Hillis not being tagged by Browns

[Scottishbengal]

http://www.nfl.com/n..._headline_stack

Hillis not looking like he'll be given the franchise tag in Cleveland.

Would he be a fit both as a player and as a $$ contract for the team???? I know we have the space within the cap but is he worth the greenbacks he's looking for?

Personally I don't think he offers value for YPC as an every down back, nor does he crack out a run of much distance, and he appears to fumble a wee bit, but could he be an upgrade over Scott/Leonard???

[membengal]

No.

[ArmyBengal]

I don't like Hillis and hope that isn't how they decide to spend their money.

[walzav29]

I hate Hillis.

[skyline]

Absolutely not.

I saw a mock this morning on NFL Network that had the Browns getting Richardson in the draft. This made me sad.

[Stripes]

yuck

[walzav29]

Wouldn't Castro, Kirkpatrick and David Wilson be a great 1st 2 rounds? Richardson is a stud, but Wilson isn't far behind.

[derekshank]

Wouldn't Castro, Kirkpatrick and David Wilson be a great 1st 2 rounds? Richardson is a stud, but Wilson isn't far behind.

I like Wilson ok... but he's not in the same class as Richardson. Not even close.

I only want a RB like Wilson if they go out and sign Bush or Green-Ellis to compliment him.

[HoosierCat]

I wasn't going to bring up Hillis but I wouldn't be upset if the Bengals took a look at him. He reminds me a bit of Ced with the low mileage and attitude issues. A lot of that latter issue seems to be related to the suckitude of the Clowns, though heaven knows the Bengals are capable of imploding in any given season.

Last I heard he was looking for a big-money deal, which he obviously isn't going to get. Not a bad option IMO if the Bengals could get him on one of those inexpensive one-year "prove it" deals.

[cHaD711Johnson]

NO.

[derekshank]

Hillis is better than you would think as a receiver... and if asked to split carries with a smaller quicker RB, I could easily see that working well.

That said, he's got an attitude problem that had a negative effect on the field. Say what you want about Benson, but he always played hard and can't be accused of faking injuries and sickness to stick it to management. I'd be very nervous about bringing in a guy like that to this young locker room... no matter how much of a bargain it is.

I'm also getting tired of all the one-year deals at important positions. Sign Bush or Green-Ellis to 3 or 4 year deal to split carries with Scott... bring back Leonard as the 3rd down RB, and be done with worrying about RB for a couple years.

[COB]

. Sign Bush or Green-Ellis to 3 or 4 year deal to split carries with Scott... bring back Leonard as the 3rd down RB, and be done with worrying about RB for a couple years.

Agreed, especially if it's Bush. But if we can't get something like that done, address other needs with the picks and the cap room, and a one year rent a wreck is ok for me. It defers our decision and using our resources for a year, and running back more than any other position lends itself to those types of deals. You won't likely get a quality guard or safety on a one year deal. But running backs break down so fast teams are loathe to give them big money on a second contract. Yet players with no other options are determined to prove themselves by signing a one year deal and running their asses off. Don't tell the players doing this, but all that extra year does is make management count more mileage up on the legs and body of those guys. Come to think of it, did this whole dynamic just spring to life out of a Mike Brown wet dream?

[HoosierCat]

It would be nice to see some mid- to long-term deals to firm up some spots, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. The cap will be flat at best, and the FA class is big, so money will be tight. And with the spending floor kicking in in 2013 and the TV deals hitting in 2014 a lot of guys will be thinking about a score in the near future.

The bottom line is that the Bengals need to fill a few holes before the draft. RB looks to me like a FA spot. Absent Richardson slipping (not) they either reach early and hope for someone to fall in the second. If it's Hillis, fine. If he can stay heathy I think he would surprise some folks, as long as the whole team doesn't tank it. And I'm not expecting that to happen in 2012.

[wpeldios]

Please no more contracts to players who have either arrests on their record or have been known(or even suspected) to be problems in any locker room. Its time for this team to grow up and take the next step, not repeat mistakes.

[kingwilly]

No to Hillis.

He flaked on his team, acting all sick and hurt. Bulls**t.

Don't need another "Carson" around the team.

[UK Bengal]

Well if you played for the browns wouldn't you want to act all sick and hurt

[Sea Ray]

Absolutely not.

I saw a mock this morning on NFL Network that had the Browns getting Richardson in the draft. This made me sad.

How did that work? What position did they get him? At #4? My guess is the Browns will end up with RGIII

[derekshank]

Absolutely not.

I saw a mock this morning on NFL Network that had the Browns getting Richardson in the draft. This made me sad.

How did that work? What position did they get him? At #4? My guess is the Browns will end up with RGIII

Current speculation is that the Redskins are prepared to give the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick in 2012, and the 1st and 2nd round pick in 2013 for the #2 pick in the draft. That may be too rich for Holmgren's blood... and their next best option will be to stand pat and either draft Claiborne or Richardson.

[HoosierCat]

Current speculation is that the Redskins are prepared to give the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick in 2012, and the 1st and 2nd round pick in 2013 for the #2 pick in the draft.

That's f*cking ridiculous. If that's what the Rams' demands are I would tell them to pound sand.

[derekshank]

Current speculation is that the Redskins are prepared to give the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick in 2012, and the 1st and 2nd round pick in 2013 for the #2 pick in the draft.

That's f*cking ridiculous. If that's what the Rams' demands are I would tell them to pound sand.

I don't think the Rams are doing much demanding. I think the Redskins are simply trying to let other teams know that if they want to get into a bidding war, they'll lose.

