2005 Draft Revisited

[HoosierCat]

1. DE/LB David Pollack -- slowed by rookie holdout, injuries, broke neck, appears likely to retire.

2. LB Odell Thurman -- suspended last 2 seasons, still on double-secret probation.

3. WR Chris Henry -- arrested 847 times, cut today.

4. C Eric Ghaiciuc -- borderline starter coming in to make-or-break year.

5. OT Adam Keift -- spent 2 years on IR, cut

6. WR Tab Perry -- struggled to stay healthy, couldn't catch crap when he was, cut

7. DE Jonathan Fanene -- servicable rotational/backup defensive lineman.

[Wraith]

And at the time I was so pumped for this draft, I loved Pollack coming out of college and nobody knew what a knucklehead Thurman was going to turn out to be (he had 2 instances of getting into a fight in college nothing else). We all knew Henry was a risk but a third round selection seemed worth the risk (and I would still maintain that his productivity would still outweigh most third round selections), the rest? meh. 1999 was still the worst Bengals draft.

1: Akili Smith

2: Charles Fisher

3: Cory Hall

4: Craig Yeast

5: Nick Luchey

6: Kelly Gregg

7a: Tony Coates

7b: Scott Covington

Here is who we could have selected.

1: Champ Bailey, CB

2: Mike Rucker, DE

3: Joey Porter, OLB

4: Dexter Jackson, FS

5: Jerry Azumah, CB

6: Desmond Clark, TE

7a: Donald Driver, WR

7b: Bryce Fisher, DE

[HoosierCat]

And at the time I was so pumped for this draft, I loved Pollack coming out of college

I was ambivalent about Pollack: he seemed like a good player but as a rule, I hate hate hate the idea of using a high pick on a college player and then asking him to switch positions. The guy I was hoping they'd take was Luis Castillo, who's had an up-and-down career in SD.

[Wraith]

Yeah I was hoping against hope that Castillo would fall to the Bengals in the second.

[Thurmanation]

And at the time I was so pumped for this draft, I loved Pollack coming out of college and nobody knew what a knucklehead Thurman was going to turn out to be (he had 2 instances of getting into a fight in college nothing else). We all knew Henry was a risk but a third round selection seemed worth the risk (and I would still maintain that his productivity would still outweigh most third round selections), the rest? meh. 1999 was still the worst Bengals draft.

1: Akili Smith

2: Charles Fisher

3: Cory Hall

4: Craig Yeast

5: Nick Luchey

6: Kelly Gregg

7a: Tony Coates

7b: Scott Covington

Here is who we could have selected.

1: Champ Bailey, CB

2: Mike Rucker, DE

3: Joey Porter, OLB

4: Dexter Jackson, FS

5: Jerry Azumah, CB

6: Desmond Clark, TE

7a: Donald Driver, WR

7b: Bryce Fisher, DE

You cant really say that would've could've should've, because no one knows how certian players will turn out..Hopefully this year will be better.

[jjakq27]

The sound your hear is the toilet at PBS flushing this one away.

[chrishcovga]

And at the time I was so pumped for this draft, I loved Pollack coming out of college and nobody knew what a knucklehead Thurman was going to turn out to be (he had 2 instances of getting into a fight in college nothing else). We all knew Henry was a risk but a third round selection seemed worth the risk (and I would still maintain that his productivity would still outweigh most third round selections), the rest? meh. 1999 was still the worst Bengals draft.

1: Akili Smith

2: Charles Fisher

3: Cory Hall

4: Craig Yeast

5: Nick Luchey

6: Kelly Gregg

7a: Tony Coates

7b: Scott Covington

Here is who we could have selected.

1: Champ Bailey, CB

2: Mike Rucker, DE

3: Joey Porter, OLB

4: Dexter Jackson, FS

5: Jerry Azumah, CB

6: Desmond Clark, TE

7a: Donald Driver, WR

7b: Bryce Fisher, DE

Nah, you forget that Mike Ditka was going to give Cincy' 10 draft picks. 6 in '99,1st and 3rd in 2000,1st in 2001, and a 2nd in '2002. So this is how it could've / should've looked like...

