Archive for April, 2009

The Cincinnati Bengals snagged a falling star with the 38th pick, grabbing USC linebacker Rey Maualuga. Love the pick. MLB Dhani Jones is a tremendous leader who can mentor Maualuga, and the move reunites Rey with his college teammate Keith Rivers. Some fans might be surprised that Cincinnati passed on a potential center in Max Unger, but I’ve had a growing suspicion that the coaching staff is happy with Kyle Cook, Dan Santucci and Andrew Crummy. They might still take a center, but I don’t think it was as high on their list of needs as some have put it. [...]

So, it looks like I didn’t miss much, did I? The Cincinnati Bengals hung in there at No. 6 and selected Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith. The only slight surprise was that they passed on Virginia’s Eugene Monroe to do it, though I half-expected that would happen if both were on the board. Monroe would have been the safer choice, while Smith may end up being the better pro — with the proper development. And that, of course, is what’s worried me all along. As Football Outsiders’ Mike Tanier wrote a couple days ago, it’s what happens after the draft [...]

The FanSided.com Sports Network proudly presents our first ever network-wide live NFL Draft chat. That’s right; NFL bloggers from all 32 team sites will be checking in to discuss the 2009 NFL Draft and all the news and rumors that go along with it. If you want knowledgeable, real-time commentary on the entire draft, then this chat is for you. Thanks for joining us, and keep the comments and questions coming (but clean and respectful, please). FanSided.Com Live NFL Draft Chat NFL Mocks is the Home for the first FanSided.Com Live NFL Draft Chat

QB Matt Stafford to the Detroit Lions is a done deal. Money is still unclear, with various sources reporting slightly different numbers, but he’ll get more than $40 million guaranteed and something like $78 million total over six year if he hits all the bells and whistles. The Rams have been making noises about Mark Sanchez, with one report even saying they have flown him to St. Louis on their dime. Sounds like smoke to me, since they could never absorb the cap hit from moving Mark Bulger, but any moves that push more OTs and Aaron Curry toward six [...]

Just one of the fascinating asides in this transcript of court testimony (.pdf) given by Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown. Really, it’s a laff riot, at least for the first few pages. The Enquirer sums up the boring financial details here, but leaves out all the really juicy stuff. Like: Brown has no middle name. Not even an initial. Well, Mike, I’m glad to tell you that over the years, Bengals fans have given you a middle initial! It’s “F.” I can’t for the life of me think of what “F” might stand for, can you? Brown can perhaps be [...]

One last Big Board — and one last lead change, as Virginia offensive tackle Eugene Monroe surges back into the No. 1 spot on the Cincinnati Bengals Mock Draft Big Board. Alabama OT Andre Smith, who had led for the past couple of weeks, slips to the two hole. OT Jason Smith runs a distant third. No other prospect garners more than four votes. Positionally, the mockosphere (like many Bengals fans) is locked in on offensive tackle for the Bengals, with 91 of 108 tracked mocks picking an OT at six. (Okay, actually, one projected Andre Smith at 10 after [...]

The Bengals have re-signed fullback Jeremi Johnson. Johnson, at one time the league’s highest-paid FB and a Pro Bowl alternate, has battled weight and conditioning issues since 2006. Last summer, he showed up at training camp weighing 300 lbs., prompting the team to place him on the physically unable to perform list until he could shed 30 or 40 pounds. He subsequently injured his knee just prior to the season, was placed on injured reserve, and finally released at the end of November. Johnson was a bruising lead blocker when he was in shape, as well as a passing threat [...]

Will the Buffalo Bills trade up tomorrow to get ahead of the Bengals so they can draft Andre Smith? With the additional picks they got from the Eagles in the Jason Peters trade, they certainly have the ammo to jump Cincinnati if they so choose. The Denver Broncos are also said to be interested in moving up in order to land QB Mark Sanchez. Scout.com’s Chris Steuber believes the Bengals will pick either Andre Smith or Michael Oher at six. C. Trent sums up the case for Andre Smith. The counter-argument: if what you’re after is a right tackle so [...]

The Kansas City Chiefs have dealt Pro Bowl TE Tony Gonzalez to Atlanta in return for a second-round pick in the 2010 draft. Yup. A second-rounder. Next year. For a guy who, even though he’s 33, is coming off back-to-back 90+ reception, 1,000+ yards seasons. Anyone still think Chad Ochocinco can command a first-round pick — or more — in trade? Moving on, I have to think that this bumps up the odds that the Chiefs do what Arrowhead Addict’s Adam Best predicted in the Fansided collaborative mock: take WR Michael Crabtree. Matt Cassell is going to need some weapons. [...]

Bengals fans can have a good laugh today, courtesy of PFT, which passes along word that the Philadelphia Eagles have contacted at least one team in an attempt to trade guard Shawn Andrews. Shawn, of course, is the brother of Stacy Andrews, who signed a big-bucks deal with the Eagles in Mrch after declining for two years to sign an extension with the Bengals. Why? Allegedly, because he wanted to go to Philadelphia to play alongside his brother. Who now may be playing elsewhere. Heh.