(03-29-2016, 02:23 PM)CageTheBengal Wrote: Good move should've had him wrapped up years ago instead of bringing in Harrison. It's obvious how Dansby fits into our defense during the first 3 weeks but what about after that?

Burfict
Mauluga
Rey
Hawk
Dansby

All are decent or better in their own way. I can't even imagine the headache Guenther will have if Dawson ends up panning out during this 

I don't think that there will be a headache at all.  The Bengals will finally have depth and quality at LB for the first time since . . . a long time.  

Barring injury, Hawk probably will get cut after Burfict's suspension.

And this presumes that Hawk isn't supplanted by a draft pick.  (Deion Jones (LSU) or Scooby Wright III (Arizona).

25 Defense - Thompson on PUP, Burfict suspended 3 games, Mays suspended 4 games

Dline:  Dunlap/Clarke, DT:  Peko/DeShawn Williams/Sims/Thompson DT:  Atkins/Marcus Hardison DE:  MJ90/Hunt

SAM:  Dansby/Flowers
MIKE:  Maualuga/Vinnie Rey
WILL:  Burfict/Dawson/Hawk

CB:  Pacman/Josh Shaw
Slot:  Dennard/Chykie Brown
CB:  Dre Kirk/Lewis-Harris

S:  Iloka/Derron Smith
S:  Williams/Taylor Mays/Floyd Raven

(03-29-2016, 02:38 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I think after week 3 it will be like this...

SAM - Dansby, Rey, Flowers/rookie
MIKE - Maualuga/Rey, Dawson
WILL - Burfict, Dawson, Rey, Flowers/rookie

Obviously i don't see AJ Hawk making the team after what he shown last season and after us getting Dansby.

Vinny should get a lot of snaps at MIKE in passing situations so he is pretty much the starter with Maualuga being the starter on running downs. Vinny would be pretty much backing up all the spots and is there in case of injury.

Dawson i have not seen play SAM yet, so there is that. Flowers could be good if he just can stay healthy but if we get a good rookie he could be gone. We will draft a LB i am sure so this is a probability. Gotta stay healthy to have a shot.

Hard for me seeing Dawson with a Green Sticker on the back of his Helmet at the Mike Position. Big ? mark on Flowers shoulder, we'll see after the first week in pads.
On UDFA, hmm. Talk is they like Forrest, but Roach would be a better keep. Already knows system, plays SAM and Mike and ST's. I think Roach is stiil here after week four.

(03-29-2016, 02:56 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Yeah, Hawk might stick around until Burfict is back, that is true.

I don't know about Mays especially if we draft a LB which i believe we will. I know Simmons likes Mays for his ST's play
but a rookie could fill in and take his spot and it wouldn't surprise me. I thought Mays was better than some on here say
when he was with us but he hasn't been very good since. We will see.

Tons of stuff up in the air right now. Vinny got a big deal but i don't see him starting on running downs ahead of Rey.
Dansby and Burfict will definately be starting after week 3 if both are healthy, that is all i know.

I really like Hawk, but with Dansby here now, there really isn't any need for his services now. Let him get waived so he doesn't have to pay back any bonus and he can retire. Otherwise he occupies a spot that can go to another LB on the 53 man roster.

(03-29-2016, 08:00 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: My guess is that Dansby is taking Lamur's vacant spot on the roster.  IF we draft a LB high, the final spot will be a camp battle between Flowers and Hawk.
I keep wondering why people keep thinking he's been signed when there has never been mention outside of this board.
Any position can wear the sticker.

True, but not Dawson. If he has struggled in practice, then I think it would be hard to call plays in to him to set the front. He's a pure WLB. Especially now that you have Mau, Rey and Dansby who have experience at MLB. Not to mention Roach and Luc.

I'm okay with Dansby, but having both Hawk and Dansby on the Roster at the same time just rubs me the wrong way. Either way, there is also the chance that at age 34+, the mind says yes, but the body starts pushing back and says no. Dansby played well in a poor defense. I feel confident in saying that we won't see the same level of performance in 2016. But maybe this is already expected by ML.

(03-29-2016, 10:49 PM)SFmajor Wrote: I'm okay with Dansby,  but having both Hawk and Dansby  on the Roster at the same time just rubs me the wrong way.  Either way, there is also the chance that at age 34+, the mind says yes, but the body starts pushing back and says no.   Dansby played well in a poor defense.   I feel confident in saying that we won't see the same level of performance in 2016.  But maybe this is already expected by ML.

Hawk really doesn't have a spot on this roster anymore after week 3 at least.

(03-29-2016, 10:49 PM)SFmajor Wrote: I'm okay with Dansby,  but having both Hawk and Dansby  on the Roster at the same time just rubs me the wrong way.  Either way, there is also the chance that at age 34+, the mind says yes, but the body starts pushing back and says no.   Dansby played well in a poor defense.   I feel confident in saying that we won't see the same level of performance in 2016.  But maybe this is already expected by ML.

So with the logic that Dansby stood out in a poor defense in mind.  Wouldn't him playing on a good defense allow his football IQ to shine even brighter?

Just an observation, but wasn't this D pretty damn good last season with Hawk contributing? I'm stoked with getting Dansby on board. It should only make a very good D even better.

(03-30-2016, 01:27 AM)coachmcneil71 Wrote: Just an observation, but wasn't this D pretty damn good last season with Hawk contributing? I'm stoked with getting Dansby on board. It should only make a very good D even better.

The D was pretty good overall, but not with any meaningful contribution from Hawk. I expect Dansby to make Hawk expendable, at least once Burfict is back in Week 4.

