Allergic to Spending for Stars?

[Luvnit2]

(03-17-2017, 07:49 AM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: Yes, I know the Bengals desperately need stronger personnel in the trenches but I happened to notice running backs LeGarrette Blount and DeAngelo Williams are still unrestricted free agents as of St. Patrick's Day morning.  Wouldn't it be great, just once, if the Front Office would just call one of their agents just to chit-chat?  Are they upgrades from Jeremy Hill or not?  To me, free agency and the draft aren't just about filling holes and mitigating gaps and such, but actually making bold moves which move the team closer to winning the Super Bowl.  

Left tackle Ryan Clady is still unsigned by any team.  Sebastian Vollmer can play either tackle position with equal facility yet there he is, sitting by the phone with all that sweet Patriot stank on him.  Nick Mangold is pacing the floor wondering why the Bengals consider Russell Bodine a better center when Nick could upgrade the offensive line simply by walking into the Cincinnati locker room.  Jahri Evans is a guard who Drew Brees calls the best pass protector he's ever seen but he's still unsigned.  My sleeper picks for the Bengals would be former Seahawk tackle Breno Giacomini or former Lion Gosder Cherilus.  There are upgrades to be had -- and for cheap at this point.

I get your point, but some of your examples fall flat for me, especially the running backs where the draft is loaded with quality and they are much younger. I like Mangold to start over Bodine and also groom him. Bodine has had no veteran center to learn his craft, maybe a vet could help him get better also while showing daily in practice.

As far as the tackles go, I think you wait until after the draft as each day their value decreases. None you mentioned have played to their contract other than Vollmer in my opinion. I see the FO shoring up the defense and my guess in the draft they shore up both sides of the ball with 1st 2 picks.