Realistic 2020 Expectations

[hollodero]

(04-29-2020, 04:09 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I don't understand what you are saying.  I never said we increased our payroll this much.  All I did was list the NEW players we added to the team.

The most expensive player we lost in free agency was Darquez Dennard who got $4.5 million a year.  That is much less than any of the guys I listed.

And if it turns out cutting Kirkpatrick and replacing him with Waynes was a bad move then that is another reason the coaching staff should be fired.

Oh I do agree with the last part. If we were to win just four or five games, then there needs to be some firing.

As for the rest, my point would be the following. First off, I suppose in all those years the Bengals spent less in FA you were the first person who - rightfully imho - pointed out that spending big in FA is not a sure recipe for success and that many teams have failed with that approach. What did the Browns think last year? They spent a ton and indeed were treated as the next sure winner in the NFL, yet it did not turn out that way. Same happened to the Jags and to many other teams in years before. There's no guarantee it will turn out great for the Bengals.

My second point would be that after all is said and done, each team will still spend the same amount of money for all their player's salaries. So pointing to players, old or new, and how much they make doesn't seem to be the right metric to determine future success to begin with.

Also, Kirkpatrick earned more than Dennard. Sure we did not technically lose him in FA, but he is still gone. And applying a similar logic to yours could lead to a list that says the Bengals will not be successful, because -9 millions are spent on him, -4,5 for Dennard and so on. And in the end, the minusses have to more or less balance out the plusses you listed, except when you account for a higher overall cap. But this puts all the opponents on an overall plus as well and is not a specific Bengals plus.

Lastly, Burrow and Williams are yet unproven. We experienced a Lineman taken at 21 who also missed a year due to injury and was not a contributor to success afterwards, to put it mildly. I don't see a guarantee that this is an impossible scenario regarding Williams just because he was picked 12 picks earlier.