Very Important Year for Jonah Williams

[*rfaulk34*]

(06-24-2021, 09:08 AM)PDub80 Wrote: I 100% agree with you. Only... why the F are you saying that in reply to me? Did I claim that that was the Bengals #1 plan in free agency? NOOOOOOOOOOOO.

It actually looks like the Bengals plan was kind of goofy at this point as they completely miscalculated the O line market and team cap cuts. Not that it turned out "wrong"... but it clearly didn't go the way they thought. Results weren't optimal compared to how it could and should have gone.

Chronologically....
- The FA OTs either got franchised or resigned
- They failed to nab any higher end interior linemen and were completely steamrolled by competing teams going after Zeitler and Thuney, who would have been a big improvements.
- They then started grabbing up defensive FAs so they didn't have a pile of money to spend on the scrubs that were left (panic move, IMO)
- Dust settles and they still have a bunch of money so the Bengals turned to a big time WR to sign (a bigger or at least equal need to O line)... which would free them up to draft Sewel. That failed on March 20th.
- By March 22nd, they then hurriedly got Reiff - who has positional versatility - to sign, which opened up options to fix things via the draft or a cut linemen down the road in the summer.... LUCKY for the Bengals because he was the last guy left who would have been an improvement at that point.

Leaving the Bengals to move on to plan Q....
- Draft Chase and Carman

Personally, I'm kind of appalled that the Bengals went so heavy on defense in the FA period AGAIN. I understand why they did it from their side of the desk, but the defense being good is a long term issue/need where the offense could have been microwaved into the elite category in one FA period. I think the offense was so close to elite as it was that they should have really dialed in on getting that unit up to that level and then lived with taking their chances in shootouts for this year. Next year would have been the time to bother with the defense in the draft and a FA period since the offense is young and all under contract for years.

^ The effort to go heavy on D in FA... AGAIN... is almost to the level of delusional. The Bengals aren't a big time defense away from being contenders. They have a 2nd year QB who needs to learn and develop into the NFL game. The Bengals had 2 years to worry about the D before it really mattered.

The difficult part is not knowing the plan. If i'm at the head of the table, i'm not putting all my eggs in one basket. I'm not even putting half my eggs in one basket and half in another. 

I'd have to think they're smart enough to have plan(s) A, B, C, D and E. Optimally, plan A, being your first, is the way it plays out for them. If not, you continue to go down the list. 

A. Sign a Thuney or a big name T, if one is available and go from there. 
B. The market numbers are too high for plan A so look at the next couple guys in line.
C. The top 4 or 5 line guys choose someone else so you start to look at top line defensive guys of need.
D. etc
E. etc

You (they, hopefully) have to have the flexibility to go heavy O in FA and then heavy D in the draft or vice versa. None of that discounts that they may have mistook market value and been surprised that they couldn't, or wouldn't, go plan A but they should have had several plans that they were comfortable with, going in. 

The success/failure of the Chase+Carman+oline later to develop, will determine if the route they took was right or wrong.