Another Arizona Cardinal LB ??

[ArmyBengal]

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6688

Can't say as I know anything much about this guy, but it amazes me how much the Bengals have been at least trying to make improvements...

5th rounder out of Louisville...

WHODEY !!!

[ArmyBengal]

This is what I found coming into the draft:

Pros: A fine athlete with the frame of a basketball player that allows him to use his wingspan to deflect passes and get to runners that other defenders fail to reach. In pass coverage, despite his size he moves fluidly to drop and has the speed and agility to match up well with tight ends and running backs. He can be a disruptive playmaker with further development and is best suited for the Will position. He is active in his use of hands and is able to keep blockers off his body, using his massive wingspan to stay on his feet. He has developed a good rip move to get past offensive tackles with regularity.

Cons: His lack of bulk limits him against the run, but he will still beat blockers and make plays with speed and quickness. He needs to improve his overall power and technique to realize his potential. As a pass rusher, he has fine speed off the edge with the ability to counter inside, but he needs to further develop better hand usage and more pass rush moves in addition to upper body strength. Under-developed as a blitzer after only minimal use in that role.

Numbers: As a senior, he started 12 games and made 72 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions. At the Combine, he checked in a just under 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds. He ran a 4.47 with a 37-inch vertical jump, 9-foot, 10-inch broad jump and 11 reps in the lifting.

WHODEY !!!

[HoosierCat]

Sounds like mostly a teams guy with maybe some upside, but what the hell, we need OTA & camp fodder anyhow. The more the merrier.

[volcom69]

Sounds like a good special team guy and good depth.

[HairOnFire]

The amount of attention being directed towards special teams reminds me of Marvin's first season as head coach.

[ArmyBengal]

And considering the plunge our special teams took last year, I don't think that's a bad thing by any stretch !!!

WHODEY !!!

[bryce40]

Considering Arizona's defense wasn't that great and he couldn't be a regular there. I'd say no thanks.

[volcom69]

Arizona's defense was much better then the crap this team put out there last year, and i really doubt there paying this guy alot of money to come here.

[kurgan74]

Definitely aspecial teams lb and occassional pass rusher. I willl be happy to see the opponents not starting evry possession around the 40 after a kick off.

[HoosierCat]

Considering Arizona's defense wasn't that great and he couldn't be a regular there. I'd say no thanks.

Cards actually had a top 10 (no. 9) run D last year. Pass D blew tho (28th).

[kingwilly]

This is fine with me. Reload at the thinnest, lowest talent position.... LB.

Bring him to camp, make him compete. If he is better than Mays, or Schlegel or the rest, then great. If he can fly on ST and make plays, then great.

It tells me there is a new level of proactivity that we have not seen for, well, maybe forever.

LB depth and talent cannot be underestimated.

Blackstock, Darryl

Brooks, Ahmad

Henderson, Eric

Jones, Dhani

Manning, Roy

Maxwell, Jim

Pollack, David ???????

Schlegel, Anthony

Mays, Corey

Jeanty, Rashad

Johnson, Brandon

Thurman, Odell ????????

clearly you can't keep everyone but at least there is a squad to work with.

[HoosierCat]

It tells me there is a new level of proactivity that we have not seen for, well, maybe forever.

Seriously. IMO this is easily the best offseason since 2003. May even turn out to have been better.

[bryce40]

Don't get me wrong, but wouldn't have Arizona had him on the field if he could've helped there pass D? I'm all for signing him cheap and letting him compete for a job though. And no kidding, the Bengals are going after guys like Daniel Synder after any player he's had a crush on the last few years.

[TJJackson]

Don't get me wrong, but wouldn't have Arizona had him on the field if he could've helped there pass D? I'm all for signing him cheap and letting him compete for a job though. And no kidding, the Bengals are going after guys like Daniel Synder after any player he's had a crush on the last few years.

Not like Snyder at all - they seem to be making very calculated, inexpensive (I'd even argue the Odom acquisition was inexpensive relative to other options, and not even to mention their seeming inability to develop a quality DE on their own) moves here. This fellow Blackstock - 3 sacks despite rarely seeing the field? That's VERY good production, in my mind. And his timed speed for his size is flat out excellent

[Oldcat]

Don't get me wrong, but wouldn't have Arizona had him on the field if he could've helped there pass D? I'm all for signing him cheap and letting him compete for a job though. And no kidding, the Bengals are going after guys like Daniel Synder after any player he's had a crush on the last few years.

