Shit that bothers me

I only recently starting reading about what personnel might be available this offseason to help the Bengals improve.  One thing I see is a lot of chatter about the Bengals taking a pass catcher with their first pick of the draft.  I dislike this notion.  Intensely.  I want to do mean things to it.  Like take it out to a nice steak dinner.  And never call it back.

Why?  To start, the passing game needs to get better immediately and I operate from the premise that very few wide receivers produce in their rookie season.  And don't talk to me about Calvin Johnson or DeSean Jackson, Mr Nostradamus, because the odds we get a guy like that are very low.  If you want to find someone to complement Chad next year, whether in a TJ role that allows Chad to be the deep threat or in a Chris Henry role as the deep threat themselves, the odds are you won't find that in the draft.

A receiver with the 21st pick seems foolish.

Of course, pass catcher can mean TE too.  And after watching a season of Coats, once you wipe the blood away from your eyes, it's easy to see upgrading that spot might be a good plan.  But again, is there a bonified TE talent that will be available at pick 21 that has a high likelihood of being a Jason Witten-like producer.  And even if there was, do you really believe our offense will ever use a TE in a way that justifies taking one in the first round?  Remember, Bratwurst is still the offensive coordinator.  Whoops, more blood gushing out your eyes.  Gross.  I know.

A TE with the 21st pick seems foolish as well.

That's not all.  Certainly outside of Chad, it's hard to name a single pass catcher that I really trust - but it wasn't just the receiving end that had issues.  For one, Carson, despite a few good stretches and some excellent game ending drives, was pretty inaccurate this year.  Lingering injury?  Perhaps.  But pass blocking was highlighted as a suspect as well.  Also, we had an offensive coordinator that decided to gameplan as if Trent Dilfer was our QB.

So maybe more receivers aren't what we need so desperately?  Maybe another offensive lineman instead.

Of course, most importantly, because of a threat of a lockout in 2011, lots of talented underclassmen declared for the draft this year.  This makes the 2010 draft pretty loaded and pretty deep (according to "experts" I have read/skimmed).  That's great.  But that's not all, as Cnati bluntly put it in an article title the "Draft appears strong where Bengals are weak".

This means the best guy left on the board when we pick may also just happen to be at a position we need to upgrade.  Fantastic.

This implies we can get good talent in later rounds especially in a draft that allegedly contains a bunch of solid TE and WR prospects...but not necessarily 1st round type talents.  Patience with pass catchers should be rewarded in the 2010 draft.

So let's murder this notion of taking a WR/TE in the first round.  Preferably violently.  And while forcing its family to watch. 

Impact receivers, if desired, should be found elsewhere.  Like free agency.  But that's a post for another time.  Tomorrow, probably.

Comments

[Sly Vramavomovich]

We're going to trade all our draft picks for Ricky Williams. Mike Brown's a WILD CARD.

[guttersnake]

Like I offered before, we need a Free Agent and a rookie draft pick at WR as well as a fresh TE. The days of Chad, TJ, and Chris are gone, but we can get the those days back pretty easily, I think. While I agree that a rookie TE is probably not the best way to fill that hole, I couldn't disagree more that this is a bang-up WR/TE year in the draft. The really depth is in DLs and OLs if you want to get down to it.

The bottom line is that its a quarterback's league right now. So in basic terms, if your a team without a QB, that's step one. Step two, check to see if you can rush/hurt/kill the opponents QB and make sure he can not rush/hurt/kill yours... That makes up the majority of the first 16 picks: QBs, DL, OTs. (...maybe a couple of corners)

Step three, if you got QB and a defensive unit worth a damn, which most 17+ pick teams do, you have to ask yourself does does my QB have the right weapons and how do I stop the other guys weapons... which means TE/WR and CB/S are going to be a premium. Shoot, they already are the buzz of free agency; why wouldn't they be the same thing in the draft? Fact remains though - the big boys are plentiful this year, the skinny fast kids are not.

