Antonio Bryant signs with Bengals

[TJJackson]

He should have talked to the league's defensive coordinators for help....they apparently had the Bengals offense well-figured out by the end of the season

[HairOnFire]

....Sign T.O. to a 1 yr $5 million deal.

That's what I'm guessing he was asking for.

I'll further guess that had he asked for 2.5 or 3 he'd be in stripes today.

Perhaps my numbers were too high?

Marshall Faulk just said he could very easily envision a scenario where TO makes the rounds for a few weeks...before returning to Cincy to sign a 1-year 2 million dollar contract.

[NJ29]

I could see that. Or potentially something similar to the type of deal Vick signed with Philly last year.

[Sea Ray]

I don't see how we can keep a zoo full of Chad, Bryant and TO happy. That sounds like a nightmare. This isn't a fantasy team

[skyline]

I don't see how we can keep a zoo full of Chad, Bryant and TO happy.

Winning a Super Bowl should do it, I think

[gregstephens]

I don't see how we can keep a zoo full of Chad, Bryant and TO happy.

Winning a Super Bowl should do it, I think

Not necessarily. The statement referred to keeping Fredo, Kneecap and The Player happy, not keeping us the fans happy. I could envision a situation where at least two of the three Marx Brothers could complain, even with a trophy, about not getting enough love.

[Kazkal]

A step in the right direction, but nothing to "fap" about, I'd say.

Some people will fap over anything "shakes head"

[membengal]

A step in the right direction, but nothing to "fap" about, I'd say.

Some people will fap over anything "shakes head"

Show me anyone "fap"ing over this in this thread. Show me the BENGALS ARE SUPER BOWL BOUND because of this signing posts.

[skyline]

I don't see how we can keep a zoo full of Chad, Bryant and TO happy.

Winning a Super Bowl should do it, I think

Not necessarily. The statement referred to keeping Fredo, Kneecap and The Player happy, not keeping us the fans happy.

Yes, I'm aware. I'm able to read, you see...

I stand by my statement. And even if one of them DID complain, would anyone really care with a Lombardi trophy in hand?

[membengal]

Some of the ninnies in here would.

[ArmyBengal]

It's underwhelming, but it's done.

I find myself in agreement with that statement.

Just nothing special that leaves me with the feeling that we kept up with the other teams in the division with this move, as I was hoping for.

What do you mean "kept up with the other teams in the division"? As bad as the Bengals' WR position was at the end of the season,the Ravens were worse.Their acquisition of Anquan Boldin-who is not the player Chad is-hardly puts them ahead of the Bengals. What would have "whelmed" you? Brandon Marshall? The guy who got Darrent Williams killed?

Sorry, I'm still in a moving kind of situation and can't always get back to the boards, so allow me to repsond.

By, "kept up" I was referring to what the other teams are doing as a whole and how those moves will affect those teams heading into next year. I think Boldin helps Mason in Baltimore IMMENSELY and couple that with thier running game and I think they are back strong again next year giving Flacco some help. I simply think Boldin is a better player than you do, no big deal, just opinions.

What would have "whelmed" me ?? Honestly not much and I've made those arguments for the good and bad of all players thought to be in consideration. Marshall was of course my first choice and I still think the argument about money is simply dumb and flat out wrong. Argue about his issues all day, because I have already made the same arguments. It would have been a risk, but once again, I simply see it differently. Isn't debating and listening to others opinions great ?? Well, minus mama-bear of course...

In going through my day today though, I will admit to being a little bit more "whelmed" by getting Bryant. I did want him more than T.O., so I guess getting my second choice isn't all that bad and it certainly does allow us not to reach in the first for a WR and that one simple fact brings quite the smile to my face.

I think it was a solid move and stand by my comments about his injury hurting him last year and that having Carson should help him as well.

[HairOnFire]

Show me anyone "fap"ing over this in this thread.

I'm still a little unclear on what fapping is, but if you scroll back to page one I think you'll see Joe Pong fapping it up.

Show me the BENGALS ARE SUPER BOWL BOUND because of this signing posts.

Isn't that the responsibility of those of you who reacted to the signing with more than a shrug?

[membengal]

Sorry, those us saying "step in the right direction" are clearly letting our hyperbole responsibilities go. And if it was indeed Pong, that explains it, as I have him on "ignore" and would have missed it.

[HairOnFire]

In going through my day today though, I will admit to being a little bit more "whelmed" by getting Bryant.

I'm not.

He's still the same guy today as he was yesterday.

