(05-02-2025, 01:39 PM)kevin Wrote: Lou was on the same page with Zac.  Zac wanted Bengals D to have 5 to 6 DB's on the field 80 % of the game, and Lou did.   However Golden who had one of the top coaching jobs in football at Notre Dame is not coming to Cincinnati to play that Zac and Lou defense.  Golden has already said he will have 3 and 4 LB's on the field more.  So instead of this Zac and Lou 5 to 6 DB's on the field 80 % of the game,  Golden is going to have more 3 and 4 LB packages. Sometimes Golden will have the extra DB's on the field, but not 80 % of the game.  Look for Golden to go back to more LB's in more of the game.  Golden said he would.  I think this was agreed on when Golden left the top coaching job at Notre Dame to come to Cincy, that he could run his defense, not the Zac and Lou all DB's all the time defense.  

So for Golden to run his more Linebackers defense, he needed more Front Seven players, because the Zac and Lou didn't have enough of what Golden needs.  The first 2 picks taken, Golden says they fit well with his defense he will run.  They are front 7 players who Golden says can play in a lot of different D packages, and they can shift on the field keeping Golden from caught in the wrong defense as offenses try to do.  Golden says the first 2 players drafted can play in many D packages, and that is what Golden says he needed to have more Front 7 players on the field.  

I like what Golden coming from Notre Dame is saying.  Bengals will not be mostly DB's in a Prevent D as Zac and Lou did most of game.  Golden is going to have more Front 7 D Line and LBs in Bengals games, being more aggressive in the trenches.  Not sitting back in prevent pass coverage all game as Bengals have been doing and losing.  

Zac has said all along that he like 5 to 6 DB's on the field most of game and that is what Lou did.  Golden coming from Notre Dame says that is not what he is going to do. Golden is going to get more Linebackers into Bengals games.  This is why Front 7 players were drafted early.  Get ready for a whole new and different approach to defense on Bengals, and it is needed.  What Bengals were doing on defense wasn't working.  I welcome Golden coming from Notre Dame and shaking things up on Defense.  

On Offense, they have Burrow, Chase and Higgins long term now.  The offense is fine.  The defense was lousy, but Golden from Notre Dame is talking a whole different defense with less extra DB prevent D and more Linebackers. Golden has said sometimes 4 Linebackers on the field.  We were use to Zac and Lou playing only 2 Linebackers.   Get ready for more 3 LB and 4 LB sets out of Golden, but able to go to the Nickle and Dime D also.  This is indeed what Golden has said. Under him the Bengals will use more LB's, as many as 4 LBs sometimes.  Golden brings a whole new era on Bengals D, and it was needed, because Zac and Lou in the Prevent most of the game wasn't working. 

GO BENGALS. ....and people will like these picks more once they see what Golden is doing on defense. More of a Front 7 attack. 

PS : I still do not know why a coach would leave a top job at Notre Dane to come to Bengals, even if he once coached at Bengals.  Still, I think Bengals Fans got lucky that he did.  Golden coming here and the D players drafted is the shake up this way too passive defense needed.  Let's get back to winning games.  Coach Golden saying there will be times he has 4 Linebackers on the field, that is different from anything under Zac and Lou. However Bengals didn't have 4 LB's to put on the field.  So in the draft Front 7 Players were added.  I also like what Coach Golden said after the draft when asked if these picks can tackle.  Golden said most of The Bengals haven't been able to tackle. Coach Golden said that Tackling is something Veterans and Draft Picks are going to get drilled in, because it will be Coach Goldens top priority from Day One. 

You know, if we did have a top defense to go with Burrow, Chase and Higgins, Bengals could be as good a Super Bowl team as Eagles just were.  So I'm all for whatever shake up's Golden has to do. even if it confuses Mike Brown Family, Zac Taylor and Fans at first.  Much like that movie 12 O' Clock High or Patton, when you are losing and things aren't right, somebody has to come in and shake things up to fix the problems.  Coach Golden could just be that person. I do not question Coach Golden or the Draft Picks he likes, I only know major changes were needed to the lousy Bengals defense.  So Go Coach Golden and get this Defense and team winning.  

