I posted it earlier in the thread. It's not about Zac being happy with Smith and Sample. Zac is happy with Burrow throwing to Boyd, Higgins, Chase, and any TE.

(04-28-2023, 10:46 PM)Bengalstripes9 Wrote: Very smart to pass on the tight ends and focus on adding good football players with great intangibles. We needed to add to our pass rush and secondary and we did it with great value picks.

From here the draft is wide open. Tight end isn’t a huge need for this offense. We can find value in the 5th. I wouldn’t mind an olineman next. But first and foremost, I want best player available. Great job so far sticking to BPA.

Yes indeed.  An offense with J Chase, T Higgins and Tyler Boyd with J Burrow throwing to them (and a decent OL) will be just fine.  There is only one football on the field at a time and very few defenses can cover all 3 of our WR if Joe B gets a little time to throw. 

Great draft thus far!

Star QB , best WR trio, big free agent lineman signings in Brown, Cappa , Karras and money tied up in Collins and Williams at RT, plus Mixon. TE is just an afterthought, be solid and don’t spend money/ recourses. Smith is basically in the same role as Hurst last year. A former high pick up with upside will be a 4th option and if he plays well some team overpays for him next year we’ll move on. Sample is a good blocking TE and the 3rd TE will play special teams.

Guess the answer is YES. This is insane to me. Irv Smith is going to get hurt at some point. Thinking otherwise is beyond optimistic. That leaves Drew Sample. Name me a team that won a SB with a trash can at TE. Other teams are drafting multiple TEs while we sit back and watch AGAIN. Feels like last year. I know we have other options but Boyd was not getting open when Chase and Higgins were doubled. We need something else over the middle. And some UCFA scrub we sign isn't going to get it done. I just do not get it.

(04-29-2023, 04:34 PM)CloeHokie Wrote: Guess the answer is YES. This is insane to me. Irv Smith is going to get hurt at some point. Thinking otherwise is beyond optimistic. That leaves Drew Sample. Name me a team that won a SB with a trash can at TE. Other teams are drafting multiple TEs while we sit back and watch AGAIN. Feels like last year. I know we have other options but Boyd was not getting open when Chase and Higgins were doubled. We need something else over the middle. And some UCFA scrub we sign isn't going to get it done. I just do not get it.

relax, huckleberry

this is one of the best offenses in the league even without a TE

just need to work on not having a crappy yards per carry. Thats the one thing this offense needs to truly fix. 

(04-29-2023, 04:40 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: relax, huckleberry

this is one of the best offenses in the league even without a TE

just need to work on not having a crappy yards per carry. Thats the one thing this offense needs to truly fix. 

TEs block for the RB too.....

I get it. It's just a head scratcher for me. Like I said if anyone actually expects  Irv Smith to stay healthy all season they are playing Madden with injuries turned off. 

(04-29-2023, 04:50 PM)CloeHokie Wrote: TEs block for the RB too.....

I get it. It's just a head scratcher for me. Like I said if anyone actually expects  Irv Smith to stay healthy all season they are playing Madden with injuries turned off. 

It is a head scratcher that they didn't draft a TE. I think they may bring Wilcox back in or wait for cuts. 

Ts, I've been playing the shit out of Irv and Scott on Madden, and they have been pretty damn good. Irv is quicker than the other TEs that we had /have on the roster aka Sample, when it comes to Madden. I like Irv, he has good hands. I reckon we'll have to wait and see. 

Scott and Hill have been just fine on the back end. 
Fyi, I'm playing All Madden with injuries and all other detriments turned on.   

Not a hot take: Bengals have arguably the worst TE group in the NFL. They’re relying on the perpetually injured Irv Smith to stay healthy and Sample to improve from arguably the worst draft pick of the last 5 years. Maybe Wilcox re-signs or we pick scraps from roster cuts? The rest of the team looks good, TE is hot garbage. Hard to believe in a draft class this deep the Bengals net 0 new blood in the TE room. Maybe we’re all in on Bowers or All next year?

(04-29-2023, 08:37 PM)coachmcneil71 Wrote: It is a head scratcher that they didn't draft a TE. I think they may bring Wilcox back in or wait for cuts. 

Ts, I've been playing the shit out of Irv and Scott on Madden, and they have been pretty damn good. Irv is quicker than the other TEs that we had /have on the roster aka Sample, when it comes to Madden. I like Irv, he has good hands. I reckon we'll have to wait and see. 

