(02-21-2022, 02:20 PM)ochocincos Wrote: What?
I would happily take Gronk.
Dude put up a 55-802-6 stat line on a team where he was the 3rd/4th option most of the season.
Had a 79.5 PFF grade. 86.7 receiving grade, 70.1 pass block grade.

Compare that to Uzomah:
49-493-5
63.6 PFF grade. 62.0 receiving grade, 70.6 pass block grade.

If Gronk and Uzomah end up being similar costs, I'd strongly consider Gronk over Uzomah if looking to try to further boost the passing game.

That was in only 12 games, too.

(02-21-2022, 02:38 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Eh, I think everyone in the football world realizes he was fighting an uphill battle in that game. People make nonstop excuses for Mahomes in last year’s Super Bowl, and he was far, far worse than Burrow was. How Joe was able to put up a 101 rating in that game I have no idea.

Also, I disagree with Pittsburgh being a current top FA destination. Who will be playing the most important position is totally up in the air there.

He played very well the entire post season under constant durress. It was just a little shocking (if not expected under the circumstances) to see him bounce a 3rd down throw and miss a couple open receivers when he went somewhere else. I'm prob being too hard on him, but he has raised the bar on expectations. 

Don't sell Pitt short. They're a good QB away from contending in the playoffs again.

(02-21-2022, 02:50 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: He played very well the entire post season under constant durress. It was just a little shocking (if not expected under the circumstances) to see him bounce a 3rd down throw and miss a couple open receivers when he went somewhere else. I'm prob being too hard on him, but he has raised the bar on expectations. 

Don't sell Pitt short. They're a good QB away from contending in the playoffs again.

But where is that coming from? This QB draft class is terrible, and I highly doubt they end up with a Rodgers, Wilson, or Watson. Maybe they can swing something for say a Jimmy G, but that’s not getting me overly excited if I’m a FA thinking about playing in a division with Burrow and Lamar.

(02-21-2022, 02:57 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: But where is that coming from? This QB draft class is terrible, and I highly doubt they end up with a Rodgers, Wilson, or Watson. Maybe they can swing something for say a Jimmy G, but that’s not getting me overly excited if I’m a FA thinking about playing in a division with Burrow and Lamar.

Dunno but i don't put it past them pulling something out of their ass. It would be great to see them languish in QB pergatory for at least a few years, but knowing them, i wouldn't count on it. 

(02-21-2022, 12:48 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: Free agents are burning up their agents' cell phones as we speak, saying, "Get me to Cincinnati!"  Experienced quality players want to come to the Queen City for what?  Graeter's?  LaRosa's?  Goetta?  No!  Cincinnati is the most attractive destination to win a Super Bowl in the entire NFL right now and the Front Office should take full advantage of it.

The Bengals -- even with a shitshow offensive line -- nearly won the Super Bowl against the most loaded and stacked team on Planet Earth.  Joe Burrow, given more protection, will be the quarterback face of the NFL for the next fifteen years; I'm convinced Tom Brady retired because he knows he can't hang with Joe. The Bengals feature a suffocating shutdown defense, a generational kicker in Evan McPherson, and skill players who are among the best in the league.

Veterans will beg to come here.  They will come here and take cuts in salary just to play with Joe Burrow and win a ring.  We haven't been here before; not in the modern free agency era anyway.  This is a new thing for the Bengals and now it's time to embrace the winning culture.  

Can you imagine a two tight end set with CJ Uzomah and Rob Gronkowski?  What about Brandon Scherff lining up at right guard?  

We definitely are not the team that FA's don't want to play for anymore. It will make a difference in Free Agency this 
year, no excuses not to get the O-line shored up and add players to put us over the top. We could of easily beat the Rams
if the game plan was better even with a shitty O-line. Bring in about 3 top tier OL vets in Free Agency and look out. No 
excuses now, they will want to come here now with Burrow and all our coaches extended.

It is a great foundation with a top young Defense that should only get better barring injuries.

(02-21-2022, 02:57 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: But where is that coming from? This QB draft class is terrible, and I highly doubt they end up with a Rodgers, Wilson, or Watson. Maybe they can swing something for say a Jimmy G, but that’s not getting me overly excited if I’m a FA thinking about playing in a division with Burrow and Lamar.

The Steelers have a worse line than us too. And their WR's are inconsistent and drop balls. And they can't really run the ball.

I think they're more than a QB away...Like maybe if that QB was Joe Burrow, but they have issues.

But, with a terrible roster Tomlin squeeks into the playoffs...so I don't know.

(02-21-2022, 03:15 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Dunno but i don't put it past them pulling something out of their ass. It would be great to see them languish in QB pergatory for at least a few years, but knowing them, i wouldn't count on it. 

Hard not to believe the same. Hope Pitt finally just falls to the basement.

Cannot believe they won as many games as they did last year as I thought they sucked whenever I watched them.

They still won a lot of games though, craziness.

(02-21-2022, 03:51 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: The Steelers have a worse line than us too. And their WR's are inconsistent and drop balls. And they can't really run the ball.

I think they're more than a QB away...Like maybe if that QB was Joe Burrow, but they have issues.

