Last off-season, fans absolutely blasted the Bengals over the first few days of the initial FA period when they weren't just immediately throwing crazy cash around. The Bengals ended up having some awesome signings that surprised literally everyone outside of PBS. Injuries aside, they nabbed some great players.... after a few days into the FA period. Everyone was happy with what they did... after blasting them early on.

This off-season is only 10 hours old, yet here are the same insults being thrown at the team. There are still fine players available right now. There are still a ton of great guys that will be released sooner rather than later. Why the panic?

The off-season is LONG with many stages and a lot of activity. Given that fact, why become so upset at just 10 hours out of a several month process. Given the results of last year, why not give them time to work their plan before ripping their butts?

I am usually the rational defender of the team...but I got nothing here. The pass rush will be worse next year, even if they sign Hendrickson. The offensive line was supposed to be the major focus, and while I never expected Thuney, they have let the top tier disappear and at reasonable prices. I think for me the biggest issue I have is that they said they wouldn’t be sitting on their hands and frankly they seemed over confident in their cap space and under estimated every other teams ability to create enough to challenge them financially.

They can salvage an off season that makes them field a similarly talented team to last year, but that isn’t improvement that is spinning your wheels in mediocrity.

A lot of it has to do with the franchise’s leg going thru a meat grinder after neglecting the same exact issue last offseason.

The Waynes signing hasn't really paid dividends - he actually complained that he wasn't able to keep his body in tip top shape because he couldn't put pen to paper as quickly as he would have liked. Then he goes down with an injury hmmm. It's almost as if spending on OL, or at least not pissing the guy off by moving at a snail's pace, would've been wiser. 

(03-15-2021, 11:06 PM)PDub80 Wrote: Last off-season, fans absolutely blasted the Bengals over the first few days of the initial FA period when they weren't just immediately throwing crazy cash around. The Bengals ended up having some awesome signings that surprised literally everyone outside of PBS. Injuries aside, they nabbed some great players.... after a few days into the FA period. Everyone was happy with what they did... after blasting them early on.

This off-season is only 10 hours old, yet here are the same insults being thrown at the team. There are still fine players available right now. There are still a ton of great guys that will be  released sooner rather than later. Why the panic?

The off-season is LONG with many stages and a lot of activity. Given that fact, why become so upset at just 10 hours out of a several month process. Given the results of last year, why not give them time to work their plan before ripping their butts?

What signings were awesome?
Reader and Waynes are not game changers. They were high-priced pieces to help fill in gaps with the Bengals core.
Reader doesn't greatly improve the pass rush and Waynes isn't a lockdown CB.
They will help some, but they aren't featured pieces.

(03-15-2021, 11:09 PM)Au165 Wrote: I am usually the rational defender of the team...but I got nothing here. The pass rush will be worse next year, even if they sign Hendrickson. The offensive line was supposed to be the major focus, and while I never expected Thuney, they have let the top tier disappear and at reasonable prices. I think for me the biggest issue I have is that they said they wouldn’t be sitting on their hands and frankly they seemed over confident in their cap space and under estimated every other teams ability to create enough to challenge them financially.

They can salvage an off season that makes them field a similarly talented team to last year, but that isn’t improvement that is spinning your wheels in mediocrity.

Pretty much this. I don't believe they are offering up the guaranteed money like other teams. They usually don't outside of the signing bonus.

30 years without a playoff win, 5 losing seasons in a row, couldn't even ignore the losses and enjoy Burrow for all of 2020, lousy day 1 of free agency. But yes, tomorrow is another day...i can just see why people are mad.

Old news. You must not have heard. FA is over and the 2021 season is over already.

The reason I am actually pissed is this:

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/nfl-salary-cap-set-for-2021-season

"We are certainly not going to sit on our hands," Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said earlier this week.

All the talk like never before and all the hype of we are going to be active and involved and then....


same old Bengals. Sit out till all the Tier 1 guys are gone, and the tier 2's are gone and then dumpster dive and call it a success!