Scott and Hill have been just fine on the back end. 
Fyi, I'm playing All Madden with injuries and all other detriments turned on.   

They hit on Hurst. They didn’t like their options in the draft each time they picked. They liked La Porta and Kincaid. They were not happy with several ‘s drop percentages as another poster pointed out.

(04-29-2023, 09:44 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: They hit on Hurst. They didn’t like their options in the draft each time they picked. They liked La Porta and Kincaid. They were not happy with several ‘s drop percentages as another poster pointed out.

So trade up or take a guy a little early. We will be picking at the end of drafts now. Fans need to stop saying things like this guy is a 2nd round pick. Add a round to all of our picks. If a guy i graded as a 3rd round guy well we have to take him in the 2nd cause that is basically the 3rd round. Or like I said trade up and get a TE you like. We NEED one and this was a great class just like last season. I think the Bengals just don't give a crap about TE. But like I said name me a SB team without one that you at least know their name.

(04-29-2023, 09:33 PM)t3r3e3 Wrote: Not a hot take:   Bengals have arguably the worst TE group in the NFL.  They’re relying on the perpetually injured Irv Smith to stay healthy and Sample to improve from arguably the worst draft pick of the last 5 years.  Maybe Wilcox re-signs or we pick scraps from roster cuts?  The rest of the team looks good, TE is hot garbage.  Hard to believe in a draft class this deep the Bengals net 0 new blood in the TE room.  Maybe we’re all in on Bowers or All next year?

Ok you are forcing me to point it out again. There were 4 games in a row last season that the Bengals were missing TE1 and TE2 and they won all four of those games. Maybe it is fans that feel the position is more vital to the scheme than the actual coaching staff that put the scheme together do?

Well, I'd count myself as one who was stunned we didn't take a TE at some point. Though, if you want to go pick by pick, it is not like any oned decision not to was crazy (except not taking Washington in Rd 3, but if we medically DQed him, it was never in play).

Rd 1. Kincaid gone. Murphy was a higher rated prosoect than Mayer or Porter by a lot of folks. And certainly a higher level athlete at his position. Higher ceiling than Mayer. Heck, LaPorta got picked before he did. Better scheme fit than Porter, who is a press guy. Pass rush was a big need. If Murphy was gone, there is a good chance we pick Mayer.

Rd 2. LaPorta, Mayer, Musgrave, Schoonmaker gone. Kraft iflr Washington were theinly real TE options here. Washington was DQed and did not exactly put up stellar receiving numbers and Kraft did not play vs top competition. Turner was the best athlete/production/health combo of the 3, and plays a premium position. And one of need. I'd have thought strange was a reach.

Rd 3. Strange & Kraft gone. Washington gone after trade down. I wanted Washington here, medicals be damned. But no other TEs were really in the picture. And it looks like a LOT of other teams agreed on his medicals. I fid not like the Battle pick at first, as safety was largely off my radar, but he IS a ZT type guy.

Rd 4. Latu gone. At this point, we are talking about uograding Sample/Asiasi, not Smith. Kuntz has the athletic profile, but not the production. Jeck, he lasted until Rd 7 for a reason. Thrilled with the Jones pick. He'll contribute more than Alken or Mallory likely would have as TE2/3. Little early for Whyle for me. WR needed upgrading too.

Rd 5. Whyle, Mallory gone. Live the Brown pick. Kuntz/Allen only TEs considered. RB2 was a big need. Brown gives us some explosion there. Kuntz/Allen are not 4.43 guys.

Rd 6. Durham, Allen gone. Kuntz is the only one interesting me now. Theilled with the Iosivas pick. Big guy speed. Freak athlete. Princeton brains. Fantastic worker. Team captain.

Rd 6, #2. OK, now I really want Kuntz, but I get not wanting to gamble on the P going. But again, there obviously was something there with him that worried teams as he lasted to R7 with a 10.0 RAS. If he is TE3, the punter has a bigger impact.

Rd 7. Kuntz finally gone.

(05-02-2023, 06:53 PM)CloeHokie Wrote: So trade up or take a guy a little early. We will be picking at the end of drafts now. Fans need to stop saying things like this guy is a 2nd round pick. Add a round to all of our picks. If a guy i graded as a 3rd round guy well we have to take him in the 2nd cause that is basically the 3rd round. Or like I said trade up and get a TE you like. We NEED one and this was a great class just like last season. I think the Bengals just don't give a crap about TE. But like I said name me a SB team without one that you at least know their name.