     

(05-02-2025, 02:30 PM)ochocincos Wrote: I'll be interested to see how the 4 LBs would be used.
Would it be 4 in coverage, or would the 4th really primarily just be used for attacking the LOS?
I'm also interested to know what the 3 DL would be in the case they had 4 LBs out there.
We know Ossai played LB a lot in college, so I could see him getting kicked back there at times.

I wouldn't be opposed to seeing the team run predominant 3-4 looks either.
I've always liked 3-4 defenses.

(05-02-2025, 02:26 PM)kevin Wrote: Not just 3 LB's.  Golden is talking sometimes 4 LB's.   Of course, Bengals didn't have enough Front 7, so in the Draft they added more Front 7.   Golden says sometimes 4 LB's.  This is going to be a whole new defense, and as bad as Bengals were on defense, I welcome the change.   With Burrow, Chase and Higgins locked in, let's get back to The Super Bowl. 

So we agree Ochocinco that we hope the Defense gets better.   You take Burrow, Chase and Higgins and build a good Defense here, and going back to the Super Bowl is very possible, only this time, the Bengals finally win a Super Bowl. 

(05-02-2025, 06:43 PM)Gdale_Bengal Wrote: The first 3 picks going

Harmon
Ratledge
Fairchild

Would have SIGNIFICANTLY helped this team.

(05-02-2025, 07:47 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I agree may have helped the offense assuming the 2 guards could start immediately and been good or better (not Volson good).

But how did this help the defense? Harmon is DT #5 coming in on the depth chart.

(05-02-2025, 03:14 PM)Synric Wrote: I doubt the Bengals use 4 stack linebackers in 34 fronts. I think people are misunderstanding sounds like they want to use Barrett Carter as a special teams guy and rotate him into the defense. Oren Burks may only rotate in with Knight in coverage situations and they Wilson, Knight, Carter in Base 43 fronts.

(05-05-2025, 10:10 AM)ochocincos Wrote: I doubt they would as well.

Marvin would use 4 LBs back in the day but rotate out the SAM for someone better in coverage on 3rd down.

If Bengals predominantly moved to a 3-4, I'd guess it'd be Slaton at NT, Hill and...Jenkins? at DE, and Hendrickson and Ossai at OLB rushing the passer.
And then ILBs would be Wilson and probably Burks.

I am just curious how they end up using everyone because they invested in two LBs in the first four rounds.
That's a lot of draft capital to put toward a position, especially when they had so many other needs.
They obviously won't keep Pratt beyond this year, but still they got Wilson, Burks, and now Knight for 2026. Did they really need to get Carter? Rd 4 feels early for a depth guy.
Maybe the long-term plan is for Carter to develop enough to take over for Burks as LB3 in 2027.

(05-05-2025, 02:01 PM)Whatever Wrote: From the info that's been floated out there, the club supposedly had a 2nd round grade on Carter.  So, more of a BPA pick than one based on need.  Though, he could make Wilson expendable down the line.

(05-02-2025, 05:51 PM)BengalYankee Wrote: The guy on the left.  

(05-05-2025, 04:27 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Yea I heard he was supposedly 4th on their BPA list at 49.
But still, shouldn't teams be drafting based on a plan for how the player will be used during their rookie contract?

Wilson is signed through 2027, which would be the first 3 years of Carter's 4-year rookie contract.
2027 would be the only real year with a decent chunk of cap savings if cut - $5.2 mill.
Wilson would be 31 though by 2027, so maybe it happens.

Still, my goal would be to try to put together the strongest roster for 2025-2026, not necessarily worrying about guys who may take over 3-4 years from now.
For once in this damn team's life, they need to do more to try to win now. It will happen at some point, right?

(05-05-2025, 04:27 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Yea I heard he was supposedly 4th on their BPA list at 49.
But still, shouldn't teams be drafting based on a plan for how the player will be used during their rookie contract?

