Thoughts from Lap on LB, O-line, free agency

[SunsetBengal]

(12-31-2019, 06:02 PM)Essex Johnson Wrote: I would stick with Turner , the line played better down the stretch and 3 Ol coaches in 3 years not good for team..
Give him the 1st rounder on Off. With 3 to 4 starters at same position under same system is a good thing especially with a rookie QB most likely at the helm

I agree with this.  Many fans had simply decided that Turner was going to be terrible and was a bad pick for the job, because of their personal feelings about him with regard to previous incidents involving sensitive social issues.  If you judge him only by what he did with the Bengals OL this season, and factor in what he had to work with, then the needle on the gauge must be at least pointing toward "not bad".

Between injuries and retirements, this guy was literally handed a group of misfits, castoffs and leftovers, and tasked with turning them into a cohesive unit, despite many of them having little to no experience playing together.  I'm not trying to sugar coat a terrible season, by any means.  This OL was horrible for much of the season.  However, in the back half of the season, this did show some notable improvement.  To me that at least shows that the players in his charge were buying into whatever Turner was selling.  I'd say that he deserves at least another year, and a couple of roster improvements, to see if he can keep the upward momentum going.

[*SHRacerX*]

(12-31-2019, 04:45 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: He was on with Lance and had this to say:

He think Cordy is done as a Bengal, but thinks he'll be released instead of traded.

Thinks Johnson could wind up being the starting RT, with Hart being the swing guy.

Says they need to sign 2 FA linebackers and then draft 2 as well.

Feels they have to 'throw the fans a bone' in free agency, even if they have to overpay.

This is true, and it has to be the proverbial "splash signing".  I don't mean you go after a whale like OBJ, as Cleveland did, because I hate the single, overprice FA....rarely works out.  Ask the Jets about Leveon Bell, etc.  

They had their chance with Earl Thomas....a player like that.  HIgher salary but not ridiculous...a leader and a difference maker.  That is what I am hoping for....

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-01-2020, 04:16 AM)samhain Wrote: That dude is a cockroach.  No matter what, he seems to find his way out there at some point.  

Another great potential sarcastic name on a jersey:  COCKROACH on his number.  That's hilarious

[BengalsRocker]

(01-01-2020, 11:50 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: This is true, and it has to be the proverbial "splash signing".  I don't mean you go after a whale like OBJ, as Cleveland did, because I hate the single, overprice FA....rarely works out.  Ask the Jets about Leveon Bell, etc.  

They had their chance with Earl Thomas....a player like that.  HIgher salary but not ridiculous...a leader and a difference maker.  That is what I am hoping for....

Think Dansby when he was first available.

Not the version we got later in his career.

He wasn't some superstar FA but would've been great when he was at his peak.

[TheBengalsMind]

Not going to lie, I'm a little nervous on how this offseason is going to go.

I'm a little nervous about how this franchise seems content to go ahead as they currently sit. They currently sit as the 26th ranked offense and 29th ranked defense in total yards. That should be all that anybody needs to know, but it's also way too early to call anything.

It's not going to be easy to legitimately fix both of those, I'd say that our focus is going to be mainly on offense during the draft. So, I'd agree that we need two FA LB's.

Obviously, if you trade Dalton for a 2nd and it'll help the team rebuild with not only money saved, but the extra pick.

You could potentially do the same with Green, tag him and trade him if no deal, that is right for both sides, can be reached.

With Joe Burrow being your number 1, I would of liked to have brought in Joe Brady just to make his transition to the NFL even easier.

However, there are reports that LSU will offer him 1.5 million dollars to be a "passing game" assistant, that would make him the highest paid assistant that is neither a offensive or defensive coordinator, and the 8th highest paid assistant period in college.

I remind people that his experience, as in actually having hands on coaching experience, is this year! He was a LB's coach for two years at William & Mary, a Graduate Assistant coach at Penn State and a offensive assistant for 2 years with the Saints which meant his job was probably getting film ready for the other coaches and things like that.