But, with a terrible roster Tomlin squeeks into the playoffs...so I don't know.

I know, they are bad in a lot of areas and they still win. We just have to make sure we beat them all the time.

Take care of our bidness and stay atop the AFC North. Need to start beating the Stains next year should be a big focus.

I don't like us getting swept by those bastids. Was extremely nice sweeping Pitt and the Ravens last year though.

(02-21-2022, 12:48 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: Free agents are burning up their agents' cell phones as we speak, saying, "Get me to Cincinnati!"  Experienced quality players want to come to the Queen City for what?  Graeter's?  LaRosa's?  Goetta?  No!  Cincinnati is the most attractive destination to win a Super Bowl in the entire NFL right now and the Front Office should take full advantage of it.

The Bengals -- even with a shitshow offensive line -- nearly won the Super Bowl against the most loaded and stacked team on Planet Earth.  Joe Burrow, given more protection, will be the quarterback face of the NFL for the next fifteen years; I'm convinced Tom Brady retired because he knows he can't hang with Joe. The Bengals feature a suffocating shutdown defense, a generational kicker in Evan McPherson, and skill players who are among the best in the league.

Veterans will beg to come here.  They will come here and take cuts in salary just to play with Joe Burrow and win a ring.  We haven't been here before; not in the modern free agency era anyway.  This is a new thing for the Bengals and now it's time to embrace the winning culture.  

Can you imagine a two tight end set with CJ Uzomah and Rob Gronkowski?  What about Brandon Scherff lining up at right guard?  

I read the OP like James Earl Jones telling Ray that people will come on the movie Field of Dreams.

FIK: Bengalsboard, players will come, Benglesboard.







Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, BB. People will most definitely come.

(02-21-2022, 04:07 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I read the OP like James Earl Jones telling Ray that people will come on the movie Field of Dreams.

FIK: Bengalsboard, players will come, Benglesboard.

They'll come to Cincinnati for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up at Paul Brown Stadium, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at the door as innocent as children, longing for a ring.

"Of course, we won't mind if you look around," we'll say. "It's only twenty dollars per person." They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it. For it is money they have and peace they lack.

And they'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have visions of being somewhere along one of the sidelines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The eagerness to play for Cincinnati will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

FIK: People will come, Benglesboard.

The one constant through all the years, BB, has been Cincinnati football.

This franchise has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But Joe Burrow has marked the time.

This field, this game -- it's a part of our past, BB. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.

Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, BB. People will most definitely come.

Hilarious.

(02-21-2022, 03:59 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Hard not to believe the same. Hope Pitt finally just falls to the basement.

Cannot believe they won as many games as they did last year as I thought they sucked whenever I watched them.

They still won a lot of games though, craziness.


I know, they are bad in a lot of areas and they still win. We just have to make sure we beat them all the time.

Take care of our bidness and stay atop the AFC North. Need to start beating the Stains next year should be a big focus.

I don't like us getting swept by those bastids. Was extremely nice sweeping Pitt and the Ravens last year though.

90% of the people I work with are Steelers fans. That's reason enough for us to keep beating them!

(02-21-2022, 04:49 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: 90% of the people I work with are Steelers fans. That's reason enough for us to keep beating them!

Oh yeah, almost every football fan I know is a Steelers fan too.

Was nice this year finally getting some respect instead of the constant demeaning that comes with being a Bengals fan when we lose.

(02-21-2022, 12:48 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: Free agents are burning up their agents' cell phones as we speak, saying, "Get me to Cincinnati!"  Experienced quality players want to come to the Queen City for what?  Graeter's?  LaRosa's?  Goetta?  No!  Cincinnati is the most attractive destination to win a Super Bowl in the entire NFL right now and the Front Office should take full advantage of it.

The Bengals -- even with a shitshow offensive line -- nearly won the Super Bowl against the most loaded and stacked team on Planet Earth.  Joe Burrow, given more protection, will be the quarterback face of the NFL for the next fifteen years; I'm convinced Tom Brady retired because he knows he can't hang with Joe. The Bengals feature a suffocating shutdown defense, a generational kicker in Evan McPherson, and skill players who are among the best in the league.

Veterans will beg to come here.  They will come here and take cuts in salary just to play with Joe Burrow and win a ring.  We haven't been here before; not in the modern free agency era anyway.  This is a new thing for the Bengals and now it's time to embrace the winning culture.  

Can you imagine a two tight end set with CJ Uzomah and Rob Gronkowski?  What about Brandon Scherff lining up at right guard?  

