Harrington a real possibility?

[lando griffin]

Would we really be saving money by not paying Kitna what he wanted, and then bringing in Harrington for a one year deal? Can't imagine we'd be saving much money on a former #3 overall pick. Kind of surprised Joey would he even be considering us unless all of his options are running out and he's waiting for a real deal with another team after this season with us...

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5161

[schweinhart]

Can't imagine Harrington signing for less than Kitna but if no other teams consider him starting material for now or the longer term -- like the Vikes, Raiders, Cardinals, Chiefs, etc -- he's not going to command as much coin.

Trade wise, can't imagine any team thinking that Harrington is a much better young QB than Ramsey is and I believe the Jets got him for a 6th round pick. If the Bengals are considering trading anything more than a 6th rounder, they ought to stop unless they can unload a player like Kim Herring to the Lions in a straight up exchange.

[Spor_tees]

Would we really be saving money by not paying Kitna what he wanted, and then bringing in Harrington for a one year deal? Can't imagine we'd be saving much money on a former #3 overall pick. Kind of surprised Joey would he even be considering us unless all of his options are running out and he's waiting for a real deal with another team after this season with us...

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5161

The REAL reason is David Dunn is the agent for Harrington and Carson. So if he can bring in Harrington for the first couple games and look good playing with good players it helps on that fron, and then if the Bengals have a good record when Palmer comes back then he can lead them to the play-offs and help Dunn make more money on that front. It's a win-win deal for David Dunn! That's why this might happen.

When I said if Carson takes the team to the play-offs it means more money, I know he just signed that long term contract, bu there are a lot of endorsement deals and things like that too.

[BTG]

March 3:

"We will have a quarterback signed by the end of the first week of free agency so we can move on and sign other players."

March 10:

"We're trying to find the right quarterback who can fit our system."

March 17:

"Please be patient. We're trying to find a quarterback who is right for us."

March 24:

"We still haven't found the right quarterback yet, but we will. It takes time."

March 27:

"Um, we are kind of into Joey Harrington, even though he's overpriced and has been mediocre for three seasons."

Is it just me, or are the Bengals like a guy who finds little faults in every girl he dates until he winds up still single at 35, panicking, and then marrying some washed up skank that he and all of his friends hate just so he can have kids?

Wow. Why not just bring in Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, & Cade Mc-effing-Nown while we're at it? We can hold a tryout to see who will earn a roster spot. Hell, we could even make it into a reality show: "Battle of the Washed Up First Round Quarterbacks."

It'll be like Survivor, NFL edition!

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Tim Couch was a very early pick too, just like Harrington. How much coin did he get when the Clowns cut him? Oh yeah, he's STILL looking for a job, and even the Chicago Rush won't hire him to play arena ball....

[Spain]

We are not doing well on this front. The real ? is what does this about Palmers knee if no one wants those early season games. Sign Flutie UP.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

We are not doing well on this front. The real ? is what does this about Palmers knee if no one wants those early season games. Sign Flutie UP.

This says nothing about Palmer's knee. None of these guys, nor even Carson knows how many games he's going to miss.

As for signing Flutie up, the dude can't see over our offensive line.

[turningpoint]

Not a bad diea really, he can take a back seat from the lime light and learn a bunch for carson who has been successful.

I think it would be a good fit for him, here or KC.

[HairOnFire]

I still don't see what the problem is. For all of his obvious flaws Joey Harrington offers the Bengals certain advantages that a Jamie Martin can't come close to giving them. So why not explore the situation and see if the two sides can't work something out? Is Jamie Martin about to sign with another team, and would you care if he did?

[ArmyBengal]

Exactly, many are saying any QB can come in here and be successful with our offense. Why not Harrington ?? I don't care for the guy, but just making the argument... Zampese might be just what Harrington needs !!!

WHODEY !!!

[Stripes]

Harrington would be okay by me. He has the arm and the experience to succeed here. Sure, he'll be mistake proned as usual, but I still think he'd be a better option than Martin or any of the other guys that are still on the market.

[HoosierCat]

March 3:

"We will have a quarterback signed by the end of the first week of free agency so we can move on and sign other players."

March 10:

"We're trying to find the right quarterback who can fit our system."

March 17:

"Please be patient. We're trying to find a quarterback who is right for us."

March 24:

"We still haven't found the right quarterback yet, but we will. It takes time."

March 27:

"Um, we are kind of into Joey Harrington, even though he's overpriced and has been mediocre for three seasons."

Is it just me, or are the Bengals like a guy who finds little faults in every girl he dates until he winds up still single at 35, panicking, and then marrying some washed up skank that he and all of his friends hate just so he can have kids?

