1st Round: Jermaine Gresham

[HoosierCat]

Suh-wheet. What a lovely night. Spent it watching the draft on a drive-in-sized screen at a fine spirits and cigar show. Nothing like a fine cigar, some smooth scotch and first-f**king-round tight end for my Bengals.

Hell. Yeah.

As for "value," well, we all know that the Bengals don't grok value, right, Hair? Mel laid all that out when they drafted Levi Jones.

[Pidge]

Well, huh. Lot of people called this. Not unhappy with it - I assume his injury woes are a thing of the past. Really thought we'd go for Mays if he was there and a little disappointed at that. Some very good safeties left, even if Mays in gone early in the second rnd, we should be able to pick one up with good size ans speed in the 2nd/3rd.

Doesn't say much for Coffman or the progress he's made. Burning a`1st rnder on a TE. Our passing game badly needed help though so best of luck Jermaine and make good use of him Carson. .

[Kazkal]

>http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/12239/bengals-select-te-jermaine-gresham

He has Stokleys ability when it comes to a tipped pass

[Trevor]

>http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/12239/bengals-select-te-jermaine-gresham

He has Stokleys ability when it comes to a tipped pass

thank you sir for reminding me :-/

[Trevor]

Chase and gresham are about the same size... But while chase is a chainmover... Gresham is a playmaker. I dont love the pick, dez was #1... But hey no biggie, carsons got lots of new toys

[derekshank]

TE was the Bengals biggest need, and they addressed it with the best one in the draft, so in that respect it doesn't make a ton of sense for me to continue being pissed about it.

I just really feel like he in no way represented the BPA at #21, and there are several other TEs that can be had later in the draft. That said, a good player dropping to them tomorrow would go a long way in helping me get excited about Gresham.

If Gresham had dropped to the Bengals in the 2nd round, I would have been pretty damn happy, so if the Bengals can get a little lucky like they did last year with Maualuga, or even get a little creative and trade up for a guy like Mays or Kindle, all will be forgiven - and you shant hear me complain about the pick again.

[JoePong]

How the hell is anyone stupid enough to think Gresham and Coffman are the same player?

Gresham is an absolute beast.

Oh,and I do think Coffman will be a very good TE in his own right, but they are different players and will be a great combination for years.

[wpeldios]

but nothing special in Bratkowski's system.

Read my post above.

I read it, I just disagree with it. I don't think Gresham is the right fit, however I hope I am wrong. Hell it happened once before.

[wpeldios]

TE was the Bengals biggest need, and they addressed it with the best one in the draft, so in that respect it doesn't make a ton of sense for me to continue being pissed about it.

I just really feel like he in no way represented the BPA at #21, and there are several other TEs that can be had later in the draft. That said, a good player dropping to them tomorrow would go a long way in helping me get excited about Gresham.

If Gresham had dropped to the Bengals in the 2nd round, I would have been pretty damn happy, so if the Bengals can get a little lucky like they did last year with Maualuga, or even get a little creative and trade up for a guy like Mays or Kindle, all will be forgiven - and you shant hear me complain about the pick again.

This is about where I am. I don't think it was the worst pick they could of made, I just think they could of done much better. There is still time though, 6 more rounds and who knows what will happen.

[Kazkal]

See this is about how I feel. When I look at his whole body, I don't think he is nearly worth the 21st pick. But here is hoping everything works out. I honestly feel in the long run he will be an average NFL tight end, and upgrade over what we have, but nothing special in Bratkowski's system

Before the draft I felt we shouldn't go Tight End because Brat wouldn't utilize position but as someone else pointed out what Tight End has he had to actually use? So how is it fair to judge how he'll use a pass catching Tight End when hes never had one? He's wanted to add Double Tight End Sets for 2 years now but because of Injurys we couldn't hopefully with Gresham & Coffman being our 1 & 2 we'll actually see Tight End Utilized in the Offense...People are acting like this is still the 2005/2006 offense it's not time to move on.

[wpeldios]

In reading brats quotes, one thing I didnt like

"Our plan had been to get a tight end at some point in the draft, so I wanted to make sure that he got a lot of stuff next weekend. It’s not new stuff. But you haven’t seen it in awhile because we had so many good wide receivers"

Come on Brat, give us something new.

