B. Wilkerson waived!

[Variety]

1) Wilkerson looked terrible.

2) Ghiaciuc dominated at the end of the season (watch the SD game).

3) Wilkerson's NFL career is over.

[HoosierCat]

I thought Bluto improved as last year went on, and am cautiously optimistic that he'll will prove himself this coming season. But Wilk getting cut is, to me, just another disappointment for an offensive line that has had little good news of late.

Gone, now, are our starting LG and our (default) No. 2 center from last year. Filling those two o-line slots now are a bust from AZ and a 7th round draft pick.

Our starting LT is still nursing a mystery knee ailment.

Our attempts to build depth through the draft have met with mixed efforts. Wilk's gone, Keift gets hurt just by looking as a football field and after three years in development, the much-ballyhooed Dancing Bear is finally (supposedly) ready to challenge for a starting job -- just in time to reap a giant contract in a guard market the Bengals decline to play in.

The only saving grace is Scott Kooistra. And that's no small thing since we all know that our senior citizen RT will be playing hurt by the end of the first game.

I would absolutely hate to see a replay of last year's game of "musical o-line."

[derekshank]

Our attempts to build depth through the draft have met with mixed efforts. Wilk's gone, Keift gets hurt just by looking as a football field and after three years in development, the much-ballyhooed Dancing Bear is finally (supposedly) ready to challenge for a starting job -- just in time to reap a giant contract in a guard market the Bengals decline to play in.

Wilkerson wasn't a draft pick. He was a rookie free agent signing... and Andrews has been successful enough to warrant starting consideration from other NFL teams... so why exactly are you upset about the Bengals efforts through the draft?

[HoosierCat]

Wilkerson wasn't a draft pick. He was a rookie free agent signing...

Fine. Our attempts to build depth with younger players have met with mixed efforts. Happy now?

and Andrews has been successful enough to warrant starting consideration from other NFL teams... so why exactly are you upset about the Bengals efforts through the draft?

1. draft picks don't do you much good if you don't keep them to reap the fruits of your efforts. 2. where did I say I was "upset," oh stickler of semantics? I said their efforts had been mixed -- and they have been.

[derekshank]

Andrews has been successful enough to warrant starting consideration from other NFL teams... so why exactly are you upset about the Bengals efforts through the draft?

1. draft picks don't do you much good if you don't keep them to reap the fruits of your efforts. 2. where did I say I was "upset," oh stickler of semantics? I said their efforts had been mixed -- and they have been.

We haven't reaped the benefits with Andrews? He played in 16 games last year (started 3) and played in 14 in '05. And lets not forget that we're talking about a late 4th round pick here. He has been very versaitle and great depth for the Bengals since his 2nd year in the league. The fact that he has been developed so well that another team is willing to pay more than the Bengals after this year indicates only that the Bengals are too successful with their draft picks. For shame. They should start taking lesser talents that can stay on the team with no risk of other teams becoming interested during free agency.

It seems that your real problem here is that free agent O-Linemen cost too much. That has nothing to do with the Bengals ability to draft O-Linemen well. So I guess you'll have to give me more evidence than the fact that a 328 lb Tackle (Kieft) needed more than 12 months to recover from a serious knee injury. Because by my count, the Bengals have drafted O-Linemen with suberb success... not mixed.

[HoosierCat]

We haven't reaped the benefits with Andrews? He played in 16 games last year (started 3) and played in 14 in '05.

...primarily as a special teamer and blocking TE. Did we really need to spend a 4th, even a late one, for that?

The fact that he has been developed so well that another team is willing to pay more than the Bengals after this year indicates only that the Bengals are too successful with their draft picks. For shame.

Uh-huh. Meantime, back in the real world, if Andrews leaves, which "too successful" draft pick is our RT of the future?

It seems that your real problem here is that free agent O-Linemen cost too much.

No, my real problem is that quarterbacks cost too much, and our $100 million man is standing behind a line whose talent level continues to go in the wrong direction.

[Stripes]

Uh-huh. Meantime, back in the real world, if Andrews leaves, which "too successful" draft pick is our RT of the future?

I'd imagine it'll be a man still to be named picked higher than the 4th round. Whitworth served to answer the same question for Steinbach.

