If those numbers are correct and there is a cap around $145-150mil, then I would say we have to make a push for Nmandi. As much as I love our current duo in SS and VD + Carroll as our nickel...I think Nmandi is too good to pass up if the money is there. You can never have too many corners imo now that it is a passing league. Then we can roll with Smith at safety and put him in on downs to cover TEs like he did some last year.

I would like to see the free agency pool first though. If there are guys like DeAngelo, Sproles, Brad Smith, etc... available, I would like to go after them first. But, I can't see any of them really being available after this CBA. If Nmandi is, I want to drop 15mil on him.

 

Irish runs a tight ship, think they should give Wake a bump, but also think money is on the side to sign a Qb.

 

IMO priority 1 is locking up Soliai, Wake & Langford. Reward the homegrown guys before you go splurging on FA's. After that I would go after DeAngelo Williams, yeah he's 28 but his carry totals are low and I think we could get 3 good years out of him. If not, maybe Bradshaw or Benson but we need another back to team with Daniel Thomas. Asomuga would be awesome, but Johnathan Joseph & Cromartie should be available as well. Lot of different ways we can go, this lockout shidt is killing us.

 

The NFL apparently has an alternate, less-restrictive rule set they have put together if they lose their appeal and are forced to start the season. They've not been explained, but considering I don't know there are any other special restrictions other than 6 years to UFA that's got to be the likely thing to change and you would imagine it'd go back to the old 4-years.

 

Dont forget Henne; it's smart to lock him up to a 7 year contract while the gettin's cheap. :shifty:

 

I could go for Bush, he can erase our KR?PR problems and be a versatile matchup creator as well. If the price is right :up:

 

DWilliams has played in 16 games the last two yrs, Bradshaw has had several operations on his feet and ankles.

Benson is interesting but I suspect the Bengals go all out to sign him.

 

Speaking of Bush, maybe we can sign a few Dolphin cheerleaders and have a T&A backfield instead? Anyone on board with this idea?

 

:lol:

 

I could envision that signing happening.

 

Hypothetically, I would love to see the reaction around here if we extended his contract before the season started. :lol:

I'm guessing WTF exclamation point tantrum remote against the tv slap the person next to you might be a frequent response.

 

Honestly, I'd rather pay Tiki Barber to run with his helmet on backward than re-sign Ronnie.

 

I'm thinking Sproles and Sheets or Hilliard, but yeah, let DTrain handle most of the carries and just add a COP or two, Lexxy can be the backup Tailback type if anything happens to DTrain, Sheets and Sproles up the explosive content of the offense.

 

I agree on Bush, his knees need to be checked, but I would go there to find out.

 

Thanks SB for the work..

Seems like Irish and Coach have done a nice job putting us into position while rebuilding..whats next years free agency like?lol

 

We have a lot of young guys that will need to be signed over the next 2 seasons. Smith/Davis, Wake, Langford, Soliai and Jake Long. Jake Long shouldn't change things as much cap wise. They can pretty much offer him near the same deal he signed for.

So I could see them going a bit cheap on free agents and trying to re-sign some of our guys early.

 

Agree on Bush and I would be ok with Sproles strictly in a Kr/Pr role as well but I cant see either as a back who should get more then 5-7 carries per game meaning I am just not sure that Ireland will go that way. I think hes looking for someone more like a Michael Bush, Deangelo Williams or Ahmad Bradshaw who is a true compliment back who can handle 12-15 carries per and be up around a 4.5+ YPC average.

Williams has missed games, so do most backs. You can make a strong case that Williams missed games last year because Stewart wasnt there to compliment him for a while and he was forced to be a 20 carry a game back for a few games and thats what caused it. Injuries happen, its the NFL.

And no the Bengals wanted Thomas. They were the reason we traded up as they were waiting at 65 or 66. Benson is a plodder at this point with a poor YPC average and little tackle-breaking ability. Last year he was down too many times on the initial hit. Ive never been a fan but after watching him last year Id call him washed up.

 

Just curious as to where you heard that? From what I've seen/read in the local media, there was hardly any mention of him prior to the draft. I will concede that Dontay Moch seemed to be a bit of a head-scratcher from a position perspective, though the Bengals are known to target athletes like that, at that point in the draft.

