Draft Pick Watch

[HoosierCat]

It was no hassle. Opting out was planned from the start. The only real reason the extension was signed at all was to give owners time to financially prepare for a lockout.

The cap may come down some, but the problem is that the last salary floor was more than $112 million. Per espn there are already 10 teams over that number now, and 32-10=22 -- but 24 owners are needed to OK a new CBA. I seriously doubt that any of those 10 clubs will approve a deal that means they have to make immediate cuts, can't sign their draft picks and will pretty much be forced out of the FA market to boot. Another seven teams are within $10 million of the old floor, meaning they are likely to have little room to maneuver either once their rookies are accounted for.

Whatever cap emerges, I think it will be within shouting distance of the old one, circa $130 million. But it will probably end up frozen there (or with some small standard increase like $1 million a year) for some period of time until some new, lower percentage of revenues due the players catches up. I can also see increases in the salary floor, which was already supposed to be 90% of the ceiling in 2011, being bumped up as well.

[HoosierCat]

While we're on the subject of AJ Green, let's watch Hobson rewrite history.

AJ SIGHTING: The Bengals have never taken a wide receiver as high as No. 4, but Georgia's A.J. Green has them thinking about it as they seek a guy that can be a No. 1 receiver.

Hey Hobs, remember this guy?

[Kazkal]

While we're on the subject of AJ Green, let's watch Hobson rewrite history.

AJ SIGHTING: The Bengals have never taken a wide receiver as high as No. 4, but Georgia's A.J. Green has them thinking about it as they seek a guy that can be a No. 1 receiver.

Hey Hobs, remember this guy?

Ya I was like wtf is Hobs smoking...: someone should email him and call him out lol.

[kingwilly]

I want to bring up another point Marvin made but don't really want to start a new thread.

In the same interview Marvin took responsibility for last season's mess, there was a part where they asked him about Simpson. He stated they clearly should have had him in the active group of players and should have gotten him time taking snaps in games to develop things quicker, but then went on to say "Then you have to take balls away from others and you know how that works out".

With that single statement not one of the analysts wasn't aware of what he was saying. Basically, Simpson had to wait because you had Chad and TO demanding the ball and they wouldn't have been happy if they weren't the ones getting thrown to. I think Marvin is really done with all of that crap. People can keep saying Chad and TO aren't to blame and I will readily admit they aren't the only ones to blame, but I think they should shoulder more than most.

With that being the case, if they don't take Green in the first I actually think they SHOULD take a WR in the 2nd.

Jonathan Baldwin and Leonard Hankerson both came out of a pro-style offense from Pittsburgh and Miami.

I think if they had QB's worth a sh*t, they would both go in the 1st.

I had no idea Marvin had been neutered. What a wuss.

[Sea Ray]

It was no hassle. Opting out was planned from the start. The only real reason the extension was signed at all was to give owners time to financially prepare for a lockout.

No way. The last agreement was signed nearly unanimously. No one had any problem with it except those crazy owners in Buffalo and Cincinnati.

The cap may come down some, but the problem is that the last salary floor was more than $112 million. Per espn there are already 10 teams over that number now, and 32-10=22 -- but 24 owners are needed to OK a new CBA. I seriously doubt that any of those 10 clubs will approve a deal that means they have to make immediate cuts, can't sign their draft picks and will pretty much be forced out of the FA market to boot. Another seven teams are within $10 million of the old floor, meaning they are likely to have little room to maneuver either once their rookies are accounted for.

Whatever cap emerges, I think it will be within shouting distance of the old one, circa $130 million. But it will probably end up frozen there (or with some small standard increase like $1 million a year) for some period of time until some new, lower percentage of revenues due the players catches up. I can also see increases in the salary floor, which was already supposed to be 90% of the ceiling in 2011, being bumped up as well.

$130mill isn't a bad guess. As for the floor, I'm not so sure. If the cap comes down, I doubt the floor will go up. A lot of this will depend on how the Union fares in court this week. If the judge agrees to their decertification and issues an injunction then the players position will have greatly improved

[jjakq27]

No Peterson or Bowers on Zim's radar. That's too bad. This team will never win if they can't shut people down on defense. Offense puts people in the seats but defense wins championships.

/>http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Zimmer-seeks-run-discipline-as-draft-waits-/22142295-711d-4dbc-ba90-454629ce8776

Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer would like Joseph to return, but he's not thinking about LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson or Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers or any prospect because as of this weekend at the NFL scouting combine he had yet to watch tape of any of them.

"Everybody's in danger; we were 4-12," he said. "I'm in danger, they're in danger. Trust me. It's not scheme. It's not personnel. It's paying attention to detail. It's doing things the proper way all the time. Not half the time. We were trying to become the '85 Bears and not being the 2010 Cincinnati Bengals."

[ArmyBengal]

Well, I think that has more to do with the fact he hasn't watched any tape on them yet, as he said, but you have to wonder, WHY ??

On a side note, Julio Jones has a broken foot that will require surgery and 8 weeks to recover...

[Kazkal]

No Peterson or Bowers on Zim's radar. That's too bad. This team will never win if they can't shut people down on defense. Offense puts people in the seats but defense wins championships

1.)It could be a smoke screen.

