Free Agency

[skyline]

I guess I no longer see Whit as an OT - I see him as an OG

Thats what he was drafted to be, incidentally

I think his career will be extended greatly and his effectiveness much improved if he remains at OG

would prefer to but either Whitworth or Paul Alexander seem disagree :|

I think this whole thing is being overplayed a bit. He had a few monster blocks at guard last season and all the sudden everyone seems to think that it's THE answer.

He played guard against San Diego in the playoffs as well. Remember how our o-line performed in that game?

Our o-line will be alright this season. The change is being made at center, which is the biggest issue, and hopefully we'll have an o-coordinator that doesn't try to pass the ball 50 times a game.

[princeton]

Whit's an unusual LT. as a tackle he gets surprisingly little push in the run game, in spite of his size and in spite of the fact that he's probably an inside player by nature. as a pass protector, what was great was that he NEVER whiffed, and the importance of that cannot be understated; he deserved his probowl appearance. but he didn't latch on forever. what you got from him was a consistent, albeit relatively short period of protection.

perhaps his runblocking has returned for good, as he said it would after his medical procedure last offseason, and Bengals will be able to run on the left side if he's the tackle out there. I mean, it sounds like it ought to work, but it never really has.

[TJJackson]

QB Greg McElroy retires at age 25
/>https://twitter.com/GVMcElroy/status/447006522057314304/photo/1

[ArmyBengal]

He never really did anything here in regards to game day, but I wish him well moving forward.

With Campbell coming in, you had to figure something was going to give with the others.

He just beat them to the punch.

[HoosierCat]

perhaps his runblocking has returned for good, as he said it would after his medical procedure last offseason, and Bengals will be able to run on the left side if he's the tackle out there. I mean, it sounds like it ought to work, but it never really has.

Whit's now had multiple procedures over the last two or three years, and that's usually a bad sign. Given his age, the injuries and his $5 million cap hit in 2015 (the final year of his contract) it would not stun me if this were his last year in stripes.

[kingwilly]

Given all Hoosier points about about Whit, my disgruntlement about AC leaving furthers.

It may only be an oversight but Whit is still listed as an OG on the current .com roster.

Perhaps the thinking that either Robinson or Pollack at C will shore up the line play is true.

[Scottishbengal]

Given all Hoosier points about about Whit, my disgruntlement about AC leaving furthers.

It may only be an oversight but Whit is still listed as an OG on the current .com roster.

Perhaps the thinking that either Robinson or Pollack at C will shore up the line play is true.

I believe AC left because he wasn't guaranteed a starter role and maybe he felt he couldn't beat out Whit in pre-season camps. After initially ranting and pulling my hair out at him leaving I now believe it had more to do with the player than the FO. You can't (shouldn't) guarantee anything ..let the best person win. I do however believe that it was a bit short sighted of both the organisation and the player as AC would certainly have been the future.

[ArmyBengal]

I don't blame AC in the least. He wanted a starter's role and he got it.

I still do believe Whit would have been better inside with AC at LT, as I believe it would have extended his career.

With that being the case, I think the organization should have forced the issue instead of giving it to Whit.

Now, I could be wrong, but that's just how I view it.

The blame for AC leaving is with the front office not AC.

Good luck to him.

[HoosierCat]

On another note, the Bengals apparently kicked the tires on DB Elbert Mack.

/>http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Source-Elbert-Mack-tries-out-for-Bengals.html

[TJJackson]

elbert mack

S U P E R B O W L

(seriously tho, he's just a vet replacement for Mr Glass, so no biggie)

(has good speed, at least: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=72780&draftyear=2008&genpos=CB)

[HoosierCat]

elbert mack

S U P E R B O W L

Speaking of, you know that Hobson is just dying to see the Bengals win the big game with our new No. 2 QB at the helm. Why? This bengals.com headline of course: "Campbell Supe"

[HoosierCat]

Bengals sign OT Marshall Newhouse, formerly with the Packers.

/>http://www.packers.com/team/roster/Marshall-Newhouse/9880024b-ea65-42c0-8dd1-71cd54728897

ETA: Looks like garbage. Write up from a few days ago: http://msn.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/packers-annual-checkup-marshall-newhouse-031914

Packers Annual Checkup: Marshall Newhouse

FOX Sports Wisconsin's Paul Imig gives an in-depth statistical analysis and film study of every Packers player in his annual offseason checkup. Check every weekday through mid-April for his latest report.

