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Falcons meeting with Kelly, Sign Wilkins


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Dawg BpG posted this in the Steinbach thread on the NFL board, worth adding in here:

SMITH TO VISIT: Steinbach isn't the only Bengal coming to town. Reserve defensive tackle Shaun Smith, a restricted free agent, will visit the Browns on Saturday, his first official visit. The Bengals can match a Browns offer, but Cleveland would not have to compensate Cincinnati with a draft pick because Smith was undrafted out of South Carolina.

From the Cleveland Plain dealer.

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I liked this...

Mark Mersel, Wilkins’ agent, said the Falcons flew his client and his wife first class into Atlanta Friday.

Good god. For a special team's player?

Am I missing something -- it's Marcus freaking Wilkins?!? Is this guy the second coming of Ray Lewis and we just didn't know it? I can live with losing Marcus Wilkins in FA.

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Am I missing something -- it's Marcus freaking Wilkins?!? Is this guy the second coming of Ray Lewis and we just didn't know it? I can live with losing Marcus Wilkins in FA.

Here's what you're missing.

Free agency has begun. Thus, all Bengala is busy pulling out their hair, pounding sand up their tailpipes, or furiously masturbating while holding a picture of Dwight Freeny.

Every Bengal player lost produces flop sweat amongst the more pannicky Bengal fans. (How can this team replace Kevin Walter?)

Every premier free agent not pursued produces angst and teeth gnashing amongst unrealistic Bengal fans who had gotten weepy in their pants over the thought of said player in stripes. (Drew Bledsoe, Warren Sapp, Corey Simon, etc.)

Every Bengal player re-signed in free agency produces fits of anger and frustration amongst Bengal fans who oddly enough actually hate almost all Bengal players. (No Bengal player is worth what he's being paid....especially whatever guy just signed.)

Free agency is a very long process that too many feel can be judged long before it begins. (Never mind the fact that free agent talent comes in waves that will still be hitting the beach months from now.)

<_<

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Let me say I'm glad Marvin/Brown/The Blackburns are taking care of this and not some of the people on this board. If it was up to them we'd be the second coming of the Washington Redskins and dumping big worthless contracts.

Kendrell Bell/Ed Hartwell/Jamie Sharper are all guys we "missed" out on because we weren't willing to let them cash in... We didn't miss out on much...

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Am I missing something -- it's Marcus freaking Wilkins?!? Is this guy the second coming of Ray Lewis and we just didn't know it? I can live with losing Marcus Wilkins in FA.

I'm not sure what the big deal about Wilkins is, either. But the Bengals have declared him one of their own that they would prefer to keep, and according to his agent the team has even extended at least one contract offer. I suspect that they would rather keep him for two reasons: one, they've had enough LB changes already; and two, IIRC they had a lot of ST turnover last season (Walters being the most prominent example) and would probably rather not go through that again.

Small update from Hobson:

It looks like the scenarios are going to stretch into the weekend and possibly beyond. Kelly is leaving Atlanta for Arizona and Oakland, and Mersel said another team is very interested in Wilkins.

He also quotes Shaun Smith's agent as saying he may have another visit after the Browns.

Sounds like Kelly is a goner...

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On the other hand, teams may be meeting with Kelly, Washington, KK, Wilkins, etc. simply because they figure they may be able to offer them slightly more than the Bengals and still get a bargain -- a role player that doesn't hit the cap like a sledgehammer. I suppose I should've seen it coming, but I'm already getting a little weary of the damned-when-they-do-damned-if-they-didn't tone of the board on these FA days.

Every Bengal player sucks, except those that might go somewhere else. (It's Marcus freaking Wilkins. Yeah, I know there were a few blurbs about how he was a key guy the team wanted to keep, but if you believe everything you see from ML and the FO during the free agency period I have some investment opportunities in Chinese stocks that you may be interested in.)