2.)Defense wins championships? it helps but i'm pretty sure balanced teams win em these days.

if they want a CB then they needed to resign joseph instead of burning a pick on the same position .As for Bowers we have 2 physical freaks who have a ton of upside...yes the position could be upgraded but we aren't that bad off.

3.)he isn't ignoring Defense but rather then burning picks on positions we are fairly well off at he wants to upgrade our WEAKNESSES on Defense...Safety,DT & linebacker are all bigger needs then CB/DE.

PS,Well I love me some Geno,we could use someone to start next to peko instead of tank johnson.

[fattyjay]

No Peterson or Bowers on Zim's radar. That's too bad. This team will never win if they can't shut people down on defense. Offense puts people in the seats but defense wins championships

1.)It could be a smoke screen.

2.)Defense wins championships? it helps but i'm pretty sure balanced teams win em these days.

if they want a CB then they needed to resign joseph instead of burning a pick on the same position .As for Bowers we have 2 physical freaks who have a ton of upside...yes the position could be upgraded but we aren't that bad off.

3.)he isn't ignoring Defense but rather then burning picks on positions we are fairly well off at he wants to upgrade our WEAKNESSES on Defense...Safety,DT & linebacker are all bigger needs then CB/DE.

PS,Well I love me some Geno,we could use someone to start next to peko instead of tank johnson.

Yup put me square in the corner of drafting Marcel Dareus from Alabama.

[jjakq27]

If you read the article he called out a lot of people on defense. I was happy to see that. I would like to see our head coach do that a little more often.

[HairOnFire]

No Peterson or Bowers on Zim's radar. That's too bad.

He doesn't say anything of the sort.

[jjakq27]

No Peterson or Bowers on Zim's radar. That's too bad.

He doesn't say anything of the sort.

OK?

[HairOnFire]

No Peterson or Bowers on Zim's radar. That's too bad.

He doesn't say anything of the sort.

OK?

Sorry, but all the article says is Zimmer hasn't watched film on anyone, Peterson and Bowers included. It goes on to say that Zimmer is still sorting out who played well amongst the players he's already got, who needs to be replaced, and which high profile player was average at best. It also says Zimmer is aware of the teams pressing need for more safety help, says he wants another DT, and implies the team is facing a major decision in regards to it's current DE's.

BTW, this mornings combine coverage (Tuesday) actually opened with Mayoch quoting Mike Zimmer about how great it was that this years crop of CB's was bigger, longer, and faster than last years.....so there is some proof he's interested in adding help there too.

[Whur CHad At?]

DT help will be there are 4 in Marcell Dareus. The guy would fit perfectly for what we do. We were terrible against the run so it shouldn't be out of the question to take a DT at 4. I am going to wait until next year for CB in Dre Kirkpatrick

[HairOnFire]

DT help will be there are 4 in Marcell Dareus. The guy would fit perfectly for what we do. We were terrible against the run so it shouldn't be out of the question to take a DT at 4.

I have to admit Dareus moved far better than I would have guessed. Very impressive but it makes me wonder why his pass rush stats aren't better.

[HairOnFire]

Apparently Julio Jones managed to both steal and eat his own lunch.

Source: Bowers, Jones dropping on draft boards

February 28, 2011

Posted by Andy Benoit

INDIANAPOLIS -- A prominent NFL front office executive told CBSSports.com Tuesday night that two first-round prospects saw their stock drop drastically thanks to medical issues that were discovered at the combine.

One of the players is Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones, who was reported to have a participated in the combine with a fracture in his foot. The other is Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, who didn't participate in combine drills despite claiming to be "100 percent" after knee surgery.

The source did not say what the injuries were, though presumably he was referring to Jones' broken foot and Bowers' torn meniscus.

When I pointed out that the media was trumpeting Jones' remarkable workout numbers, the source said that's what makes the inevitable fallout from this injury so difficult. He said this news was devastating for both players.

[HairOnFire]

John Thornton did an interview with ESPN's John Clayton and both agreed that if the Bengals stay at #4 the pick will be AJ Green. Furthermore, Thornton said there's no chance whatsoever the Bengals will draft a DT with the first pick.

Finally, Thornton threw a meatless bone to all of the Julio Jones fans by saying the Bengals are very interested in another 1st round wideout besides AJ Green, but apparently it's an option they'll seriously consider only if they can trade down.

As always, file under FWIW.

[Sea Ray]

Didn't JT say that all assistants would be back in 2011?

[Whur CHad At?]

John Thorton is never wrong, he is always able to back up his claims with sources.

[Kazkal]

Didn't JT say that all assistants would be back in 2011?

He said if anyone was on his way out it FitzgerAld yet here he is still coaching.

[cincyhokie]

John Thornton did an interview with ESPN's John Clayton and both agreed that if the Bengals stay at #4 the pick will be AJ Green. Furthermore, Thornton said there's no chance whatsoever the Bengals will draft a DT with the first pick.

Finally, Thornton threw a meatless bone to all of the Julio Jones fans by saying the Bengals are very interested in another 1st round wideout besides AJ Green, but apparently it's an option they'll seriously consider only if they can trade down.