Did they pay the man? Absolutely. But please remember, I'm not one of those fans who is suprised by the Bengals stepping up for things they really want.

Is it a solid move? Perhaps. But I'm more inclined to call it the best of a bad lot.

So I shrug.

And after shrugging I guess all that's left for me to do is open my arms wide and welcome our newest knucklehead.

[ArmyBengal]

In going through my day today though, I will admit to being a little bit more "whelmed" by getting Bryant.

I'm not.

He's still the same guy today as he was yesterday.

Did they pay the man? Absolutely. But please remember, I'm not one of those fans who is suprised by the Bengals stepping up for things they really want.

Is it a solid move? Perhaps. But I'm more inclined to call it the best of a bad lot.

So I shrug.

And after shrugging I guess all that's left for me to do is open my arms wide and welcome our newest knucklehead.

Oh, I'm not claiming Super Bowl here or anything, but all the reasons he was the #1 guy I wanted AFTER Marshall are still there. He does possess the ability to be a very nice compliment to Chad and brings the same skillset to the table that Henry did. His numbers with sh*tty QB's don't lie. That being said, it's still a toss up on IF we see the Bryant from two years ago again. If we get that Antonio Bryant, I think many of us on here will be very pleased.

THAT Antonio Bryant also keeps us from being in the situation T.O. would put us in, in having a situation come where we lose both him and Chad the following year. Stability is what was brought to the position in this move. I say we still draft a WR in the first 3 rounds and keep at least making efforts to improve the WR spot, but I really like the fact this moves frees up the draft in the first round.

[BengalByTheBay]

So, does Simpson give up #89? Maybe Bryant goes with 15?

[BengalPimp]

I don't see how we can keep a zoo full of Chad, Bryant and TO happy. That sounds like a nightmare. This isn't a fantasy team

Not a fantasy team, but if they sign T.O. as well, I'm drafting Carson Palmer in the 1st Rd of every FF Draft....Imagine...

The only problem in signing T.O. would be, who to cut? If you figure they keep 6 WR's. You've got T.O. , Chad, Antonio Bryant, Matt Jones, Caldwell, then one last spot for either Quan Cosby or Jerome Simpson. That's also assuming Purify is on practice squad, and they don't draft a WR.

[cincyhokie]

I don't see how we can keep a zoo full of Chad, Bryant and TO happy. That sounds like a nightmare. This isn't a fantasy team

Not a fantasy team, but if they sign T.O. as well, I'm drafting Carson Palmer in the 1st Rd of every FF Draft....Imagine...

The only problem in signing T.O. would be, who to cut? If you figure they keep 6 WR's. You've got T.O. , Chad, Antonio Bryant, Matt Jones, Caldwell, then one last spot for either Quan Cosby or Jerome Simpson. That's also assuming Purify is on practice squad, and they don't draft a WR.

I'd think that the 6th receiver spot would be between Matt Jones and Simpson. I can't see them cutting Cosby after his special teams production last year. He also added good depth at WR.

[Kazkal]

1 guy I wanted AFTER Marshall are still there. He does possess the ability to be a very nice compliment to Chad and brings the same skillset to the table that Henry did

as much as I would want Marshall on this team I look at the bright side of going with Byrant instead....we Still have a shot at Earl Thomas or Taylor Mays and that makes me just as happy....

Though come draft day that bubble may be popped.

I'd think that the 6th receiver spot would be between Matt Jones and Simpson. I can't see them cutting Cosby after his special teams production last year. He also added good depth at WR.

I'd find it hard to believe they'd dump cosby too but then again if they drafted Mardy and carsons impairment problem with "small wrs" from what coles said,Which I still can't believe because Carson was Chatmans biggest supporter for the longest time and he was what 5'9?

[Dadraftnick]

Antonio Bryant fits right in, doesn’t he?

Fits right into the specifications that built the Bengals 2009 AFC North champions. A corps of players who overcome problems on and off the field and eager to prove themselves to the people that gave up on them.

Bryant, the former Buccaneers wide receiver discarded four times now by the age of 29 years and a day, joined the Bengals on Wednesday in what agent Lamont Smith termed “a verbal agreement.” Reports had it at $28 million over four years, a sad price to pay for the death of Chris Henry and a frustrating tag for the failure of Laveranues Coles. And it is a large enough deal that it could put a crimp in Cincinnati's plans to re-sign some of its own free agents, like kicker Shayne Graham, right guard Bobbie Williams, and safety Roy Williams.

