Archive for July, 2011

According to multiple sources the NFL and NFLPA has reached an agreement in principal and [a form of] Free Agency is going to be starting today. The tentative timeline and rules for Free Agency is as follows: Tuesday: Teams can sign UDFA’s. (10 am Eastern Time) Teams can sign Draft picks. (10 am Eastern Time) Team can trade players. Teams can negotiate with UFA’s, and RFA’s. Facilities open up for voluntary training and classroom time. Wednesday: Players can report to training camp. Thursday: Teams can cut players. (4:01 Eastern) Bengals are scheduled to arrive in Georgetown. (May be moved back one day) [...]

Clipped from: mike-freeman.blogs.cbssports.com CBS Sports has reported that numerous deals were already being worked on behind scenes.  Adding that when the CBA looked close teams were all willing to “bend rules” to make sure they weren’t at a disadvantage. My agent source said teams are in full negotating mode now with agents. He believes — shocker — numerous deals are already done. The agent also said something interesting that teams were informing agents which of their clients was going to get cut so teams stayed under the salary cap. Pro sports teams bend rules behind close doors? What is this [...]

Clipped from: twitter.com  Mike Brown told me in Atlanta the plan was players report to PBS wed. And Georgetown thurs. We will see if that holds. #bengals Seems like Bengals owner Mike Brown had confidence that the CBA agreement would quickly wrap up. If the schedule Mike Brown forecasted  does happen, that means players get in there for physicals at PBS Wednesday, then the next afternoon they can report to training camp in Georgetown, KY.

It’s taken forever, but the *NFLPA* and Owners reached an agreement this morning.  We’ve come  a long way from Spring, lying to ourselves that there won’t be a lockout and that it would be over soon.  Luckily no football will be missed and both sides got it together before serious deadlines were missed. What this means for the Bengals fans? It means a lot of great things are coming soon. It means training camp is right around the corner. It means that Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton can show the fan base and the NFL what he’s made of. It [...]

A recent email from Saints Quaterback Drew Brees suggests that Free Agency may start a lot sooner then many expected. The original assumption by many that with a CBA reached by today that would lead to Free Agency starting this weekend. Drew Brees has a different take on it then that..  It now looks like free agency will begin at noon on Tuesday and it will be open free agency.  There will be no 3 day grace period for teams to sign their own players.  It will be open for anyone to sign anywhere Boy oh boy, this means we may be [...]

Clipped from: news.cincinnati.com When ESPN put out their pro sports franchise rankings having the Bengals come last, the Cincinnati Enquirer asked the fan base for 122 ways to make the Bengals a better franchise. The Enquirer has now compiled the list and it’s up on their site. I recommend giving it a look, go see what the fans came up with. 39. Create an actual hall of fame, similar to the Reds’, to make the stadium a destination. 86. Don’t have cheerleaders over the age of 25. 89. Require every cheerleader to know the Ickey Shuffle. 121. Let Bootsy Collins perform the national anthem [...]

Clipped from: espn.go.com (share this clip)   A joint-report by ESPN reporters John Clayton, Chris Mortensen, and Adam Schefter has yielded this wonderful article, which is headlined “2011 NFL Lockout: Owners, players come to deal on all points, sources say”. However, this does not mean that the lockout is over (sorry for crushing your heart…) This report declares that great breakthroughs have been made, and the lockout will probably end on Monday, when the NFLPA* votes to approve the owner-ratified-CBA. Admittedly, it’s hard to trust anything that is being said about the lockout ending, especially with the big debacle on [...]

Oh, if it were as simple as that, Arian. I’ve generally stayed out of this lockout stuff. I hate the lockout. And I think it’s pretty damn boring. And this past week, I was delightedly optimistic about the end of the lockout coming soon. There were rumors about it ending Thursday, Friday, and, at the very latest, Saturday. But, it’s Sunday, and there’s still a lockout. What gives? I thought coaches were supposed to be able to talk to the players on Saturday! Well, we all thought that. But, we were duped. The owners, and to some extent the national media, had [...]

Thursday the NFL Owners had a 31-0 vote on a proposal to end the lockout. Many fans were excited to hear the news that the lockout was over. Then reality began to sink in, it takes to sides to make an agreement. And the *NFLPA said* they were not even addressed by the owners for a new deal. Many fans and players alike were made angry by this “power play” from the owners. Bengals TE and alternate player representative, Reggie Kelly told Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer his take on how the players are feeling. I think guys at [...]

It looks like the Bengals Front Office and coaching staff jumped the gun last night. The team was sending out emails with the first lime reading: Lockout is over; You ready for some football? Uhh whoops. Lockout is still on there guys, the *NFLPA* hasn’t agreed to anything, because they haven’t been shown anything. The emails from Katie Blackburn and Marvin Lewis had even more “discrepancies”. We are excited to let you know that the NFL has reached a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that allows the entire NFL season to be played this year. If there’s one thing the Bengals [...]