03-10-2016, 02:10 PM
(03-10-2016, 01:54 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: I get that. Michael Johnson was a pretty big free agent addition last year. Without him we arent the same D. AJ Hawk wasnt much. But neither was just about every other free agent LB that signed last year. Who is it that we could have signed that would have changed the last 2 minutes of our playoff game last year? What WR that is out there now will fix our ails?
We had something like 13 free agents this year. Step 1 is retaining our guys.
Poeple act like if we arent getting Peyton mannings and darrelle revis and talib like free agents we arent trying. We make free agency moves. Just because they arent big name guys or record setting contracts doesnt mean they dont contribute to our success.
Michael Johnson was not a big name free agent addition anywhere other than within the Bengals fan base. Was he a solid signing and was I glad to have him back? Yes. Was he a "big free agent addition"? No, he was not. He had gone to Tampa and had fallen flat on his face for the most part, so the Bengals were able to get him back at a reduced rate. Smart business? Yes, but what about 2014 when the line was absolutely terrible and had 20 sacks for the entire season? Do you think him failing in Tampa and then coming back at a reduced rate was part of some genius plan or, more likely, that they just got lucky?
And no one is talking just about this year, we are talking about the philosophy in general. The list of people who could have helped this team over the last few years is long. At some point this team has to develop a "win now" mentality. Always looking towards the future has gotten them nothing to this point. We can all take pride in the fact that they are not the abysmal team of the 90's, and that is something, but it is not the summit of success either. Dalton will be 29 next year, Green 28, Atkins 28, Dunlap 27, Whitworth very close to retirement. While not "old", the core of this team is rapidly approaching the second half of their NFL careers. It is not the time to look towards what might happen in the future, it is time to really commit.
