What Changes???

[Barbarian]

In another thread, Joisey said this:

"Yes and no. We certainly could have snagged a top d-lineman at several points on day one, but that guy could have just as easily been another Gerard Warren or Big Duddy (and, as you noted, how Askew pans out remains to be seen). I fault them more for ignoring the DT position through nearly all of free agency -- choosing instead to fruitlessly pursue aging CB Troy Vincent, who never excited me very much -- and then botching the Sapp deal."

So, I have to ask this:

WHAT CHANGES??? Sure, I see the "turnaround" in coaching ON THE FIELD--but what about off the field???

I thought the turnaround meant that we as fans would see a marquis free agent get signed??? Every Free Agent that came to Cincinnati either A. Shunned the Franchise or B. Used the Franchise as leverage.

This year is no different from last year as far as free agency goes. I thought that Marvin Lewis would help bring in the Free Agents--but this hasn't happened. Mike Brown & Company must be a real pain in the ass when it comes to contract negotiating.

The fact is--is that the Bungles needed a big-time DT to come in and shore up the D-Line. Since the Front Office couldn't come through in the clutch--Mike Brown sends his coaching-puppet spokesman Marvin Lewis to the podium to say this:

"We're going with what we have." (paraphrasing)

What kind of s**t is this??? NFL Teams and EVEN College Teams like THE ARIZONA CARDINALS ran over the Bungle Defense!!! That current line isn't going to cut it!!! Poor Nate Webster's Oompa Loompa ass is going to get the f**k run-over. With a totally green secondary, the defense against the pass is going to be ugly at first. And with a new QB giving the Bungles Migraines with his Offense going 3-and-out--it's not going to be pretty.

As I conclude this, I'll quote my boy Paul Daughtery:

"Same ole Bungles."

[HoosierCat]

WHAT CHANGES???  Sure, I see the "turnaround" in coaching ON THE FIELD--but what about off the field???

I thought the turnaround meant that we as fans would see a marquis free agent get signed???  Every Free Agent that came to Cincinnati either A. Shunned the Franchise or B. Used the Franchise as leverage.

The two changes, on and off the field, are linked. Free agents, just like Marvin Lewis, "see better than they hear." For us fans, the Bengals' leap to average last year was a big deal; players, however, typically pine to join the elite teams. Remember Vincent practically begging the Panthers though the media to sign him? When Lewis' Bengals begin to generate playoff appearances (and they will), then they'll find top FAs lining up at the door.

This year is no different from last year as far as free agency goes.  I thought that Marvin Lewis would help bring in the Free Agents--but this hasn't happened.  Mike Brown & Company must be a real pain in the ass when it comes to contract negotiating.

Again, if you thought Lewis' presence was going to magically attract FAs, then you're operating from a false assumption. As for free agency this year, I thought it very different than last year. Last year, they were much more active, and signed a much more impressive list of players. This year's been more like the "Classic Bengals": cry poverty, don't chase any big names, and publicly fixate on one or two players (like Vincent), a move that leaves you with egg all over your face when they go elsewhere. But I don't fault the front office. They made an equivalent offer to Buffalo's for Vincent, and their offer to Sapp was about the same over the first two years; the Raiders backloaded it with a bunch of BS money he'll never see.

If you want to blame" anyone for how FA has worked out this year, blame Lewis. Everyone seems to like the way he's remaking the team, cutting the dead wood and paying attention to performance over compensation -- but that comes at a price, specifically that the bengals are now among the league's leaders in "dead money." More than $10 million of our cap this year is tied up in guys who are no longer around, like Dillon and Akili Smith. A lot of that disappears next year, so it will be revealing to see how they approach FA next offseason.

With a totally green secondary, the defense against the pass is going to be ugly at first.  And with a new QB giving the Bungles Migraines with his Offense going 3-and-out--it's not going to be pretty.

Totally green secondary? What, Deltha O'neal made the pro bowl while he was still in college? Alvin Porter, Kim Herring, Tory James, Terrel Roberts, Reggie Myles, Kevin Kaeshviharn, Rogers Beckett -- you can say what you want about the suspect quality of the secondary, but green? WTF?

I agree, our run D needs a miracle. The only consoling factor is that it was so poor last year, it will be difficult for it not to improve. But jumping one or two places in the ranking isn't going to help much.

The offense is a totally different question, and I disagree completely that Carson Palmer will cause it to take a step back. There is ample precedent for a second-year rookie QB coming in and immediately doing well, he has a top-flight running game and a pro bowl wide receiver to support him, and the team boasts its best offensive line in more than a decade. I'll make this prediction right now: the 2004 Bengals offense will outscore the 2003 Bengals offense. The problem is that this year's D may give up more points than last year's, too.

