(01-18-2020, 08:09 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: I can see Mike keeping Andy on the roster since no one is going to offer the type of compensation he thinks Andy is worth.

(01-18-2020, 04:30 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: The free agency is the real telling moment, if the Bengals get active in free agency and try to actually improve the roster prior to the draft then this is a real effort and the Burrow pick is less of a concern.

If they are going to just extend their own and sit on their hands, then the Burrow pick will be a waste and we get to relive the 90's.

(01-18-2020, 09:35 PM)BengalsFan1986 Wrote: Burrow wore #10 in high school and at Ohio State. Not sure what the change was at LSU but we might all want to pump the breaks on the #9 jerseys for now.

(01-18-2020, 10:21 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: Just my opinion, but I don't think Andy will be a Bengal next year for a couple of reasons:

1) Andy has been a very good company man. Mike thanked him at the end of season for what he's done for the organization. I think they'll take the best deal they can get and allow Andy the opportunity to compete for a starting job elsewhere.

2) Drafting Burrow and keeping Andy only serves to create tension that doesn't need to be there. Andy will not be happy being forced to stay on the team and being relegated to backup, as we saw after he was benched for Finley.

(01-19-2020, 02:24 AM)JSR18 Wrote: Joe Burrow is a HUGE Drew Brees fan. That's why he wore #9 at LSU... 

(01-19-2020, 02:55 PM)BengalsFan1986 Wrote: I didn’t know that. Good to know though. Guess we’ll have to wait and see which way he goes. Will he stick with #10 in Ohio or bring #9 back with him. I’m really hoping that’s the most suspense we experience on draft day.

(01-18-2020, 04:14 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: So, Bengaldom, which is it?

Is this offseason about putting butts in seats and selling jerseys or is it about winning?

I’m all for drafting Joe Burrow #1OA.  That’s no longer up for debate unless Mike Brown is offered a one-sided deal not even any of us would refuse.  I give it 95% probability Joe Burrow will be inking his rookie deal with the Bengals in a few short months.

With Joe Burrow in the fold as of the evening of 23 April, let’s rewind to March 2020 when free agency opens.  This is the first indicator of which way the “butts in seats and jerseys vs. winning” debate will turn.  The Cincinnati Bengals have usually slept through free agency, sometimes “kicking the tires” on a player or two, signing one here and there, but pretty much laying low while all the good teams make big moves.

Mike Brown doesn’t like free agency and he’s gone on the record saying so.  However, this holds back the team’s overall progress.  Free agency, whether we like it or not, is a fact of life.  Along with drafts and trading, free agency is a viable way to build a competitive team.  The best teams use all three ways but the Bengals prefer to focus on the draft alone.

If the Bengals want to win they must be aggressive in free agency.  If they are not I’ll be very concerned until the 33d pick in the draft comes up.  If. I hear Roger Goodell announce the Bengals’ pick as an NFL-ready linebacker or offensive lineman, it will give me hope the Front Office wants to win.  If the 33d pick, and those after it, turn out to be a bunch of Drew Sample-like head scratchers I’ll know only butts in the seats and jersey sales are important.

Joe Burrow has the potential to be a very good NFL quarterback but he will  need a solid team around him to become a star.  I do not want him to become Archie Manning 2.0 who was an outstanding player surrounded by a team of drones led by awful coaches.  A player like Joe only comes along on rare occasion so let’s hope the Front Office prioritizes winning over selling seats and jerseys.

Besides, winning creates the demand for tickets and jerseys in and of itself.