So his only hands on coaching experience on offense IS THIS YEAR!

At 1.5 million the Bengals would have to make him OC, it'd be a big and huge risk, but it may be one worth looking at.

I felt like Zac Taylor improved as a coach throughout the year, he did keep the players involved throughout the year other than Glenn, who is more than likely on his way out.

So I don't have a problem with letting Zac have another year, but an improvement I want to see this offseason from Zac is to not "blow smoke."

What do I mean by that? I think Zac was a little "star eyed" his rookie season. He thought he could just walk in and just get more out of players then they were capable of doing.

That's why we outbid ourselves for Drew Sample and Hart.

Which is why I disagree with Dave on overpaying for a guy, just for the sake of it.

We could have got Hart cheaper and got Drew Sample later, which is why I don't want Zac to build up a player that far in his own head.

Try to be more level headed on the moves you make.

Obviously, it's okay to overpay a guy a little if you know the impact he can have on the team, but just doing it for the sake of it will have the exact opposite effect of "throwing the fans a bone."

You do that and the fans just might take that bone and use it to beat you over the head with it, so to speak. Lol

[coachmcneil71]

(01-01-2020, 11:29 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I agree with this.  Many fans had simply decided that Turner was going to be terrible and was a bad pick for the job, because of their personal feelings about him with regard to previous incidents involving sensitive social issues.  If you judge him only by what he did with the Bengals OL this season, and factor in what he had to work with, then the needle on the gauge must be at least pointing toward "not bad".

Between injuries and retirements, this guy was literally handed a group of misfits, castoffs and leftovers, and tasked with turning them into a cohesive unit, despite many of them having little to no experience playing together.  I'm not trying to sugar coat a terrible season, by any means.  This OL was horrible for much of the season.  However, in the back half of the season, this did show some notable improvement.  To me that at least shows that the players in his charge were buying into whatever Turner was selling.  I'd say that he deserves at least another year, and a couple of roster improvements, to see if he can keep the upward momentum going.

Ran the ball pretty well in the last third to half of the season. He earned another year for sure. With a healthy group and a little help, next season could be another big year for Mixon. 

[BacknDaDey]

Because the Bengals went 2 - 14, which is way under everyone's expectations and the fact that they don't have any compensation picks, I'm thinking we are going to see some worthwhile free agent pickups this year. I don't think there will be any BS has been players signed this time. I think they go away from what they normally do. Perfect example is signing the CFL CB and picking the Green Bay CB off the waiver wire so soon.

[BengalChris]

(12-31-2019, 04:45 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: He was on with Lance and had this to say:

He think Cordy is done as a Bengal, but thinks he'll be released instead of traded.

Thinks Johnson could wind up being the starting RT, with Hart being the swing guy.

Says they need to sign 2 FA linebackers and then draft 2 as well.

Feels they have to 'throw the fans a bone' in free agency, even if they have to overpay.

Sadly, that shows that he knows the team is more interested in attendance than winning.

Also, I don't see how Hart could be a swing tackle. He'd be back up RT. Don't want him on the left side, ever. Johnson would probably have to move over to left if Williams gets injured.

I am happy that he sees we new LBers. It's been an ignored position for quite some time. Pratt may end up being okay, but so far the tackles were not there on a consistent basis.

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-01-2020, 01:32 PM)TheBengalsMind Wrote: Not going to lie, I'm a little nervous on how this offseason is going to go.

I'm a little nervous about how this franchise seems content to go ahead as they currently sit. They currently sit as the 26th ranked offense and 29th ranked defense in total yards. That should be all that anybody needs to know, but it's also way too early to call anything.

It's not going to be easy to legitimately fix both of those, I'd say that our focus is going to be mainly on offense during the draft. So, I'd agree that we need two FA LB's.

Obviously, if you trade Dalton for a 2nd and it'll help the team rebuild with not only money saved, but the extra pick.

