(02-21-2017, 01:39 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: I get it - and I agree.

I wouldn't care so much about letting a guy like Z walk if I knew the team would go out and find a replacement, but they won't pay anyone worth a shit to come here.

If you are committed to keeping your own - you need to pay your own.  We have plenty of money.  I'm not going to jump to any conclusions until they actually leave.

Gotcha, and I agree with everything you say here as well.  I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions myself, but all signs and articles point to him leaving.  It just seems that Hobs is preparing us, and that's unfortunately usually a good indicator of things to come.

(02-21-2017, 11:57 AM)Hammerstripes Wrote: Explain how we are prepared to let Z walk?  We were "prepared" to let Andre walk and look where that got us.

We are nowhere near prepared to let Z walk because we have no idea if we have anyone who can play his spot.  

I have a feeling Big Z wants to move on.  

(02-21-2017, 02:01 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: I have a feeling Big Z wants to move on.  

I can't fathom anyone wanting to move on from a sure fire, first ballot Canton bound line coach.

(02-21-2017, 02:01 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: I have a feeling Big Z wants to move on.  

I have a feeling both Whit and Zeitler want to move on. Zeitler wants the money that we obviously wont be willing to give, and Whitworth would like to play for an actual Superbowl competitor before he retires.

End outcome, we overpay Whitworth to stay.

(02-20-2017, 09:45 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Well, it is Fansided.  Pretty much any one of us, that happened to pass 6th grade English, and could manage to string a few consecutive thoughts together in a logical manner, could also be a contributor to their site.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, there isn't.  I feel like it gives regular Joes their shot at being a sportswriter.  On the other hand, young and easily influenced fans could read some of those articles and mistake it for actual, professional sports media.

Yep, nothing more than a kid parroting some talking head at ESPN crapping on the Bengals.  

If the Bengals blindly signed him for $50 over 5 years, they would also be crapping on the Bengals, saying they had to overpay for a (slightly) above average player.

Now, I will unleash some venom if after FA they haven't signed Whit, Dre, and a veteran FA such as Amukamura.  

I really, really like Dan Feeney out of Indiana at the top of Rd 2, and there are quite a few guys that I really like should he not be there.  That will take care of Zeitler's spot.  Now, they have to take the money they paid him and put toward an impactful FA.  

(02-21-2017, 10:24 AM)Au165 Wrote: The first mistake is someone thinking their opinion is fact. Anytime someone quantifies their opinion with "unmistakable" I disregard their opinion.

Or, that anyone's opinion counts at all in Brownville.

(02-20-2017, 08:40 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I know nothing about this website or the author, but I agree with the majority of his article. 

http://fansided.com/2017/02/20/nfl-free-agency-2017-adrian-peterson-tony-romo/


Here's a part of it:


"In the coming weeks, the Bengals will have Kevin Zeitler, Andrew Whitworth and Domata Peko hitting the market. The first two players in particular will be drawing substantial interest, forcing Cincinnati to either open the checkbook or lose two critical pieces of the offensive line. In Zeitler’s case, he was a first-round selection and has become a top-notch guard in the league."

"Letting him walk sends a clear, unmistakable message. The Bengals are not about winning."



In my humble opinion the time is now if our core of good players is going to have any chance of seeing a Lombardi ! We do not have the time to continue "building" thru the draft. We need a couple upper tier FA's, three wouldn't hurt.

The window is going to shut sooner rather than later !

Very true, couldn't agree more. Now or never needs to be the mentality, not meh, it is just FA like it seems they are acting.

I would be going into every FA so excited about the chance to improve my team if it was me. But first you have to have a
solid foundation. If we lose both Whitworth and Zeitler we have regressed. Looks like Zeit is as good as gone so we need to
be looking at Guard and bringing back Whit in FA to not regress and have a chance at improving going into the draft.

Chance Warmack to go along with Whitworth and Wisnewski and we would of improved. Wouldn't cost much more than
bringing back Zeitler either.