One last thing: Look for the Safety to the hot potion to pick this year. In this the epoch of the QB, a killer safety is going to be the game changer for championship poised team. I'm calling for at least three safeties to be drafted in the first round this year.

But hey, it looks like I'm one of the first posts, so I’m willing to be Socratic about this… since no suggestions were offered, who's do we think is going to be the Bengal's pick, post-Combine? Here's mine:

1. Dez Bryant WR (if he's still there...)
2. Jermaine Gresham TE (solves the TE issue)
3. Taylor Mays S (he's a USC man and Uncle Zim could use him)

...and what are the Revolution's thoughts...?

[Josh Dye]

Why is brandon marshall's name not coming up more? i understand that Mikey Boy is about as useful in free agency as an untrained monkey, but wouldn't it be cheaper to sign him than a first rounder? He is already proven and is coming at a very cheap price, especially for a #21 overall

[Jeff B]

No way the Bengals take a WR or TE in the first round. They'll take a DE. And with MB's penchant for "reaching", they'll select Dunlop out of Florida, who's projected in round 2 (plus he's in need of redeeming, ie., bad character). My logic is since the Gators are on TV alot, and TV is considered a scout in MB's eyes, this is a safe bet.

[Wyatt Beougher]

As I mentioned in another post, what they should do is trade up and get Eric Berry. We know that's not going to happen, and since Taylor Mays is projected to still be around at 21, there's a good possiblity that's who they'll end up with. Not a bad pick by any means, as it would add to the continuity they're building on the defense with Maualuga and Rivers by bringing in another of their teammates, but I'd prefer they take a player along either line if a higher graded one is available.

However, as I also mentioned in the same post, don't be surprised if the Bengals take Jemaine Gresham if he's still available AND IF he's still got unresolved injury issues. Mikey Boy's line of thinking would be getting him on the cheap (due to the injury issue) and hoping for the best.

[blester01]

Couldn't agree more. I have been saying this day one of the offseason. Their pressing need in the draft is Guard, Safety or D-line with the top 2 picks. If they walk out of the 1st and 2nd round with a Guard and a Safety, I will be very pleased.

The Guard helps secures the inside of line for Carson to get his mojo back by making him feel confident in the pocket again- he has not had this since 2005. I stated this last night on another post, what good is a top WR if your QB is pitching misfires b/c he is not comfortable in the pocket. By letting Carson get raped from 2006 to 2008 really messed him up mentally and damaged his mechanics. Last year was the start of his makeover by trying to take pressure off of him; this offseason is the last step in getting his old self back. Having a stud Guard is a piece of that puzzle. Plus a guard can contribute day one.

Safety is our biggest hole on the defense right now. Roy Williams is terrible in pass coverage, Crocker is better but not a stud, Nduke is a good backup but not an every down player, Nelson is just a special teams guy. They need a guy that can come in and become our Troy P. Marvin made a good point that you need several guys deep at that spot b/c they get beat to hell during the season in the passing game and defending the run. I would take any of the top three guys at this position in the draft if they are available at 21. You know the Zimmer can coach them up and he is big technique guy. Plus a safety can contribute day one.

Positions that have a larger learning curve and take a year or two to "get it" include: WR, TE, CB, C, RB, and QB. Yes, we could get another WR, but you are not going to see a return on your investment for an entire year.

Granted, they need to be active in FA and get a TE and WR to fill those needs, and this is realistic. I would love to see Walter and Spaeth picked up. You get instant upgrades at those spots and you do not have to loose any valuable draft picks.

If they do all this, then we have a good chance at being a legit contender this year. If they don't get the WR in FA, and fill that need high in the draft then I am pushing it back to 2011.

If I know this, Marvin knows this- he just needs to convince Mike not to get the flashy guys in the draft.

[the truth]

While i would love Brandon Marshall people are forgetting one bad thing about pursing him, it means that Bengals can't pursue anyone else. If the Bengals come out tomorrow and offer Brandon Marshall a huge contract, Denver has seven days to match it. That means for 7 days the Bengals will be in limbo and unable to offer a big deal to another top WR. Then if Denver matches the offer the Bengals end up with nothing and have missed the chance for Walter, Bryant, etc.