'99

1.Jevon Kearse

2. Dre Bly

3. Joey Porter

3b John Welborn

4a Brandon Stokely

4b Ed Mulitalo

5a Jerry Azumah

5b Rod Coleman

6a Kelly Gregg - we actually drafted this guy, he's made a career starting with the Ravens..???

6b Desmond Clark

7a Donald Driver

7b Bryce Fisher

7c Kris Brown - k

'00

1a Chris Samuels

1b Brian Urlacher

2 Jerry Porter

3a Lavarneus Coles

3b Kabeer Gbaja Biamila

'01

1a Richard Seymour

1b Steve Hutchinson

'02

1. Ed Reed

2a Clinton Portis

2b LeCharles Bentley

We root for a professional franchise that is run by a Mom & Pop store mentality. We didn't get active into free agency properly for over 10 years. So the rest of the NFL got a 10 + year head start on us on how to manage the salary cap/free agency, and because we refuse to hire a General Manager with FOOTBALL experience, we will continue to draft below expectations.

[Wraith]

I don't like to think about that trade offer. I was at Damon's off of Reading Rd. at the 1360 Draft Party (then 1530 I think). I had been up all night working through a draft plan where we would take the Saints offer then package picks to trade back up to the Bears spot to take Champ Bailey. Before the draft began I showed my plan to Lance McAllister and I will never forget his quote, "Thats a great plan but Mike Brown is not creative enough to think about it so the Bengals will never do it." I cursed and spit at the TV when we picked Akili Smith along with everyone else at the bar and then when the Redskins did EXACTLY what I drew up I cursed some more. Tom Gamble interviewed me at the party on the condition that I didn't swear, I don't think I made it through my rant without swearing. I thought the crowd was going to tear down the screen, I have never seen football fans as angry as that in my life.

[kingwilly]

I don't like to think about that trade offer. I was at Damon's off of Reading Rd. at the 1360 Draft Party (then 1530 I think). I had been up all night working through a draft plan where we would take the Saints offer then package picks to trade back up to the Bears spot to take Champ Bailey. Before the draft began I showed my plan to Lance McAllister and I will never forget his quote, "Thats a great plan but Mike Brown is not creative enough to think about it so the Bengals will never do it." I cursed and spit at the TV when we picked Akili Smith along with everyone else at the bar and then when the Redskins did EXACTLY what I drew up I cursed some more. Tom Gamble interviewed me at the party on the condition that I didn't swear, I don't think I made it through my rant without swearing. I thought the crowd was going to tear down the screen, I have never seen football fans as angry as that in my life.

that is a great story.

After the Akili pick, I spent the rest of the day in a complete daze, wondering what the "future" would hold....same as it ever was.

[CarsonDaMan]

And at the time I was so pumped for this draft, I loved Pollack coming out of college and nobody knew what a knucklehead Thurman was going to turn out to be (he had 2 instances of getting into a fight in college nothing else). We all knew Henry was a risk but a third round selection seemed worth the risk (and I would still maintain that his productivity would still outweigh most third round selections), the rest? meh. 1999 was still the worst Bengals draft.

1: Akili Smith

2: Charles Fisher

3: Cory Hall

4: Craig Yeast

5: Nick Luchey

6: Kelly Gregg

7a: Tony Coates

7b: Scott Covington

Here is who we could have selected.

1: Champ Bailey, CB

2: Mike Rucker, DE

3: Joey Porter, OLB

4: Dexter Jackson, FS

5: Jerry Azumah, CB

6: Desmond Clark, TE

7a: Donald Driver, WR

7b: Bryce Fisher, DE

Way, way wrong. Was kicked off the team his freshman year for "several infractions", one including a fight at a bar. Transferred to Georgia Military Academy and was suspended a game and a half while there for disciplinary reasons. Georgia brought him back the next year but yet he was pulled over and charged with underage posession of alchohol. He somehow got that charge dropped though. Then there was a domestic dispute with a girlfriend in which he was accused of hitting her. Somehow that was also dropped. Due to repeated violations of team policy he was suspended for three games to start the 04 season. The next year the Bengals drafted him and this trend of problems came right along with him.

Odell had more red flags on him than a circus tent and everyone knew it. To say they had no idea what a knucklehad he was is completely false.