[Kazkal]

In reading brats quotes, one thing I didnt like

"Our plan had been to get a tight end at some point in the draft, so I wanted to make sure that he got a lot of stuff next weekend. It’s not new stuff. But you haven’t seen it in awhile because we had so many good wide receivers"

Come on Brat, give us something new.

Ya well he's wanted to implement Tight Ends for 2 years now just haven't had the TE's...so maybe be new for us just old for play book because he couldn't run them with Coats & foschi...

PS,He just needs watch some tape on the Colts & Chargers and copy what they do

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_ZI_hOC-bg

some of this

[Kazkal]

Bratkowski already tinkering

GEOFF HOBSON

Posted 1 hour ago

* a

* a

If Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski hadn’t heard it, we all had.

“Why draft a tight end in the first round when Bratkowski doesn’t know how to use one?”

Indeed, the most catches by a Bengals tight end as Bratkowski heads into his tenth season is Reggie Kelly’s 31 in 2008.

Bratkowski laughed Thursday night with Oklahoma’s Jermaine Gresham safely in the fold with the 21st pick. A Jermaine Gresham who is the most well-rounded tight end on this draft board when it comes to catching and blocking. “There hasn’t been very many of them to come out over the past few years that you think are going to be really efficient in both areas,” he said. A Jermaine Gresham who projects to be their biggest receiving threat at the position since the heyday of Rodney Holman.

“If you remember, up until a certain point last season we had some pretty good wide receivers. In fact, very good ones,” said Bratkowski of his three-receiver sets bristling with talent at one time or another like Chad Ochocinco, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry, Kelley Washington, Kevin Walter, Andre Caldwell and, albeit, a past-his-prime Laveranues Coles.

“Now we’re different,” he said. “We don’t have all those guys. You should see some of the stuff I’ve put in for the rookie minicamp. Our plan had been to get a tight end at some point in the draft, so I wanted to make sure that he got a lot of stuff next weekend. It’s not new stuff. But you haven’t seen it in awhile because we had so many good wide receivers.”

Truth be told it was Bratkowski that got the tight end mess straightened out in the wake of Tony McGee’s season-ending injury and Marco Battaglia’s appendectomy in 2001. With the cupboard bare, his lobbying produced Matt Schobel in the third round in 2002 and the free agent signing of Kelly in 2003. They weren’t Todd Heap or Heath Miller, but they didn’t have to be with the wide receivers they had.

When he wanted to diversify things in 2008 with more double tight end sets, they made Ben Utecht the richest tight end in Bengals history ($3 million per year) in a free-agent move that backfired in just 10 games because of his injuries. They hope the injuries to last year’s third rounder Chase Coffman, the most prolific pass-catching tight end in NCAA history, have cleared up to give them the younger version of Kelly and Utecht.

With the idea being that Gresham is Kelly, the guy that can catch and block, and Coffman is the Utecht, the receiver. What separates Gresham from Coffman is that he played in a pro style offense at Oklahoma and has done a lot of the in-line blocking that Coffman never did until he arrived here. Both Gresham and Coffman are coming off seasons they didn’t play in any games. Coffman because of a broken foot and the transition and Gresham because of a torn knee cartilage.

“The good thing about Jermaine is that he has played a lot on the line,” Hayes said. “Let’s face it — he missed a year. So, by the time we get him in here, it’s going to be about a year and a half since he’s played football in a group setting. We know that. Like Brat said, we’re going to get his feet wet.

"We’re going to get him going. The transition for him is getting down in a three-point stance and going through all those fundamental things. I had to revisit with Chase because he’d never done it, where this kid has done it — and he’s done a lot of it — so it’s not something new to him where all of a sudden he’s thinking about it constantly. He can put his hand on the ground and just go play. He’s done it, and that’s going to give him an advantage when he gets here.”

Gresham admits he needs to work on his blocking, but he’s one of these athletes that Lewis loves because he’s “a knee-bender,” and this is where his gym-rat work ethic comes in.

“This guy doesn’t have a time clock where he says, ‘OK, I’m going to block my guy for two seconds and then kind of see what’s going on,’” Bratkowski said. “This guy is pushing his guy down field until he hears the whistle. Those things tipped the balance in his favor. The quality of kid he is, the work habits he brings, the love for the game —those were positives in his favor, along with his ability.”

