Dan Hoard was just on the radio interviewing Spain and he was adamant that he wants to come back to Cincinnati next year and finish his career here.

That's all good and Spain is a nice piece, but what's more important is that people actually WANT to play in Cincinnati now.

The Burrow effect is real. I really think we are going to see a change in FA this year and players are really going to want to play here.

Make it happen. One less Guard to worry about.

We can do better.

(01-21-2022, 05:39 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: We can do better.

There are better guards, but at what cost?
That's the real question.

Bring him back! He's been solid. Worry about fixing the right side this offseason....

(01-21-2022, 05:41 PM)ochocincos Wrote: There are better guards, but at what cost?
That's the real question.

I’m fine with re-signing Spain

Carmen starts and develops at RG next season

It’s the Center and Right tackle that need addressing. Either or need to be upgraded next season

(01-21-2022, 05:39 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: We can do better.

Sure, we could do better.  However, I'm going to note that Williams and Spain have developed a pretty good chemistry on the Left side, and I feel like they can be even better by continuing to play next to each other.  Continuity is key, when it comes to it comes to establishing solidarity of an OL.

I feel like the most improvement from a serious upgrade from current starter on this OL is at the Center position.  Sure, a healthy Hopkins has been better than last few before him, but there is definitely a reason that interior heat seems to always come through him and the short yardage rushing attack has been impotent.

I guess what I'm alluding to is that if we put a better Center out there, Spain is likely going to perform even better than he has this season.

(01-21-2022, 05:41 PM)ochocincos Wrote: There are better guards, but at what cost?
That's the real question.

We only have $7 million in cap space left this year yet some people think we should have spent $12+ million on an OG in free agency.

We can do a lot worse than Quinton Spain when it comes to performance on the field, and he is a quality personality for the locker room. Make it happen.

I think if he takes a decent deal, do it and worry about his replacement in A few years. Fix the center—->right and we should be at least above average next year.

(01-21-2022, 05:54 PM)fredtoast Wrote: We only have $7 million in cap space left this year yet some people think we should have spent $12+ million on an OG in free agency.

I think the topic is about signing Spain for next year.
So the $7 mill would be a rollover to next year, and there's expected to be ~$60 mill in cap space.
A lot of players hitting FA though, so it's not as much as it seems given all the people who have to be (re) signed.

(01-21-2022, 05:51 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: I’m fine with re-signing Spain

Carmen starts and develops at RG next season

It’s the Center and Right tackle that need addressing. Either or need to be upgraded next season

Hopkins has actually done well since the bye.
I'd be ok with keeping him as the starting C next year if the team didn't get an upgrade.

RT is biggest concern for me.
Reiff hasn't played a full season since 2015, and there's not a single player behind him worth becoming the starter.
Reiff has been a better run blocker than pass blocker anyway, so there's room for improvement when it comes to pass blocking.

(01-21-2022, 05:39 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: We can do better.

He was one of the better OG’s in the league all season, and most importantly we need his nastiness.

Bringing him back is a no-brainer.

Spain was a bit of a mystery to me. He seemed to have a pretty good resume so I was a little unsure why he was released. Then he seemed to play alright for us yet he only got league minimum contract from us. I believe the free market usually sets a fair value so I wondered what the issue was that was driving down his price.

Supposedly he is playing well for us this year. I honestly dont spend the time watching replays to evaluate individual O-linemen. But our O-line as a whole has been pretty shifty. Joe still faces too much pressure and we ranked DEAD LAST in short yardage conversions. I am going to have to look at a lot of info this off-season before I make any decisions on the O-line.

(01-21-2022, 06:04 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Hopkins has actually done well since the bye.
I'd be ok with keeping him as the starting C next year if the team didn't get an upgrade.

RT is biggest concern for me.
Reiff hasn't played a full season since 2015, and there's not a single player behind him worth becoming the starter.
Reiff has been a better run blocker than pass blocker anyway, so there's room for improvement when it comes to pass blocking.

Hopkins is decent in pass pro, and horrid with run blocking. Guy gets zero push. He’s a big reason why the bengals aren’t good in converting short yardage situations.

I’m fine with replacing Hopkins or Reiff. Whoever the best FA or draft pick is available

(01-21-2022, 05:52 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Sure, we could do better.  However, I'm going to note that Williams and Spain have developed a pretty good chemistry on the Left side, and I feel like they can be even better by continuing to play next to each other.  Continuity is key, when it comes to it comes to establishing solidarity of an OL.

PFF, which loves Spain this year, still says he has allowed 5 sacks this year. Jonah has 8 sacks allowed. They aren't the priorities for replacement on the OL, but if you find an opportunity to upgrade, you need to take it. 

The Chiefs replaced their entire starting OL last off-season. Continuity is only good if the pieces in place are good.

Feels like last off-season people were saying the sacks and run game were going to be fixed by Frank Pollack coming back, but they still remain issues.

(01-21-2022, 06:09 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: Hopkins is decent in pass pro, and horrid with run blocking. Guy gets zero push. He’s a big reason why the bengals aren’t good in converting short yardage situations.

I’m fine with replacing Hopkins or Reiff. Whoever the best FA or draft pick is available

There really aren't many C's who project better than Hopkins that will be available.

Jason Kelce is about the only true C in FA that could be better, but given his age, he's likely only a stopgap.
Ben Jones may not really be a good fit in the offense. He's a heck of a run blocker though.
Brian Allen is better as a run blocker than pass protector.

Tyler Linderbaum in the draft is about the only C worth a damn that could come in immediately and confidently think would be an upgrade.
And there's a solid chance he won't be available when the Bengals pick.

Best option is if Bengals can't land Kelce, plan to roll with Hopkins and hope that Linderbaum falls far enough to get him.

EDIT - I thought Kelce was hitting FA this offseason, but it doesn't look like he is.

(01-21-2022, 06:34 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Jason Kelce is about the only true C in FA that could be better, but given his age, he's likely only a stopgap.

Jason Kelce either plays his final year for the Eagles or retires.

(01-21-2022, 06:43 PM)Synric Wrote: Jason Kelce either plays his final year for the Eagles or retires.

Oh, I'm an idiot.
When I was looking at Kelce's contract on Spotrac, I saw that he is on a 1-year, $9 mill deal.
And it's for...2022.

FML.

(01-21-2022, 06:08 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Spain was a bit of a mystery to me. He seemed to have a pretty good resume so I was a little unsure why he was released. Then he seemed to play alright for us yet he only got league minimum contract from us. I believe the free market usually sets a fair value so I wondered what the issue was that was driving down his price.

Supposedly he is playing well for us this year. I honestly dont spend the time watching replays to evaluate individual O-linemen. But our O-line as a whole has been pretty shifty. Joe still faces too much pressure and we ranked DEAD LAST in short yardage conversions. I am going to have to look at a lot of info this off-season before I make any decisions on the O-line.

I'll be curious what you come up with. I was looking up Spain awhile back to see how he did in his career before he got here. He was a UDFA I believe and really just seemed to always be the odd man out wherever he went. He would either come in for an injury and play well and then get replaced when the starter returned or be on a team when they drafted a high round guard. Always seemed to play well where ever he was. But we do need to get better at running the ball more consistently and especially short yardage. I cringe if we ever find ourselves in a QB sneak situation.