***Official Bengals Free Agency Thread***

[*Synric*]

(03-16-2021, 12:33 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Reports are that signing him means they aren't bringing back WJIII

So 2 signings and 2 downgrades. 

Meanwhile Michael Jordan and Bobby Hart are slotted as starters still....

Good plan they have here

Chidobe Awuzie was very good in 2018 and 2019. He was actually better than WJ3 over that period and slid in 2020 while injured.

[Murdock2420]

(03-16-2021, 12:36 PM)Au165 Wrote: The problem with Jackson is he only really fits in a press-man scheme and that does not seem to be what we are running. Jackson is elite in press man and has been really bad in off coverage, so it seems like a scheme issue. There were also rumors he simply didn't want to come back so it is what it is. 

Gotta use the tag in him or Lawson to avoid this mess... poor planning.

And if you draft a press man corner and use him in zone, then you have the wrong coaches not using their best players to their potential. 

Bengals being Bengals on both accounts.

(03-16-2021, 12:36 PM)Synric Wrote: Chidobe Awuzie was very good in 2018 and 2019. He was actually better than WJ3 over that period and slid in 2020 while injured.

He has 4 career picks and is coming in like our typical 1st round draft picks trying to recover from an injury. 

I'll say it again. Journeyman, coming off injury, these are not the terms you want associated with your marquee signings in FA, those are depth pieces you trade a 7th rounder for and hope they pan out.

This team had no plan... again. And Burrow and the fans get ******.

[Whatever]

(03-16-2021, 12:43 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Gotta use the tag in him or Lawson to avoid this mess... poor planning.

And if you draft a press man corner and use him in zone, then you have the wrong coaches not using their best players to their potential. 

Bengals being Bengals on both accounts.


He has 4 career picks and is coming in like our typical 1st round draft picks trying to recover from an injury. 

I'll say it again. Journeyman, coming off injury, these are not the terms you want associated with your marquee signings in FA, those are depth pieces you trade a 7th rounder for and hope they pan out.

This team had no plan... again. And Burrow and the fans get ******.

Anybody talking about tagging WJIII seriously needs to back off the ledge.  

[Au165]

(03-16-2021, 12:43 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Gotta use the tag in him or Lawson to avoid this mess... poor planning.

And if you draft a press man corner and use him in zone, then you have the wrong coaches not using their best players to their potential. 

Bengals being Bengals on both accounts.


He has 4 career picks and is coming in like our typical 1st round draft picks trying to recover from an injury. 

I'll say it again. Journeyman, coming off injury, these are not the terms you want associated with your marquee signings in FA, those are depth pieces you trade a 7th rounder for and hope they pan out.

This team had no plan... again. And Burrow and the fans get ******.

No, you can tag Lawson but Jackson simply isn't good enough. He is an average corner who flashes at times when put in a very specific situation. This staff didn't draft him so basing your whole philosophy around a single average to slighty above average player you didn't choose isn't how the league works.
 

[Murdock2420]

(03-16-2021, 12:47 PM)Whatever Wrote: Anybody talking about tagging WJIII seriously needs to back off the ledge.  

(03-16-2021, 12:48 PM)Au165 Wrote: No, you can tag Lawson but Jackson simply isn't good enough. He is an average corner who flashes at times when put in a very specific situation. This staff didn't draft him so basing your whole philosophy around a single-player average to above average player you didn't choose isn't how the league works.
 

Hence why I said him or Lawson. They needed a plan and there absolutely isn't one showing.

Tagging Lawson allows you to focus elsewhere and not be scrambling when he leaves.

They gambled and lost. 

[Murdock2420]

https://t.co/ZSEH5iHjcJ

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) March 16, 2021

[TJ528]

(03-16-2021, 12:52 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Hence why I said him or Lawson. They needed a plan and there absolutely isn't one showing.

Tagging Lawson allows you to focus elsewhere and not be scrambling when he leaves.

They gambled and lost. 