I doubt the Redskins actually give that much... but suggesting that they are willing to do it might scare off other teams that were considering a move up.

Ultimately, the #2 pick will go to the highest bidder. What that bid is remains to be seen... but at present, it is widely believed that the Redskins will outbid the Browns for RGIII.

[ArmyBengal]

It is widely believed that the Redskins will outbid the Browns for RGIII.

Good. I don't want to see RGIII in a Browns uniform.

[Sea Ray]

Talk about winning the lottery from St Louis' perspective...

[Scottishbengal]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82706e3a/article/notable-nfl-free-agents-in-the-2012-class?module=HP11_hot_topics

The pool of available players is starting to thin as teams are re-signing players.

Building through the draft (Marvins mantra) is admirable, but you won't fill all the positional needs through the draft alone and so Free Agency has got to be the first step to take this franchise forward. Lets focus on who we have / who is still available with a view to the draft filling unfilled requirements.:-

Running Back:

I'd be happy to see Benson stay in stripes as long as an upgraded O line is one of the "holes" that is addressed. If Benson goes however then Bush would appear to be the BPA. Would Cincy match what the Raiders may offer? Would Bush prefer to be nearer "home" (Kentucky)? Hightower and Tolbert may have potential to fill the role as would Hillis.

I don't think Green-Ellis(3.7 ypc) nor Battle (4.0 ypc) would necessarily be an upgrade over Benson (3.9 ypc) if the O line isn't reinforced. Grant from GB doesn't have the longevity as he becomes 30 in Sept.

Wide Receiver:

AJ Green is almost a God! But we still need to balance the receiving threat / offence even if we pick up a good RB and solidify the line. To have another solid WR would be a nice complmentary situation - we have Shipley coming back and Hawkins could be a nice slot guy. I'm not sold at all on Caldwell, and Simpson is just as likely to traffick the white touchline as run along it and thats providing he escapes The Wrath of Goddell ! At 6'3" Binns could be a nice option but he hasn't seen gametime in stripes yet despite Caldwells injury last season so that leads me to believe he either ain't ready or ain't good enough. Whalen has seen minimal action so I wonder about his ability to develop to the required level. I would get a full-on robot chubby if we managed to grab Wallace out of Pittsburgh but the Bengals won't go big guns for that (never do). Colston , Ginn Jr, Garcon, Robinson or Meacham may prove extremely good options if they do decide to spend. I've heard that Reggie Wayne will only go wherever Manning goes should he exit Indy - and in my opinion there's short lifespan in pursuing him anyway at 33 years of age.

O line/ D line:

I know f**k all about the lines and won't insult your intelligence by pretending I do.

DB's:

Boy did we miss Hall when he got injured. We lost JJ last season and could possibly lose Nelson this time round so the backfield is a definte area of major concern - unless of course the young guns of Ghee, Murray, Sands, Mays, and Miles are good to go. Clements is getting on in years as is Crocker, Pacman smokes meat. I like Wilson but similar to Kelly Jennings I think he could be improved upon. If the young guns aren't ready to roll then I'd think Laron Landry would be a possible steal if healthy (I wonder if his injury was aggreivated due to "alternative medicine" rather than surgery first time round?) and I wouldn't be unhappy to see DeCoud come into town. The Carr boys don't float my boat and I believe that Finnegan or Gay offer good solid options, but I think I'd prefer Carlos Rogers or Aaron Ross.

LB's:

Our linebackers haven't produced as hoped/expected and as such an upgrade shouldn't be too difficult to instigate. On the roster we have Evans DeQuin, Micah Johnson, (??) Thomas Howard (1 sack last season), Brandon Johnson ( zero sacks last season), Manny Lawson (1.5 sacks last season), Vincent Rey, Rey Maualuga, Moch, Muckleroy (zero sacks last season), Skuta (0.5 sacks sack last season) and of course Keith Rivers. On the FA list we have Hawthorn (2 sacks last season), Leroy Hill (4 sacks last season), Lofton (1 sack last season), Tulloch (3 sacks last season), Wheeler (1 sack last season), Williams (5 sacks last season) - christ give me any of those three and drop the deadwood !!

[UK Bengal]

Man SB u have a real hard on for benson the guy is gone period he may have had 3 1000yd seasons but in today's NFL that's not that much of a milestone anymore. Gruden wants a backs by comitee benson wants to be the man he didn't like it this year so he won't be back we need a new approach in the backfield whom I hope is Richardson if not I'm quite happy with G and CB as the first 2 picks and a RB FA

[ArmyBengal]

Do we need to upgrade the o-line ?? Yep.

Will our RB do better after that upgrade ?? Yep.

Should that RB be Benson ?? F*CK NO !!!

There's simply no reason to pay the money it will take to keep him here when we could get younger and better at a lower cost through the draft. If the thought is to pay that kind of money, i'm firmly in the camp of giving that money to Michael Bush who is more the type of back I think Gruden is looking for.

I wouldn't mind Meachum in the least, but this draft is chock full of WR's capable of being a #2.

I really am left to wonder how much Binns plays a part based on that story on the .com.

I still can't believe he went undrafted and wanted the Bengals to grab him late. Anyway...

Secondary and O-line help should come in our first two picks minus Richardson falling.

Some combination of Kirkpatrick, Jenkins, DeCastro, or Glenn.

The only thing I see stopping that would be a FA signing.

LB's ?? I'm really lost in how this group is going to turn out and concerned with what Guenther is going to be able to bring to a fairly lackluster group. This is a spot I could see them addressing in the first, if FA nets them either secondary or o-line help.