I'll start off by saying my early days of being a fan starting in 2001 I didn't really know all the free agents out there or what other teams were doing. Except I remember the Sapp bluff pretty good. 2011 is when I started following the off-season closely with the internet.

Every damn year since 2011 I have done a group on facebook for this team . I remember the first off-season. Anybody who wanted a free agent was about attacked and told we do it the right way that's through the draft. Every year it's the same story,the same articles being put out.

Here's where y'all will moan and groan. Half the time I think the NFL is fixed. And that's my only explanation why we never get anyone good and popular. So let me get this straight. If eifhurt was more healthy of a player he would most likely be signed . We was going to pay Marvin Jones the same amount but since he didn't we went with bargain bin Brandon lafell. And since we don't have to pay neither now,we still get nobody else. O line was a big reason for our failure for two years? Well the o lineman are out of Bengals price range so just risk it on the draft and hope they are good quick.

We just cleared Adam Jones and probably can do the same with other guys. Still we only have 15 million their favorite number every year. Our situation is always the same hmm. But any other team somehow has enough money for any guy they want somehow. I see it every year. Can you imagine if we had brady,the story line would be ,we got the best qb in the game to pay we have nothing. While the pats get Shelton for hardly anything like ho hum. That trade already makes ours look like crap.

Two explanations is all I can come up with. Mike Brown gives all the extra money to himself and his family. Or Roger Goodell and execs are in charge of who goes where. There's just no way we are in a situation to get bottom of the barrel players in free agency. And there was a sports guy I seen on twitter not long ago if your only getting players in the draft and not anywhere else. Well you just ain't going to win. And we havnt.

I understand the thought that the NFL is fixed and I am sure the league has its preferred winners at times, but good and popular players stay away from the Bengals because Mikey Brown, our self appointed GM, doesn't believe in free agency as a way to improve a team.

He has been against free agency ever since it began and said it would ruin the NFL and he's been trying to prove himself right ever since.

Mikey Brown will make NO attempt to sign a good free agent. He'd rather take a flier on a draft pick with limited playing time and film than sign an experienced veteran where there are years of film and you have a good idea what you are getting.

A draft pick provides 4 to 5 years of relatively cheap labor compared to a veteran and that is more important to Mikey Brown. It's really just that simple.

Winning a championship just isn't very important to the guy.

[t3r3e3]

(03-11-2018, 12:17 AM)bengalsturntup926 Wrote: I'll start off by saying my early days of being a fan starting in 2001 I didn't really know all the free agents out there or what other teams were doing. Except I remember the Sapp bluff pretty good. 2011 is when I started following the off-season closely with the internet.

Every damn year since 2011 I have done a group on facebook for this team . I remember the first off-season. Anybody who wanted a free agent was about attacked and told we do it the right way that's through the draft. Every year it's the same story,the same articles being put out.

Here's where y'all will moan and groan. Half the time I think the NFL is fixed. And that's my only explanation why we never get anyone good and popular. So let me get this straight. If eifhurt was more healthy of a player he would most likely be signed . We was going to pay Marvin Jones the same amount but since he didn't we went with bargain bin Brandon lafell. And since we don't have to pay neither now,we still get nobody else. O line was a big reason for our failure for two years? Well the o lineman are out of Bengals price range so just risk it on the draft and hope they are good quick.

We just cleared Adam Jones and probably can do the same with other guys. Still we only have 15 million their favorite number every year. Our situation is always the same hmm. But any other team somehow has enough money for any guy they want somehow. I see it every year. Can you imagine if we had brady,the story line would be ,we got the best qb in the game to pay we have nothing. While the pats get Shelton for hardly anything like ho hum. That trade already makes ours look like crap.

Two explanations is all I can come up with. Mike Brown gives all the extra money to himself and his family. Or Roger Goodell and execs are in charge of who goes where. There's just no way we are in a situation to get bottom of the barrel players in free agency. And there was a sports guy I seen on twitter not long ago if your only getting players in the draft and not anywhere else. Well you just ain't going to win. And we havnt.

The NFL is not fixed. Rather, Mike Brown is a conservative Luddite who espouses antiquated views on the successful management of an NFL franchise. While financially lucrative, Mike’s dated notions effectively hamstring the organization from challenging for titles. Those notions also influence potential FA’s and their agents, effectively causing marquee names to view the organization with disdain.

