Archive for March, 2009

Update: The Eagles have signed Weaver, making it “almost a dead-solid certainty” that the Vikings will match the offer to Tahi. Original post: The Cincinnati Bengals have signed restricted free agent fullback Naufahu Tahi to a one-year, $1.4 million offer sheet. Tahi’s current team, the Minnesota Vikings, has a week to match the offer, or Tahi becomes a Bengal. He was originally brought into the league by the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent, so the Vikings aren’t owed any draft pick compensation if they decline to match. The Vikings signed Tahi off the Bengals practice squad in 2007. Knee-jerk [...]

C. Trent has a bunch of video from the University of Cincinnati’s Pro Day, much of it on fast-climbing prospect Connor Barwin. Barwin isn’t expected to make it out of the second round now, and is creeping into the bottom of the first in some mocks. With the Bengals craving offensive linemen early, it doesn’t look like the hometown favorite will end up in stripes. Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander was at the University of Virginia yesterday, scoping out OT Eugene Monroe. Monroe is currently the leading candidate for team with the sixth overall pick. John Thornton says to [...]

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said today that the team would “probably” sign two more potential starters before the April draft. The Bengals have been in the market for a starting fullback, hosting visits by restricted free agents John Kuhn (Packers) and Naufahu Tahi (Vikings). They also had ex-Cowboy Roy Williams drop in today for what was described as a “good workout” after which the Bengals planned to talk to Williams’ agent. Lewis had no comment on reports that LT Levi Jones was on the trade block, but did say that Jones was “ready to play” and that “Levi [...]

No, not former Cincinnati Bengals coach Sam, but NFL.com “senior columnist” and, apparently, town drunk, Steve Wyche, whose latest mock proposes the following trade for the Bengals at six: The Bengals could be in play for a trade. It might sound crazy, but how about Chad Johnson to Philly, which also moves to this spot, for the Eagles’ pick at No. 28 and a later-round selection? What??? OK, let me get this straight: the Bengals send Chad and the No. 6 overall to Philadelphia, and in return get the No. 28 overall and some chump change? According to the NFL’s [...]

Offensive tackle Eugene Monroe stays atop the Cincinnati Bengals Mock Draft Big Board this update, but is losing strength as more and more in the mockosphere see him coming off the board prior to the sixth pick. With OT Jason Smith also moving out of the Bengals’ reach (barring an unlikely trade up), an increasing number of mocks are ticketing DT B.J. Raji to the Bengals. At 17 nods, Raji has now surged into second place on the Board. WR Michael Crabtree and DE Brian Orakpo also appear to be gaining in popularity as alternatives if the top OTs are [...]

Former Cowboys safety Roy Williams is due in Cincinnati for a visit with the Bengals today. Bengals DC Mike Zimmer coached Williams during his stint in Dallas. Exactly where the five-time Pro Bowler would fit isn’t clear. The Bengals have two starting safeties they clearly like, Chris Crocker, whom they just re-signed to a $10 million deal, and Chinedum Ndukwe, a seventh-round pick in 2007. Others on the squad include Marvin White, a fourth-rounder in 2007, former CFL standout Kyries Hebert and App State hero Corey Lynch. With the Benals claiming a lack of salary cap space and Williams likely [...]

With the Cincinnati Bengals’ offseason conditioning program starting at the end of the month, Ross Tucker’s latest column is a timely read. Like Tucker, I’m surprised that there’s so little consensus on what techniques work best to inoculate players against injuries. What amazes me is that after all the research that has been done, there still seems to be little to no consensus as to the best way to train professional football players. Seemingly every strength coach has his own beliefs. Some coaches are huge proponents of the explosion garnered from the Olympic lifts, like cleans, jerks and snatches. Others [...]

The Cincinnati Bengals worked out former New York Dragon Jonathan Hamm last Monday. Hamm is currently signed with the San Angelo Stampede Express of the Indoor Football league (IFL). Jonathan Hamm, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound defensive end from Clark University in Atlanta, could play a big role in how well the Stampede perform during their first season under new head coach Sonny Cumbie in 2009. A former standout for the New York Dragons of the now-defunct Arena Football League, Hamm signed as a free agent with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints in 2007, but his time was cut short by a [...]

In honor of March Madness, the powers that be here at fansided have decided to do a 64-slot bracket competition to decide the worst NFL draft pick of all time. They’ve asked each blog to submit two candidates from their own team history to fill out the slate. The only reason that I haven’t done so yet is simply that every time I turn to the subject I become hopelessly depressed. Remember the fictional TV show Oww My Balls! from Mike Judge’s Idiocracy? I think I’d rather star in an episode of that than revisit the sad draft history of [...]

NFL.com’s Vic Carucci says the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots are hammering out a deal that would send DE Julius Peppers to New England in return for the 34th pick in the draft, which the Patriots got from the Chiefs in the Matt Cassel trade. Carolina is willing to move Peppers (who currently wears the franchise tag) at such a “bargain” price because it would be cheaper than signing a first-round pick, Carucci says. He adds that if the deal is completed, it would satisfy the first two phases of New England’s offseason plans. The third phase is getting [...]