I'll still take Walter, and after reading everyone's posts i'd rather have a Safety with the first pick, a WR the second and sign a FA TE.

[Jeff]

Sweet, so there will be plenty of TE and WR late in the draft we can hold off on them and draft Tim Tebow in the first round....

For the record, that was sarcasm and I sincerely hope I am wrong, but at least one person thinks its a good possibility and with Mikey Boy, you never know - http://cincinnati.com/blogs/ludwig/2010/03/02/scent-of-a-quarterback/

[Sleeping With Bieniemy]

I'll try to address most of the points brought up in the post:

1. Wyatt, I like the enthusiasm, but any draft strategy that involves trading from the bottom third of the first round up into the top third of the first round is a)not realistic for any franchise and b)typically comes at too high a cost. You better be damn sure your boy Eric Berry IS Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu. Which you obviously can't. I won't call Mike Brown a failure if he doesn't trade into the top 5 to get Berry. That is just unfair. And as you point out, Mays is fine at 21.

2. I'll get to free agency in another post but most of the best potential additions appear to be restricted free agents. Meaning, we probably have to give up our first round pick. So I think people need to question exactly what they are willing to sacrifice for another pass catcher. He's not a free agent, but rumor has it Boldin can be had for a 2nd rounder...interesting. Regardless, I want to know the Bengals explored the free agent/trade options, but I won't blame them if nothing comes of it.

3. Guttersnake, you are right, the draft allegedly has more talent at defensive line than anything else. But from what I'm reading there are plenty of good WR/TEs as well, just not the top flight talent there is at safety and defensive line. Again, another reason to not take a WR/TE in the first round since the best talent, which will probably go off the board more quickly, is at defensive positions we also badly need.

4. Blester, good points about guard, I think another offensive lineman at 21 would be fine, I hear there is some dude with a hard last name to spell beginning with an I that is supposed to be nasty.

[colin]

I also concur that we shouldn't go wide receiver at 21, although if for any reason Dez Bryant were to drop that far (character issues/limited body of college work), we must grab him. And love him. I also think this is supposed to be a deep draft at TE, so we can get a quality guy in the 2nd/3rd/4th round rather than reaching for Gresham at 21(who has great hands but is relatively slow and unproven as a blocker). Otherwise, the most pressing need is safety, and while Mays posted terrific stats at the combine, he had a terrible season at USC, and I worry about drafting talented but unproductive players at the 21 spot. As for guard, do we really want to draft a dime-a-dozen position with our first round pick? I think that would be a waste that early in the draft, unless they really love that guy from Idaho. So, to sum up, this sucks. The 21st pick is a terrible place to be given our needs. If we were up further, we could go for Bryant or Berry, and if we were further back we would be justified in reaching for Gresham or Mays or the guard from Idaho.

[JGrunz]

I'd prefer Earl Thomas at FS over Taylor Mays but Thomas looks like he likely will be off the board when we pick.

Mays is a great athlete but concerns me that he had 5 picks in 4 years at USC. USC has the lead 90% of the time so the other teams have to throw, they play in a pass happy conference and USC has pass rushers to hurry the qb...shouldn't that equal more INTs?

I'd be happy with Brandon Graham,Iupati or another DT. Rather have Golden Tate over Dez Bryant if it came to WR. Address TE in the mid-rounds.

[TheCarlPickensClause]

Blester01 --

Good post earlier. I agree. With Coles cut, the probability of Boldin, Marshall or Walter coming to Cincinnati goes way up. I would also like to see them get Spaeth, Leonard Pope or Ben Watson in FA. At #21 (if they don't get Marshall), they should look at Iupati or Mays. Whichever route they go with that pick, grab the other position in the second. In the third (if they have both and don't get Boldin), they should look at Anthony McCoy, the TE from USC and a D-Lineman.