 

Can't see it happening Bro, not for 4-5 million, not on either guy who has had injury issues.

And they did not draft another running back? If they wanted Thomas and did not land him, then why did they also not draft anyone else outside of a Rb in the 7th rd?

Benson has proven he can handle the 300 carry load, he'll be back in Cinci imho.

 

Moch is already being compared to Ad Thomas whom Lewis is credited with developing so that one is "coaches choice".

 

By who?

Frankly, I don't see that comparison. At all. Thomas was a pretty darn good athlete, despite being about 25lbs bigger than Moch. Moch seems pretty much a straight-line runner who can only go forward. For all of Marvin's developmental prowess, Keith Rivers sure hasn't done anything special for them.

And Mike Brown is the acting GM and has final authority over personnel decisions, so I'm not sure you can file that in the "coach's choice" folder.

 

Theres a few places I saw it, though Ill be honest it was a prevalent rumor after the draft...had a harder time finding it now though I admit that may have something to do with the half dozen beers I put down at happy hour :burp: :lol: :

http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/a...e_dolphins_trade_up_for_daniel_thomas/4653040
"He was worried that his player (Daniel Thomas RB Kansas State) wouldn’t be available much longer. It turns out that he was right because the Bengals planned to take Thomas with the 2nd pick of the 3rd round. So Ireland made the call and traded the Dolphins #79 pick (3rd round), #146 (5th round), and #217 (7th round) to the Redskins for the #62 overall."

"Daniel Thomas was rated as high as the #2 & #3 running back in the draft class on several boards and the fins managed to get the guy they wanted by trading back into the round and snatching him before Cincinnati who was waiting patiently with their 3rd round pick." http://simplycj.net/2011/04/30/dolphins-draft-recap-days-1-2/
Its speculated predraft here as well: http://fantasyknuckleheads.com/2011-cincinnati-bengals-mock-draft/


Also found this little tidbit in the sentinel blog:

"If nothing else, Thomas has some history on his side. Running backs picked in the first and second rounds have staying power, at least. Starting with the 2005 draft and ending with the 2010 draft, 34 running backs were selected in either the first or second round. Of those 34, 28 are still in the NFL. And among the group that is still in the NFL, 11 have run for at least 3,000 yards in their career (Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew have both run for more than 5,000). Three of those 11 players were picked in the second round (Jones-Drew, Matt Forte and Ray Rice)." http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sport...-will-he-be-the-lead-back-from-the-start.html

 

Then you havent looked closely at our available cap space for one which should be at a minimum of 18M. For a team that NEEDS big play guys (at least 1 more at minimum) I cant see how we would turn away Bradshaw and Williams who both have the ability to take it the distance anytime. And FWIW, Ive seen Bradshaw play (both live and on TV) with fractured foot, with screws in foot, with rolled ankles..the guy is fun to watch and so much tougher then you would ever think just watching him for a game or two.

As for why Cincinnati did not draft another back until late, I dont know other then to say they are one of the two worst run franchises in the league. No one ever accused them of being smart enough to recognize needs. Maybe they didnt like any other back after we jumped them for Thomas, maybe they felt they could always bring back Benson and that awesome 3.5YPC average behind a decent OL (including the leagues highest rated LT according to PFF in Andrew Whitworth) or they want to go after Williams or Bush. I dont know, nor do I care.

You watch Benson much? You would want him as your starting RB with his lack of explosion? He makes Ronnie last season look like a playmaker. Look at his YPC averages and you tell me what type of back he is. 5 seasons with 150+ carries and only 2 with a 4.0 average. 7 fumbles last season and lost 5. Sure you could argue that Bradshaw fumbles but Bradshaw also has a much higher ypc, is tougher to bring down, and he was leading the league in 20+ yard runs last year prior to getting hurt and missing a few games. I believe Bradshaw finished 1 or 2 in 20+ yard runs anyway. http://www.nfl.com/players/cedricbenson/profile?id=BEN508718

 

Absolutely, we put ourselves in this situation, we have the pockets, time to make moves..

