05-11-2016, 05:49 PM
Thanks all!
From all you`ve seen and experienced, who has the longer leash, Hunt or Clarke? What is the consensus on who will be backup DE #1 at the start of the year; Hunt or Clarke?
Well, considering the team is in year four of the Hunt experiment, I’d say he does at this point. They took a chance on him and have nothing to show for it. Last year was Clarke’s first year at a heavier weight, but I think Hunt gets first look to spell Johnson/Dunlap. I don’t think there is a consensus like there was Gilberry. Hardison will get his shot to play rush end in that combo role as well.
Isn't Skyline Chili just awesome?
It’s OK. I had it because I had to try it, but it’s not for me.
In your opinion, who is ahead of whom for DT: DeSean Williams or Hardison? We know Hardison's the draft pick, but they were quite high (it seemed) on Williams all year last year.
Hardison is the draft pick and they carried him on the roster all year. He flashed just as much as Williams did in the preseason. They like Williams and he likes to be here (Story here!) but Hardison will get more reps to prove himself.
Warsaw or Krakow
Heh. Warsaw only because there’s a restaurant by that name back home in Chicago I’ve gone to!
Paul Alexander has obviously been hearing a lot of the criticism of Bodine. Is it all from media/fans, or is also coming from inside PBS?
The real heat is coming from the outside, but let’s be real – the team knows (as he admitted) that Bodine hasn’t been as good as they thought when trading up to get him. Bodine admitted as much to me after Alexander’s defense. Bodine’s contract is up after 2017, and I don’t thin there will be a rush to extend him early unless he takes a huge leap in 2016.
What kind of impact do you think Burney will have on the D-line. Coach Hayes was here for quite a while, I thought he was the better of the Hayes brothers. Now that he is gone, what can we expect to change from the defensive front, if anything?
Great question. Immediately, he’s a much different voice. He’s loud. He’s intense. He’s in their face (at least the rookies – but I guess his meetings are pretty passionate as well). We’ll see if that carries over to the vets in the full squad OTAs in May – it’s easier to break down an undrafted college guy than Geno. But we’ll see. I can’t really do a comparison now, but Burney is very, very, very respected around the league. He was out of the game last year because of his contract situation, so don’t read into that too much. They must feel good about him because they didn’t do anything to upgrade that backup DE position.
Will he be just as brutally honest with our struggling backup DEs? // We didn't draft or sign anyone who's going to the 3rd DE, so like many I'd love an update on how Hunt and Clarke are progressing, or if they are progressing.
I would think so. Why not? They haven’t done anything to earn a long leash. Hunt said he’s gone back to some of his old training ways to recapture that draft run-up form. To me, they’re total unknowns until we get to full squad, padded practices vs. Whit and Ogbuehi. Everyone usually looks great in shorts and a t-shirt at this level. These guys have been in the league long enough now that they’ve got to do it when they thud up.
My biggest concern for this team is with the coaching turnover from last year. Obviously Hue will be missed a lot, but my question is on the other side of the ball: I love PaulieG and I think he's very much an up-and-coming coordinator in the NFL. Do you think his personality is strong enough to unify the defense again this year, given new position coaches for the entire defense? Also, each of these new position coaches is more experienced than PaulieG with strong personalities of their own (except maybe Coyle). Will they follow PaulieG?
I personally like the change over because the top voice, Marvin, has been here so long. New voices for veteran guys can’t be bad, I don’t think. And trust me – even with a former HC in Haslett and a former DC in Coyle – and Burney’s loud baritone – Guenther definitely has the room. I think he’s very comfortable in his skin, and down the line he’ll be another branch off the Lewis tree as a head coach. They will follow Guenther. Haslett wanted to coach linebackers again and turned down other opportunities. Coyle had his shot at DC - it's the nature of the business where you go back to being a position guy. Let's say the team has a top 5 defense again, Guenther could be on his way out and the door opens in Cincy for the DC spot. They're all pros.
Should we view Zach Hocker and Jon Brown as legit competition for Nugent or are they the usual guys to give Nugent a break.
To me, about Hocker, yes. I’m not sure if Marvin Lewis totally views it that way – but he’s an NFL kicker they liked coming out of college and they did sign him. Now, he wasn’t really that accurate either in his first go-round last year but I think they’ll give him more of a shot to make kicks in practice and preseason than Obarski. Brown, no. Too raw.
