Saints sign Grant....Impact on justin?

[derekshank]

Replacing his 6-8 sacks a year should not be a huge challenge.

you say it now but then we draft carriker and he racks up 2 sacks then you'd be moaning we diden't keep justin.

Well, it's not so much the 6-8 sacks that would be hard to replace. It's true... there are plenty of DE's in this draft that could rack up more sacks than Justin Smith does. But there are very few that will be as stout against the run, or as difficult to fool on screens.

The point is, anytime someone wants to cheap-shot Justin, they pull out the sacks stat. It's a time tested straw man that is just as meaningless as it is unsophisticated. What the Justin bashers always conveniently fail to mention that by himself he accounted for nearly half of the tackles made by DE's on the Bengals and more than 30% of the entire D-Line's tackles... which means that the other 7 D-Linemen were averaging 10% of the tackles each.

So sure... Justin Smith isn't a record breaking pass-rusher. He just happens to be far and away the best D-Lineman the Bengals have. And the fact that there is a general admission that it would take a 1st round pick to replace him, I'm beginning to think that despite all the disrespect in his direction, most people understand that fact.

[membengal]

Well said derek. As always.

It's like a Cincy Bengals version of the Inconvenient Truth.

[schweinhart]

Carriker does fit what the Bengals need and preferred last year vs. on the strongside -- a big DE who kicks down to DT for pass rush. But Carriker does nothing exceptional and for what he would bring IMO they can get later, like in the 7th round with Mel Purcell.

First you claimed that the Bengals could use a 7th round pick on Brent Curvey and get a better player than Amobi Okoye. Now you're claiming that they could use their other 7th round pick on Mel Purcell and land a better player than Adam Carricker. So what's next, getting an UDFA that's better than Patrick Willis?

Yeah I thought you'd like that I believe if you'll remember correctly, the Curvey-Okoye comparison was one of pass rushing DT. If all the Bengals want is a pass rusher of the same style based on quickness and penetration and with a more proven track record over a 4-year career against often times much better competition, then Curvey would fit that need as well as Okoye. And the verdict will be out for awhile most likely as to whether or not Okoye has the potential to be anything more than a pass rusher at the next level, though it definitely helps his cause if he lands with a team that is stunt drive and even if he doesn't his frame and his age give him the upside to think he can develop into an all-downs DT. Pretty much why I got Okoye as a 1st rounder and Curvey as a rook free agent. But of course you know that already.

As for Carriker vs. Purcell, it's not a question of "better" and there's no such claim if you do some more remdial reading. It's what the position is and how readily it can be filled without using a 1st round pick. I would expect the Bengals to use Fanene and pick up Frostee Rucker where he left off in pre-season for that purpose rather than burn a 1st rounder on Carriker for it. A 7th makes more sense to me for that purpose, especially since it's most likely going to be filled like it has been in the past -- with vet free agents.

As a run and pass DT, they might be looking at Carriker and get swayed by the prospect of him as an end who could get plugged in as needed but I'd guess they look for a more bonafide DT who doesn't get so stalled high inside later in the draft and could get one like Jay Alford in the 4th who's more accustomed to playing inside, has decent interior pass rushing skills and the frame to keep getting bigger and stronger. Antonio Johnson would be an even better DT option than Alford because of how he was used at Mississippi State in a 4-3 and how quick he is off the snap with the strength and moves to match but I doubt he's there when the Bengals pick in the 4th. Both Johnson and Alford look like they could develop into the big DT/DE mold too if needed.

[Kazkal]

Well, it's not so much the 6-8 sacks that would be hard to replace. It's true... there are plenty of DE's in this draft that could rack up more sacks than Justin Smith does. But there are very few that will be as stout against the run, or as difficult to fool on screens.

Well just seems like some people think any rookie could replace even his sacks,though if you look at last years draft only 2 DE's had 5+ sacks (elvis and anderson) who got their sacks off system and how they were used rather then skill.