[EDIT: Hoosier, you make this point better than I do -- in the Daniel Graham thread. "Well, knowing Marvin, do you really think we'd be told who they wanted in FA? Just because they haven't expressed interest does not mean they don't have any. That said, my guess is (as it has been from the start) that they consider him too expensive."]

Every FA or even releases from every other team is suddenly the best player ever, or the missing piece of a SuperBowl run. Cato June?, Joey Porter?, Montae Reagor?, LaVar Arrington? -- damn this looks like the crappiest FA slate I've seen in a long time. There are a few golden FA's and there's no way in hell the Bengals go after them unless they've suddenly decided to scrap the plan they've been using for the past decade. Argue it to death that the Bengals are taking the wrong approach, but it is consistent as hell. We're the anti-redskins whether you like it or not. It just seems to get to a level of absurdity when there's pissing and moaning about the "potential" courting by other teams of such key players as Marcus Wilkins and Shaun Smith being the end of the world.

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I suppose I should've seen it coming, but I'm already getting a little weary of the damned-when-they-do-damned-if-they-didn't tone of the board on these FA days.

So...why are you here, now? I mean, as far as I know, there isn't anyone holding a gun to your head and forcing you to point your browser to bengalszone.com, right?

As for the damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don't stuff, hey, this is a message board. People post opinions. They are going to be different. That's the whole point of the place. Some are going to like their moves, some aren't. And again, if you find the debate so wearisome...do something else for a while. You're welcome at my place. We're in the middle of a snowstorm and I could use the driveway shoveled, and the dog wants a walk. Hell, pick up a case on the way and we can skip all that and get straight to the drinking.

It just seems to get to a level of absurdity when there's pissing and moaning about the "potential" courting by other teams of such key players as Marcus Wilkins and Shaun Smith being the end of the world.

Where's all this pissing and moaning? Where did anyone say they were key players? Where did anyone say it was the end of the world? I think you're reading a lot into what's being talked about.

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I suppose I should've seen it coming, but I'm already getting a little weary of the damned-when-they-do-damned-if-they-didn't tone of the board on these FA days.

So...why are you here, now? I mean, as far as I know, there isn't anyone holding a gun to your head and forcing you to point your browser to bengalszone.com, right?

As for the damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don't stuff, hey, this is a message board. People post opinions. They are going to be different. That's the whole point of the place. Some are going to like their moves, some aren't. And again, if you find the debate so wearisome...do something else for a while. You're welcome at my place. We're in the middle of a snowstorm and I could use the driveway shoveled, and the dog wants a walk. Hell, pick up a case on the way and we can skip all that and get straight to the drinking.

It just seems to get to a level of absurdity when there's pissing and moaning about the "potential" courting by other teams of such key players as Marcus Wilkins and Shaun Smith being the end of the world.

Where's all this pissing and moaning? Where did anyone say they were key players? Where did anyone say it was the end of the world? I think you're reading a lot into what's being talked about.

Dude -- chill out man. I like how you say this is a mb and you're free to post your own opinions. Then you tell me to go away. KMA

You don't like my opinion, why don't you go shovel your own driveway -- sounds like you need to cool off.

As for pissing and moaning -- pick any TBD comment you can find today.

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We'll see. I think it's more than possible that Kelly and the Bengals couldn't come to an agreement but Kelly wants to remain a a Bengal and after shopping himself around will give the Bengals the opportunity to match or beat the best offer he can get.

Could be. OTOH, there's some stupid money being thrown around. Freakin' Falcons just gave a 5 year, $18m deal, with a $5m signing bonus, to now-ex-Raven FB Mughelli...

Yeah. $3m+/year for a fullback. :wacko:

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Dude -- chill out man. I like how you say this is a mb and you're free to post your own opinions. Then you tell me to go away. KMA

I'm not telling you to go away, I'm asking you why you keep doing something that 1. you don't have to do and 2. you say upsets you?

If you said, I'm really tired of banging my head into this wall, it hurts, would you get mad if I told you you maybe should think about stopping doing it? That's all.

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