He certainly sounds like a guy that wants to block as he talks about the AFC North.

“They play in a tough division, a smash-mouth division,” he said. “They like to run the ball, and they need to run the ball. So I know that much about it.”

But Bratkowski and quarterback Carson Palmer have never had a tight end like Gresham. An explosive down-field receiver who had 14 touchdown catches in 2008 and earned a reputation for playing big in big games when he scored the Sooners’ two touchdowns in Florida’s 24-14 win in a national title game.

And his 66 catches for 950 yards in ’08 compute to 14.4 yards per catch. The Bengals haven’t had that from a tight end since McGee’s 16.5 in 1998. But McGee didn’t have a quarterback and Palmer hasn’t had a Gresham. Neither has six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who tweeted minutes after the selection, “I’m stoked.”

Palmer added a text, “I’m excited to see him.” The Bengals have now invested $7 million per year in a free-agent wide receiver (Antonio Bryant) and a first-round draft pick (Gresham) to stretch the field to rid The Ocho of the constant double teams. In the end, that’s how much Henry and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were worth.

“Just his selection has added something to us,” Bratkowski said. “It has given us flexibility and some help in the red zone potentially with the tight end. He can stretch and get down the field. When the outside guys are getting coverage and getting doubled over, he can get down the middle of the field, as well as body up and move to the inside in the shorter ranges, and rebound-position some of those guys and get the ball.”

Bratkowski doesn’t want to put the guy in Canton just yet, although the Hall of Fame Game will be Gresham’s first NFL game. And he certainly doesn’t want to make any Antonio Gates comparisons just yet even though he talked to the Oklahoma people about playing basketball at one point.

“He’s going to be behind because he missed a whole season and he has to really catch up on the blocking,” Bratkowski said. “But he’s got the willingness to do it.”

So does Bratkowski with his rookie camp experiments.

[redsbengalsbucks]

How the hell is anyone stupid enough to think Gresham and Coffman are the same player?

Gresham is an absolute beast.

Oh,and I do think Coffman will be a very good TE in his own right, but they are different players and will be a great combination for years.

Well, there you go. Pong likes the pick, therefore ensuring that it will turn-around and bite the Bengals right in the backside.

[skyline]

I'm absolutely thrilled by this pick. Our receivers are good enough. Why add another overpaid rookie with a big head to that group? If you want to make our offense better (and I'm pretty sure everyone does), then what better way to do it than to make it more complex with serious receiving threats at the TE position? Especially TEs like Coffman and Gresham who can run underneath routes AND stretch the field.

This is our answer to teams like the Jets, and I couldn't be happier about it. Do you think Dez Bryant is going to have any more luck beating Revis than our current guys have? Not likely.

And stop saying Brat can't make it work. They asked him to fix the running game, and he certainly did that with an offensive line that most people said would be the downfall of this team last season. He's shown he can be creative in the passing game when he used Chris Perry so well in 2005 and our offense was among the best in the NFL.

Now that he's got the right TEs for the job, I've got no doubt he can use them successfully. This should finally fill that hole we've been trying to fill since TJ left for more brown and withered pastures.

[Wraith]

My only issue with this pick, and it has been said before in this thread, is that there are about 7 solid NFL TEs in this draft. Taking Mays or Kindle or Bryant would have represented better value IMHO, of course all things will be made right if they can trade up in the second and secure Mays.

Gresham was the best TE in this draft and I think will be a very good player. He represented that biggest need for the Bengals so I am not upset with this pick but I do feel sort of meh. Like the Bengals always do they played this draft conservative not taking a chance on greatness for fear that the player will be a bust. Gresham, Gronkowski, Pitta, Moeaki, Hernandez, McCoy, Graham, and Dickson all have NFL talent at TE and one or more of those guys would have been available for us even at the end of the third round. If you wanted to take a gamble I have written alot about Dorin Dickerson from Pitt who I think will be a superstar (though maybe at WR) and I think he will still be available for us at our first pick in the third.

My hope for round 2 is that we package our second and third to move up to the first half of rd. 2 and take Taylor Mays.

[membengal]

Do you all care what is being said in Baltimore about Cincy's pick?

