Guest Post: Tito 3:16 piles on Hobs

We've noted around these parts that reading Hobspin is for humor purposes only, and likely detrimental to actually knowing what is going on with the Bengals.  Loyal comrade Tito 3:16 safely stopped after the first paragraph, but was still fired up enough to email us a lengthy diatribe.  If there's one thing we definitely support at WDR it's lengthy diatribes, so take it away Tito...

The first paragraph from Hobson’s latest blog entry speaks volumes about his journalistic skills and the integrity of the Bengals organization:

If the burning issues are kicker, backup quarterback, the fifth and sixth receivers, and the fourth safety, things can’t be all that bad. It’s not ideal, but there are teams in their own division grappling with much larger issues. The Ravens are piecing together a secondary, the Steelers are trying to get to 2-2 without Ben Roethlisberger and maybe a veteran right tackle, and the Browns are trying to find a running game because if they put it all on Jake Delhomme…

OK…let’s just go in order here...we still don’t know who our opening day kicker is going to be, and that’s because neither guy has done anything in pre-season to separate themselves.  They’ve both been extremely lackluster.  Great…more of Shayne Graham.  And the ineptitude of the Bengals shows here by not investing in a kicker.

Next up…the backup QB – or QB’s to be exact.  Both guys seem to be trying to play their way out of Cincy.  During the Vikings-Seahawks game last week, Mike Mayock noted that you’re only as good as your backup QB, because if your #1 goes down and you’re not comfortable with the next guy, the season is a wash.  There have been so many washed out seasons in Cincy that we really don’t care about the backup QB position or a contingency plan if anything happens to Carson…again.  He hasn’t been the model of health in his career.

The fifth and sixth receiver…umm, we’re on the verge of cutting a 2^nd round pick from a couple years ago, so it is kind of a big deal in the long-term picture.  Chad will be 33 next season and who knows if T.O. will play into age 38, so who those 5^th and 6^th guys end up being is kind of important for the LONG TERM stability of our WR corps.  Oh wait, we don’t think long term.  We think in terms of when is Lippincot’s next twinkie arriving?

Fourth safety – depth in our secondary has plagued us for years – specifically the only two years we’ve made the playoffs, when Ifayane Ohalete and Tom Nelson were playoff starters.  So I wouldn’t simply cast aside the fact that we’re already to the point of bringing back former castoffs like Marvin White.  Ummm…we didn’t like the guy two years ago, why would we like him now.  Can we please sign someone other than FORMER PLAYERS who we couldn’t win with???

The Ravens are not piecing together a secondary – they are going about their business to win football games (which they’ve been very good at).  They traded for Josh Wilson, and their very competent medical staff (would be nice to have one of those) is working diligently to get guys ready for the season.  Oh look, who’s that heading for the PUP list?  Why, it’s Ed Reed!  Who ended up ineligible for the PUP list…it’s Antonio Bryant!

And I think we all know that inside the Steelers organization, they aren’t hoping to go 2-2 with their backup QB.  I’m sure it’s more along the lines of planning on going 4-0.  They don’t  think the way the Bengals organization thinks…sitting around hoping bad things don’t happen, and then hoping to be mediocre when it does.  They actually have a decent QB controversy between FA Byron Leftwich and youngster Dennis Dixon.  The only controversy we have surrounding our QB’s is how often Jordan Palmer will update runpee.com this season.

And the Browns have had two young talented RB’s in Jerome Harrison and Montario Hardesty.  They also wisely traded for Peyton Hillis, who will probably end up being their version of Brian Leonard.  He can also play fullback in a pinch…which looks pretty good right now, considering we still can’t seem to figure out what makes a decent fullback, and instead plan on carrying four TE’s and no FB’s on the opening day roster.  Can’t quite figure out a position?  Just do away with it all together!  That’s the true Mike Brown way!  

And that’s all from the very…first…paragraph.

Comments

[Sleeping With Bieniemy]

At first I was thinking even at WDR we aren't that critical of the Bengals.

But then I just realized Travis holds the Bengals to standards we should all be holding them to. Well, for the most part I guess.

With kicker, my reaction: meh. With backup QBs? Well, there is no such thing as depth for some guys. Carson is one of those guys. If you could win a superbowl with a backup, then he's too good to be a backup.

Everything else I'm cool with.

[Tito 316]

Preach on Brother...

[Mockenrue]

Yeah, I like Mayock well enough, but "you're only as good as your backup QB" is a statement that Peyton Manning and the Colts throw away like it was Rashad Jeanty.

[JT Ohhhh]

@SWB

"With kicker, my reaction: meh. With backup QBs? Well, there is no such thing as depth for some guys. Carson is one of those guys. If you could win a superbowl with a backup, then he's too good to be a backup."

I agree, but sometimes you just need your backup to win one game, 4 or 5 at absolute most. Those sometimes are when your quarterback is out for some short term injury or gets suspended for rape. So it can be crucial (at worst) or at least very helpful.

@Mockenrue
I would say the Pats do too. Who is the backup for the Saints?

I'd like to pick up Leinart or T. Smith, but I guess in the end it isn't a key to what should be the organization's top goal.