(03-29-2016, 10:28 PM)SFmajor Wrote: Hard for me seeing Dawson with a Green Sticker on the back of his Helmet at the Mike Position.  Big ? mark on Flowers shoulder,  we'll see after the first week in pads.
On UDFA,  hmm.  Talk is they like Forrest, but Roach would be a better keep.  Already knows system, plays SAM and Mike and ST's.    I think Roach is stiil here after week four.

I know you like Roach, maybe this year we will see something from him competing for
that final spot with Flowers and a Draft pick like Forrest. We do need a backup SAM.

(03-29-2016, 10:32 PM)SFmajor Wrote: I really like Hawk, but with Dansby here now, there really isn't any need for his services now.  Let him get waived so he doesn't have to pay back any bonus and he can retire.  Otherwise he occupies a spot that can go to another LB on the 53 man roster.

I doubt we cut Hawk until after Burfict gets back from suspension.

(03-29-2016, 08:00 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: My guess is that Dansby is taking Lamur's vacant spot on the roster.  IF we draft a LB high, the final spot will be a camp battle between Flowers and Hawk.
I keep wondering why people keep thinking he's been signed when there has never been mention outside of this board.
Any position can wear the sticker.

Dansby can play all the spots that is what is great about him and he can cover unlike Lamur.

On bengals.com Hobspin said there is a deal on the table for Mays he just hasn't signed it yet.

Lamur is gone, Dansby will take his spot. Hawk still is solid against the run which is why we brought him in so he will still have a place on the team. People saying he made no contribution are probably those that had WAY to high of expectations for him last season, people who knew what he was will think he performed just fine. I'm sure the bengals expected about what they got from hawk so I doubt they just cut him because we signed a different type of player in dansby. Give me dansby on passing downs at SAM and hawk on running plays and we'll be just fine

(03-30-2016, 12:30 PM)ochocincos Wrote: The D was pretty good overall, but not with any meaningful contribution from Hawk. I expect Dansby to make Hawk expendable, at least once Burfict is back in Week 4.

If he played and made a tackle then he contributed. I didn't post that in order to debate the value of Hawk. It was posted so that some of these "chicken little" cry babies can try to understand that a very good defensive team just got better and that is before the draft. For a few it may be time to dial back their inner "negative Nancy".
This team currently has one of the best LB corps that they have had in maybe 25 years. If the team gets anything out of Dawson this group could be something special next season.

(03-30-2016, 01:44 PM)leonardfan40 Wrote: Lamur is gone, Dansby will take his spot. Hawk still is solid against the run which is why we brought him in so he will still have a place on the team. People saying he made no contribution are probably those that had WAY to high of expectations for him last season, people who knew what he was will think he performed just fine. I'm sure the bengals expected about what they got from hawk so I doubt they just cut him because we signed a different type of player in dansby. Give me dansby on passing downs at SAM and hawk on running plays and we'll be just fine

I might fall into that category of having too high of expectations for Hawk.

He isn't bad in coverage either. Who knows, he might still make the team, i am all for the best players making it.

Flowers impressed me last Preseason, can run, tackle and cover. Just needs to stay healthy.

(03-30-2016, 01:59 PM)coachmcneil71 Wrote: If he played and made a tackle then he contributed. I didn't post that in order to debate the value of Hawk. It was posted so that some of these "chicken little" cry babies can try to understand that a very good defensive team just got better and that is before the draft. For a few it may be time to dial back their inner "negative Nancy".
This team currently has one of the best LB corps that they have had in maybe 25 years. If the team gets anything out of Dawson this group could be something special next season.

Got me excited, nice post. The LB corps is looking better than it has for a long frickin time that is for sure.

I severely doubt Hawk is going anywhere. He is a veteran who will be in his second season with this defense. Paulie G has to remember the year before last when injuries left us with no starting linebackers. Burfict is going to miss at least 3 games, Maualuga usually missed a couple due to injury (not a knock on him, he plays hard in the middle and ankles get tweaked), Vinney Rey has shown he's great with limited playing time but cannot carry the load full time in the middle. Lamur is gone. Hawk signed a 2 year deal I believe, I suspect he will play it out. It will be nice to have the same quality depth in the backers as we have on the D line..... 

(03-30-2016, 04:11 PM)Sled21 Wrote: I severely doubt Hawk is going anywhere. He is a veteran who will be in his second season with this defense. Paulie G has to remember the year before last when injuries left us with no starting linebackers. Burfict is going to miss at least 3 games, Maualuga usually missed a couple due to injury (not a knock on him, he plays hard in the middle and ankles get tweaked), Vinney Rey has shown he's great with limited playing time but cannot carry the load full time in the middle. Lamur is gone. Hawk signed a 2 year deal I believe, I suspect he will play it out. It will be nice to have the same quality depth in the backers as we have on the D line..... 

Been a long time coming that is for sure.

This I s very good signing.... Interested on what the terms are?

(03-30-2016, 04:11 PM)Sled21 Wrote: I severely doubt Hawk is going anywhere. He is a veteran who will be in his second season with this defense. Paulie G has to remember the year before last when injuries left us with no starting linebackers. Burfict is going to miss at least 3 games, Maualuga usually missed a couple due to injury (not a knock on him, he plays hard in the middle and ankles get tweaked), Vinney Rey has shown he's great with limited playing time but cannot carry the load full time in the middle. Lamur is gone. Hawk signed a 2 year deal I believe, I suspect he will play it out. It will be nice to have the same quality depth in the backers as we have on the D line..... 

Harrison signed a 2 year deal as well. 

(03-30-2016, 07:22 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Harrison signed a 2 year deal as well. 

We'd have no dead money in releasing Hawk. It'd save $1.4 million.