[jditty47]

We haven't reaped the benefits with Andrews? He played in 16 games last year (started 3) and played in 14 in '05.

...primarily as a special teamer and blocking TE. Did we really need to spend a 4th, even a late one, for that?

The fact that he has been developed so well that another team is willing to pay more than the Bengals after this year indicates only that the Bengals are too successful with their draft picks. For shame.

Uh-huh. Meantime, back in the real world, if Andrews leaves, which "too successful" draft pick is our RT of the future?

It seems that your real problem here is that free agent O-Linemen cost too much.

No, my real problem is that quarterbacks cost too much, and our $100 million man is standing behind a line whose talent level continues to go in the wrong direction.

i dont think our talent level is going in the wrong direction. we resigned 3 players on our line. we have a highly skilled offense which our team is based on, that takes alot of our payroll. With how our offense is, we will always have 1-2 guys on the line that need to play above themselves or are on rookie contracts. I do not mind this at all, i feel our line is more than adequate even with losing steinbach.

[The PatternMaster]

Uh-huh. Meantime, back in the real world, if Andrews leaves, which "too successful" draft pick is our RT of the future?

I'd imagine it'll be a man still to be named picked higher than the 4th round. Whitworth served to answer the same question for Steinbach.

I think Whitworth is our RT of the future, once Big Willie hangs up the cleats I could see Whitworth replacing him. That would leave LG spot to be manned by Andrews or Koostra, if they are still around.

[Stripes]

Uh-huh. Meantime, back in the real world, if Andrews leaves, which "too successful" draft pick is our RT of the future?

I'd imagine it'll be a man still to be named picked higher than the 4th round. Whitworth served to answer the same question for Steinbach.

I think Whitworth is our RT of the future, once Big Willie hangs up the cleats I could see Whitworth replacing him. That would leave LG spot to be manned by Andrews or Koostra, if they are still around.

That's also a possibility. I suspect that both of those spots on the o-line will be manned by someone drafted high though. Andrews looks like long-term depth to me unless he does get snatched away.

[HoosierCat]

I'd imagine it'll be a man still to be named picked higher than the 4th round.

Ding. And I expect that pick to come sooner rather than later -- like, say, next April.

Whitworth served to answer the same question for Steinbach.

Actually, Whit answered the question, what do we do if Levi's knees break? And fortunately, he was able to prove the doubters who thought he couldn't make it as a LT in the NFL wrong. Like Pattern, I had him pegged as the RT of the future, but given Levi's knees I'm not convinced we won't need him on the other side.

[HoosierCat]

i dont think our talent level is going in the wrong direction. we resigned 3 players on our line. we have a highly skilled offense which our team is based on, that takes alot of our payroll.

No one said it didn't. But the last time we had an effective o-line was 2005, our one winning season in the last million years. Where are we versus then? Levi, Bobbie and Willie are all two years older, and all three are coming off injury-plagued seasons in which they missed 13.5 games combined. Braham and Steinbach are both gone; in their place are far less experienced players (and in the case of Buckethead versus Bluto, far less talented at this point).

Our backups? A Cardinals center who couldn't hold the starting job on a horrid o-line, a 5th round pick who can't stay healthy, a 4th round project, a rookie 7th round selection, and Scott Kooistra -- who I happen to think is the best of the bunch.

[jditty47]

ok now lets look at the rest of our positions on offense since 2005. TJ is much better, Henry? ya for sure. RB - definately better with Irons and Perry, and QB is much better with carson having 2 years more under his belt. Ya our oline is getting older, but what oline doesnt get older? we got 2 new young starters, and 3 older guys...that seems average in the NFL to me. 2 coming off injury plagued seasons...ya so they got that out of the way and will finally be healthy.

i would also argue our Defense depth is 10 times better than it was in 2005.

ya our depth on the oline might not be as deep, but i only see that at mb center. the rest are covered by kooistra and andrews, who cares about the rest.

[Kazkal]

Uh-huh. Meantime, back in the real world, if Andrews leaves, which "too successful" draft pick is our RT of the future?

Whitworth and you'll see a Day 1 LG pick probbley in next 2 years

PS,read latter posts hopefully levi can stop getting injured