In hindsight, the Bengals FO did a poor job this off season

[3wt]

(10-04-2016, 03:38 PM)Shepdawg Wrote: I'm not sure where you have heard that from.  He has 31 tackles through 4 games, with 25 of those being solo.  I doubt many FS in the league are on pace for a 124 tackle season.  And if they are, I think it says more about the DL and LB's playing in front of them.  He also has an INT, a fumble recovery, and 4 passes defended.  His best year for passes defended was 2014 with 14.  He's on pace to eclipse that this year and also have a career year for tackles.  

I think the defense as a whole suffered his absence, especially early on.  Not only is Reggie a baller, but he also is a coach on the field with his experience.  He played a much overlooked "Chris Crocker" type role in making sure everyone was set correctly before the snap, and could better recognize offensive adjustments than the younger guys.  

I think having Burfict on the field will help negate this issue, as his football IQ is also extremely high.

Got to admit I have not heard that from a credible source.   I also heard - though I don't know if I heard this from a credible source - that Nelson had his problems here last season.  And I seem to recall he was whiffing somewhat in the beginning of the season .

But I agree with you that Reggie is a baller, and he was a significant Steeler killer.   Some Steeler players were quoted as saying that they would not miss Marvin Jones either.  Those were the two I wanted to keep.   I saw the logic of keeping Iloka as he was a younger player who played well last year.  He has not looked wonderful this year.  But I believe he'll improve.  And as Fred pointed out you can't keep everyone.  All in all I think the FO did a really good job of keeping what we could.