You could potentially do the same with Green, tag him and trade him if no deal, that is right for both sides, can be reached.

With Joe Burrow being your number 1, I would of liked to have brought in Joe Brady just to make his transition to the NFL even easier.

However, there are reports that LSU will offer him 1.5 million dollars to be a "passing game" assistant, that would make him the highest paid assistant that is neither a offensive or defensive coordinator, and the 8th highest paid assistant period in college.

I remind people that his experience, as in actually having hands on coaching experience, is this year! He was a LB's coach for two years at William & Mary, a Graduate Assistant coach at Penn State and a offensive assistant for 2 years with the Saints which meant his job was probably getting film ready for the other coaches and things like that.

So his only hands on coaching experience on offense IS THIS YEAR!

At 1.5 million the Bengals would have to make him OC, it'd be a big and huge risk, but it may be one worth looking at.

I felt like Zac Taylor improved as a coach throughout the year, he did keep the players involved throughout the year other than Glenn, who is more than likely on his way out.

So I don't have a problem with letting Zac have another year, but an improvement I want to see this offseason from Zac is to not "blow smoke."

What do I mean by that? I think Zac was a little "star eyed" his rookie season. He thought he could just walk in and just get more out of players then they were capable of doing.

That's why we outbid ourselves for Drew Sample and Hart.

Which is why I disagree with Dave on overpaying for a guy, just for the sake of it.

We could have got Hart cheaper and got Drew Sample later, which is why I don't want Zac to build up a player that far in his own head.

Try to be more level headed on the moves you make.

Obviously, it's okay to overpay a guy a little if you know the impact he can have on the team, but just doing it for the sake of it will have the exact opposite effect of "throwing the fans a bone."

You do that and the fans just might take that bone and use it to beat you over the head with it, so to speak. Lol

Lots of good stuff on here, but I don't think Lap was saying to overpay just for the sake of it...I think that is the corner the Begnals have painted themselves in to and might have to pay extra to lure a top FA.  And I don't think it should be a 15 million per year player, but offering a 5 million a year guy something like 6 million or just laying more incentives in the contract, would not only be wise, but possibly necessary.

A solid LB and Safety is where I would start.  I think they will be drafting another OT and G, but those defensive spots, I want sure-thing veterans.  

[Sled21]

(01-01-2020, 04:53 PM)BengalChris Wrote: Sadly, that shows that he knows the team is more interested in attendance than winning.

Also, I don't see how Hart could be a swing tackle. He'd be back up RT. Don't want him on the left side, ever. Johnson would probably have to move over to left if Williams gets injured.

I am happy that he sees we new LBers. It's been an ignored position for quite some time. Pratt may end up being okay, but so far the tackles were not there on a consistent basis.

Pratt just keeps getting better and better, and at the end of the year was playing pretty impressive for a rookie. 

[Hammerstripes]

(12-31-2019, 10:30 PM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: They still need 2 starters and 2 backups.

I think that he is saying that there are 4 positions open but only semi-occupied at the moment. Just because Pratt and Vigil look to be the best of the Bengals LB corp doesn't mean that they are good enough.

They need to find people to cover the RBs out of the backfield and they need to find someone that can cover a freakin' TE.

I think Pratt is a starting LB.  The point i was making is that there's no way they should draft 2 LBs high in the draft or sign 2 for decent money when there are only 2 on the field 80% of the time.  Our LBs would look much better as a unit if we had one stud.

[XenoMorph]

(01-02-2020, 01:26 PM)Hammerstripes Wrote: I think Pratt is a starting LB.  The point i was making is that there's no way they should draft 2 LBs high in the draft or sign 2 for decent money when there are only 2 on the field 80% of the time.  Our LBs would look much better as a unit if we had one stud.

doubtful we draft 2 high....  maybe 1 in the first 3 rounds depending on how the rounds fall and who we grab in FA...

But we will need some Depth for LB/STs later in the draft.