Marshall Newhouse, offensive lineman

Season stats: 16 games (two starts at right tackle; 261 total offensive snaps), three sacks allowed, 14 QB hurries allowed, three penalties

ProFootballFocus.com season rating: minus-9.2 (ranked second-worst on Packers offense)

Best game: Week 12 tie vs. Minnesota (played all 98 offensive snaps; five QB hurries allowed, zero sacks allowed, two QB hits allowed, zero penalties; minus-1.1 PFF rating)

Worst game: Week 10 loss vs. Philadelphia (two QB hurries allowed, one sack allowed, one penalty; minus-3.6 PFF rating)

Expectations at the start of the season: Medium

Expectations were ... Not met

Looking live: Marshall Newhouse was part of the Packers' major offensive line switch during the 2013 offseason. Newhouse had finished out the 2011 season as Green Bay's starting left tackle and kept that job throughout the entire 2012 season. But coach Mike McCarthy recognized that a significant change was needed in order to better protect Aaron Rodgers, while also trying to revitalize a running game that hadn't been effective since 2009. McCarthy knew that he wanted Bryan Bulaga at left tackle, Josh Sitton at left guard and T.J. Lang at right guard, but Newhouse wasn't guaranteed a spot at right tackle. During organized training activities (OTAs) in June, McCarthy was impressed with Newhouse's work. "We made the change, and I think one guy in particular it might've brought the best out in is Marshall," McCarthy said June 11, 2013. "He's had a great spring; he's looked really good." In a competition with Don Barclay to start at right tackle, Newhouse began training camp with the lead. On the opening day of practice, Newhouse was up first, followed by Barclay. By Day 5, Barclay was the starting right tackle in practice for the first time in camp, though he continued to go back and forth with Newhouse. It took until the second preseason game for Newhouse to lose his grip on the starting spot, as Barclay was with the first-team offense from that point on.

Upon further review: Strangely, even as the regular season was underway, McCarthy continued to look at Newhouse as something different than what the evidence on the field was showing. "Marshall Newhouse, as I've stated, I view as a starter, which he has been here," McCarthy said Sept. 6, 2013. "He may or may not play in the game." So, to recap, Newhouse may not play in a game, but he was still viewed as a starter. It was a bit of an odd situation. Newhouse didn't end up getting any significant playing time until Week 8 when Lang suffered a concussion, prompting McCarthy to move Barclay to right guard and to bring in Newhouse at right tackle. Newhouse later started two games (Weeks 11 and 12) when Barclay was out with a knee injury. Looking back at the entirety of Newhouse's work in 2013 (in which he played far less than in 2011 and 2012), it was much of the same. Playing at right tackle should've helped him in some ways, but it didn't. He started the same two games that Scott Tolzien did, and Newhouse did the young quarterback few favors, allowing nine combined quarterback hurries in those games. Newhouse had started to make some progress towards the end of the 2012 season when he was still starting at left tackle, but that didn't carry over to 2013. He was fine in the run game (an area that he struggled in during previous seasons) but is headed the wrong way as a pass blocker.

Status for 2014: Five percent chance of being on the Packers' active roster to begin the 2014 season. Newhouse is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. With Bulaga and Derek Sherrod returning to full health and adding to a strong group that also includes Barclay and David Bakhtiari, Green Bay has four tackles right there who are all better than Newhouse. He's four years into his NFL career, and though he's still only 25 years old, this is probably exactly what Newhouse is as an NFL offensive lineman.

[TJJackson]

Again, this is because he was Andy's LT with the Horned Frogs

The typical GB fan seems to be delighted he is gone

He's just 25 and maybe just maybe protecting Andy (probably as LG) will light a fire under his a$s and he'll be something, and if so, we might just have ourselves a nice pickup here.