[schweinhart]

Poor Nate Webster's Oompa Loompa ass is going to get the f**k run-over.

That is funny. Nate just might turn out to be the poster boy for multiple concussions for undersized MLBs in the NFL. Tommy Hendricks from Miami looked liked the best choice to sign a back-up MLB as a starter from this year's free agent crop but the Jags snatched him quick.

However, Nate is slobbering all over himself to get the chance to start and Hardy on the strong side is much better than Ross.

And in the secondary O Neal has the chance to redeem himself, which however little he manages to do that, his play can't be any worse than Burris and Hawkins.

Roman at FS was no great loss. Kaesviharn is as good (or bad) as Roman, plus with Herring out to revive his career and Madieu with a chance to prove himself, the FS is not any worse.

The point to all of this is that even though the improvements seems slight or debatable, the climate created by ML is one of performance and competition -- including the offense. With ML at the forefront, this team will be the best it can be, which could turn out to be 6-10 or 10-6. Regardless, the effort will be there throughout the year and hopefully some gas will be left in the tank at the end if there is a playoff run.

[denverbengal]

I thought the turnaround meant that we as fans would see a marquis free agent get signed???  Every Free Agent that came to Cincinnati either A. Shunned the Franchise or B. Used the Franchise as leverage.

This year is no different from last year as far as free agency goes.  I thought that Marvin Lewis would help bring in the Free Agents--but this hasn't happened.  Mike Brown & Company must be a real pain in the ass when it comes to contract negotiating.

Since the Front Office couldn't come through in the clutch--Mike Brown sends his coaching-puppet spokesman Marvin Lewis to the podium to say this:

"We're going with what we have." (paraphrasing)

As I conclude this, I'll quote my boy Paul Daughtery:

"Same ole Bungles."

Well Barb, you've once again managed to stir the pot. I don't know if you do this just to rile people up for your own shiites and giggles, or if you're really that ignorant about the BENGALS organization, and how championship teams are built. Same ole Bungles huh? I can't even believe a true fan could even have the balls to write those words. Hell, you don't even have to be a fan to realize what this organization has done, and where it is going. Any moron could see that...well anyone besides you I guess. Of course, if you write these idiotic statements just to get a rise out of people, then I guess we're the morons for falling for it.

You say that part of the turnaround meant the signing of a marquee free agent. The fact is that spending millions more on marquee free agents is a recipe for disaster. Championship teams are built with quality team players who put their teammates and the team first. Do you think a guy like Warren Sapp would have put the BENGALS before himself? Hell no. The important thing to players like that is who's shelling out the most $$$. And what happens if he gets hurt? There's no depth behind him to step up because we've spent all that money on one player and couldn't afford quality backups and depth at other positions. It's all about quality depth. The series between the Lakers and Pistons if proof positive. Here we had a team of non-selfish team oriented players with a deep bench, who weren't given a snowball's chance by the so-called "experts," (including you) and one full of marquee players, with not a whole lot of depth because most of their money was spent on those marquee players. The Lakers payroll was $12 million more than the Pistons because of the Lakers philosophy of marquee players equals championships. We saw how well that philosophy worked. ML knows that the best marquee players are the ones who have been brought up in his system, and are made from within and play HIS way...not bought at ridiculous prices. Wait until the end of this year, and see how many "new" marquee players we'll have...Nate Webster, Carson Palmer, Rudi Johnson, Kelly Washington, Madieu Williams, Eric Steinbach, and the biggest marquee player we already have...Chad Johnson. Nobody knew who the hell he was before last season. Now he's one of premiere WR's in the league. And he came up through our system...not somebody elses. The same will hold true for many others on this team as well. ML knows what he's doing, and he's no Mike Brown puppet. This is what he said a year ago shortly after accepting the head coaching position, "I don't know about the past. I just know what I can do for the future and I have the ability to direct a program...That's why the job was attractive to me. I have the ability to shape and mold everything we do, and from this point forward, I get to do that." HE gets to do that Barb. Not Mike Brown. Just because Mike brown has been a dolt in the past doesn't mean he isn't smart enough to realize that he needs someone more knowledgeable calling the shots. I for one trust ML's ability to SHAPE and MOLD a winning program...not buy it. Let him do his work, and the FA's will be knocking down his door next year. And ML will have a plethora of FA's to choose from. And he won't be overpaying for them either because they'll want to play for a winner. And ML's going to be a winner.

[halp]

what a piss poor subject.