Hey guys, i been reading this board for years but never registered and this is my first post and probably not a good one.  I been a Bengals fan since 1982 and was able to weather the lost decade from 92-02.  I think having Marvin at least gave me hope this organization was rebounding and going to be a contender going forward.  Then Zac Taylor comes on board and anyone who says Taylor has less to work with than Marvin did in 2003 is kidding themselves.  Marvin came in and rebuilt that team from bottom up from free agency and the draft, and they were competitive after 2 years.  Taylor's been here for 3 years and he's won 6 games.  

Anyway, I could get off on a tangent.  However, i think this is the least optimistic I've been about this franchise future success in my time as a fan.  We need a plan.  So far from what I can see there is no plan.  They haven't gotten better yet IMO.    

Maybe by the end of FA and the draft they'll prove me wrong but I honestly question building your defense around a guy who more than likely wont last the entire 2021 season because his defense will be gashed and give up 30+ points per game.  

Can anyone talk me down off a ledge? lol  Sorry for the negativity guys. 

[Rubekahn29]

None of this matters if they don’t improve on offense. They aren’t going to win games with this D-coordinator, and whether Lawson, Hendrickson, WJIII, or Awuzie are there, it doesn’t matter. They will be middle of the pack. If they can produce a good offense that will be fine and more people will want to come here, but if they can’t even freaking get any quality O-lineman, a Line of Williams- Jordan- Hopkins- XSF- and Sewell, is not going to help AT ALL.

[Au165]

(03-16-2021, 12:54 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote:

https://t.co/ZSEH5iHjcJ

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) March 16, 2021

I'd be curious if Joe has those splits in man vs zone. Awuzie cannot play man, you want him in zone and when he is in zone he is a really solid corner. 

[Murdock2420]

(03-16-2021, 01:02 PM)Rubekahn29 Wrote: None of this matters if they don’t improve on offense. They aren’t going to win games with this D-coordinator, and whether Lawson, Hendrickson, WJIII, or Awuzie are there, it doesn’t matter. They will be middle of the pack. If they can produce a good offense that will be fine and more people will want to come here, but if they can’t even freaking get any quality O-lineman, a Line of Williams- Jordan- Hopkins- XSF- and Sewell, is not going to help AT ALL.

Watching them in FA I think they would pass on Sewell and take Pitts or Chase or Parsons 

[Rubekahn29]

(03-16-2021, 01:04 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Watching them in FA I think they would pass on Sewell and take Pitts or Chase or Parsons 

They seem to just think they are fine. If there is any position to overpay it’s that O-line right now.

[Murdock2420]

(03-16-2021, 01:03 PM)Au165 Wrote: I'd be curious if Joe has those splits in man vs zone. Awuzie cannot play man, you want him in zone and when he is in zone he is a really solid corner. 

I'll give one positive. The kid seems to be a much more willing tackler then WJIII. Lots of examples of him taking down a WR in 1 on 1 situations as well as sticking his nose in there against the run game.

[Au165]

(03-16-2021, 01:08 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: I'll give one positive. The kid seems to be a much more willing tackler then WJIII. Lots of examples of him taking down a WR in 1 on 1 situations as well as sticking his nose in there against the run game.

If we move to the Seattle cover 3 scheme the guy could shine, and I think Waynes and Bates would as well. I'll be curious to see what the plan is. 

[Whatever]

(03-16-2021, 12:52 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Hence why I said him or Lawson. They needed a plan and there absolutely isn't one showing.

Tagging Lawson allows you to focus elsewhere and not be scrambling when he leaves.

They gambled and lost. 

How did they lose?  Lawson got significantly less than the FT tender.  There's a fair debate on whether Hendrickson or Lawson is better straight up, but Lawson isn't $2-3 mil a year better.

[jj22]

(03-16-2021, 01:00 PM)TJ528 Wrote: Hey guys, i been reading this board for years but never registered and this is my first post and probably not a good one.  I been a Bengals fan since 1982 and was able to weather the lost decade from 92-02.  I think having Marvin at least gave me hope this organization was rebounding and going to be a contender going forward.  Then Zac Taylor comes on board and anyone who says Taylor has less to work with than Marvin did in 2003 is kidding themselves.  Marvin came in and rebuilt that team from bottom up from free agency and the draft, and they were competitive after 2 years.  Taylor's been here for 3 years and he's won 6 games.  