But the Bengals feel it is worth it because the 6-1, 205-pound Bryant brings some Henry with a 15.3 yards per catch career average and some T.J. Houshmandzadeh over-the-middle toughness they believe revives quarterback Carson Palmer’s long ball and gets a reigning division champion closer to over the hump.

Another thing it does is crack the first round of next month's draft wide open. Get the tight end in the second round, the wideout in the third and the Taylor Mays and Mike Iupati factions can start dreaming at No. 21.

As he has done since free agency opened Friday and head coach Marvin Lewis targeted Bryant as his No. 1 catch, Palmer tapped out another text message when he heard the news.

“Very excited. To see what he can do. We will be better with an aggressiveness he brings and big-play capability.”

At Lewis’ urging, it was Palmer’s texts and phone calls that played a key role. On a conference call with the Cincinnati media early Wednesday evening Smith said that Palmer’s involvement in the process was “major. Very major. I don’t want to overstate it but sort of tipped it from another situation to them.”

After a more publicized running mate search than Biden and Palin, Chad Ochocinco happily tweeted about his new partner that also happens to be from Miami:

"Antonio Bryant signs a 4 year deal with the Cincy Bengal, congrats to the homie from the 305, DADE COUNTY FINEST."

Bryant, wrapping up loose ends in Tampa, preferred to let Smith do the talking Wednesday.

In the end, the Bengals opted for youth because they had plenty of good vibes about the 36-year-old Terrell Owens, too, as they mulled a one-year deal for him. Despite Owens’ controversial past, he had endorsements from The Ocho, Palmer and former Bengal Ryan Fitzpatrick, his quarterback last year in Buffalo. And Owens spent about three hours Wednesday closeted with offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, impressed with him even 14 years ago when he coached him in the Senior Bowl.

The pleasant, soft-spoken Owens impressed the staff and he was classy to the end, tweeting on his way from PBS, "I wanna thank Mike Brown & the coaching staff 4 the visit along w/the possible opportunity 2 play w/carson & 85. I enjoyed the visit," which came via ProFootballTalk.com.

Bryant doesn't have the baggage carousel of T.O. But he's got some carry-ons that seem to be in his past.

He was traded from the Cowboys in 2004 after a practice confrontation with coach Bill Parcells and he failed a drug test in 2007 during a year he sat out. But he was named The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year in 2008 after Tampa Bay signed him and he responded with a career year of 83 catches for nearly 1,300 yards, and the Bengals were apparently impressed with how he dealt with his issues in the Tuesday meetings. After injuring his knee in training camp last year and getting a scope for a cartilage tear, Bryant was limited to 39 catches for 600 yards.

But the Bengals got rave reviews about Bryant from people like Bucs employees that were attending league meetings this week. And one Bucs beat reporter said Wednesday night that Bryant was terrific with the media, always accessible, willing to talk. A guy that had a knack for making tough catches and has a mindset still trying to prove he’s worthy of the second-round pick the Cowboys spent on him out of Pittsburgh in 2002.

Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer hasn’t seen Bryant since they were both in Dallas during Bryant's first three seasons, but he says at that age Bryant got out of his cuts faster than anyone he had seen since Hall of Fame Cowboy Michael Irvin.

In discussions with Bengals vice president Troy Blackburn, Smith said the deal was actually well in motion before Bryant flew in to Cincinnati late Monday night. He said the sides “were “within striking distance” when he left the next day.

“He left with the impression that this was a place he could be comfortable and where there was a great complement to him on the other side in Chad,” Smith said.

In fact, Smith said Bryant couldn’t stop talking about how good the quarterback is and how good the other receiver is. “It’s something he’s never had in his career,” Smith said.

Here’s a guy whose first 1,000-yard season came at the hands of quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Charlie Frye in 2005 in Cleveland. His other 1,000-yard year in ’08 was his second hookup with Jeff Garcia. He also had Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson in Dallas, Alex Smith in San Francisco and Josh Freeman in Tampa. More like a Who's Not of quarterbacks rather than a Who's Who.

On Tuesday morning Bryant met with a large group of staff that included Lewis and Bengals president Mike Brown, Later he would also board with Bratkowski and Bratkowski came away impressed with how he handled the chalk and his issues. Bryant did graduate from Miami’s Northwestern High School with honors.

“They asked him some tough questions and I think they were impressed with how forthright he was,” Smith said. “He’s blue-collar. Every coach he’s been with, from Bill Parcells, Mike Nolan, would say he brings his hard hat every day.”

Zimmer was there when Bryant had the almost unthinkable confrontation with Parcells in which he reportedly threw a jersey at him.