(02-23-2017, 06:53 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Very true, couldn't agree more. Now or never needs to be the mentality, not meh, it is just FA like it seems they are acting.

I would be going into every FA so excited about the chance to improve my team if it was me. But first you have to have a
solid foundation. If we lose both Whitworth and Zeitler we have regressed. Looks like Zeit is as good as gone so we need to
be looking at Guard and bringing back Whit in FA to not regress and have a chance at improving going into the draft.

Chance Warmack to go along with Whitworth and Wisnewski and we would of improved. Wouldn't cost much more than
bringing back Zeitler either.

Yup,

I feel this team is at a major crossroad ! Is Mike Brown and company going to make the moves and spend the money to move up to the next level ? Or are we going to hear the same ole "building for the future BS" ?

This team has to many holes, to many spots where upgrades are needed to compete with the big dogs. I pray they're not dumb enough to bring A. Jones back ! Maualuga and Peko both are in dire need of replacement. Hunt needed to be gone a year or two ago.  The O-line needs much attention. The list goes on and on.

Our core of good players don't have 3 more years to "build" thru the draft.

(02-23-2017, 07:25 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Yup,

I feel this team is at a major crossroad ! Is Mike Brown and company going to make the moves and spend the money to move up to the next level ? Or are we going to hear the same ole "building for the future BS" ?

This team has to many holes, to many spots where upgrades are needed to compete with the big dogs. I pray they're not dumb enough to bring A. Jones back ! Maualuga and Peko both are in dire need of replacement. Hunt needed to be gone a year or two ago.  The O-line needs much attention. The list goes on and on.

Our core of good players don't have 3 more years to "build" thru the draft.

I'll bet Mikey is saying something like, "We have been in this situation before, and it worked out just fine." Of course Mikey's version of working out just fine is likely not close to ours!

(02-23-2017, 07:25 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Yup,

I feel this team is at a major crossroad ! Is Mike Brown and company going to make the moves and spend the money to move up to the next level ? Or are we going to hear the same ole "building for the future BS" ?

This team has to many holes, to many spots where upgrades are needed to compete with the big dogs. I pray they're not dumb enough to bring A. Jones back ! Maualuga and Peko both are in dire need of replacement. Hunt needed to be gone a year or two ago.  The O-line needs much attention. The list goes on and on.

Our core of good players don't have 3 more years to "build" thru the draft.

I feel you are right. Now is the time to really see where our owner, FO and coaches stand.

If they go ho-hum here it will be a major slight to the players and fans and there will be turmoil.

To me it is a no brainer just as far as being a bidness man to go and try to make the team better.

But MB is no bidness man i guess either.

(02-21-2017, 10:45 AM)Au165 Wrote: Once again, I don't throw around statements judging others intent haphazardly. Saying any owner "doesn't want to win" is presumptive and probably off base. If we didn't want to win we wouldn't resign anyone, which is why I caution people from saying hyperbolic things like that. Saying we want to win "our way" is probably more appropriate. Will it work? History doesn't favor it, but at the same time we have still found success in it so who knows.

You surely understand that when Bengals fans say "ownership doesn't want to win" they don't mean Mike Brown doesn't want to win. What it really means is that Mike Brown lacks the killer instinct to know how close we were to a championship caliber team and go sign someone who will put us over the top.

There is a difference in building through the draft and making key signing at the right time. Atlanta signed Sanu and Mack and went from mediocre to the SuperBowl. We have been way above the Mediocre line as a whole the last 5 years (before last year) and we have needed that one or two upgrades that Free Agency provides every year. Instead we stand pat and lose to the better teams in the league every year. It is frustrating as hell.

(02-21-2017, 01:42 PM)psychdoctor Wrote: It was me 

No wait. I'm Spartacus. 

(02-20-2017, 08:40 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I know nothing about this website or the author, but I agree with the majority of his article. 

http://fansided.com/2017/02/20/nfl-free-agency-2017-adrian-peterson-tony-romo/


Here's a part of it:


"In the coming weeks, the Bengals will have Kevin Zeitler, Andrew Whitworth and Domata Peko hitting the market. The first two players in particular will be drawing substantial interest, forcing Cincinnati to either open the checkbook or lose two critical pieces of the offensive line. In Zeitler’s case, he was a first-round selection and has become a top-notch guard in the league."

