Joey B talks to Collinsworth

[shanebo]

I don't disagree that we've generally spent more on FAs over the past two years than we did during the Marvin Lewis era, but you can't say that we didn't bring in any big money FAs during those years. We brought big money guys in every few years, e.g.:

Laveranues Coles - 4 yrs, $28 mil. (2009)
Antonio Bryant - 4 yrs, $28 mil. (2008)
Antwan Odom - 5 yrs, $29.5 mil. (2008)
Preston Brown - 3 yrs, $16.5 mil (2018)
Nate Clements - 2 yrs, $10.5 mil. (2011)
Brandon LaFell - 2 yrs, $9 mil. (2016)
Kevin Hardy - 4 yrs, $14 mil. (2003)
Dexter Jackson - 4 yrs, $7.6 mil.

Then there was the plethora of older vets on the low base/high incentive or 1-yr. deals: Sam Adams, Tank Johnson, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Manny Lawson, Chris Crocker, AJ Hawk ... It's just that most of the FAs we brought in didn't work out.

And that doesn't include all the guys we resigned to second contracts under the old philosophy of "keeping our own", regardless of whether they deserved it or not -- Geathers, Leon Hall, Andy Dalton, Chad and TJ, AJ, Carson, Iloka, Shawn Williams, Maualuga, etc.

Under that line of thinking, we prob wouldn't have signed Hendrickson and Owuzi/Hilton this year, but would have resigned Lawson and WJIII. So IMO this year is essentially a push (Reiff and Ogunjobi are incentive/short term deals). Last year Reader, Waynes and Bell were all pretty significant signings, but Merv got Thornton, Hardy, Duane Clemons and Tory James his first year. Less money, sure, but significant nonetheless, and that was 20 yrs ago.

Not crapping on Marvin at all -- love the guy and everything he did for the org -- but it was time for him to go. And if Zac doesn't make it to 8 or 9 wins this year, I'll say it's time for him to go too.