Wow. Why not just bring in Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, & Cade Mc-effing-Nown while we're at it? We can hold a tryout to see who will earn a roster spot. Hell, we could even make it into a reality show: "Battle of the Washed Up First Round Quarterbacks."

It'll be like Survivor, NFL edition!

It's not just you. Like the reallity show idea. Might even be a whole new revenue stream... "American (Football Conference) Quarterback"

[kingwilly]

Joey is still under contract...he's due a big $ roster bonus in June...SO unless we trade for him, don't look for him to be a realistic option until then...in other words, if the bengals really like Joey he probably won't be a bengal until June at the earliest.

This now begs the question....given their inability to target and sign a decent FA QB and given the fact that Carson, for all the nice spin put on his progress, may not be back until Week 5, how comfortable would you be knowing that the QB they may hope to start in his place would have June, July and August to learn the Begnals O?

[ArmyBengal]

Once again, I just don't get why the Bengals would give up ANY draft pick for a guy that they have no idea if he's even going to be needed and then would be gone, only to be back in the same situation next year. This just doesn't make sense at all... This is assuming we trade for him and renegotiate for a one year deal... NO SENSE...

WHODEY !!!

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Joey is no longer under contract, he was cut.

[HairOnFire]

This now begs the question....given their inability to target and sign a decent FA QB and given the fact that Carson, for all the nice spin put on his progress, may not be back until Week 5, how comfortable would you be knowing that the QB they may hope to start in his place would have June, July and August to learn the Begnals O?

Comfortable might be a stretch, but Krenzel's mega-brain should have a healthy grasp of the offense by now, and Rob Johnson has had the playbook under his arm for several months already.

Besides, years of knowledge gained from working in the same offensive scheme didn't make Jon Kitna a truly capable backup, did it?

Frankly, the backup QB situation was bound to suck from the moment Kimo introduced Palmer to the turf, and a delay of a couple of weeks isn't going to change that no matter what FA option is being kicked around. So if the Bengals can't sign a Jamie Martin type for the right price, well...put me in the camp that would like to see short-term considerations ignored in favor of a better long-term fix.

[Whur CHad At?]

Joey is no longer under contract, he was cut.

He was? I am looking all over and don't see anything about that...

[Stripes]

Joey is no longer under contract, he was cut.

He was? I am looking all over and don't see anything about that...

I don't think it has happened yet, but it is only a matter of time now.

[redsfan2]

March 3:

"We will have a quarterback signed by the end of the first week of free agency so we can move on and sign other players."

March 10:

"We're trying to find the right quarterback who can fit our system."

March 17:

"Please be patient. We're trying to find a quarterback who is right for us."

March 24:

"We still haven't found the right quarterback yet, but we will. It takes time."

March 27:

"Um, we are kind of into Joey Harrington, even though he's overpriced and has been mediocre for three seasons."

Is it just me, or are the Bengals like a guy who finds little faults in every girl he dates until he winds up still single at 35, panicking, and then marrying some washed up skank that he and all of his friends hate just so he can have kids?

Wow. Why not just bring in Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, & Cade Mc-effing-Nown while we're at it? We can hold a tryout to see who will earn a roster spot. Hell, we could even make it into a reality show: "Battle of the Washed Up First Round Quarterbacks."

It'll be like Survivor, NFL edition!

Where's Jeff George when you need him ??????????

[kingwilly]

The first thing we all have to realize, and obviously the bengals do too, is that the cost-to-value ratio of the FA/soon to be cut QB's did not match our expectation. For expample, Griese's value (experience, arm, etc) was not enough to justify the expense when held against our need ( at most a 5 week starter and mid-term back-up)...

Krenzel may be smart but does not have the physical toolset. if he did, they would not be searching for a QB...the same goes for Doug Johnson.

If they go the "Long-Term" fix, considering the available QB's in FA, I am more convinced they draft a guy who can settle in and learn while building value for moves down the road.

Come September, we are going to be pretty sour if Carson is still not 100% and we are starting a Johsnon/Krenzel/rookie when we could have spent some Ca$h and grabbed Greise or made a play for Ramsey or Brooks...

Considering that they won't spend the money on a FA QB, now i hope they intensify efforts to lure additional defensive talent into town...there is no excuse for that not to happen now.

[redsfan2]

Not that I think it'll happen anyway, but I'm not crazy about the idea of Harrington coming to the Bengals.

#1. If he did sign on with us and have to start the first ...... oohh say 4 games. What is our record going to be? More than likely, Palmer will have to come back in and dig us ( and himself ) out of the hole that Our Pal Joey has put us in.

#2. He doesn't need to start and rides lumber and bitches about it all year. And in either case ... next year he's gone and we're doing the qb tango again.