"Letting him walk sends a clear, unmistakable message. The Bengals are not about winning."



In my humble opinion the time is now if our core of good players is going to have any chance of seeing a Lombardi ! We do not have the time to continue "building" thru the draft. We need a couple upper tier FA's, three wouldn't hurt.

The window is going to shut sooner rather than later !

not worth the franchise tag though paying a RG   LT money would be insane...  So if he wont deal with us for before hitting the market then so be it... the only way the bengals can prevent that is by paying 2x as much as they should and that is bad business too.

(02-21-2017, 10:45 AM)Au165 Wrote: Once again, I don't throw around statements judging others intent haphazardly. Saying any owner "doesn't want to win" is presumptive and probably off base. If we didn't want to win we wouldn't resign anyone, which is why I caution people from saying hyperbolic things like that. Saying we want to win "our way" is probably more appropriate. Will it work? History doesn't favor it, but at the same time we have still found success in it so who knows.

So to counter the people questioning MB willingness to win is "he wouldn't sign anyone if he did"? Is that really the best thing we've got to counter this argument anymore?  

(02-24-2017, 04:24 PM)Hoofhearted Wrote: So to counter the people questioning MB willingness to win is "he wouldn't sign anyone if he did"? Is that really the best thing we've got to counter this argument anymore?  

If he didn't want to win, why would he sign any player to long term contracts requiring him to spend over the floor? If we are looking at this from a strictly business stand point that would make no sense. It's not the only argument to counter it, however it's the only one you need to see he obviously wants to win. Now if he knows how, or if he wants to do it "his way", those are fair questions I would say.

(02-24-2017, 04:29 PM)Au165 Wrote: If he didn't want to win, why would he sign any player to long term contracts requiring him to spend over the floor? If we are looking at this from a strictly business stand point that would make no sense. It's not the only argument to counter it, however it's the only one you need to see he obviously wants to win. Now if he knows how, or if he wants to do it "his way", those are fair questions I would say.

Because players fill the stands which fill his pockets. Without players, there's no money. So yeah, not having players makes no sense from a football ownership perspective. Now the question becomes WHO he signs and keeps on his team to tell the story if he really wants to win. And that story tells me he's committed to winning, but not winning the whole thing

This is amazing, all this talk about letting this player and that player go. When in the end either somebody in the front office screws something up and we again we go down the tubes! I'm somehow  wondering if my theory that I've had for some time is coming true! MB doesn't want to win a Super Bowl! My theory is that if this team would ever win a Super Bowl MB would really have to open the old wallet to keep the team going! Where as now he can set back and rake in the dough while he funds a mediocre team. Just Sayin.

(02-24-2017, 06:53 PM)junglefever67 Wrote: This is amazing, all this talk about letting this player and that player go. When in the end either somebody in the front office screws something up and we again we go down the tubes! I'm somehow  wondering if my theory that I've had for some time is coming true! MB doesn't want to win a Super Bowl! My theory is that if this team would ever win a Super Bowl MB would really have to open the old wallet to keep the team going! Where as now he can set back and rake in the dough while he funds a mediocre team. Just Sayin.

I believe we will see for sure this Offseason.

If they let Whit and Zeitler go it will implode this team.

Is that what MB really wants or the Blackburns? I don't think so, but we will see.

As others and myself are now saying, we are at a crossroads.

The Bengals are rebuilding. Mikey will let all the FA's walk and load up with draft picks for the future. The only message to fans is there is a s*cker born every minute.

So depressing. The best outcome is easy to achieve, yet the worst outcome which is insane is inevitable. We will not get anywhere with Mike B. I seriously believe in the old adage, "the apple don't fall far from the tree." However, Mickey did and let's hope when Katie takes over this POS FO, she is an apple which fell even further.