Because I am hearing uniform deep unhappiness from the local sports radio stations over Cincy having selected Gresham. They are hugely concerned about having to deal with a Bengals team that finally has a TE that will have to be dealt with, and are beside themselves that the Ravens missed out on both Gresham and Dez Bryant.

So, for what it's worth, the reaction from one division rival city is unhappiness over what Cincinnati got done.

[IckeyShuffle]

Do you all care what is being said in Baltimore about Cincy's pick?

Because I am hearing uniform deep unhappiness from the local sports radio stations over Cincy having selected Gresham. They are hugely concerned about having to deal with a Bengals team that finally has a TE that will have to be dealt with, and are beside themselves that the Ravens missed out on both Gresham and Dez Bryant.

So, for what it's worth, the reaction from one division rival city is unhappiness over what Cincinnati got done.

I care, and I like it . . . a lot.

[redsbengalsbucks]

Do you all care what is being said in Baltimore about Cincy's pick?

Because I am hearing uniform deep unhappiness from the local sports radio stations over Cincy having selected Gresham. They are hugely concerned about having to deal with a Bengals team that finally has a TE that will have to be dealt with, and are beside themselves that the Ravens missed out on both Gresham and Dez Bryant.

So, for what it's worth, the reaction from one division rival city is unhappiness over what Cincinnati got done.

I hope they are right!

[walzav29]

Maybe I'm nuts. I haven't read anything negative about this guy. I'm just sweating him missing the year. But it seems like the majority of you guys like the pick. His highlight reel looks good.

[TJJackson]

When I saw all those lineman coming off the board so early - half the picks from 1-20 were linemen - I pretty much knew the jig was up

so, per my bet with The Pimp
/>http://forums.bengalszone.com/index.php?showtopic=21507&view=findpost&p=318816

Reggie?

Dude......I know you're angry, but I'll see you again in a week.

What? You want me to convince Pimp that a TE is essentially a 6th OL, more or less an extra Offensive tackle?

Uhhhhhh......I don't think he'll buy it

See you next week, dude

and now.......

PIMP

MY

AVATAR

[Trevor]

Maybe I'm nuts. I haven't read anything negative about this guy. I'm just sweating him missing the year. But it seems like the majority of you guys like the pick. His highlight reel looks good.

Yeah thats why i didnt really want him,.. rustyness... But he does seem like a beast

[HairOnFire]

As for "value," well, we all know that the Bengals don't grok value, right, Hair?

I guess I could rant for awhile longer about marginal value, but I won't for two reasons. First, it won't change anything. Second, in the eight picks made before the Bengals selected at #21 my predraft short list was devastated. Morgan, Graham, Weatherspoon, even JPP....all gone. And even more surprising to me, both Iupati and Pouncy, interior offensive lineman that I prefered over Gresham, were off the board. I fully expected at least one of them to be there.

In the end I was left with CB's Kyle Wilson and Devin McCourty, two players I love but couldn't quite bring myself to pimp, and Dez Bryant...who I would have selected simply because I felt he he was BPA by a fairly wide margin. But as you may recall...(snicker)...I don't think WR is a need anymore so the selection of Bryant would have been a mixed bag.

Again, I'm not mad. The selection of Gresham is what I expected and predicted, and I accept it without too much complaint. Furthermore, any complaints I may still have are mostly rooted in my disdain for the idea of using a 1st round pick on any TE, and have nothing to do with Gresham specifically.

[HairOnFire]

Do you all care what is being said in Baltimore about Cincy's pick?

Because I am hearing uniform deep unhappiness from the local sports radio stations over Cincy having selected Gresham. They are hugely concerned about having to deal with a Bengals team that finally has a TE that will have to be dealt with, and are beside themselves that the Ravens missed out on both Gresham and Dez Bryant.

So, for what it's worth, the reaction from one division rival city is unhappiness over what Cincinnati got done.

Right back at 'em.

I may be sticking my neck out prematurely, but I thought the Ravens decision to trade out of the 1st round was brilliant, as it allows them to pick up a buttlaod of extra draft picks that should come in very handy in a draft this deep.

A+

[membengal]

They were down a 2nd round pick due to getting Boldin, so Newsome was pleased to stockpile some picks in return. There are a lot of guys on the board that will help them these next two rounds, I am afraid.