 

I'd rather Ricky and Sproles. Looking at age, amount of prior workload, production, etc, Bradshaw is my #1 choice as a FA runner though. He looks to be right at his breakout point. This depends IMO, if we want a back to share a fairly balanced workload with DT, or a change of pace back that can do many different things. If we want balance between the top 2, then Bradshaw. If we want a COP back, then Sproles.

 

I'd like to get Reggie Bush. He's oft-injured, but he's dynamic in the backfield and in PR duties. You can allow Edmond Gates to return kickoffs and Reggie punts. Thus, allowing Davone to concentrate solely on his WR duties.

My only fear is the cost a which Bush will come. If he's too expensive as a situational player & PR, then I'd go with others suggestion for Darren Sproles.

I think we could use another situational pass rusher also. I expect Koa Misi to be improved there, but we could use another guy coming off the edge.

 

Good finds, and no worries about happy-hour - I can understand that. I just hadn't seen anything with regard to the Bengals taking him, but I did find that Dontay Moch pick strange given what they've got at LB already. Appreciate the links.

 

After the mess Grove and Smiley got them into I simply cannot see them handing out large money in FA to sign anyone they have any injury questions about B14, the glow from 2008's injury free season is quite dimmed now and a lesson learned imho.

Which is why Sproles of the 15 to 16 games per yr is far more likely or they maybe just roll the dice on Kory Sheets simply because Irish is cheap like that B14.

Thing with Benson is he had a career rebirth in Cinci, add in they did not take another Rb and with a Rook Qb I can't see them letting him walk.

As for Mikey Brown, totally agree, the man is nutz and makes far to many decisions on emotion then good football decisions, he also directly interferes with the Coaching Staff and why Marvin Lewis resigned with the Bengals is a mystery to me.

BTW to names that make sense for us:

-Manny Lawson
-Ronnie Fields

Lawson is an interesting piece, if you look at his passrush numbers one would think he is a schlub, but on a per rush basis he makes the impact plays that do not show up just as sacks, Fields is NT depth.

 

Grove and Smiley were known to be injury risks. When they were here they played well, at times at a pro bowl level. I dont think that would or should deter them one bit.

You point to Sproles as a guy they should sign because he isnt hurt as much but he also takes a fraction of the carries Williams and Bradshaw take and hes much more limited in his game. Bradshaw and Williams can run between the tackles, Sproles cant. Sproles has to use his size to get lost behind lineman to have any effectiveness as a running back. Hes not a guy that should something happen to Thomas you or I would want taking 15-20 carries. Bradshaw or Williams do it with regularity and effectiveness. Sproles is good on returns and thats about all I would want him for.

And as far as Benson goes Pads, I will reiterate my thoughts...If Cinci wants to keep a back who averaged 3.5 YPC and goes down on the first lick of contact then good. That means more good players available for us, players I may actually want. :)

BTW, Im with you on Lawson. I wanted him or Willis in the Ginn draft. Fields does make sense as well if we lose McDaniel.

 

"Known to be injury risks"

Hmm...err..what would that make Bradshaw and Williams?

Yet Sproles cranks out 16 game/2,000 all purpose yard seasons yr after yr, only player in the NFL to do so, if they go by cmte with DTrain/Lexxy or Sheets/Sproles what would it matter if there are "X" number of carries to go around?

He'll easily top 1,000 yds again B14, and do not be surprised if the Bengals bounce back this yr, tougher to defend with Palmer gone and the D has some solid pieces now that the secondary is healed.

Lawson would seem to be a man without a position but imho he could fill in at Sam or Will, put his hand in the dirt and get after the passer and knows Nolan, Fields at least would be quality depth behind Soliai and would push the physically gifted Chris Baker to show more then he has, CBaker's physical talent is off of the chart.

So is Rob Rose's, 4.74/4.34 at 294 pds? I bet he and Ike, if Lawson is not signed, compete for Q's old job.

 

Manny was in the Jason Allen draft as I recall, because he was who I wanted the most that year. I'd love to get him as a FA.

 

I've seen this a few times that Cincy was going to take DT, but has this claim ever been substantiated by the Bengals themselves?
I agree it sounds logical, but unless Mike Brown, Marvin Lewis, or another member of the organization has been quoted saying so, it is still speculation IMO.

 

And not taking another Rb until Rd #7 makes that claim seem odd, their draft board is a D Thomas and Finley?

That was it?