Quan Cosby
The Bengals chose Quan in the end. If the choice was fake limited to keeping either Quan or Briscoe, I agree with the Bengals move. But as discussed, the choice could just as easily have been Quan, Briscoe and Simpson: keep two. Or Quan, Briscoe and Dan Coats: keep two. Speaking of:
Dan Coats
If Brat ever targets Coats with a pass I will kill him. We are told Coats was kept around for his excellent blocking skills. Ok - but that just cost us Briscoe, Coffman (though he cleared waivers. hooray. i guess.) or some other dude I'm not aware of. I remind you, again, that Football Outsiders called Dan Coats not just the worst TE but the worst football player in the NFL. I'd rather keep a flyer on a guy with upside than the worst player in the NFL.
Also, Skuta made the team at FB? And who the hell is Clark Harris?
Not sure why Dan remains a darling of the front office.
JT O'Sullivan
Here the Bengals wisely used the proverbial ax. It appears, despite his best efforts, that JT's haymakers doth continue to reside in mothballs.
While we're here...having Carson Jr as backup works for me. Sure some teams find real backups where all hope will not be lost in the absence of their starter. That is rare and lucky. In general, if a backup can step up and fill in with little drop off for your starting QB either a) he's too good to be a back up or b) your starter fucking blows. The Bengals cannot win a superbowl without Carson at the helm. And we can all agree Tom Brady is not on our bench and we will never find a backup like that so who really cares that much? Any backup who doesn't cause your team to atrophy when playing with him will do. Carson Jr meets that criteria. On the QB front:
Dan Lefevour
Was he the Tim Tebow of the MAC or was Tebow the Lefevour of the SEC? An impossible debate to settle. Lefevour, to my very limited mind, bears all the characteristics of a guy who the NFL will structurally overlook because personnel guys in the front office won't risk their jobs giving him a real shot. I think we can all agree no one really has any fucking idea why QBs succeed or fail so I love the optionality the Bengals get with a guy like Lefevour.
Of course, we already have our franchise QB and he still has many years left and in the meantime Lefevour takes up a roster spot. Dan is a better project for another team. By the time we really do need to deal with a replacement for Carson other equally interesting opportunities should present themselves. And you can count on the Bengals not to find those opportunities.
Reggie Nelson
Sure, why not? Mike Zimmer seems to be able to coax first round talent into actually playing like they have it.
TJ Houshmandzadeh
Like the overwhelming majority of renters, I sign year to year leases for whatever apartment I currently live in. Rent inevitably creeps up each year, sometimes by much more than simple inflation would dictate. If I like my apartment, I am very much inclined to just accept rent raises, even if they seem a little bit excessive given the overall market. Why do my landlords do this? I think because they know that apartment is more valuable to me than anyone else. I have my shit there. I don't want to deal with the pain of moving. I am familiar with it and the neighborhood. I fear change. Most people would probably pay less to move into my place than I would stay there.
TJ is like that for the Bengals. More valuable to us than anyone else. For many reasons similar to why my apt is more valuable to me than anyone else: familiarity and rapport. However, unlike my apt, there is another reason...if TJ is not on our team that means he might play against us. My old apt will not come find me at my new apt if I leave it and fuck with my furniture or smash my tv.
So given that TJ could sign for cheap as Seattle must pay him this year anyway, it's pretty annoying to see him with the Ravens instead of safely nestled on our roster (and finally I get that 3 number 1 WR juggernaut!). HOWEVER, given Chad & TO's age and the existence of other weapons of similar style that are younger (Caldwell, Shipley and Gresham) it seems a reunion on paper made more sense than in practice. I'm okay with not having TJ.
I am not okay with him on a despised rival, however. He was one of my favorite Bengals ever and now I must root against him. It sucks. It makes me sad. I hate it. Also, I really dislike this revisionist history bullshit where Bengals fans claim he was a malcontent, bad teammate and shitty person. I see this commentary creeping into mainstream thought. I hope you choke and die if you actually believe that. TJ was a fucking Bengals hero and always will be one.
I think other contenders in need of a WR will regret not making a run for him harder than the Ravens did.
(if it's not clear, I have irrational love for TJ)