As always, file under FWIW.

You have a team that states they are going to recommit to the run and stopping the run. This team was neither successful at running or stopping the run in 2010.

Why would this team NOT draft a DT and instead draft a WR?

[volcom69]

John Thornton did an interview with ESPN's John Clayton and both agreed that if the Bengals stay at #4 the pick will be AJ Green. Furthermore, Thornton said there's no chance whatsoever the Bengals will draft a DT with the first pick.

Finally, Thornton threw a meatless bone to all of the Julio Jones fans by saying the Bengals are very interested in another 1st round wideout besides AJ Green, but apparently it's an option they'll seriously consider only if they can trade down.

As always, file under FWIW.

You have a team that states they are going to recommit to the run and stopping the run. This team was neither successful at running or stopping the run in 2010.

Why would this team NOT draft a DT and instead draft a WR?

There were alot of reasons why this team sucked at running the ball and stopping the run. They decided to change there whole offense scheme, because TO came in and thought they had to throw the ball all the time. They spent way to much time trying to make the offense line better at pass blocking, that there run blocking skills diminished. So i believe if they want to get back to running the ball next year, and they commit to it, they will succeed.

As far as the run game, you cant just blame the DT, the defense as a whole did not play like a team. I think Zimmers comments tells this! The Linebackers played very average with horrible gap control, and the tackling was just horrible, its like they forgot how to tackle. So i think if they can get back to playing like a defense team, and work toghter they will be ok. They need better LB play next year for sure that would help out, and better tackling. So run the ball control the clock, help out the defense by giving them a rest and maybe the defense will get back to there 09 style.

[cincyhokie]

John Thornton did an interview with ESPN's John Clayton and both agreed that if the Bengals stay at #4 the pick will be AJ Green. Furthermore, Thornton said there's no chance whatsoever the Bengals will draft a DT with the first pick.

Finally, Thornton threw a meatless bone to all of the Julio Jones fans by saying the Bengals are very interested in another 1st round wideout besides AJ Green, but apparently it's an option they'll seriously consider only if they can trade down.

As always, file under FWIW.

You have a team that states they are going to recommit to the run and stopping the run. This team was neither successful at running or stopping the run in 2010.

Why would this team NOT draft a DT and instead draft a WR?

There were alot of reasons why this team sucked at running the ball and stopping the run. They decided to change there whole offense scheme, because TO came in and thought they had to throw the ball all the time. They spent way to much time trying to make the offense line better at pass blocking, that there run blocking skills diminished. So i believe if they want to get back to running the ball next year, and they commit to it, they will succeed.

As far as the run game, you cant just blame the DT, the defense as a whole did not play like a team. I think Zimmers comments tells this! The Linebackers played very average with horrible gap control, and the tackling was just horrible, its like they forgot how to tackle. So i think if they can get back to playing like a defense team, and work toghter they will be ok. They need better LB play next year for sure that would help out, and better tackling. So run the ball control the clock, help out the defense by giving them a rest and maybe the defense will get back to there 09 style.

Eh, I'll buy what you said on the offensive side of the ball to some extent. As for the defense, I'm not putting any faith into a unit that can flop so quickly after one year of success. And while I like Dhani Jones and Peko, they're not getting this defense to where it needs to be.

So before we get to excited about getting back to the 2009 version of the Bengals, let's not forget that this team needs to either re-sign Benson and Joseph or replace them.

Lastly, I'll always be a proponent of building from the lines first. If the Bengals are going to catch up to the Steelers and Ravens again, they'd better make some solid strides on the defensive side.

[volcom69]

Im still really liking Patrick Peterson, and would not hate it if they choose him. Both DT Fairly, and Darius both look great and would be good also. I just have a feeling this will be a offense draft in the first 2 rounds, i just hope they do consider Peterson.

[alleycat]

DT help will be there are 4 in Marcell Dareus. The guy would fit perfectly for what we do. We were terrible against the run so it shouldn't be out of the question to take a DT at 4.

I have to admit Dareus moved far better than I would have guessed. Very impressive but it makes me wonder why his pass rush stats aren't better.

Actually, Hair, I don't know if you saw it but Dareus did an interview on NFLN after his drills. Apparently, he suffered a pretty severe high-ankle sprain in the Arkansas game (#4 of the season), and they were getting beat. He saw the dejected look on the team's face, went in and got taped up and gave a big pep talk before leading the team back out for a win. I don't know how severe it was, but I had a high ankle sprain a couple of times and no way was I able to play on it within 2 months. And I don't way 320lbs.

Honestly, after watching the combine and my memory of Dareus from the year before... I'm thinking he might be my #1. My only reluctance is that I think we can get good DT talent at the top of Rd. 2 which might make the argument better for Green in 1. For me, between Green, Dareus, and Peterson it's an awful hard choice (Peterson because I think he might have Ed Reed/Troy Polomalu impact and how do you pass up on that?) My big concern is if those three are gone - in which case I wouldn't be crushed with Quinn or Bowers - but I don't think those two are quite the rarity at their position that the first three listed are...