Okay, not really. But he highlights one of the bigger strategic blunders made concerning our offensive line:
Jim from Zanesville writes: "The recent release offensive tackle Levi Jones was the final link to another example of poor management by the Cincinnati Bengals." They seem to provide a lot of examples. You and I disagree on whether this year will be another one.
James Walker: No, Jim. You misread the blog. The mistake Cincinnati made was three years ago after giving Jones and former teammate Willie Anderson huge contracts at the expense of a young, up-and-coming guard in Eric Steinbach. Steinbach left for Cleveland two years ago and became a Pro Bowler. The Bengals cut Anderson last year, and Jones' release this week was the final link to those poor management decisions the team made in 2006. I hope that clears it up.
James Walker is probably the worst person that covers the NFL. His blog is about as one sided as the Daily Show or Fox News. I hate him more than this itchy rash on my taint that won't go away.
Posted by: BILL | May 11, 2009 at 11:55 AM
To be totally fair, James Walker is a moron. Levi Jones played like an elite LT in 2005. He made Dwight Freeney disappear for 60 minutes. I have no problems with the contract he was given. His release wasn't an example of mismanagement. The choice wasn't "Sign Willie, Levi, or Steinbach." It was "Sign Willie or Steinbach." Levi was a given at that point in history. Playing the hindsight card is lazy, hacky journalism. In other words, what ESPN does.
Posted by: Showtime | May 11, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Okay - but the point is that even a hack? (I guess, I never read James) like this guy remembers the foolish allocation of capital by the Bengals that off season.
Posted by: Sleeping With Bieniemy | May 11, 2009 at 12:48 PM
Bieniemy- No he probably doesn't remember, considering back then he was covering the Cleveland Cavs. I assure you this guy is really that bad. He just regurgitates what he reads elsewhere. I would be surprised if he didn't use local blogs for the majority of his Bengals coverage.
Posted by: BILL | May 11, 2009 at 01:00 PM
Also to evaluate, in NFL circles, elite or good offensive tackles are harder to find than good offensive guards. So you know, had the Bengals signed Steinbach instead, people would have bitched about letting a tackle go.
Posted by: Glove | May 11, 2009 at 04:31 PM
I personally most enjoyed the douchebag Steelers fans chastising one of their own for making Steelers fans look bad and also chastising a "Patriots homer". Yet when the Bengals and Browns fans started posting comments, they acted the exact same way, making them not only Steelers douchebags, but also hypocrites.
Posted by: Wyatt | May 11, 2009 at 07:09 PM