I have a question for you, blester01: you claim that if all of these things fall into place this year, they'll contend. If they build through the draft, then you're looking at 2011 as their year. If that's what you think about 2011, how do you feel if Marvin walks after 2010? Do you see this team contending without him at the helm?

[Wyatt]

All:

Say it with me - Iupati. Not that hard to spell. Yes, he's nasty; no, he won't be available at 21. Also, there's more to being a great safety than INTs. Taylor Mays, going into the season, was right there with Eric Berry in the discussion for best safety. Berry was the lone bright spot on an otherwise dismal (if expectedly so) Tennessee season, whereas Mays played solidly (if unspectacularly) on what was a hugely disappointing season for USC. When it comes to the draft, perception is reality. Because USC had a more disappointing season than Tennessee (who was expected to be bad), and because Berry had better stats than Mays, that automatically makes him the best safety in the draft and completely discredits the previous volume of work. I don't buy that. Is Berry better? In my mind, yes. Is it a huge difference? In my mind, no. Besides, our corners are good enough, we don't need an interception machine at safety, just someone who can play adequate to above-average coverage.

[Wyatt]

Also,

SWB,

Never said that MBB was a failure if he didn't trade up into the top five to get Berry, just said that it wouldn't happen, which you concurred with while (presumably) disagreeing with me.

[blester01]

Pickens,
I apologize to everyone, but this is going to be a long post.

I think if they make the aggressive moves to upgrade key positions in FA (WR, TE, CB depth, and maybe a surprise at Safety), and then follow that up with a great draft by finishing off the rest of their needs (OG, DT, DE, SLB, S, CB depth); then yes I think they may be legit contenders b/c they should have all of the pieces in place: top 10 O-line, top 10 run defense, dependable RB, upgraded passing attack, and upgraded passing defense, and quality secondary depth to match up with teams like Indy in the playoffs. The key is getting people that can improve the team day one.

The passing game depends on three things: 1) the quality of the line; 2) the QB; and 3) the WR's. Yes the line was spotty last year, but the key pieces are set in place (LT, RT, & C) and they should be around for several years. With a season together and by upgrading the Guard spot in the draft (FA is not an option since all of the guys are 30+) they should have the beginnings of a dominate O-line again if everything goes well-something we have not had since 2005.

Palmer is the big question mark in that he needs to complete the rehab of getting his mojo back. If he has line in front of him that can control the LOS, he should be able to become comfortable in the pocket again. Since 2006 he has taken a beating and his mechanics and accuracy are way off due to him forcing throws. Even with TJ and Henry in the lineup, his % completion dropped and INT's increased after 2005 b/c he was always under pressure (due to all of the injuries on the O-line). Forcing throws also adds to drops b/c the timing of the pass is not what the WR is expecting. If he can chill out in the pocket and repair his mechanics; he could look like the 2005 Palmer again.

The third piece of the puzzle is having competent WR's who can run the proper routes and catch the ball. A rookie WR has a tough time learning the pro routes and it takes about 1 to 2 years for it to click, so they typically don't contribute that much on day one. That is why if they can upgrade the WR in FA with a Walter, Bryant, or Boldin they have a guy that not only is talented, but upgrades the passing game day one due to his experience. If we draft a WR, the passing game will not see a dramatic improvement until next year; even if Palmer turns it around.

Our defense is a top 10 and our biggest holes are at safety, SLB (If Rey moves to the middle), DE/DT (because of Odoms injury and Tank's FA status), and CB depth (we need a dependable nickel and dime to match up with teams like the Colts). All of these holes are fixable and not overwhelming issues like they had back in 2003.

Regarding Marvin: With our without Marvin, I think the team that he has built can be a contender. Obviously, it depends on who replaces him if he does leave. If they resort back to someone that has no power over personnel decisions (ala, Coslet, Shula, etc.) then the team will quickly fall apart. Marvin is right to demand more power in decision making; the more he can remove the owner from the equation the better. With all of the progress he has made, I would hate to see it wasted by them going back to old ways.