Rush to Rush

[HAPPYJAQ]

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=7525

Interesting comments from Mike Zimmer on Jeanty's pash rushing ability. Putting it all together since the offseason began and they're going to be looking for "that guy" in the first 2 rounds. I wonder how popular that pick will be if we haven't addressed the OT or C positions, before we draft the rush player.

I only hope they pull the trigger at #6, instead of hoping that guy falls in their laps at #38. It seems like they're always a pick or two late and they NEVER trade up to get a guy that they covet.

The key to the whole thing is Cedric Benson. They need to sign him for at least next season, so they don't have to blow one of those picks on a lesser-talented runner than Ced. Some combination of a pash rusher and OL as the first two picks, given they can sign Ced, would lead to a pretty decent offseason, IMO.

[bengalboomer7]

First thing I've read all off season that pumped me up a bit(but I'm a homer)

[HAPPYJAQ]

First thing I've read all off season that pumped me up a bit(but I'm a homer)

Me too.

One of the best things that ever happened to the Bengals franchise, is hiring Mike Zimmer. I actually watch Cincinnati Bengals defense and look forward to the results, when they take the field now.

First time in 20 years.

We didn't outshoot anybody last year and managed to win 4 games with mostly no-name guys. Imagine a 2nd season with everybody healthy, a year older in the defense and an impact rusher (assuming).

[kurgan74]

I think Orapko is the pick at 6...though I pobably just jinxed it. If Orapko is not the pick, I could see the Bengals

hopin Michael Johnson or COnnor Barwin fall to them at 38 (though with the lousy luck they would be taken at 36 and 37 repectively).

[HAPPYJAQ]

I think Orapko is the pick at 6...though I pobably just jinxed it. If Orapko is not the pick, I could see the Bengals

hopin Michael Johnson or COnnor Barwin fall to them at 38 (though with the lousy luck they would be taken at 36 and 37 repectively).

Michael Johnson is one name that has been brought up and he's a pretty interesting cat. I wonder why he didn't dominate in college, the way his athletic skills would suggest. Physically, he's Julius Peppers. He's the kinda guy that gets coaches signed to long extensions or gets them fired!

I'm dreaming that Connor Barwin magically falls into their laps at #38. He would be the perfect pick as a local kid that can rush the passer and maybe even play some goal line TE. He's freakish, athletically.

[COB]

I have a feeling that when Mike Zimmer looks for his car keys in the morning, he's on a mission.

His intensity is very welcome at PBS.

[ArmyBengal]

I went ahead and moved this back to the Bengals forum, as it relates mostly to Zimmer as opposed to the draft.

I like how he takes accountability for his actions as a coach and it able to identify his own weaknesses. I love the fact that he acknowledges the fact that the pass rush aspect of the defense was AWOL last season and is a priority heading into this one. I think he will makes great strides in finding a way to improve this and we should see some definite improvement. A healthy Odom should also help in that regard.

Thank God we finally have someone coaching on the defense who has that "In your face" approach and demands more of his players !!!

[HairOnFire]

I went ahead and moved this back to the Bengals forum, as it relates mostly to Zimmer as opposed to the draft.

Yeah, I liked the way Zimmer focused on helping the players who are already on the roster. It's important this team finds a pass rusher in the coming draft, but the next big step forward will only come if they find away to turn guys like Geathers, Odom, and Jeanty loose. Others too. And sadly, they'll never be able to do that until they can keep a fully functioning LB corp intact and upright. They'll just keep mush rushing.

Frankly, what Zimmer was able to accomplish last season using smoke, mirrors, and blitzing safeties was remarkable, but as impressive as it was nobody wants to see a repeat.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Love Zimmer's attitude. We totally lucked into this guy - if Mike Vick doesn't get ratted out, this guy still has a job with ATL - but that's fine by me. His ability and willingness to teach is what's been missing around here lately, I think. A real breath of fresh air after Chucky's full-time prevent defense.

This is the first time in over a decade where I've been enthusiastic about the D's chances. If they can get a pass rusher or coach up the ones he has, things could get fun.

As for Orapko, who's been mentioned - he's the pick at #6...if he's still around. Problem is he's been flying up the draft board. He'd be a perfect 'tweener type of guy. Only thing I don't like is all the combine hype, those guys tend to go a bit too high (cough-*Gholston*).

[agreen_112]

I knew he was my boy when I seen a ball go over the hands of a loosely covered WR and take a bounce straight for Zimmer. What did Zimmer do? He takes his clip board and gives the ball a strong overhand stroke slamming it to the ground, his eyes where on fire, and you could read his lips as clear as day as he screamed at the covering corner: "WHAT THE f**k ARE YOU DOING!?! GET IT RIGHT!!"