I’m sorry but taking Dalton Kincaid would have necessitated us swapping picks and giving up a second rounder minimum. Instead we stayed put and jumped on Myles Murphy who plays a ton more critical spot as rush end. He was named by NFL Draft Industry Consensus Big Board, which accounts for 70 different big boards named Murphy the steal of the draft in the first round. Why in a 100 million years would we do that? They didn’t like some others blocking. Our TE has to be able to block. He’s the 4th receiver. So say we move up to draft La Porta who they liked but he went way earlier than projected at 34. The draft didn’t fall right for a TE. Bucky Brooks NFL Network who is maybe the preeminent draft guy evaluating talent said the Bengals had the best draft. Todd McShay said our best steal of the draft was D J Turner at 60. So let’s screw it up by reaching for a TE that’s not important in our offense versus an elite edge rusher like Murphy and an elite CB that recorded the fourth fastest 40 time in nearly 20 years? I’m sorry I’m bewildered

(05-02-2023, 08:12 PM)OSUfan Wrote: Ok you are forcing me to point it out again. There were 4 games in a row last season that the Bengals were missing TE1 and TE2 and they won all four of those games. Maybe it is fans that feel the position is more vital to the scheme than the actual coaching staff that put the scheme together do?

No one is forcing you to cite your favorite new stat ad nauseam. Perhaps the more important point of that stat is there was no real difference between turd 1, turd 2 and turd 3?

Maybe if we actually had a te worthy of featuring a little more perhaps we win a game or two more


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(05-02-2023, 08:50 PM)BenZoo2 Wrote: No one is forcing you to cite your favorite new stat ad nauseam. Perhaps the more important point of that stat is there was no real difference between turd 1, turd 2 and turd 3?

Maybe if we actually had a te worthy of featuring a little more perhaps we win a game or two more


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You mean win 11 straight instead of 10 straight? The staff liked several but they weren’t going to reach. And we weren’t going to pass on a steal. They were all ready to sign Foster Moreau in FA but he got cancer.

(05-02-2023, 09:00 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: You mean win 11 straight instead of 10 straight? The staff liked several but they weren’t going to reach. And we weren’t going to pass on a steal. They were already to sign Foster Moreau in FA but he got cancer.

people forget this. A freak occurrence is currently why the TE situation is shaky

(05-02-2023, 09:03 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: people forget this. A freak occurrence is currently why the TE situation is shaky

And a draft that fell so right … except at TE.

(05-02-2023, 09:00 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: You mean win 11 straight instead of 10 straight? The staff liked several but they weren’t going to reach. And we weren’t going to pass on a steal. They were already to sign Foster Moreau in FA but he got cancer.

I mean win any game we lost. And I’m not suggesting they should have reached in the draft. I would have been been fine with Moreau, though he isn’t exactly a top tier talent either. And I know it’s bandied about here quite often how the tight end isn’t really featured much in a zac Taylor offense and I understand the sentiment. And to be clear I think he’s done a wonderful job since being here. Way better than I expected, even after his first year. I also don’t think he’s dumb. So it’s a little but of a chicken/egg debate. If he actually had a really good tight end would he feature him more?

(05-02-2023, 09:12 PM)BenZoo2 Wrote: I mean win any game we lost. And I’m not suggesting they should have reached in the draft. I would have been been fine with Moreau, though he isn’t exactly a top tier talent either. And I know it’s bandied about here quite often how the tight end isn’t really featured much in a zac Taylor offense and I understand the sentiment. And to be clear I think he’s done a wonderful job since being here. Way better than I expected, even after his first year. I also don’t think he’s dumb. So it’s a little but of a chicken/egg debate. If he actually had a really good tight end would he feature him more?

Zac loves the tight end position. His first assistant job was coaching TE’s at Texas A&M. C J Uzomah they really liked but he got a huge pay day at NYJ. Zac targeted Hurst in FA and got him for a steal at 3.5 million. Carolina just paid him over 7 million for 3 years 21 million. It’s a dollar and cents league. It all adds up whether you mess up and pay a TE who will be your 4 th receiver and have a blocking TE in Sample. They have to manage the cap with a focus of re-signing Joe, Chase, and Tee.

Are people still crying about this... Who cares about TE, we will pick up another reject from fa and Burrow will make him 8 mil per next year. That is when irv smith goes down week 3.