#3. Any guy that doesn't want to compete with Kitna for his own starting job ..... somehow just doesn't instill a sense of confidence in me.

Martin hasn't played a lot, but he's done well when he got the opportunity ....... and we wouldn't have to go through this whole soap opera again next year. He could be the type that would benefit from Zampese and the offensive weapons that the Bengals have. Lastly ... he knows his role on the team and is OK with it. Much better than a guy who has delusions of being a starter.

Only kick in the crotch with Martin is that we're going to end up paying him more now than we would have if we'd signed him before getting turned down by every other qb that we've half heartedly been chasing.

I'd like to say " live and learn" , but we never seem to.

[HairOnFire]

Krenzel may be smart but does not have the physical toolset. if he did, they would not be searching for a QB...the same goes for Doug Johnson.

If they go the "Long-Term" fix, considering the available QB's in FA, I am more convinced they draft a guy who can settle in and learn while building value for moves down the road.

I agree that Krenzel and Johnson are physically limited, but I was responding to your question about if the delayed signing of a backup QB impacting his ability to learn the offense. In my opinion the Bengals could sign a veteran backup QB MONTHS from now and still be in reasonably good shape as far as being able to prepare that player to operate most of the offense. To be fair, the offensive gameplan would be limited somewhat by this type of late signing, but the offense will be limited to some degree by whoever is signed regardless of when they're signed.

The real questions that need to be asked are...

Should the Bengals settle for yet another veteran who lacks the physical skills needed in the deep passing attack?

No. The Bengals stunning offensive balance owes as much to it's impressive ability to pass short and deep as it does it's ability to pass and run. More to the point though...without the deep passing threat the offense becomes a popgun attack that wastes most of it's potential. It becomes hopelessly Kitna'd.

Should the Bengals waste time and energy bringing a veteran QB up to speed if they can expect no more than one years service from him?

No. If Palmer is healthy the Bengals backup QB search will be no easier next year.

Should the Bengals continue exploring better backup QB options even if the chances for contract signing success are remote?

Yes. To settle for a veteran QB who is only marginally better than what you already have makes very little sense. More importantly, the Bengals can get a veteran QB later who'll be just as good as they'd have to settle for now. The only difference will be the name sewed on the back of the jersey. So chase the true upgrade as long as you can.

And last, should the Bengals settle for whatever they can get right now instead of waiting for the NFL Draft, an event that is only a month away?

I'd wait. What's more I'd be more than willing to use a draft pick as high as the 3rd round on the right backup QB prospect. In addition, I'm curious about which veteran QB's will be cut loose by other teams after they've drafted new QB's.

Come September, we are going to be pretty sour if Carson is still not 100% and we are starting a Johsnon/Krenzel/rookie when we could have spent some Ca$h and grabbed Greise or made a play for Ramsey or Brooks...

Seems to me that two out of three sour grapes mentioned, Greise and Brooks, were never interested in signing with Cincy due to the looming presence of Carson Palmer. And you can't make free agents sign against their will, right?

As for Ramsey, yeah...I was in favor of gettting involved in trade talks that might have landed him, and the trade cost was later proven to be cheap enough.

[Kazkal]

Also being from oregon I'd like to see joey have a chance to prove himself...if he can't cut it in cinci then he's a bust because he'll have Oline here unlik for the lions

Joey is still under contract...he's due a big $ roster bonus in June...SO unless we trade for him, don't look for him to be a realistic option until then...in other words, if the bengals really like Joey he probably won't be a bengal until June at the earliest.

This now begs the question....given their inability to target and sign a decent FA QB and given the fact that Carson, for all the nice spin put on his progress, may not be back until Week 5, how comfortable would you be knowing that the QB they may hope to start in his place would have June, July and August to learn the Begnals O?

if they trade for him they'll redo the deal before trade takes place

Joey is no longer under contract, he was cut.

He was? I am looking all over and don't see anything about that...

I don't think it has happened yet, but it is only a matter of time now.

not if lions think they can get a pick from the bengals even a 6th or 7th

"

#3. Any guy that doesn't want to compete with Kitna for his own starting job ..... somehow just doesn't instill a sense of confidence in me."

Um he wasen't given the chance to compete they signed kitna then mccown

[HairOnFire]

Mort claims that six teams have shown interest in trading for Harrington...including the Chiefs who are said to be considering a first day draft pick. That's too rich for my tastes, but it may be bullcrap...as most of what comes out of Carl Peterson's mouth usually is. Making matters more complicated is the rumor that Harrington's agent is currently refusing all attempts to renegotiate Harrington's current contract.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Kitna got the job because Harrington demanded to be let go, not the other way around.