[SunsetBengal]

(03-11-2018, 01:50 AM)Jakeypoo Wrote: Every team has a budget and every team is strict with there budget. The problem with the Bengals is they keep guys  who they know are not worth with what they are getting paid past their prime and thus keeps their bugdet lower than other teams. For example do we really need MJ, V Rey,  or Laffell on the team? Did we really need Pat Sims last season? Did we need Robert Geathers from 2012 to 2014? Did we need Leon Hall in 15?  I could go on and On but I think I made my point.

Yes, we absolutely need Vincent Rey on the team, until his proven replacement is on the roster.  Dude only cost 2.7M, and backs up all 3 positions.  Sure, he doesn't have enough ass to man the middle, but he sure as hell knows what to do when put there.

[J24]

(03-11-2018, 01:58 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Yes, we absolutely need Vincent Rey on the team, until his proven replacement is on the roster.  Dude only cost 2.7M, and backs up all 3 positions.  Sure, he doesn't have enough ass to man the middle, but he sure as hell knows what to do when put there.

I am sure we can draft a LB in the first three rds that can do his job as a special teamer and Back up LB. 

[BengalChris]

(03-11-2018, 01:54 AM)t3r3e3 Wrote: The NFL is not fixed.  Rather, Mike Brown is a conservative Luddite who espouses antiquated views on the successful management of an NFL franchise.  While financially lucrative, Mike’s dated notions effectively hamstring the organization from challenging for titles.  Those notions also influence potential FA’s and their agents, effectively causing marquee names to view the organization with disdain.

Mikey Brown also causes the team's fans to view the organization with disdain. He's causes fans and players alike to look down on the team management.

[t3r3e3]

(03-11-2018, 01:50 AM)Jakeypoo Wrote: Every team has a budget and every team is strict with there budget. The problem with the Bengals is they keep guys who they know are not worth with what they are getting paid past their prime and thus keeps their bugdet lower than other teams. For example do we really need MJ, V Rey, or Laffell on the team? Did we really need Pat Sims last season? Did we need Robert Geathers from 2012 to 2014? Did we need Leon Hall in 15? I could go on and On but I think I made my point.

No the team did not need to retain those players at their rate of pay. The problem is that the Bengals strategy of lowballing guaranteed upfront money and lowballing average/year money is predicated on allowing players who sign those style of contract to realize the full length of contract. In other words, other teams cut guys loose early and the player never sees the full value of the contract, only the initial guarantee and whatever yearly salary earned to that point. Mike has mentioned this on several occasions. If the Bengals don’t allow players to earn the full life of the contract, they lose the leverage to offer reduced guarantees and lower yearly averages. Joining the rest of the league on roster flexibility eliminates lowballing leverage.

[Socal Bengals fan]

what ever they are doing isn't working. after 30 years you would expect a change or 2 in philosophy

[SunsetBengal]

(03-11-2018, 02:08 AM)Jakeypoo Wrote: I am sure we can draft a LB in the first three rds that can do his job as a special teamer and Back up LB. 

Really?  How well did Paul Dawson and Nick Vigil work out?  Not as easy as it sounds, to just replace a valuable roster member.  Vincent Rey can play all 3 spots, not a master at any, but a good fill in for any.

[J24]

(03-11-2018, 02:24 AM)t3r3e3 Wrote: No the team did not need to retain those players at their rate of pay.  The problem is that the Bengals strategy of lowballing guaranteed upfront money and lowballing average/year money is predicated on allowing players who sign those style of contract to realize the full length of contract.  In other words, other teams cut guys loose early and the player never sees the full value of the contract, only the initial guarantee and whatever yearly salary earned to that point.  Mike has mentioned this on several occasions.  If the Bengals don’t allow players to earn the full life of the contract, they lose the leverage to offer reduced guarantees and lower yearly averages.  Joining the rest of the league on roster flexibility eliminates lowballing leverage.

Yeah that's a huge problem as well; dudes a dumbass

[J24]

(03-11-2018, 02:33 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Really?  How well did Paul Dawson and Nick Vigil work out?  Not as easy as it sounds, to just replace a valuable roster member.  Vincent Rey can play all 3 spots, not a master at any, but a good fill in for any.

How well did Rey work out last season he was PFF 62nd rated LB and our LB core was terrible last season.