Stripes

I doubt Perine makes any meaningful difference. But he’s fine. I don’t figure any of these signings really moves the needle. Slaton could if he works out. Gimme a guard.

PFF seems to hate Slaton. So I’m on board.

“Legal tampering” opens in six hours. Do something that doesn’t make me want to claw my eyes out just to relieve the boredom.

Statistically, Metcalf is much like Tee, but with fewer games missed. I think they’re stylistically similar too (big bodied contested catch types), though DK is faster. I don’t think anyone is giving Tee a five year deal, but the average will be close.

DK Metcalf to PIT in a trade 5yr, $150 million deal $30 million per Tee is watching.

She is a frequenter of the tweeterverse. She often comments about her son's various situations.

Hey. My taint has never been evicted.

Glad the TE rentals are over.

I don’t want to “feel good about the Bengals”. I want to win the Super Bowl. Doing that requires great players. Don’t bleed great players.

I don’t care about $30M as the number. They could comfortably accommodate that with their present cap situation and still do everything else they want to do. Push for 28-29 if you want. You’re never getting him for substantially less than that. The draft and FA are both weak at wide receiver. Burton is a joke. Yoshi hit a plateau. Your team is built on offense. Don’t get worse during Burrow’s prime just to satisfy some notion of “fiscal safety”.

I’ll take OL or DL in the first every year and be happy about it.

I can’t imagine they dropped Cappa without a plan to replace him with a newcomer (FA or draft). Next man up would be very dumb in this spot. I probably shouldn’t disqualify “very dumb” from the plausible range of outcomes.

I think Hilton may have lost a step. He is still a menace on the blitz and against the run, but he’s not what he used to be in the most important thing: coverage. Especially when the opposing slot has any decent speed, he was kind of toast all year.

Getting anything at all for Hubbard or Pratt would be stellar. Maybe they can snag an extra late-round pick that can be used for trading up later. [let me hit the crack pipe once in a while]

If true, it’d represent a meaningful budge in their process. That’d be welcome, and completing the tasks of this offseason will be impossible otherwise.

I hope the FO is communicating with Tee and his agent. If they just dropped the tag plans without having a proper conversation and discussing their future plans, then I side with Tee again. Players hate the tag. That is true league-wide. The Bengals should know that and address it. Talk to people. You can’t make them hate it less, but you can voice your higher-level intentions/desires. If a long-term deal is the goal, then directly engage yesterday. That doesn’t somehow harm your leverage. If they did communicate and this is just more negotiation tactics (e.g., generating public unrest to add pressure), then who cares. Unfortunately, I doubt we’ll know until the process is over one way or another.

At least the showers and toilets work this time.

He does seem like he’d be right at home losing teeth as a hockey player.

I’m iffy on Adomitis. I thought he was part of the kicking problem in 2024. I suppose Simmons likes his continuity.

Trey’s stuck until 2026 anyway, but he’s going to want to be anywhere else if there’s no immediate extension. Shit sandwich.

A Panthers wide receiver jolts awake, gasping and in a cold sweat. He quickly sits up, or actually he does not, he tries, but it's no use. His body does not obey his commands. He is stuck to the bed and short of breath. He sees the digital clock display on his nightstand. 14:14 AM. That's when the sleep paralysis demon crawls on top of him, all its weight pressing him into the mattress. He tries to scream, but his mouth will not open. Another voice slips warmly into his ear. Don't be afraid. Let's just have fun and play together.

I am much more optimistic, but I understand the gloom. We have conflicting evidence in recent years between the old and new Bengals, so something’s gotta give. Old Bengals: - Refuse to offer guaranteed money beyond year one - Fail to communicate effectively with players and piss them off for no reason - Employ three ***damn scouts and rely on the coaching staff to pick up the slack with all its inherent biases - Trust their own process to an unjustifiable degree and allow talent to walk. “We can cover that with mid-tier free agents and draft picks” AMPHAR was looking for evidence of the Bengals being behind the times before, so there are some obvious examples. However, there’s also evidence of things improving. New Bengals: - Multiple levels of stadium naming rights and mass sponsorships to significantly increase cash on-hand - Indoor practice bubble - Locker room renovation - Joe Burrow contract shattering previous standards and proving they can. Paying QBs isn’t new, but this was another level. - Active in free agency more than ever before from 2020-2024, including multiple major pickups (e.g., Reader, Hendrickson, and O. Brown) - Completely overhauled stadium experience via the Elizabeth Blackburn vision —————— This offseason is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. They will have to change their norms again. You’re never going to take care of all of Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson without offering multiple years of guaranteed money (certainly not the receivers). You already annoyed all three of them one way or another with your communication practices, so you have to overcome yourself. You’ve stated your desire to do so. Put up or shut up, Bengals.

Extend him before free agency opens so you know exactly what your cap situation is.

You could also argue that risks are less necessary for a team with a force multiplier at QB and two deep playoff runs in recent memory. Draft solid, reliable players, maintain your own talent, and stay in contention. Save the roulette for drafts when you already suck.

I don’t fault them for the risk. That’s part of the deal in the draft. I would fault them for viewing such a risky prospect as a major piece in their future plans. That’s stupid.