Comp picks dictating FA approach

[*bengalfan74*]

(03-14-2017, 09:13 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: They've always approached FA that way, even before their zany obsession with compensatory picks. Any time they've dabbled in FA, it's usually not to upgrade, but rather replace a departed free agent.

Lavernues Coles = Houshmandzadeh replacement
Antonio Bryant = Coles replacement
TO = Bryant replacement
Nate Clements + Newman = JJo replacements
Antwan Odom = Justin Smith replacement
Manny Lawson = Dhani replacement (Maualuga moved from Sam to Mike)
James Harrison = Lawson replacement
AJ Hawk = Harrison replacement
Keenan Robinson would = AJ Hawk replacement
BJGE = CedBen replacement (Benson was an emergency signing that was oh-so-Bengals...troubled bust)
Brandon LaFell = MLJ replacement
Michael Johnson = Michael Johnson replacement
Andre Smith = Andre Smith replacement
Travelle Wharton = Nate Livings replacement


I mean, that's pretty much every "top" free agent we've signed. This team does not use FA to upgrade. It only sees FA as a Band-Aid to fix a hole...usually with a player that is cheaper than the player that left.

Like cincy jungle on not this quote is so very spot on:

The Bengals seemingly enter free agency knowing they'll have a worse roster after it's over. Their main objecting in free agency is to minimize the level of “worseness” that their roster undergoes, hoping they can get back to where they started through their draft picks. This strategy makes it difficult for a team to ever get better. Rather it is a perpetual mechanism of sameness which slowly bleeds the roster dry.