03-07-2018, 02:06 PM
(03-07-2018, 03:21 AM)muskiesfan Wrote: I think the big issue with the Bengals on this is Mike Brown. Brown favors certain positions and is willing to invest more into certain positions than others. While the overwhelming majority of owners and GMs seem to grasp the team concept of winning, Brown focuses on specific position groups. Other teams like to try and build the best overall team they can, Mike Brown believes in logjams at a couple of positions and the rest of the team is bottom of the barrel players. Until Mike Brown can actually care about anything other than money, none of this will change.
There are many aspects of what the Bengals do that I like.
They don't get into financial trouble with contracts like say the Redskins did a number of years back with too many high priced Free Agent signings, like Washington did with Albert Haynesworth & some others as I remember.
I can also understand drafting and developing behind veteran players that are expected to be leaving the team say the next season or so.
I am leaning towards thinking that what the Bengals have been doing just needs tweaked a little bit to improve the starting roster itself.
I see the starting team as a chain with links and if say there are 3 obvious weak links in that starting player chain, then it stands to reason that a lot can be gained by turning those weak links into Strong links. Drafts seem to be the main way this has to happen since Free Agency is not used aggressively by the Bengals.
Make glaring weak links Strong with for example a 1st round legit Left Tackle and a 2nd round linebacker then a 3rd round Center assuming players are there that are worthy of being taken at that time in those rounds of the draft. Or any combination LB, LT, C etc.
Or two of three weak links get upgraded with the first three picks. All depends on what players are there. Later round picks can then be used at different positions and maybe they hit on one of them as a pipeline player to develop behind a veteran starter.
The next draft comes along and hopefully the starting chain has just 1 weak link that year since the previous draft made former weak links Strong. Setting up strong links behind veteran starting links that may be leaving the team soon could then be RESUMED at a higher rate with higher round picks now that fewer weak starting links are on the chain.
Try to find a Balance of the best of both worlds with a little more emphasis on making weak starting links Strong at any position when possible and then moving on from there with say the cornerback pipeline resumed with early round picks the next draft etc. Never pass on taking a superior player but if the quality of players at two different positions are similar, then Upgrade the weak starting link.
Even if say the corner pipeline gets thin then it can be a weak link target itself in a draft if it came to that after other weak starting links were addressed the draft prior.
Upgrade glaring weak links at a higher rate then resume what they typically like to do from there and repeat back and forth, draft to draft, as glaring weak starting links present themselves.
Make weak starting links strong and then resume putting strong links behind our veteran players that may be leaving soon.
