05-08-2016, 02:15 PM
I made a thread about signing Hardy. I failed to notice this thread, so I'll just post my argument here.
I'm not going to argue the ethics behind such an idea because I admit that my opinion about it differ drastically from others. I will argue for Hardy's signing outside of that scope, however. Here are my top reasons as to why the Bengals should sign Greg Hardy
1. Cost: Greg Hardy has shown flashes of being a pro-bowl caliber defensive end. Given his circumstances, he will be extrodinararly cheap to sign. Given that his next signing (if there is one) will probably be his last unless he balls out, he easily could produce enough marginal output to far exceed his salary. Capitalists like Mike Brown can't help but drool at that.
2. Productivity: This reasons is an extension of the first one, but warrants its own space because of people arguing that Hardy's lack of productivity with the Cowboys proves his performance isn't worth the baggage. They're wrong. If you look at Hardy's performance with the Cowboys on a game-by-game basis, you'll see that he was on track to have an above average year at the very least at first. As the season drifted on, Hardy's performance went downhill and never recovered. The downhill trend began after one point and one point only: AFTER THE PHOTOS OF HIS GIRLFRIEND GOT RELEASED.
Player productivity decreasing because of aspects of their personal lives becoming public knowledge isn't a new phenomenon. We saw it with Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Tony Romo, and several others. Sometimes their productivity never recovers. Greg Hardy's, however, will. The difference between Hardy and athletes who experienced similar situations is that Hardy's situation placed his football career on the verge of extinction. Athletes who experienced similar situations never had this. They merely were placed under public scrutiny until the attention died down. Greg Hardy's productivity will recover because he can't afford for it not to.
Also, Geno ***** Atkins. If Atkins' presence contributed to Domata Peko's garbage self getting an all-time high in sacks, Greg Hardy will feast.
Risk: There's a chance Hardy squanders his opportunity with the Bengals by not being a team player--even though this trend didn't start until after the photo release either. An incentive-laden contract pretty much ensures the Bengals don't incur any sunk costs if it doesn't work out. Plus, Mama Marvin has a history of taking players with character issues and making them serviceable at the very least. The jury may still be out on Burfict, but Pacman Jones is a perfect example.
Publicity: Let mama Marvin giggle his way out of it for an entire season. The AFC North is known for having complete assholes on their defense. One more asshole isn't going to be the straw that breaks the camels back.
And there you have it. Here's my logical argument for signing Greg Hardy.
I'm not going to argue the ethics behind such an idea because I admit that my opinion about it differ drastically from others. I will argue for Hardy's signing outside of that scope, however. Here are my top reasons as to why the Bengals should sign Greg Hardy
1. Cost: Greg Hardy has shown flashes of being a pro-bowl caliber defensive end. Given his circumstances, he will be extrodinararly cheap to sign. Given that his next signing (if there is one) will probably be his last unless he balls out, he easily could produce enough marginal output to far exceed his salary. Capitalists like Mike Brown can't help but drool at that.
2. Productivity: This reasons is an extension of the first one, but warrants its own space because of people arguing that Hardy's lack of productivity with the Cowboys proves his performance isn't worth the baggage. They're wrong. If you look at Hardy's performance with the Cowboys on a game-by-game basis, you'll see that he was on track to have an above average year at the very least at first. As the season drifted on, Hardy's performance went downhill and never recovered. The downhill trend began after one point and one point only: AFTER THE PHOTOS OF HIS GIRLFRIEND GOT RELEASED.
Player productivity decreasing because of aspects of their personal lives becoming public knowledge isn't a new phenomenon. We saw it with Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Tony Romo, and several others. Sometimes their productivity never recovers. Greg Hardy's, however, will. The difference between Hardy and athletes who experienced similar situations is that Hardy's situation placed his football career on the verge of extinction. Athletes who experienced similar situations never had this. They merely were placed under public scrutiny until the attention died down. Greg Hardy's productivity will recover because he can't afford for it not to.
Also, Geno ***** Atkins. If Atkins' presence contributed to Domata Peko's garbage self getting an all-time high in sacks, Greg Hardy will feast.
Risk: There's a chance Hardy squanders his opportunity with the Bengals by not being a team player--even though this trend didn't start until after the photo release either. An incentive-laden contract pretty much ensures the Bengals don't incur any sunk costs if it doesn't work out. Plus, Mama Marvin has a history of taking players with character issues and making them serviceable at the very least. The jury may still be out on Burfict, but Pacman Jones is a perfect example.
Publicity: Let mama Marvin giggle his way out of it for an entire season. The AFC North is known for having complete assholes on their defense. One more asshole isn't going to be the straw that breaks the camels back.
And there you have it. Here's my logical argument for signing Greg Hardy.