From all you`ve seen and experienced, who has the longer leash, Hunt or Clarke? What is the consensus on who will be backup DE #1 at the start of the year; Hunt or Clarke?
Well, considering the team is in year four of the Hunt experiment, I’d say he does at this point. They took a chance on him and have nothing to show for it. Last year was Clarke’s first year at a heavier weight, but I think Hunt gets first look to spell Johnson/Dunlap. I don’t think there is a consensus like there was Gilberry. Hardison will get his shot to play rush end in that combo role as well.
Isn't Skyline Chili just awesome?
It’s OK. I had it because I had to try it, but it’s not for me.
In your opinion, who is ahead of whom for DT: DeSean Williams or Hardison? We know Hardison's the draft pick, but they were quite high (it seemed) on Williams all year last year.
Hardison is the draft pick and they carried him on the roster all year. He flashed just as much as Williams did in the preseason. They like Williams and he likes to be here (Story here!) but Hardison will get more reps to prove himself.
Warsaw or Krakow
Heh. Warsaw only because there’s a restaurant by that name back home in Chicago I’ve gone to!
Paul Alexander has obviously been hearing a lot of the criticism of Bodine. Is it all from media/fans, or is also coming from inside PBS?
The real heat is coming from the outside, but let’s be real – the team knows (as he admitted) that Bodine hasn’t been as good as they thought when trading up to get him. Bodine admitted as much to me after Alexander’s defense. Bodine’s contract is up after 2017, and I don’t thin there will be a rush to extend him early unless he takes a huge leap in 2016.
What kind of impact do you think Burney will have on the D-line. Coach Hayes was here for quite a while, I thought he was the better of the Hayes brothers. Now that he is gone, what can we expect to change from the defensive front, if anything?
Great question. Immediately, he’s a much different voice. He’s loud. He’s intense. He’s in their face (at least the rookies – but I guess his meetings are pretty passionate as well). We’ll see if that carries over to the vets in the full squad OTAs in May – it’s easier to break down an undrafted college guy than Geno. But we’ll see. I can’t really do a comparison now, but Burney is very, very, very respected around the league. He was out of the game last year because of his contract situation, so don’t read into that too much. They must feel good about him because they didn’t do anything to upgrade that backup DE position.
Will he be just as brutally honest with our struggling backup DEs? // We didn't draft or sign anyone who's going to the 3rd DE, so like many I'd love an update on how Hunt and Clarke are progressing, or if they are progressing.
I would think so. Why not? They haven’t done anything to earn a long leash. Hunt said he’s gone back to some of his old training ways to recapture that draft run-up form. To me, they’re total unknowns until we get to full squad, padded practices vs. Whit and Ogbuehi. Everyone usually looks great in shorts and a t-shirt at this level. These guys have been in the league long enough now that they’ve got to do it when they thud up.
My biggest concern for this team is with the coaching turnover from last year. Obviously Hue will be missed a lot, but my question is on the other side of the ball: I love PaulieG and I think he's very much an up-and-coming coordinator in the NFL. Do you think his personality is strong enough to unify the defense again this year, given new position coaches for the entire defense? Also, each of these new position coaches is more experienced than PaulieG with strong personalities of their own (except maybe Coyle). Will they follow PaulieG?
I personally like the change over because the top voice, Marvin, has been here so long. New voices for veteran guys can’t be bad, I don’t think. And trust me – even with a former HC in Haslett and a former DC in Coyle – and Burney’s loud baritone – Guenther definitely has the room. I think he’s very comfortable in his skin, and down the line he’ll be another branch off the Lewis tree as a head coach. They will follow Guenther. Haslett wanted to coach linebackers again and turned down other opportunities. Coyle had his shot at DC - it's the nature of the business where you go back to being a position guy. Let's say the team has a top 5 defense again, Guenther could be on his way out and the door opens in Cincy for the DC spot. They're all pros.
Should we view Zach Hocker and Jon Brown as legit competition for Nugent or are they the usual guys to give Nugent a break.
To me, about Hocker, yes. I’m not sure if Marvin Lewis totally views it that way – but he’s an NFL kicker they liked coming out of college and they did sign him. Now, he wasn’t really that accurate either in his first go-round last year but I think they’ll give him more of a shot to make kicks in practice and preseason than Obarski. Brown, no. Too raw.
Beat writer for Cincinnati.com & The Enquirer. Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Periscope.