“I got along with him, but it was a different deal,” Zimmer said. “That was a long time ago so I can’t give you a scouting report. Not a burner, but really great at getting out of cuts.”

But the flareup with Parcells also shows a passion and competitiveness the Bengals feel are going to give them a tougher look on offense. Indeed, it is a nice counter to the Ravens trade for another tough, physical receiver in Anquan Boldin. In the last two years Boldin has had four catches of plus 40 yards and 20 of at least 20 yards while Bryant had four 40-yarders alone in ’08 and 30 catches of at least 20 in the last two years despite the knee trouble.

The Bengals have been struggling getting the ball down the field so they can get the double coverage off the Ocho. The Ocho has bested Bryant’s career per catch average of 15.3 three times. No one else on the team in Ochocinco’s nine seasons has caught at least 15 yards per in a year except Henry with 16.8 in ’06, 16.3 in ’07, and 19.7 in ’09.

And the key last year is Bryant still averaged 15.4 per in ’09 as the Bengals crave for the vertical.

Bratkowski says Bryant is tough and plays that way in those kind of situations.

"He likes to play the game," Bratkowski said. "We think he can stretch the field. He's a young player with speed. There have been some years he didn't quite have a quarterback like he has now, but he'll tell you he wasn't always there, either. I thought he handled himself well on that. I'm sure he's not the same guy he was when he was 21, 22. Nobody is."

Does this concern anyone?

Bryant, the former Buccaneers wide receiver discarded four times now by the age of 29 years

How about this

Reports had it at $28 million over four years, a sad price to pay for the death of Chris Henry and a frustrating tag for the failure of Laveranues Coles. And it is a large enough deal that it could put a crimp in Cincinnati's plans to re-sign some of its own free agents, like kicker Shayne Graham, right guard Bobbie Williams, and safety Roy Williams.

First of all,why did we give this guy so much money when we were pretty much the only team going after the guy.

Large enough a deal that it could crimp plans to sign its own free agents? In a year that there is no cap , and you give a guy that nobody else wants a 4 year $28 million doallar deal.

That 4 year $28 mil. deal is what we just cut when we cut Coles so it should put us even to where we were before the move.

I think what we may have done is to basicaly re-signed Coles.

I vote we cut Geathers if they need money to sign free agents.

[membengal]

They were not the only team going after him. Stupid inconvenient facts.

[BengalByTheBay]

First of all,why did we give this guy so much money when we were pretty much the only team going after the guy.

Large enough a deal that it could crimp plans to sign its own free agents? In a year that there is no cap , and you give a guy that nobody else wants a 4 year $28 million doallar deal.

That 4 year $28 mil. deal is what we just cut when we cut Coles so it should put us even to where we were before the move.

I think what we may have done is to basicaly re-signed Coles.

I vote we cut Geathers if they need money to sign free agents.

I love it that somebody can find a way to complain about the Bengals paying TOO MUCH money to get a FA. This is the same team that gets bashed for being too cheap. Besides that, you answer your own rant right there -- it's an uncapped year. As such, why would anybody care how much anybody costs? Finally, as to re-signing Coles, I think there may be some legitimacy to that concern. That said, they are very different players and there's every reason to think Bryant should be better than Coles played...and I was one that thought that the Coles signing was a good one. All in all, I find it disingenuous to complaint about how much they're paying a player and then turn around (based only on a Hobnob quote) and say they'll be prevented from signing other players. The only thing that would prevent it is .... them being too cheap, right? They can't be too free-spending AND too cheap at the same time.

[gregstephens]

I don't see how we can keep a zoo full of Chad, Bryant and TO happy.

Winning a Super Bowl should do it, I think

Not necessarily. The statement referred to keeping Fredo, Kneecap and The Player happy, not keeping us the fans happy.

Yes, I'm aware. I'm able to read, you see...

Well, bully for you. You can read.

(I wish this thing had the little emoticon doing a golf clap)

[Sea Ray]

Winning a Super Bowl should do it, I think

Yeah, that's all it should take. No big deal...

[Sea Ray]

The only problem in signing T.O. would be, who to cut? If you figure they keep 6 WR's. You've got T.O. , Chad, Antonio Bryant, Matt Jones, Caldwell, then one last spot for either Quan Cosby or Jerome Simpson. That's also assuming Purify is on practice squad, and they don't draft a WR.

You've spelled out quite succinctly why they can't sign TO. They don't have room. Where do you put the WR that MB will surely draft next month?