So you are saying they are passing on Rams, Chiefs, Bills, Titans, Cowboys ?  I agree Bengals are going to move up radar but trust me $$ and other good teams are in line for players also. There are only so many good tackles to go around

The issue of weather is mostly mute in the grand scheme since every player in the NFL has to play in cold weather at some point and the overwhelming majority likely grew up playing in all kinds of lousy weather. There's probably a few prima dona's who think they deserve nice, sunny weather as a perk, but they have to in the extreme minority.. In other words that's way overblown..
There are basically two types in my opinion.... Guys who want the most money, end stop and don't care if their team wins as long as they're paid a kings ransom and there's the type who primarily want to win and get paid regardless of weather.. If it were just a matter of weather all the best players would be in Miami, NOLA, LA, etc., and teams like Green Bay, New England, Denver, Pittsburgh would be football purgatory with only the scrubs wanting to be there..  Obviously that's not the case..Winning and money will always beat any weather issues.
I'm not necessarily convinced that every FA wants to beat a path to the Bengals. It's not like the team has a sparkling reputation for winning championships with zero championships other than 3 conference championships in their history.. It certainly doesn't hurt having a QB like Joe and locker room happiness would be a real plus, but nobody is going to threaten to retire unless they get traded to the Bengals. They're probably going to enjoy their best chance to attract good FA's than years past, but it doesn't take a degree in rocket science to know that any team can disintegrate quickly if things go south for any number of issues. I seriously doubt that the majority of great players are willing to take drastic cuts in salary just to be in Cincinnati. Some of this is simply hyperbole and wishful thinking. hey, I'm definitely guilty of practicing hyperbole and wishful thinking, but i also try to practice realistic thinking whenever possible.. 

(02-21-2022, 02:02 PM)Cosmokramer Wrote:  Wrong, plenty of people want Gronk you run 2 TE sets with he and CJ, with chase and higgens on the field, you are smoked.  you have 1 on 1 those guys.  and you cant 1 on 1 Gronk or chase.

Also brady didnt retire because he couldnt hang with burrow.  he retired because he didnt want to go somewhere else, and the chance at a SB in tampa was all but gone.  to many FA losses plus the dude is 45

I'm not sure I take reps away from Tee or TB over Gronk. I'd be ok with letting CJ walk, but I don't think more is better in this situation. Focus on the line and get PROVEN players at our biggest need. I'd rather see if we can sneak Trey McBride at the end of the second and keep CJ. 

I will say, the idea of having Gronk does seem entertaining though....purely for added flair. 

I'll go out on a limb and take a stab in the dark to declare Gronk ain't gettin any younger.. I have no idea how much is actually left in the tank for the guy, but one thing is clear.. You either get old or you die. Sometimes you do both.  Personally I'd rather have guys like him in their prime of their lives instead of the setting sun syndrome going on.. 

(02-21-2022, 10:40 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Oh yeah, almost every football fan I know is a Steelers fan too.

Was nice this year finally getting some respect instead of the constant demeaning that comes with being a Bengals fan when we lose.

Then, instead of being miserable that the Bengals won and letting me rub it in...they became bandwagon Bengals fans telling me they wanted to see the Bengals win. 

(02-21-2022, 12:48 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: Free agents are burning up their agents' cell phones as we speak, saying, "Get me to Cincinnati!"  Experienced quality players want to come to the Queen City for what?  Graeter's?  LaRosa's?  Goetta?  No!  Cincinnati is the most attractive destination to win a Super Bowl in the entire NFL right now and the Front Office should take full advantage of it.

The Bengals -- even with a shitshow offensive line -- nearly won the Super Bowl against the most loaded and stacked team on Planet Earth.  Joe Burrow, given more protection, will be the quarterback face of the NFL for the next fifteen years; I'm convinced Tom Brady retired because he knows he can't hang with Joe. The Bengals feature a suffocating shutdown defense, a generational kicker in Evan McPherson, and skill players who are among the best in the league.

Veterans will beg to come here.  They will come here and take cuts in salary just to play with Joe Burrow and win a ring.  We haven't been here before; not in the modern free agency era anyway.  This is a new thing for the Bengals and now it's time to embrace the winning culture.  

Can you imagine a two tight end set with CJ Uzomah and Rob Gronkowski?  What about Brandon Scherff lining up at right guard?  

wait did i miss our dynasty?

I don't think anyone thinks the Bengals have cornered the market on FA's listing them as the 1st choice to play.

But, they went from the outhouse to the penthouse in one year for consideration.

An exciting time to be a Bengal's fan. We also seem to have a fairly healthy team heading into the off season (not many surgeries needed) so guys should be ready for training camp which is a plus. We were lucky overall in 2021 with injuries, so we need to improve starters and guys who started become back ups and developmental players.

I would also like to see a better back up QB, I am not confident at all if Burrow goes down for a few games we can with Allen.

We are no where close to the favorites to win the Super Bowl next year.

We are not going to be the first choice for guys "chasing a ring".

And that might be a good thing because many times the older guys who are "chasing a ring" end up not being very good signings because of their age.

NBA fans just look at the Lakers this year. And they did the same thing 20 years ago when they signed old Karl Malone and Gary Peyton to create a "Dream Team".

(02-22-2022, 12:26 PM)fredtoast Wrote: We are no where close to the favorites to win the Super Bowl next year.

We are not going to be the first choice for guys "chasing a ring".

And that might be a good thing because many times the older guys who are "chasing a ring" end up not being very good signings because of their age.

NBA fans just look at the Lakers this year. And they did the same thing 20 years ago when they signed old Karl Malone and Gary Peyton to create a "Dream Team".

4th or 5th best odds depending on where you look. I wouldn’t consider that “nowhere close.”