Man, he was fired up on that play. I love his intensity, he brings something to Cincinnati that we haven't seen for a looooong time. He's not affriad to hurt anyone's feelings, that's for sure. That's exactly what this young defense needs. This defense should be full of pride next season.

[membengal]

Yeah. A pass rusher. IF they thought Orakpo could actually come in and get 8-10 sacks from the edge regularly, I would not mind if they passed on a T.

IS Orakpo a certainty to be that kind of rusher off the edge?

[HAPPYJAQ]

Yeah. A pass rusher. IF they thought Orakpo could actually come in and get 8-10 sacks from the edge regularly, I would not mind if they passed on a T.

IS Orakpo a certainty to be that kind of rusher off the edge?

I'm not so sure, but I'd rather see him be the guy than any of the tackles in this draft after Jason Smith. At least he gives you that pash-rush potential. Deion compared him physically to Derrick Burgess and I could see him being that type of player.

I thought that FitzGerald did an outstanding job with the LB's, too. He's a very fiery guy, too, and it pumped me up watching him run the LB drills at the Combine. Last year was the best I've seen a Bengals linebacker corp produce and he did it with mostly castoffs from other teams. Imagine what he can do in working with Keith Rivers and any 1st round pash-rushing LB that you choose, over the course of a full season. Linebackers went from a unquestionable weakness to argurably the team's greatest strength, in one season. Most of the credit for that goes to FitzGerald and Zimmer.

[COB]

We totally lucked into this guy - if Mike Vick doesn't get ratted out, this guy still has a job with ATL

I never thought about that. If not for some puppies getting their skulls caved in by Mike Vick, we probably wouldn't have Zimmer. The world's a funny place (for us, not for puppies who can't bite hard enough to please pro atheltes). One would think that nothing good could come from Mike Vick swinging a puppy around by the tail and smashing it's head into the ground. Wrong. We benefitted from that. I'm not exactly overwhelmed with guilt, either. Peta's just going to have to deal with that one, because I couldn't stand another season of the Chuckster.

Maybe somewhere, right now, some serial-killer-in-training is torturing and killing small animals. And we could profit from that. Damn. The vagaries of unintended consequences are awesome for us Bengal fans. Other teams benefit from great management or innovative coaching. We benefit from animal torture and killing.

I might run over my neighbor's cat tomorrow, just to see if that will help us at all.

[HairOnFire]

It's so good to have Vijay's comforting smile back.

[Jet23]

We totally lucked into this guy - if Mike Vick doesn't get ratted out, this guy still has a job with ATL

I never thought about that. If not for some puppies getting their skulls caved in by Mike Vick, we probably wouldn't have Zimmer. The world's a funny place (for us, not for puppies who can't bite hard enough to please pro atheltes). One would think that nothing good could come from Mike Vick swinging a puppy around by the tail and smashing it's head into the ground. Wrong. We benefitted from that. I'm not exactly overwhelmed with guilt, either. Peta's just going to have to deal with that one, because I couldn't stand another season of the Chuckster.

Maybe somewhere, right now, some serial-killer-in-training is torturing and killing small animals. And we could profit from that. Damn. The vagaries of unintended consequences are awesome for us Bengal fans. Other teams benefit from great management or innovative coaching. We benefit from animal torture and killing.

I might run over my neighbor's cat tomorrow, just to see if that will help us at all.

Alright damn it, I will donate my cat to the cause. Just make sure you are at the intersection of 747 and Hamilton Mason Road tonight at 5:30 pm. Puffy is getting a bit long in the tooth, so it shouldn't be much of a challenge. He tends to cut hard to the right, so make sure you take a good vector...

We should at least land a pass catching Tight End from this, don't ya think?

[HAPPYJAQ]

People do worse things to other PEOPLE, than what Mike did to those dogs. Where's the People for the Ethical Treatment of PEOPLE, at? I'm a dog lover, too.

That said, I'd be all for him being a Bengal. He's still the greatest athlete I've ever seen play football, at any level. He was unstoppable his final game at PBS.

[derekshank]

People do worse things to other PEOPLE, than what Mike did to those dogs. Where's the People for the Ethical Treatment of PEOPLE, at? I'm a dog lover, too.

That said, I'd be all for him being a Bengal. He's still the greatest athlete I've ever seen play football, at any level. He was unstoppable his final game at PBS.

Fair enough... but people who get caught electrocuting other people to death in their basement would probably also be kicked out of the NFL.

My thing about dogs is that, even more than other animals, I feel like people should take responsibility for their well-being. We pretty much created their species in the domesticated sense. Without human beings, dogs wouldn't exist, and therefore people should be responsible for not torturing them for pleasure.

