HoosierCat Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 per Hobs...The agent for former Colts and Bills defensive lineman Larry Tripplett said his client visited Cincinnati Thursday. Joby Branion hasn't talked deal with the Bengals but Tripplett feels the team is a fit. Tripplett, 29, started every game for Buffalo the past two years and last year had a sack, forced fumble, interception, and 35 tackles.I was wondering if he'd pop up on the bengals' radar, esp. after I read a note over at footballoutsiders.com that he might be one of the sleepers left in FA...DT Larry Tripplett: Tripplett was the starting defensive tackle or at least a heavy rotation guy for a team that was second in power runs defensively and 11th in stuffs despite having a tiny defensive line surrounding him. I bet Indy goes back after him to replace Booger McFarland and rotate in with Ed Johnson.Plus we haven't had the annual Aging Vet DT signing yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsemen Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 MAKE... IT... HAPPEN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcom69 Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Hey hes only 29 thats still kind of young for them lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Well it's change,I wouldn't mind it aslong as it doesn't stop us from drafting DT in first 2 rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurmanation Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 If hes cheap then yes..but theres no poiont in wasting money on a guy who wil be a back up to our first round DT and Peko/Thornton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cincitiger Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 If hes cheap then yes..but theres no poiont in wasting money on a guy who wil be a back up to our first round DT and Peko/ThorntonI don't like him, he was very disappointed in Buffalo last year, but if we can get him very cheap, IT might worth the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 True hair, but there's a vein of "aging defensive tackles" that actually are productive, that the Bengals seem to try for and miss. I think, if I searched the archives, I was not high on pursuing Pat Williams when he hit the market due to his age, and he has been an anchor and then some for Minnesota. Sam Adams was obviously an ancor in a different way for the Bengals (dragging the defense down, down, ever down, to the depths).At any rate, I would hope that at 29, if given a reasonable three year deal, he might be a significant help to the team. And, hey, third time's a charm on going for a DT this off-season, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC_Bengals_Fan Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 If hes cheap then yes..but theres no poiont in wasting money on a guy who wil be a back up to our first round DT and Peko/Thornton1. No guarantee we get a DT in the 1st round since a lot of mocks have Ellis and Dorsey in top 8.2. If this guy isn't a whole lot better than John Thornton, don't sigh him anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryce40 Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I wouldn't mind signing him as long as it was a reasonable deal no longer than 4 years. I really feel this team can use all the help it can get at DT and competition for a job is never a bad thing when it's a weakness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 This guy was looked at pretty hard when he left the Colts. He had some help on the D-line, but I couldn't see signing him to a reasonable contract a bad thing whatsoever. I'd take him ...WHODEY !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals1 Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I like the idea of signing Triplett much better than that ex-Brown DT we were working out earlier in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryce40 Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I like the idea of signing Triplett much better than that ex-Brown DT we were working out earlier in the week. I actually like the idea of Ethan Kelley better just because he's younger and his most productive years are ahead of him; though as I posted elsewhere I think at a weak position DT, he's never bad to have several guys competing for that job. I guess I would really like it to get Triplett and Kelley at reasonable salaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 If hes cheap then yes..but theres no poiont in wasting money on a guy who wil be a back up to our first round DT and Peko/Thornton1. No guarantee we get a DT in the 1st round since a lot of mocks have Ellis and Dorsey in top 8.2. If this guy isn't a whole lot better than John Thornton, don't sigh him anyway.For the second mock in a row, the scout.com guys on foxsports have had Dorsey falling to the Bengals at 9. As much as I argue for going heavy offense this year, if Dorsey were to slip that far in the first round, it's a no-brainer to take him:http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7883698...lston-moving-up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 If hes cheap then yes..but theres no poiont in wasting money on a guy who wil be a back up to our first round DT and Peko/ThorntonWell, perhaps the question then is, is it time to close the door on Thornton? When the Bengals signed him back in 2003, he was seen as a young guy on the cusp of blossoming into a difference-maker. For whatever reason (and several could be