Not like Snyder at all - they seem to be making very calculated, inexpensive (I'd even argue the Odom acquisition was inexpensive relative to other options, and not even to mention their seeming inability to develop a quality DE on their own) moves here. This fellow Blackstock - 3 sacks despite rarely seeing the field? That's VERY good production, in my mind. And his timed speed for his size is flat out excellent

While I'm glad to see a little happy talk instead of the usual doom and gloom, I don't see this offseason as too different than the others in

the recent past. Every year we get a few FAs or make trades, at non insane rates to try and help the team - Deltha, the attempt at Gardner, Sam Adams, Marshall, Myers, Jeanty, DJax.... Theres a few more this year becuase we have more openings with players leaving, and no big internal contracts to re-do, and the desire to 'blow up' things more than in 2006-7 when we were thinking back to the playoffs.

Too many times these deals have failed not so much becuase of bad choices, but due to injury to the new players. Heres hoping that the team remains injury free, since I think the staff is a pretty good judge of talent, and that new new coaches do a better job of developing that talent into real stars

[BengalszoneBilly]

While I'm glad to see a little happy talk instead of the usual doom and gloom, I don't see this offseason as too different than the others in the recent past.

I beg to differ Oldcat. I see this offseason of "blowing things up" much different than the recent past. Cincinnati has addressed real needs during the FA market with the signings of Odom, Blackstock, and Utecht. The re-signing of Andrews, Jones, Manning and Larson. IMHO they are making the right moves, and I'm confident that this will continue into the NFL Draft.

Who-Dey!!!

[jjakq27]

Any inside info on this guy Bill?

[BengalszoneBilly]

Any inside info on this guy Bill?

Not much. He just didn't get a lot of playing time on the Arizona 3-4 defense behind Carlos Dansby. You can't fault him for that. Dansby is a beast. I feel this guy can perform in a 4-3.

Bottom line, a solid pick up at a position of need.

[bryce40]

Don't get me wrong, but wouldn't have Arizona had him on the field if he could've helped there pass D? I'm all for signing him cheap and letting him compete for a job though. And no kidding, the Bengals are going after guys like Daniel Synder after any player he's had a crush on the last few years.

Not like Snyder at all - they seem to be making very calculated, inexpensive (I'd even argue the Odom acquisition was inexpensive relative to other options, and not even to mention their seeming inability to develop a quality DE on their own) moves here. This fellow Blackstock - 3 sacks despite rarely seeing the field? That's VERY good production, in my mind. And his timed speed for his size is flat out excellent

I think you misunderstood, the Bengals as we all know don't really seem to pursue FA very much so I was just comparing them to Synder this year in how they went after FA compared to the past.

[HoosierCat]

While I'm glad to see a little happy talk instead of the usual doom and gloom, I don't see this offseason as too different than the others in the recent past.

I beg to differ Oldcat. I see this offseason of "blowing things up" much different than the recent past.

I agree. To compare the Odom or Utecht signings to those of guys like Fat Sam, Myers, Marshall and Dexter is just nuts. In the first place, we are talking about two young guys, fresh off their rookie deals, coming into their prime -- not Old Washed Up Dudes. When was the last time the Bengals did that? Seriously, the only example I can think of is Tony Williams.

Second, the Bengals are overpaying. Yes, overpaying. Hell, in Odom's case they chased him to the airport and threw money at him until he said yes! No bargain-shopping, "aren't gonna bid against ourselves" lowball mularkey this time around. And they are overpaying for outside talent -- versus their previous habit of ignoring the market while overpaying for dubious in-house talent.

And on that note, they're letting the underachievers and (at least some of the) perennially injured go (Justin, Madieu, Landon, Tab, Keift), while retaining some that performed (Dhani Jones), bringing in new, proven, young talent (see above) and further adding select young but unproven veterans into the competitive mix (such as our two ex-Cards).

Compare all that to last offseason, when they clutched the injured to the shelter of their bosum, allowed multiple key role players and teamers to walk, let an all-pro guard go to a division rival, paid $9 million to a DE who'd respond with 2 sacks, and added one outside FA who stuck, DT Mike Myers. Now that's the typical (if you'll excuse the word) Bungles offseason. I don't think the team has gotten a tenth of the credit it deserves for what it's done so far this offseason.

[Oldcat]

I don't think what they are doing is wrong now, because I don't think what they did before was wrong either.

They are still "clutching" injured players who are not at the end of their contract - Willie, Pollack, Brazelle, Kilmer.

They are still letting players go who might do better elsewhere - Landon, Madieu. Steinbach was no probowler when we let him

go, he was a guard that was hampered by injures most of his career. Since they had 4 players to resign in that year they drafted a

replacement and signed the other 3. It was no more a mistake then that letting Tab Perry go would be if he has 50 catches in Miami.