"We didn't over-spend" "We got the guys we were targeting" "We are rolling over cap money to sign our own"

Every year we here that, and every year this team fails. Even in winning seasons, we fail since we can't win a single playoff game.

Tobin's words to me sounded like for once, the team would over-spend if it needed. The team was going to get in there and get tier 1 guys at positions of need. The team was going to keep Lawson and add more pass rush.

What they actually did today was literally the worst case possible.

(03-15-2021, 11:11 PM)Bilbo Saggins Wrote: The Waynes signing hasn't really paid dividends - he actually complained that he wasn't able to keep his body in tip top shape because he couldn't put pen to paper as quickly as he would have liked. Then he goes down with an injury hmmm. It's almost as if spending on OL, or at least not pissing the guy off by moving at a snail's pace, would've been wiser. 

Reader wasn't really impactful either.

Compare 2020 Reader to 2019 Billings:
Billings - 69.3 PFF
Reader - 69.6 PFF

(03-15-2021, 11:14 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: The reason I am actually pissed is this:

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/nfl-salary-cap-set-for-2021-season

"We are certainly not going to sit on our hands," Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said earlier this week.

All the talk like never before and all the hype of we are going to be active and involved and then....


same old Bengals. Sit out till all the Tier 1 guys are gone, and the tier 2's are gone and then dumpster dive and call it a success!

"We didn't over-spend" "We got the guys we were targeting" "We are rolling over cap money to sign our own"

Every year we here that, and every year this team fails. Even in winning seasons, we fail since we can't win a single playoff game.

Tobin's words to me sounded like for once, the team would over-spend if it needed. The team was going to get in there and get tier 1 guys at positions of need. The team was going to keep Lawson and add more pass rush.

What they actually did today was literally the worst case possible.

They might sign quite a few guys when it's all said and done, but none are going to make fans think they'll compete for playoffs.
Quantity over quality.

(03-15-2021, 11:16 PM)ochocincos Wrote: They might sign quite a few guys when it's all said and done, but none are going to make fans think they'll compete for playoffs.
Quantity over quality.

No

No 

NO

NO!


Spend the top money, get the quality and protect the damn QB. 

30 years of the same strategy.. it doesn't work. Good teams see a hole and fill it, shit teams pick at the scraps left over and get excited about we signed 5 guys to their 2.... and their 2 will equal more wins for the team while our 5 will be Bobby Hart-like.

(03-15-2021, 11:06 PM)PDub80 Wrote: Last off-season, fans absolutely blasted the Bengals over the first few days of the initial FA period when they weren't just immediately throwing crazy cash around. The Bengals ended up having some awesome signings that surprised literally everyone outside of PBS. Injuries aside, they nabbed some great players.... after a few days into the FA period. Everyone was happy with what they did... after blasting them early on.

This off-season is only 10 hours old, yet here are the same insults being thrown at the team. There are still fine players available right now. There are still a ton of great guys that will be  released sooner rather than later. Why the panic?

Well, I panic because it appears that they learned how being active in free agency doesn't help. Thinking along the lines of - 'We untypically did some more in FA last time, we finally signed some bigger names, and what changed? Nothing, we're still just as unsuccessful. So we might as well just revert back to doing things the way we did all those years except last one.'

I specifically panic because we need OLine and them OLiners going everywhere but here is a disaster, imho. No matter who they still sign. This OLine is poised to stay just as atrocious and to set up Burrow for a lot of hits and another injury. Which was the issue with last year's FA too, that indeed some other players can't help much if the Line is just bad and messes everything up.

But there seems to be a tendency not to pay these big line guys much to begin with, which appears to be the general way of thinking about these positions. Which also causes me panic.

(03-15-2021, 11:12 PM)ochocincos Wrote: What signings were awesome?
Reader and Waynes are not game changers. They were high-priced pieces to help fill in gaps with the Bengals core.
Reader doesn't greatly improve the pass rush and Waynes isn't a lockdown CB.
They will help some, but they aren't featured pieces.

