Archive for April, 2009

ESPN’s James Walker flees the smoke in the AFC North. I disagree on the Bengals, though: if Aaron Curry survives to six, he’ll be damned hard to pass up, especially if CBS’ Rob Rang is right about the view of tackles at the top of the draft. And hopefully his pal Reuter is wrong about Beanie Wells. Over at SI.com, Peter King also tries to sort reality from bullcrap. Curry, he writes, won’t fall past Cleveland — if he even makes it that far. He dismisses rumors of the Rams taking a QB second overall, saying that they can’t afford [...]

Headed into draft weekend, the Cincinnati Bengals are $16.26 million below the NFL salary cap, according to a report from Muckraker Mike. Compared to the rest of the league, Cincinnati has the 12th-most cap space remaining. Division rival Cleveland is currently more than $20 million below the cap, while both Baltimore and Pittsburgh have less than $1 million in cap space available. If Florio’s numbers are accurate, both teams will have to cut players or restructure contracts in order to free up cap room to sign their draft picks. Of course, that space won’t be needed for another few months. [...]

Someone will trade up to land Andre Smith? So says 49ers GM Scot McCloughan. So…is another “Sedrick Ellis scenario” developing here, in which the Bengals get jumped again and lose the player that everyone thinks they’re targeting? Or is McCloughan just trying to push someone down to the Niners?

So says Fox’s John Czarnecki. 1. Mike Brown, Bengals owner — The Bengals have been striking out lately, and this is a franchise crying out for a solid football leader like a Polian or an A.J. Smith. Yes, Duke Tobin (son of Bill Tobin, who built the 1980s Bears) puts together the team’s draft boards. But Brown makes too many of the decisions, frustrating coach Marvin Lewis, who is a loyal soldier. Carson Palmer is a bright spot, but don’t forget Akili Smith and Ki-Jana Carter. Yes, they have had bad luck with David Pollack (neck injury forced his retirement), [...]

An exceptional column by Mike Tanier over at Football Outsiders today — and a must-read for Bengals fans. Scroll past the mock draft mockery up top; start reading at “The Developmental Secret.” Tell me, does the “Sack Man” scenario sound depressingly familiar…? Though not naming Cincinnati specifically, Tanier hits on the fundamental flaw in the Bengals’ “build through the draft” philosophy: they “draft,” but they never seem to “build” anything.

Memo from the Take This With a Planet-Sized Grain of Salt Dep’t: NFL Draft Bible — the same site that brought the world those BS reports of positive drug tests at the combine (which it has since retracted and apologized for) — says QB Matt Stafford is the Detroit Lions’ choice with the first pick in the draft. Stafford will receive a whopping $80 million contract. The deal reportedly includes about $40 million in guaranteed coin, the same amount cited in a recent report from PFT about Stafford telling his ex-Georgia teammates that Detroit was a done deal. While widely [...]

Per Muckraker Mike, currently back crashing on the couch at NBC after the PFT server blew up yet again, OT Andre Smith will sign with Rick Smith of Priority Sports. Andre cashiered his previous agent, who has been widely blamed for his nightmare combine and pro day performances, last week. Priority would be an ironic choice should the Bengals draft Smith this weekend, as the agency negotiated Levi Jones’ $40 million extension in 2006. But at least that gives them some experience dealing with Cincinnati’s quirky front office. Update 4/22: Sports Business Daily confirms that Smith is now a Priority [...]

Speaking at the team’s annual pre-draft press conference, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said the club will not trade Chad Ochocinco. “Again, I don’t know why people continue with this speculation of moving Chad,” Lewis said. “He’s been told many times and reiterated now — and I don’t know if anyone’s keeping count of this — but Chad’s not getting moved.” Lewis said the Bengals would probably draft wide receiver at some point, but that he didn’t see any wideout better than Chad in this year’s class. Lewis also said that the Bengals were unlikely to trade up from [...]

The Cincinati Enquirer’s Joe Reedy passes along word from ESPN’s Todd McShay that the Bengals could take DE Brian Orakpo if he’s available at six. Orakpo, along with DT B.J. Raji, are the two defenders most-talked about as the draft approaches, but the prospect of drafting either sends many Cincinnati fans into conniptions. A sizeable chunk of Bengalsdom is completely fixated on offensive tackle in the first — and they have good reason, considering the Bengals’ poor o-line play in 2008 — but whether they get their way likely comes down to how the team feels about Anthony Collins. If, [...]

Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe’s site is finally live, though per his twitter feed it doesn’t “officially” launch until next week. Nice. Gotta update that yardbarker blog one of these days,though, Chinny. Maybe take a cue from Keith Rivers and blog from the tub…