It seems to me that the team has a pretty unsentimental view of the players' value come the offseason. They released Simmons. They let KK go even though he had had 6 interceptions the year before - they offered him a reserve salary just like they did Landon.

Its easy to say that because some of the moves the Bengals made did not work, that they aren't trying. I dont know what Sam Adams could have done if he hadnt torn up his knee in the camp. He actually WAS a Pro-Bowler when we signed him. He did seem to get penetration the few snaps he did get. We signed 2 DL last year, though only one made the team. Theyve signed 2 linebackers as FAs that were lost before game three in their season. To me, those count as honest efforts to fix the defensive problems.

[Wraith]

If we can pick up Wilson at Safety we could close the book on the 2008 Free Agency period

[Wraith]

Never mind, I missed that Eugene Wilson signed with the Bucs.

[membengal]

While I'm glad to see a little happy talk instead of the usual doom and gloom, I don't see this offseason as too different than the others in the recent past.

I beg to differ Oldcat. I see this offseason of "blowing things up" much different than the recent past.

I agree. To compare the Odom or Utecht signings to those of guys like Fat Sam, Myers, Marshall and Dexter is just nuts. In the first place, we are talking about two young guys, fresh off their rookie deals, coming into their prime -- not Old Washed Up Dudes. When was the last time the Bengals did that? Seriously, the only example I can think of is Tony Williams.

Second, the Bengals are overpaying. Yes, overpaying. Hell, in Odom's case they chased him to the airport and threw money at him until he said yes! No bargain-shopping, "aren't gonna bid against ourselves" lowball mularkey this time around. And they are overpaying for outside talent -- versus their previous habit of ignoring the market while overpaying for dubious in-house talent.

And on that note, they're letting the underachievers and (at least some of the) perennially injured go (Justin, Madieu, Landon, Tab, Keift), while retaining some that performed (Dhani Jones), bringing in new, proven, young talent (see above) and further adding select young but unproven veterans into the competitive mix (such as our two ex-Cards).

Compare all that to last offseason, when they clutched the injured to the shelter of their bosum, allowed multiple key role players and teamers to walk, let an all-pro guard go to a division rival, paid $9 million to a DE who'd respond with 2 sacks, and added one outside FA who stuck, DT Mike Myers. Now that's the typical (if you'll excuse the word) Bungles offseason. I don't think the team has gotten a tenth of the credit it deserves for what it's done so far this offseason.

Been out a week, and just catching up, but standing ovation to hoosier for this post.

100% agree.

[HoosierCat]

I don't think what they are doing is wrong now, because I don't think what they did before was wrong either.

They are still "clutching" injured players who are not at the end of their contract - Willie, Pollack, Brazelle, Kilmer.

They are still letting players go who might do better elsewhere - Landon, Madieu. Steinbach was no probowler when we let him

go, he was a guard that was hampered by injures most of his career. Since they had 4 players to resign in that year they drafted a

replacement and signed the other 3. It was no more a mistake then that letting Tab Perry go would be if he has 50 catches in Miami.

It seems to me that the team has a pretty unsentimental view of the players' value come the offseason. They released Simmons. They let KK go even though he had had 6 interceptions the year before - they offered him a reserve salary just like they did Landon.

Its easy to say that because some of the moves the Bengals made did not work, that they aren't trying. I dont know what Sam Adams could have done if he hadnt torn up his knee in the camp. He actually WAS a Pro-Bowler when we signed him. He did seem to get penetration the few snaps he did get. We signed 2 DL last year, though only one made the team. Theyve signed 2 linebackers as FAs that were lost before game three in their season. To me, those count as honest efforts to fix the defensive problems.

I guess were just going to have to agree to disagree, oldcat. Of the injured players you cite, only Willie fits the oft-injured bill, and there are reasons beyond that for keeping him. The difference between the players let go last year and this is: by and large, the players let go this year were disappointments; the players let go last year were key role players, teamers, and in many cases cheap players the Bengals had developed and refused to give very modest raises to. Compare the extra million or two it would have cost to keep K2 and Shaun Smith, versus what it would have cost to keep Williams and Justin. As for Sam Adams, again, I see no comparison. Sam was a washed-up DT without a team, sitting in Miami trying to generate interest, the Bengals signed him only reluctantly and he predictably got hurt. Guys like Odom and Utecht are the polar opposite of Adams: young, sought-after FAs who are, on paper at least, on the way up.