Bengals rank in top 8 in depth

[The Big Orange]

Depth, in my opinion, will be a crucial piece to our playoff presence and superbowl runs. It loks like we are close to having that. And for the record..I like KK as safety depth.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/8619987

Chris Perry is the biggest question mark for me...but the potential is certainly there.

[Columbusbengal]

Boy do I ever agree with this!! I also think that depth is one of the most underrated aspects of success. I have a lot less fear of a major injury than I had two or three years ago. We have back-up at every position. Safety would be the one spot where we are weak at back-up. Obviously we wouldn't want to lose Carson, but Kitna can do an adequate job. The biggest problem would be if we had two or three injuries at the same position - two or three O-linemen out for the season or linebackers or receivers or running backs, or if both Palmer and Kitna were injured - all of these would be problems. But injuries to one lineman, one linebacker, one receiver, and one RB (no matter which ones) would not be much of a problem, even if they all occurred at the same time.

[Spain]

I would have ranked us number one in depth.

[ckj414]

Good news...when was the last time anybody, other than a Bengals fan of course, could rank Cincinnati's depth among the top ten in the league?

The only thing keeping me from announcing the Bengals playoff berth right now is all that youth in the front seven. Unfortunately that'll probably cost them some games, at least in the early going. I just hope there isn't a bad start and we're not left watching yet another anti-climatic late-season surge.

[bengal4life]

I don't think we'll be pronned to injuries this year like last due to ML dismissing training camp earlier this year.

The only reason the Patriots are on the top 6 in depth is because they won the superbowl last year, IMO. I don't think they're as deep as the media makes them to be.

[bengalsLB]

if u factor in the depth we have at linebacker we should be ranked higher

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

if u factor in the depth we have at linebacker we should be ranked higher

It's just the top 8, no order.

[CBin2k7]

Boy do I ever agree with this!! I also think that depth is one of the most underrated aspects of success. I have a lot less fear of a major injury than I had two or three years ago. We have back-up at every position. Safety would be the one spot where we are weak at back-up. Obviously we wouldn't want to lose Carson, but Kitna can do an adequate job. The biggest problem would be if we had two or three injuries at the same position - two or three O-linemen out for the season or linebackers or receivers or running backs, or if both Palmer and Kitna were injured - all of these would be problems. But injuries to one lineman, one linebacker, one receiver, and one RB (no matter which ones) would not be much of a problem, even if they all occurred at the same time.

Depth is the most underrated aspect. If your starters go down, can someone step in and not miss a beat.

Ask the Pats both starting CB's out. Still they win the super bowl. The Eagles let 2 pro bowl corners go and they replace them with two more pro bowl corners which they developed. It doesn't take much to notice a pattern with the teams that are ALWAYS successful,

and then the one year wonder teams, when everything falls into place for 1 year.

[Kazkal]

good besides R. Geathers is a starter now

[The Big Orange]

good besides R. Geathers is a starter now

Kaz,

Well, then Clemmons is good depth

Don't tell me Hobbs doesn't read our stuff and the put it on bengals.com

We had ours up 5 hours before he did

[Kazkal]

"

Well, then Clemmons is good depth"

Clemmons is good depth but geathers was one who was listed as depth ;p

I was just poking fun sense it's been stated on nfl.com geathers is a starter now

[Spain]

Well if he reads our stuff big O, lets put him to the test! why doesnt Marvin have Boomer teach him that bad arse play fake and a hard count while your at it. Intagiables are everything for a QB. Lets see if he reads it?

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Well if he reads our stuff big O, lets put him to the test! why doesnt Marvin have Boomer teach him that bad arse play fake and a hard count while your at it. Intagiables are everything for a QB. Lets see if he reads it?

Lay off the drugs. Carson Palmer doesn't read this crap, Geoff Hobson, a REPORTER for Bengals.com does.

[andybren]

I've been talking about our depth for the past couple of months, it's good to hear that NFL.com was listening...

Something else to remember when considering how ML built this team:

1. His willingness to part with arguably the team's best LB ever

2. His willingness to part with the team's all-time leading rusher

3. His willingness to part with #2 draft picks, just a year later.

(But on the other hand, the loss of Dillon led to the drafting of Madieu, and the loss of Spikes led to the draft of Landon Johnson.)

[bengalsLB]

the loss of spikes allowed us to get thorton,james and hardy to

[HairOnFire]

Something else to remember when considering how ML built this team:

1. His willingness to part with arguably the team's best LB ever

2. His willingness to part with the team's all-time leading rusher

3. His willingness to part with #2 draft picks, just a year later.

(But on the other hand, the loss of Dillon led to the drafting of Madieu, and the loss of Spikes led to the draft of Landon Johnson.)

Was it willingness or simply being resigned to doing what circumstances dictate had become a necessity?