cited) that never happened...and now he's sitting on $4.6 million in cap space. Cut JT and you could probably sign Tripplett and Kelley with the $4m in freed-up space.Mem: yeah, I know what you mean. Gravy Jackson is another one; I had no interest when he popped up last season but he went on to be productive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cincyhokie Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 If hes cheap then yes..but theres no poiont in wasting money on a guy who wil be a back up to our first round DT and Peko/ThorntonWell, perhaps the question then is, is it time to close the door on Thornton? When the Bengals signed him back in 2003, he was seen as a young guy on the cusp of blossoming into a difference-maker. For whatever reason (and several could be cited) that never happened...and now he's sitting on $4.6 million in cap space. Cut JT and you could probably sign Tripplett and Kelley with the $4m in freed-up space.Mem: yeah, I know what you mean. Gravy Jackson is another one; I had no interest when he popped up last season but he went on to be productive.Smart teams would make moves like this. Seriously, what has Thorton done? And what gives anyone the idea that he is going to improve? 2 for the price of 1? No brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 Seriously, what has Thorton done?Not what you would have expected from a captain of your defense. He's a piss poor leader. We need a defensive captain that can instill some fire in this unit! I'm SICK of seeing the Bengals defense rated in the bottom of the league year, after year, after year.Until the defense improves greatly, I cannot hold much hope for the Bengals playoff hopes. Anyone who even payed fleeting attention to what the Giants did in the Super Bowl can see that DEFENSE = CHAMPIONSHIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekshank Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I'm not much in favor of signing a FA DT right now. The Bengals got a D-Lineman in FA already. It's time to use that #1 pick on a DT. Afraid that they might need to trade up to get Ellis? So be it. I don't want any more aging vets as stop-gap solutions on this D-Line. It's been the weakest area of this defense for the entire Marvin era... and when you are talking about the weakest area on this defense... you know it is bad. You don't fix a problem like that by doing more of the same. It's time to spend an important draft pick on the solution.That said... if signing Triplett allows them to cut Thornton AND draft Ellis, then get it done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryce40 Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I even wonder if it would be possible to keep Thornton and sign Kelley and Triplett. If so, I would be all for it for the simple reason it would mean that Cincy wouldn't have to try and make a trade on draft day to get a DT. Yes, if a stud DT was still there at 9; (Dorsey or Ellis) you go ahead and draft them. You would just have to get Triplett and Kelley cheap enough to make this work, then if a DT fell in your lap at 9, you have tradeable players in either Thornton, Triplett, or Kelley if need be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalszoneBilly Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I even wonder if it would be possible to keep Thornton and sign Kelley and Triplett. If so, I would be all for it for the simple reason it would mean that Cincy wouldn't have to try and make a trade on draft day to get a DT. Yes, if a stud DT was still there at 9; (Dorsey or Ellis) you go ahead and draft them. You would just have to get Triplett and Kelley cheap enough to make this work, then if a DT fell in your lap at 9, you have tradeable players in either Thornton, Triplett, or Kelley if need be.Interesting perspective. I never thought of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted March 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I'm not much in favor of signing a FA DT right now. The Bengals got a D-Lineman in FA already. It's time to use that #1 pick on a DT. Afraid that they might need to trade up to get Ellis? So be it. I don't want any more aging vets as stop-gap solutions on this D-Line.I know the feeling, believe me.I think that it's clear the Bengals initially wanted to fill the DT hole in FA. Had they gotten Rogers or Robertson, Odom would be in a different uniform and we'd be debating whether Derrick Harvey or Phillip Merling was the better choice at 9. And the Bengals would have pencilled in whichever of the two was their favorite and moved on to gaming the second round.Instead, they had to go with Plan B, which was Odom, filling in the DE hole. That's riskier draft-wise since both Ellis and Dorsey may be long gone by 9, and even if Dorsey isn't, his knees might be a deal-breaker. I think with Tripplett and Kelley they're kicking some tires, seeing if either would come cheap as insurance against not getting that DT in the first.We'll see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryce40 Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Does anyone know if Triplett has signed anywhere yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengalsfansince68 Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Does anyone know if Triplett has signed anywhere yet?Doesn't really matter what marginal players are added, we need a difference maker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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