Archive for February, 2011

Another round of imaginary play as I’m taking over the Bengals general manager position once again. After outlining Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco plans yesterday, I’m tackling the Cedric Benson and Jonathan Joseph issues today. First up, is Benson. By all accounts, Ced had a pretty bad year last year with fumbles and a pretty low yards-per-carry average. But Cincinnati was also working most of the season without a true fullback and also fell behind so often they could rarely pound the rock. Those factors hurt Benson too. I think the team should re-sign Benson at a reasonable price. He [...]

Carson Palmer was the darling of the Bengals for most of his time in Cincinnati. This year, however, not so much. The Carson bandwagon is a whole lot lighter than it used to be. At least one Yahoo! contributor disagrees with the fans who blame Carson for the woes of the 2010 season. (Personally, I think his assessment is spot-on.) Yesterday, James Walker at ESPN wrote an article wondering if the Browns can use the same strategy that the Packers to finally find success against the Steelers. He says “Green Bay used precise throwing, great timing and route running to [...]

Since the Bengals don’t have a GM (Why should they? Mike Brown does a stellar job, right?), I thought it would be fun to take over the role, even if I’m only dreaming. Here’s what would be at the top of my to-do list: 1) Trade Ochocinco:  With the emergence of Cincinnati’s young receivers, Ochocinco is no longer needed. Take what you can get for him and move on. Heck, maybe the Jets will be dumb enough to give up something of value. Do it now before the labor deal expires and send a message to all the youngsters:  You’re [...]

The NY Post is reporting that Darrelle Revis has begun a media lobbying campaign to bring Chad Ochocinco-Johnson to the Jets. Says Darrelle, “I’ve been in his ear a lot about it this week. … I think he could do well here. I’ve been telling him to come here.” Uhh, Darrelle, Chad doesn’t get to make that decision. Mike Brown does. And when it comes to Mike Brown, going public with your desire doesn’t help your cause. By publicly calling to bring Chad to NY, you give Mike the impression of increased value, which makes him want to keep Chad. [...]

Jay Gruden met the Cincinnati media today and talked about a lot of things, including trying to win Carson Palmer back (if needed) and having Cedric Benson run more pass routes. I like Gruden’s energy and I think the Bengals are suited well for his style, which seems to be a run-heavy West Coast offense. I found it interesting that Gruden called Benson a “difference maker” and suggested having Ced catch the ball more out of the backfield. In my mind, Bernard Scott is a better candidate for more passes, considering he’s more dangerous in space. However, if some short [...]

Jay Gruden has accepted the daunting task of fixing an offense that is a fantastic mess. A lot of problems need to be addressed, and the amount of time to do so will be limited. With the March 3 deadline looming, maybe severely limited. The two most glaring holes are obviously quarterback and running back. Both are vital to getting the offense back into winning condition. So where do you want to see Jay concentrate his first effort? On bringing back Carson or Cedric?

After today’s Super Bowl, the NFL Draft will slide into the spotlight. And since the Bengals haven’t played in a Super Bowl in more than 20 years, we might as well get started early. Assuming there are no opportunities to trade back, I think the Bengals should select LSU defensive back Patrick Peterson if they stay put at No. 4. Yes, the team is fairly deep at cornerback, but Peterson has safety size (6-1, 222 pounds) and could make the switch to free safety if Jonathan Joseph is re-signed. Furthermore, he could give the Bengals a serious jolt on special [...]

Bratkowski is out. Jay Gruden is in. Now what? Not for the team. For you. Yesterday, the Bengals began an email marketing campaign to try to parlay the new OC into ticket sales. Which they should do. Is it going to work with you? Are you back on the bandwagon? Is a new OC enough to make you proud to be a Bengals fan again, ready to pony up for those tickets? I’m guessing no. Fan frustration is deep with this franchise right now. Offering up Bratkowski might diffuse the some of the frustration, since he was the focus of much of [...]

I am not jumping in the deep end for Jay Gruden yet. But I like the things I am hearing from him as he begins the tough work of giving the Bengals’ offense the overhaul that it has needed for a few years now. Check out these quotes and see if you are impressed as well.