Reader was considered the #1 Dt
Waynes a highly rated corner 
Alexander was a. upgrade
Bynes was an upgrade
Bell was an excellent signing



The Bengals had an above avg ranking in FA and PFFs #1 moat productive draft. Injuries killed a lot of this, but that has nothing to do w the signings

(03-15-2021, 11:55 PM)PDub80 Wrote: Reader was considered the #1 Dt
Waynes a highly rated corner 
Alexander was a. upgrade
Bynes was an upgrade
Bell was an excellent signing



The Bengals had an above avg ranking in FA and PFFs #1 moat productive draft. Injuries killed a lot of this, but that has nothing to do w the signings

I agree with you that we had some good signings last year but this makes two off-seasons in a row where the biggest and most glaring need and the most important positions are being passed over in the first wave of FA.

The OL is 3 to 4 guys away... and that is alarming. Jonah and Hopkins are the only 2 you keep and Hopkins could be upgraded on.

Yet... here we are and again we are watching the smart teams go out and get the big O-line upgrades while we sit and wait to pick through the remains on the cheap... 

Burrow deserves better. This fanbase deserves better.

(03-15-2021, 11:09 PM)Au165 Wrote: I am usually the rational defender of the team...but I got nothing here. The pass rush will be worse next year, even if they sign Hendrickson. The offensive line was supposed to be the major focus, and while I never expected Thuney, they have let the top tier disappear and at reasonable prices. I think for me the biggest issue I have is that they said they wouldn’t be sitting on their hands and frankly they seemed over confident in their cap space and under estimated every other teams ability to create enough to challenge them financially.

They can salvage an off season that makes them field a similarly talented team to last year, but that isn’t improvement that is spinning your wheels in mediocrity.

Frankly I like Hendrickson more than Lawson. That said, I agree with you on the rest. Kinda disappointing that we aren't going after the top linemen after seeing Burrow get his knee shredded.

(03-16-2021, 12:19 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Frankly I like Hendrickson more than Lawson. That said, I agree with you on the rest. Kinda disappointing that we aren't going after the top linemen after seeing Burrow get his knee shredded.

100% agree with both sentiments.

Like the Hendrickson guy over Lawson. Like Thuney for virtually the same money over Hendrickson.

(03-15-2021, 11:09 PM)Au165 Wrote: I am usually the rational defender of the team...but I got nothing here. The pass rush will be worse next year, even if they sign Hendrickson. The offensive line was supposed to be the major focus, and while I never expected Thuney, they have let the top tier disappear and at reasonable prices. I think for me the biggest issue I have is that they said they wouldn’t be sitting on their hands and frankly they seemed over confident in their cap space and under estimated every other teams ability to create enough to challenge them financially.

They can salvage an off season that makes them field a similarly talented team to last year, but that isn’t improvement that is spinning your wheels in mediocrity.

Perfectly said.

Don't tell us your going to do things and then don't. Thuney was a must sign for me. I really don't care much about signing Lawson as I was all in on protecting Burrow. If you are going to sign defensive end why not Lawson. How do you sign Hendrickson instead of Lawson?

How do you not sign Thuney? 

Thuney & Lindsey should have been signed at all cost for me.

Protect your investment.

(03-16-2021, 12:22 AM)PDub80 Wrote: 100% agree with both sentiments.

Like the Hendrickson guy over Lawson. Like Thuney for virtually the same money over Hendrickson.

Problem is, Thuney isn't coming here for the same money KC offered.  We'd have to be up in the $18+ mil range.  While I would've loved to land Thuney, that's a ton of money for a G that consistently grades in the 70's.

(03-16-2021, 12:45 AM)Whatever Wrote: Problem is, Thuney isn't coming here for the same money KC offered.  We'd have to be up in the $18+ mil range.  While I would've loved to land Thuney, that's a ton of money for a G that consistently grades in the 70's.

Somewhere Joe Thuney best guard in this FA turned into Joe Thuney best guard in football.