But thats a big maybe

As always, would like to know the contract terms

In the meantime, on the 2015 Comp Picks game front, this signing negates the loss of the Glass DB, whose loss probably was going to net us a 7. So in one sense, this guy has already cost us a 7th rounder to pick up. Would have been better from this perspective to pick up another crappy OL who had been released, and it wouldn't have cost us

[TJJackson]

On second thought, given his size and age, he may also be the younger/cheaper replacement for Dennis Roland, and ergo the backup RIGHT tackle behind Flesh Zeppelin

[HoosierCat]

On second thought, given his size and age, he may also be the younger/cheaper/crappier replacement for Dennis Roland, and ergo the backup RIGHT tackle behind Flesh Zeppelin

Fixed. ;)/>

[TJJackson]

well, Dennis "74 is reporting as tackle eligible" Roland is pretty crappy too, so........

[Kazkal]

Wait it's possible to get Crappier then Roland?

[TJJackson]

Joisey seems to think so

[cincyhokie]

Are the upcoming draft picks the plan for getting the Bengals past 11-5 and the WC round?

Certainly a good roster and a solid team but it looks like they'd better hit a home run in the draft, and then some, if the goal is deep playoff run or SB.

I'm not even saying that it's a clear option to pick up an impact FA or two, it's just seeming that the Bengals are kind of forced in a corner of "pay to retain talent" or "lose talent and replace in FA". Who knows maybe they draft a couple of pro-bowlers again.

[HoosierCat]

I don't know that there is much of a plan, hokie. What concerns me is this: since the start of the free agency era back in 1991, the Bengals have never been big players. And up until the last few years, they've generally been poor drafters. As a result, the front office has zero organizational experience at being where they are now. They caught a break for the last couple years because the cap was stagnant, but it's begun to grow again, and it's partly because of that that we lost Hawk. If they really want to keep their own, they will have to resort to some of the cap games they have always avoided. Or they are going to end up doing what they did under the old CBA and just bleed talent every year. Right now, that seems like the "plan" if you can call it such.

[cincyhokie]

I don't know that there is much of a plan, hokie. What concerns me is this: since the start of the free agency era back in 1991, the Bengals have never been big players. And up until the last few years, they've generally been poor drafters. As a result, the front office has zero organizational experience at being where they are now. They caught a break for the last couple years because the cap was stagnant, but it's begun to grow again, and it's partly because of that that we lost Hawk. If they really want to keep their own, they will have to resort to some of the cap games they have always avoided. Or they are going to end up doing what they did under the old CBA and just bleed talent every year. Right now, that seems like the "plan" if you can call it such.

I think they'll be "ok". I just don't see more than 8-8 to 10-6. It's getting kind of boring, actually. Proactive teams win, reactive teams aren't as successful. But hey, another 9-7 season is fun, right?

[cincyhokie]

I don't know that there is much of a plan, hokie. What concerns me is this: since the start of the free agency era back in 1991, the Bengals have never been big players. And up until the last few years, they've generally been poor drafters. As a result, the front office has zero organizational experience at being where they are now. They caught a break for the last couple years because the cap was stagnant, but it's begun to grow again, and it's partly because of that that we lost Hawk. If they really want to keep their own, they will have to resort to some of the cap games they have always avoided. Or they are going to end up doing what they did under the old CBA and just bleed talent every year. Right now, that seems like the "plan" if you can call it such.

All of this still does not affect my curiosity in seeing what Hue and Guenther can do with their squads. After Cook was released, I was even more curious about this season. We'll see what happens.

[ArmyBengal]

Here's my thing, how many starting position does everyone view as being up for grabs ??

Of those, how many are viewed to be filled by current players on the roster ??

Center for example is more than likely going to be filled by either Pollack or Robinson.

With that being the line of thought, how much do we think the drafted players will be what takes us beyond a one and done ??

I don't think we are looking at a scenario where more than one rookie starts on day one unless there are injuries that force it.

I would put more on getting the players we have to execute better.

[cincyhokie]

I think you can make a case where the Bengals could have used FA help at OG, C, WR, RB, CB, SS, LB, and DE. Boling, Cook , a better number 2 receiver, a better replacement for BJGE, replacement for Hall, Illoka, Harrison, and Johnson.

Any if these positions could have been upgraded. Of course, not every position can be filled but to look at the roster and say it's set because we have some serviceable depth is a recipe for 9-7....again, IMO.

[Scottishbengal]

I would have loved to have seen a decent CB brought id during FA .. such as Tarrel Brown ... that would allow some flexibility in the draft plus we don't know how Hall is going to be after his injury ... we had cap space to address this (and other) areas of need but have failed to do so.