Anyway, I could get off on a tangent.  However, i think this is the least optimistic I've been about this franchise future success in my time as a fan.  We need a plan.  So far from what I can see there is no plan.  They haven't gotten better yet IMO.    

Maybe by the end of FA and the draft they'll prove me wrong but I honestly question building your defense around a guy who more than likely wont last the entire 2021 season because his defense will be gashed and give up 30+ points per game.  

Can anyone talk me down off a ledge? lol  Sorry for the negativity guys. 

Welcome

[J24]

(03-16-2021, 11:53 AM)pally Wrote: The Browns are very rich but their money is tied up in the team.  They have no other source of money other than the team. They would realize billions if they sold. It is not money that is an issue it's cash that is needed to pay upfront signing bonuses.   Even being personally worth 10s of millions of dollars doesn't mean those assets are easily liquified to produce cash. 

And there are far more expenses to running a team than just salaries

I'm calling BS. Sounds like a major excuse!

[Murdock2420]

(03-16-2021, 01:12 PM)Whatever Wrote: How did they lose?  Lawson got significantly less than the FT tender.  There's a fair debate on whether Hendrickson or Lawson is better straight up, but Lawson isn't $2-3 mil a year better.

Just because you tag him doesn't mean he plays on the tag...

You do realize you can tag a guy and offer him an extension.. right? Right? 

If they tag him and offer him the Hendrickson contract he signs it. Problem solved.

[Wes Mantooth]

(03-16-2021, 01:00 PM)TJ528 Wrote: Hey guys, i been reading this board for years but never registered and this is my first post and probably not a good one.  I been a Bengals fan since 1982 and was able to weather the lost decade from 92-02.  I think having Marvin at least gave me hope this organization was rebounding and going to be a contender going forward.  Then Zac Taylor comes on board and anyone who says Taylor has less to work with than Marvin did in 2003 is kidding themselves.  Marvin came in and rebuilt that team from bottom up from free agency and the draft, and they were competitive after 2 years.  Taylor's been here for 3 years and he's won 6 games.  

Anyway, I could get off on a tangent.  However, i think this is the least optimistic I've been about this franchise future success in my time as a fan.  We need a plan.  So far from what I can see there is no plan.  They haven't gotten better yet IMO.    

Maybe by the end of FA and the draft they'll prove me wrong but I honestly question building your defense around a guy who more than likely wont last the entire 2021 season because his defense will be gashed and give up 30+ points per game.  

Can anyone talk me down off a ledge? lol  Sorry for the negativity guys. 

Tis a fine post, Sir.  Welcome to the board!

No need to apologize about the "negativity" either.  Reading your post, it seems more realistic than anything.   If you aren't a little bit negative or a tad pessimistic after these last few years than I'm not sure what team it is you're following.

[Whatever]

(03-16-2021, 01:16 PM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Just because you tag him doesn't mean he plays on the tag...

You do realize you can tag a guy and offer him an extension.. right? Right? 

If they tag him and offer him the Hendrickson contract he signs it. Problem solved.

You realize that the agent makes the FT# the APY floor for the extension, right?  If you're willing to pay his client $17-18 mil for one season, why would he settle for a deal that only pays him $15 mil a year?  

[Wes Mantooth]

(03-16-2021, 01:25 PM)Whatever Wrote: You realize that the agent makes the FT# the APY floor for the extension, right?  If you're willing to pay his client $17-18 mil for one season, why would he settle for a deal that only pays him $15 mil a year?  

Guaranteed money.  Guarantees are everything in this league. 

I heard a stat recently: More players that sign 3 years deal are cut after their first season than play out all 3 years of their contract.  I think this really shows how little small differences in contract averages and totals matter vs. money upfront.

There's a very good reason why AJ Green was pissed he was the 2nd highest paid player at his position last year.  He didn't get a $20-40 million bonus to protect himself in the future.