01-02-2021, 02:24 PM
(12-23-2020, 01:37 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: 1.) No one draft pick alone is going to fix our problems, or is a guarantee. (Don't get too hung up on Sewell if we miss out)
2.) No one knows if Zac Taylor saved his job Monday Night. Until the Browns/Blackburns speak it's all speculation at this point.
3.) We need OL help in Free Agency regardless if we draft Sewell. You can love the idea of XSF and Spain starting, or you can dismiss big dollar free agency. But we still, at the very least, need QUALITY and PROVEN depth.
4.) We can't count on Joe Burrow being back to form right away. Even with an earliest recovery of 9 months, that still means a lot of missed offseason activities (OTA's, Minicamps, offseason throwing with receivers, part of training camp) I'm not saying this to say it can't happen, I'm saying this to say it's not a guarantee.
5.) WJIII needs to walk unless he commands less than 8 mil per. We have two much invested in Waynes, and we already have a great safety combo of Bates and Bell. Pouring that much money into the secondary is overkill. Save the cash for free agency and for Bates next season. WJIII can be a very good corner at times, but he can also be extremely frustating. He's not a playermaker either. Hasn't developed as well as I would have liked. There's better uses of money.
6.) Carl Lawson is a MUST sign. We've developed a nice player here. We need to get better at rushing the passer. Losing him makes us worse. You can't preach about developing in house and keeping players and then letting guys like this walk. Don't do to him what you did to Zeitler.
7.) Geno, Bobby Hart, Gio and CJ Uzomah are all must cuts if they're not willing to restructure their contracts. I'll expend on this more if anyone thinks it really needs an explanation. (I don't think it does)
8.) Alex Erikson CANNOT be resigned. He just can't.
9.) Lou Aranumo is a better DC than Zac is an OC. I've seen a lot of people say that removing him would be a great start to fixing what ails this team. Now, I'm not opposed to replacing him, but I think the offensive playcalling and scheme is a much more pressing matter. The entire offsense needs overhauled, and we need a competent OC to do it. This dink and dunk pass game, lack of identity and terrible Red Zone offense isn't going to cut it.
10.) This board would be a much better place if we all just realized that everybody wants the same thing (for the Bengals to be successful). We may disagree on how to get there, but just remember the person you're debating only wants to see the team be as good as they possibly can.
PS I hope everyone here has a great holiday.
PPS Christmas Vacation > Home Alone And it's not even close
Great post. Hope you had a nice holiday season.
Agree 100% on #1 (1 pick not a cureall), #3 (need a FA OL regardless of pick), #4 (Burrow may not beready for opener), #6 (sign Lawson), and #10 (board). That's 5/10.
On point #2, the team has spoken on ZT since the opening post, and he'll be back.
I will dispute point #9 a bit. We scored 30+ points in four of Burrow's nine complete games, and 27 in another. All with a rookie QB and no camp to speak of. The defense has sucked vs pretty much every team that isn't awful on O (pre-Herbert SD, Philly, Wash, Giants) except for the Titans/Steelers wins.
Mostly agree on WJ3. But I might be willing to change course depending on how the draft and FA play out. If we land Surtain then he's gone. If we trade down for multiple picks, strikeout on FA OL, or generally have a lot of space due to other moves (Hart, AJ, etc), I might be willing to go $10 mil on WJ3. Phillips' recent good play makes the decision easier. Though if we loose Alexander & do not draft a CB high, I am more willing to pay him.
Flatly disagree on Erickson. He is a perfectly acceptable backup slot receiver for cheap. AJ, Ross, and maybe Thomas are the guys I'd replace first. Boyd, Higgins, and Tate are your keepers. Erickson next. If AJ will settle for a shorter term deal for cheap-ish, I'd consider it. No way I keep 7 WRs next year.
Mixed bag on the others. Gio is well worth his money. I am more than willing to give Atkins a shot next to Reader, a shot after getting healthy, and/or a shot with a new DC. Plus he has $5 mil in dead cap, so while the savings are considerable, there is a hit. CJ & Hart are low level starter quality types. A tad overpaid. But if there is no upgrade coming, they are still starters. I do not want to downgrade just to downgrade. And OL depth is paramount. Worth a shot on restructuring.
