Questions Regarding our 3rd LB Spot

[*jason*]

(02-21-2024, 10:08 PM)mhbsavant Wrote: I didn't see a bunch of opportunity given to Jones and Yoshi! Put Jones and Yoshi on the Chiefs, and give us their third, fourth, or fifth receivers and they'd still would have won the championship! Either Yoshi and Jones is enough for Burrow and he can elevate them as Maholmes would have or he cant! No way would Bengals fans been happy with 

Kelce
Rice
MVS
and whoever the 4th and 5th receivers are for KC but they would have made it happen! 

Chase, Tee, Jones, Irwin, and Yoshi should be enough to win, simple as that! Bengal's fans believe we need 4-5 great receivers, trying to find the last time a team with 4-5 great receivers won the superbowl....

Mahomes didn't elevate Moore or Toney. If fact, by his own standards, Mahomes had sorta a down year... Because his WRs weren't up to par, and Kelce is stepping into the ring with Father Time.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-22-2024, 07:14 PM)jason Wrote: Mahomes didn't elevate Moore or Toney. If fact, by his own standards, Mahomes had sorta a down year... Because his WRs weren't up to par, and Kelce is stepping into the ring with Father Time.

Yeah...

Kind of hard to elevate players that were dropping the ball all year lol

The truth is the Chiefs Defense and running game were good enough to help them win it all. Kelce is great we all know it but the Chiefs 
Defense was good this year and Pacheco was running well late and it took the pressure off of Mahomes for it to be all on him. 

If the Bengals get their Defense back to being decent and a running game to take the pressure off of Burrow he will be just fine and I bet
we win the SB this year after rolling through the Chiefs in the Playoffs. A new Linebacker is not what is needed as much as needed moves 
in trenches on this team bottom line. The communication will come as the players on Defense gel together, it takes time.

I doubt Yoshi would of helped Mahomes either until he holds onto the ball better anyways. Chuck Sizzle was injured most of the year.

I agree with Ike, we don't know what we have in these 2 yet.

[mhbsavant]

(02-22-2024, 07:14 PM)jason Wrote: Mahomes didn't elevate Moore or Toney. If fact, by his own standards, Mahomes had sorta a down year... Because his WRs weren't up to par, and Kelce is stepping into the ring with Father Time.

YET, they still won the superbowl! 

if we aint trying to build a team that can win a super bowl with:

Kelce 984 yds
Rice 938 yds
Watson 460 yds
MVS 315 yds

then what's the point. If he can win with those 4 guys then we should be able to win with:

Chase 1214 yds
Higgins 656 yds
Hudson 352 yds
Irwin 316 yds
Yosi 116 yds
Jones 64 yds

If we cant, then we need new coaches or a new quarteback because Maholmes just proved it can be done! Fix what needs fixed to win with what you got and apparently a super bowl can be won without a staple of number 1 receivers!

#NoExcuses

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-26-2024, 11:24 AM)mhbsavant Wrote: YET, they still won the superbowl! 

if we aint trying to build a team that can win a super bowl with:

Kelce 984 yds
Rice 938 yds
Watson 460 yds
MVS 315 yds

then what's the point. If he can win with those 4 guys then we should be able to win with:

Chase 1214 yds
Higgins 656 yds
Hudson 352 yds
Irwin 316 yds
Yosi 116 yds
Jones 64 yds

If we cant, then we need new coaches or a new quarteback because Maholmes just proved it can be done! Fix what needs fixed to win with what you got and apparently a super bowl can be won without a staple of number 1 receivers!

#NoExcuses

Our QB needs to stay healthy first and foremost and our Defense needs to play 10 times better than it did last year. If we make the trenches
strong at DT and RT and Tee actually plays hard on the Tag and we improve our run Defense and Offense we should be right back in the SB 
talk I agree, but we cannot rely on Tee playing great and staying healthy and we cannot rely on an extension either.

I would rather go DT and RT early in the Draft than WR but if a talent like Brian Thomas Jr is there at 18 he is the perfect Tee replacement.

[JoeyB2023]

(02-14-2024, 06:36 PM)jj22 Wrote: Couple questions, I'd like folks thoughts on.

Do we need an upgrade to LB3?
Are we content with LB3,4,5 being special teams positions?
If Pratt or Wilson go down are we comfortable with LB3 stepping in full time?
Would you consider drafting a LB early (Trotter)
Would you consider signing an upgrade FA? Or content with re-signing all 3 backups?