In hindsight, I'd argue that the Dillon trade was a huge positive due to the immediate emergence of Madieu Williams and Rudi Johnson, as well as the departure of cancerous Corey. In my opinion that's plenty of trade return when judged by itself, an improvement in team chemistry due to openng up a starting spot for Rudi, and some obvious addition by subraction when Dillon was finally tossed overboard. Win, win, win. In fact, if hindsight proves anything it might have something to do with how misguided any attempt was to get Corey Dillon "onboard"....and Marvin repeatedly claimed that this was his biggest goal in year one. Sadly, Dillon did everything in his power to ensure that Lewis failed.

Granted, the backup plan worked to perfection, but that's hardly been the case in the other two examples mentioned. In fact, the loss of Spikes has been a true negative to date. Replacement Kevin Hardy struggled to be anything more than a temporary band-aid, fellow FA John Thornton hasn't been the interior force that many of us hoped we were getting...greatly reducing the positive impact of not paying the price for Spikes, and the loss of Takeo dictated the Bengals later use multiple draft picks to fill the newly created hole. After the last draft hopes are high that they've finally replaced Spikes with a comparable talent, but there's been no proof yet that any of the replacements will approach the standard set by Spikes. Worse, the loss of Spikes left the Bengals defense without a vocal onfield leader. So adding it all up, the failure to retain Spikes can be seen by myself only in negative terms.

Last, the decision that zone based prospects like Lamont Thompson didn't fit the mold may have made his departure a foregone conclusion, but the Bengals got absolutely nothing in return for a player who is now penciled in as another teams long-term starter. Granted, the Bengals willingness to cleanly sever ties with a very recent high draft pick can be positively spun into a sign that things were going to be different in Cincy, but that's all it is. Spin. In truth, the decision to cut Thompson hurt because it dictated the Bengals go back to the wishing well immediately for a new FS prospect and that decision meant dictated the use of yet another 2nd round draft pick.

[HoosierCat]

Last, the decision that zone based prospects like Lamont Thompson didn't fit the mold may have made his departure a foregone conclusion, but the Bengals got absolutely nothing in return for a player who is now penciled in as another teams long-term starter. Granted, the Bengals willingness to cleanly sever ties with a very recent high draft pick can be positively spun into a sign that things were going to be different in Cincy, but that's all it is. Spin. In truth, the decision to cut Thompson hurt because it dictated the Bengals go back to the wishing well immediately for a new FS prospect and that decision meant dictated the use of yet another 2nd round draft pick.

I agree with everything except the above. It was not the decision to cut Lamont Thompson that forced them into spending a high pick on a safety. Thompson was more than adequately replaced by FA Rogers Beckett, who had a very good year in 2003. It was Beckett's series of concussions in 2004, which I believe have pretty much killed his career, that put safety back on the draft board.

I find it tough to get on the Bengals' case about cutting one player (Thompson), picking up an arguably better one (Beckett) and then have a completely unforseeable injury scenario blow up a perfectly good plan. Happens from time to time to every team.

[HairOnFire]

I agree with everything except the above. It was not the decision to cut Lamont Thompson that forced them into spending a high pick on a safety. Thompson was more than adequately replaced by FA Rogers Beckett, who had a very good year in 2003. It was Beckett's series of concussions in 2004, which I believe have pretty much killed his career, that put safety back on the draft board.

I find it tough to get on the Bengals' case about cutting one player (Thompson), picking up an arguably better one (Beckett) and then have a completely unforseeable injury scenario blow up a perfectly good plan. Happens from time to time to every team.

I might agree that an injury blew up a completely good plan if I also agreed that Rogers Beckett was an adequate replacement for Thompson. I don't. In fact, I find it laughable to suggest that when both players were finally given chances to start that Beckett proved himself to be a better player for the Bengals than Thompson was for the Titans.

Making matters worse, when Beckett was signed I warned anyone that would listen that Beckett had a history for the occasional big hit, usually when the receiver was in an undefendable position, but his real reputation was as a player who avoided physical contact whenever possible. Ask any Charger fan if you doubt me. So props to Marvin and company for getting Beckett to play a rougher brand of ball as a Bengal, but the end result of his tougher play was a player who rapidly crumbled before our eyes.

Last, even if Beckett had remained healthy I remain unconvinced that he was ever seen as anything more than a temporary solution ala Kevin Hardy. In fact, I repeatedly predicted the Bengals would use a high round draft pick on a long-term replacement for Thompson even after a healthy Beckett was signed. And that's exactly what happened, right? So why should I assume that this end result came to be only after a very average Rogers Beckett broke down?

[HoosierCat]

Check the numbers. Beckett was just as good in '03 as Lamont was in '04. I admit I haven't seen much of Thompson's play outside of the occasional highlight, but Beckett always seemed to be around the ball in '03. I can't agree that he was a step down.

Last, even if Beckett had remained healthy I remain unconvinced that he was ever seen as anything more than a temporary solution ala Kevin Hardy.

Even if they'd decided to keep Thompson instead of cutting him and signing Beckett, a safety in the draft was going to happen regardless -- and that was more due to the Mark Roman debacle than anything that happened on Marvin's watch.