Once again, Mike "The Great Redeemer" Brown has us right where he wants us. 4-11-1...a 3-game winning streak to end the season...a defense not unlike the '85 Bears in said winning streak...the #6 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft...24 players on IR...no pesky buyouts on coaching salaries. We're headed in the right direction, kicking ass & taking names, by golly. The timeless cliche's "headed in the right direction," "ending on a positive note," and "votes of confidence" all apply here. And The Great Redeemer knows his seats will be full come next fall...this season could not have worked out any better for the cheapest bastard in professional sports.So now that all is hunky-dory in The Jungle with Marvin Lewis still in the fold & no recent off-the-field dramas to deal with, what will the Bengals do with all their free time? Do they hire a full-time GM & scouting department to bolster the already taxed roster in the off-season? Nah. Do they work a trade into the top 3 to get the top-rated left tackle (Alabama's Andre Smith)? Are you kidding, they got burnt by Ki-Jana Carter a decade ago. Do they put the franchise tag on T.J. Housh-a-mazilli? What? And risk his personal safety for fear of suicide? Do they overpay for Ryan Fitzpatrick as a backup QB, much like the Patriots might have to for Matt Cassell? Not likely, but we'll see. The Pats proved you can pick up any 2nd stringer out of college & mold him into an NFL starter (chin up, Todd Boeckman!)
This is shaping up to be a very intriguing off-season, even without an Ocho Cinco meltdown or C-Henry arrest. The rest of the country awaits with baited breath (and canned laughter). Somehow, these "mock" drafts we'll see from now until April will haunt every Bengal fan, knowing they'll end up with more WR's from places like Coastal Carolina (which is a very fine school in a great locale - I wish I had gone). Who dey...?
At long last, a place where fellow Bengals fans can wax and whine about the perrenial losers. I too am a fellow Bengals fan (aka Douchebag). So here's my take:
ReplyDeleteThe Bengals won't hire a GM, reason = 2005. In a way, that year was a curse. It proved to Mikey Boy that his way could work. They won with him calling shots and no GM. I would compare this to myself in a game of 9 ball. Sure, with enough tries I might just be able to sink the 9 ball on the break, but the far majority of the time, its not gonna happen. The only bad part of my analogy, is unlike me, Mike Brown still wins the game whether he sinks the 9 ball or not! ($$$).
I think the Bengals will sign Golden Graham to a lucrative deal (which he's not worth - when was the last time Graham nailed one beyond 45 yards?). They will lose impact players to free agency - like Chris Crocker who made immediate impacts this year. Other teams (who have scouts) keep track of guys like this. Bengals, nah, we'll let him go and extend Levi Jones' contract to "secure" him for the future. Anyone remember how that turned out for Ocho Cinco?
Ok, getting sick now - more later.