Wilson is signed through 2027, which would be the first 3 years of Carter's 4-year rookie contract.
2027 would be the only real year with a decent chunk of cap savings if cut - $5.2 mill.
Wilson would be 31 though by 2027, so maybe it happens.

Still, my goal would be to try to put together the strongest roster for 2025-2026, not necessarily worrying about guys who may take over 3-4 years from now.
For once in this damn team's life, they need to do more to try to win now. It will happen at some point, right?

(05-05-2025, 10:10 AM)ochocincos Wrote: I doubt they would as well.

Marvin would use 4 LBs back in the day but rotate out the SAM for someone better in coverage on 3rd down.

If Bengals predominantly moved to a 3-4, I'd guess it'd be Slaton at NT, Hill and...Jenkins? at DE, and Hendrickson and Ossai at OLB rushing the passer.
And then ILBs would be Wilson and probably Burks.

I am just curious how they end up using everyone because they invested in two LBs in the first four rounds.
That's a lot of draft capital to put toward a position, especially when they had so many other needs.
They obviously won't keep Pratt beyond this year, but still they got Wilson, Burks, and now Knight for 2026. Did they really need to get Carter? Rd 4 feels early for a depth guy.
Maybe the long-term plan is for Carter to develop enough to take over for Burks as LB3 in 2027.

(05-06-2025, 11:06 AM)Whatever Wrote: To me, spending his rookie year on ST's, the next two as the 3rd LB/sub package player/primary backup, then assuming a starting role in Year 4 is a perfectly reasonable career plan for a 4th round pick.  And that can be accelerated if Carter earns more PT and/or Wilson or Pratt gets cut/traded.  

Looking at the '21 draft, as it's a full rookie contract cycle, only 12 of 38 players drafted in the 4th recorded at least one year as a primary starter per PFR.  12 of those players were also out of the league entirely by 2024.  To break it down even further, only 9 players were multi year primary starters(which seems to be your expectations), and only 1 made a Pro Bowl.  Conversely, 13 of the players that were still in the league last year were playing for a team other than the one that drafted them at some point during those four years.  

So the odds are as follows for a 4th rounder based on the '21 class...

Pro Bowler 2.6%

Multi year starter 21.1%

Eventual Starter 31.6%

Cut before the end of rookie deal 65.8%

Out of the league entirely within 4 years 31.6%

(05-07-2025, 11:30 AM)CottonHill Wrote: I wanted Nolen, if you have intel he was going the pick before then you try to trade up for cheap...that takes the FO being proactive so that was out. So, stayong put,
Jihad Campbell
Tate Ratledge
With these two you have two, bonafide, above average starters for the next 5 years. Not sexy but certain. I flirted with going Pearce or Campbell and Mike Green. But you have some questions about character and if either are more than just pass rushers.
Unfortunately, we went Stewart who may not be able to rush the passer or stop the run,.... and D Knight who only broke out after he was 2 years older than the average college starter.
Then, we wouldn't have to reach for Fairchild and we have already filled two starting holes at lb and g, so we can go BPA
Xavier Watts
I was good with the Carter pick
Mbow over Rivers but ok with Rivers
Ok with Brooks but i would have taken a flyer on Ewers
so
Campbell
Ratledge
Watts
Carter
Mbow
Ewers

(05-02-2025, 10:20 AM)Whatever Wrote: It's been a couple of years since I looked into it, but OL's starting multiple rookies tend to perform pretty badly as a unit.  At least according to PFF's year end OL rankings.  So drafting two starting G's wouldn't be a very sound strategy.

Personally, I saw Ratledge as a 3rd round talent.  His testing was off the charts, but didn't really show up on the film I saw.  He's short armed for a G, and I don't like spending premium picks on OL that don't meet minimum arm length thresholds.  Plus, he's also tall and has a tendency to play too upright, so that with the short arms indicates some guys will get into his chest and knock him off the LoS with proper leverage.