That said, I don't think people should spend as much time and money on rescuing dogs that are probably beyond the point of rehabilitation. I have a problem with a lot of tax payer money going to the people whose job it is to find neglected and abused pets and rescuing them. Pay those people their same salaries and have them go around and rescue children from neglect and abuse. Increase the work force there.

Meanwhile, for a mere $40,000/year, I will personally go around and put a bullet in the head of every animal that has become unmanageable because of abuse. Problem solved. But I digress... what was this thread about again?

[COB]

It's so good to have Vijay's comforting smile back.

Thanks for noticing. Vijay beat some guy I'd never heard of yesterday in the first round match of the match play tourney they're having in Arizona. Today he's 1 up on Luke Donald. He also won the money title and the fedex cup last year. He was out with knee surgery for a month, and he seems to be rounding into form slowly.

For further updates on Vijay, everyone tune into my website at thingsnoonegivesas**taboutexceptme.whatever

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Maybe somewhere, right now, some serial-killer-in-training is torturing and killing small animals. And we could profit from that. Damn. The vagaries of unintended consequences are awesome for us Bengal fans. Other teams benefit from great management or innovative coaching. We benefit from animal torture and killing.

I might run over my neighbor's cat tomorrow, just to see if that will help us at all.

If you can find us an offensive coordinator whose plays aren't fully known to everyone in the stadium before he calls them, I'll frame his starting QB for murder. Then his team goes 3-13, he gets fired, we hire him, and the Bengals win the Super Bowl.

I can live with myself after that. It's for the greater good.

Don't even ask what I'd do to get a GM.

[HairOnFire]

So what you're saying is this team might be only one serial killer away from being a contender?

[HAPPYJAQ]

So what you're saying is this team might be only one serial killer away from being a contender?

He should at least come cheaper (and possibly be more effective) than a particular possession receiver that I know of.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I think Orapko is the pick at 6...though I pobably just jinxed it. If Orapko is not the pick, I could see the Bengals

hopin Michael Johnson or COnnor Barwin fall to them at 38 (though with the lousy luck they would be taken at 36 and 37 repectively).

Michael Johnson is one name that has been brought up and he's a pretty interesting cat. I wonder why he didn't dominate in college, the way his athletic skills would suggest. Physically, he's Julius Peppers. He's the kinda guy that gets coaches signed to long extensions or gets them fired!

I'm dreaming that Connor Barwin magically falls into their laps at #38. He would be the perfect pick as a local kid that can rush the passer and maybe even play some goal line TE. He's freakish, athletically.

The Bengals (and not many other teams) aren't going to pay 3 DE's big bucks, which a #6 or even a 2nd round pick would require.

Barwin would be ideal, can do a lot of things and has very high upside, and hopefully lasts until early in day 2. But that's hard to gauge right now, he's fairly unique.

[Kazkal]

Too much Money for one Position

-Odom and Geathers combined make less money then some of the top ends yet our passrush is horrible...So I hope their contract size doesn't hinder them from wanting to upgrade the position.

-Okay you draft Orakpo you could have either have him or Geathers as the LB/DE Joker roll so your really only paying 2 ends big contracts and one Hybrid.....

-If Mike Brown takes a Tackle in the 1st round and a Defensive end in the 2nd it's still going to cost him the same amount of money if they take a Defensive end in the 1st and a Tackle in the 2nd.....

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

So what you're saying is this team might be only one serial killer away from being a contender?

You never know until you try.

Just make sure that the killing spree will result, through odd twists of fate, to result in the unemployment of an underrated offensive coordinator.

[DesperateDerelict]

Too much Money for one Position

-Odom and Geathers combined make less money then some of the top ends yet our passrush is horrible...So I hope their contract size doesn't hinder them from wanting to upgrade the position.

-Okay you draft Orakpo you could have either have him or Geathers as the LB/DE Joker roll so your really only paying 2 ends big contracts and one Hybrid.....

-If Mike Brown takes a Tackle in the 1st round and a Defensive end in the 2nd it's still going to cost him the same amount of money if they take a Defensive end in the 1st and a Tackle in the 2nd.....

IF they go defense at pick 6 and do not trade the pick, the ONLY player Marvin & Zimmer would be intersted in would be BJ Raji. He's probably the 2nd most NFL ready defensive player in the draft (Curry), and would set up a great rotation woth Peko & Sims.

He's capable of playing NT or LE in a 3-4, or either DT in the 4-3, allowing Zimmer to get creative with his LB's. Kind of leaves Odom as a fifth wheel, but he was a stupid signing anyway.

I still think they'll take an OT or do a total reach for an RB or WR.