Bring in Isiah Simmons to compete for the starting spot. Tired of vets having their spot regardless of play. Earn each year and Pratt and Wilson certainly needs to earn it. Simmons will push those two to play better or he slides in. Don’t waste a draft pick on an LB they’ve already invested there. Pay for some Insurance now.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-26-2024, 02:45 PM)JoeyB2023 Wrote: Bring in Isiah Simmons to compete for the starting spot.  Tired of vets having their spot regardless of play.  Earn each year and Pratt and Wilson certainly needs to earn it.  Simmons will push those two to play better or he slides in.  Don’t waste a draft pick on an LB they’ve already invested there.  Pay for some Insurance now.

Not against Simmons in FA at all, we need to make Pratt a 2 down Linebacker again, he struggled big time as a 3 down LB last year.

Wilson was hurt, so I give him a bit of a pass for last years poor play.

[jj22]

I think it'll be good to have some legit competition behind Pratt and Wilson that could force Lou to play 3 lb's. I also am concerned with how quickly that position will become a need if 1 of them are injured.

I'm not comfortable with LB 3,4,5 being special teamers who can pull spot duty at times if needed. We need 1 of those three (even if special teamers), being developed to start or with starting potential.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-26-2024, 03:05 PM)jj22 Wrote: I think it'll be good to have some legit competition behind Pratt and Wilson that could force Lou to play 3 lb's. I also am concerned with how quickly that position will become a need if 1 of them are injured.

I'm not comfortable with LB 3,4,5 being special teamers who can pull spot duty at times if needed. We need 1 of those three (even if special teamers), being developed to start or with starting potential.

I would bring back ADG and Bailey though, I like ADG's upside and Bailey just always plays good.

[*ochocincos*]

(02-26-2024, 03:35 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I would bring back ADG and Bailey though, I like ADG's upside and Bailey just always plays good.

One would have to think that if they are as good as they/we think they are, they want to go somewhere they'll get a lot more playing time.

2023 defensive snaps for the backup LBs:
ADG - 99 snaps (12%)
Bailey - 29 snaps (3%)
Bachie - 10 snaps (1%)

Pratt's sub-$7 mill APY contract lends itself to justify moving him back to a 2-down LB role, but was part of him willing to re-sign for that amount because he was told/guaranteed to get to be a 3-down LB as long as he's healthy?

An alternative is actually cutting/trading him, as he would free up a good amount of the cap and very little dead cap remaining.
Bengals could repurpose a portion of that money toward Bailey, ADG, and/or another LB to give them more playing time, maybe even moving away from the nickel defense and go back to more traditional base 4-3. Although I would see that being more situational only playing against a run-heavy team like the divisional opponents.

As long as Pratt is still in CIN and the Bengals continue to prefer running a 2-LB scheme, I don't see much reason a veteran would want to sign with CIN unless they didn't have any other option(s) on the table.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-26-2024, 05:13 PM)ochocincos Wrote: One would have to think that if they are as good as they/we think they are, they want to go somewhere they'll get a lot more playing time.

2023 defensive snaps for the backup LBs:
ADG - 99 snaps (12%)
Bailey - 29 snaps (3%)
Bachie - 10 snaps (1%)

Pratt's sub-$7 mill APY contract lends itself to justify moving him back to a 2-down LB role, but was part of him willing to re-sign for that amount because he was told/guaranteed to get to be a 3-down LB as long as he's healthy?

An alternative is actually cutting/trading him, as he would free up a good amount of the cap and very little dead cap remaining.
Bengals could repurpose a portion of that money toward Bailey, ADG, and/or another LB to give them more playing time, maybe even moving away from the nickel defense and go back to more traditional base 4-3. Although I would see that being more situational only playing against a run-heavy team like the divisional opponents.

As long as Pratt is still in CIN and the Bengals continue to prefer running a 2-LB scheme, I don't see much reason a veteran would want to sign with CIN unless they didn't have any other option(s) on the table.

Nice post Ochocincos. Yeah, I am actually open to trading Pratt now, we gave him his shot at 3-down LB and he disappointed big time.

At the very least we need for him to go back to being a 2-down LB and if he isn't happy with that we should think about trading him or even 
cutting him if he keeps up the poor play. Offensive players are onto his hold up and strip methods that now just give the Offense much more 
yards, not a good habit he has acquired. 

[mhbsavant]

(02-26-2024, 02:41 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Our QB needs to stay healthy first and foremost and our Defense needs to play 10 times better than it did last year. If we make the trenches
strong at DT and RT and Tee actually plays hard on the Tag and we improve our run Defense and Offense we should be right back in the SB 
talk I agree, but we cannot rely on Tee playing great and staying healthy and we cannot rely on an extension either.

I would rather go DT and RT early in the Draft than WR but if a talent like Brian Thomas Jr is there at 18 he is the perfect Tee replacement.

I agree