Camp opens next week

[cincygrad]

Supposedly, we are keeping our eyes open for veteran WR's who become FA in the next month.

That's a solid plan. People always get rid of good receivers during training camp.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

That's a solid plan. People always get rid of good receivers during training camp.

Not training camp so much, but over the first few preseason games, you might see a couple decent WR's become FA because of them being pushed out by cheaper alternatives on their current team. Not saying they are going to be a #1 type of WR, but Wright was only going to be our #4 anyways, so the ceiling is not real high for his replacement.

 

[cincygrad]

Bengals Walkthrough: Assessing James Wright fallout

Take a look at our current list...... Tate is a known commodity - And we know he sucks. Moore has been underwhelming in the offseason - Not a good sign for a guy trying to revive his career. Alford is a 5'8" one trick pony and will probably take time if he ever gets it at all. And we're actively considering Little or Hamilton - Neither of those guys inspire much confidence.

I get what you're saying about Wright being the 4th receiver, but we do have to worry about the 2nd and 3rd receivers. Sanu, Jones and Green have all had significant injuries in the NFL - No reason to expect all three to be healthy this year. Making matters worse is that we don't have any tight end depth -- I'd say we have a very slim margin at the receiver/tight end position and we have a lot of guys with injury history. You saw what happened in Indy last January -- doesn't that scare you at all?

BTW -- Who the hell is James Wright's doctor? 8 months of rehab and he' just now deciding to have a surgery?

 

[Cincyfan78]

I really think Alford could do some serious damage in the slot. The guy can change direction and has flat out speed. Get him going on a seam or in space, and he could be another version of Hawkins.

Teams do cut some decent WR's simply because they don't want to pay a #4. A lot of times teams cut veterans with the hope that they can re-sign them after week 1 because then their deals are not guaranteed. I'm not saying you're going to find a stud out there, but you can find a guy that can be a #4 and help out on special teams.

Besides, we already know if Green goes down, the passing game is royally screwed no matter who they pick up later on. The biggest issue is if you have, not one, but two other WR's go down for extended periods of time. Looking at last year, I mean, you lose Eiffert, Jones, and then you had a limited AJ for most of the year. I seriously doubt that you're going to see that many impact (Potentially) players at a WR/TE position again this year.

I'm more worried about the TE depth than I am the WR depth. They need to find a veteran TE.

 

[Be Weary of Query]

I'm thinking they are going to continue the trend of running, running and then running some more this season. Not having depth is a concern but every team can look at their roster and bemoan the lack of depth at one or more position groups.

I envision a lot of jumbo sets with Jake Fisher playing tackle "Dennis Roland" eligible with Ryan Hewitt coming downhill from the FB/TE position. That said, I think they will definitely be in the market for a veteran WR once the training camp cuts start coming.

And...there is always Jabar Gaffney.

 

[cincygrad]

I really think Alford could do some serious damage in the slot. The guy can change direction and has flat out speed. Get him going on a seam or in space, and he could be another version of Hawkins.

Teams do cut some decent WR's simply because they don't want to pay a #4. A lot of times teams cut veterans with the hope that they can re-sign them after week 1 because then their deals are not guaranteed. I'm not saying you're going to find a stud out there, but you can find a guy that can be a #4 and help out on special teams.

Besides, we already know if Green goes down, the passing game is royally screwed no matter who they pick up later on. The biggest issue is if you have, not one, but two other WR's go down for extended periods of time. Looking at last year, I mean, you lose Eiffert, Jones, and then you had a limited AJ for most of the year. I seriously doubt that you're going to see that many impact (Potentially) players at a WR/TE position again this year.

I'm more worried about the TE depth than I am the WR depth. They need to find a veteran TE.

I've never seen the kid play...... But what I read about him is that he is nothing like Hawkins. He's all straight line speed with stiff hips and a lack of quickness. He's more of a sprinter. That's just what the three or four different scouting reports I read online said. Maybe one of the draft experts here has a different take. That said, a guy that runs 4.3 and doesn't have character concerns makes it to to the 7th round? That makes me wonder why the scouts didn't like him.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I'm thinking they are going to continue the trend of running, running and then running some more this season. Not having depth is a concern but every team can look at their roster and bemoan the lack of depth at one or more position groups.

I envision a lot of jumbo sets with Jake Fisher playing tackle "Dennis Roland" eligible with Ryan Hewitt coming downhill from the FB/TE position. That said, I think they will definitely be in the market for a veteran WR once the training camp cuts start coming.

And...there is always Jabar Gaffney.

I watched a video on the Bengals website that said this exact same thing, but they were using Fisher as the jumbo package TE who is eligible, because he is a good blocker and has experience catching a ball if need be. Not a real threat to catch a TD, but a guy the defense has to stay honest on.

Then keep in mind that although we do not want to have to do it, Hewitt can play TE just as easily and is a pretty good TE if need be. We don't want to move him from FB, but I can see him going in motion from the FB position and moving to a TE position during a play to mess with the defenses head.

I honestly do not see Roland making the team unless he beats out Winston for the 5th Tackle, who is only going to be on the roster until Og is healthy and coming off PUP.

Whitworth, Smith, Og, Fisher, Winston Those are going to be our 5 tackles in my opinion.

I am concerned about WR depth, there is no doubt. However, if we can finally get lucky and keep some of these guys healthy by not having to throw the ball nearly as much, maybe we might just be able to get away with a little lack of depth.

The wild card I like, Sanu is also praising Rex Burkhead, said he is a great runner, can punt, kick, throw, catch just as well as he can. Says he can do anything on this team.

So if Burkhead is the 3rd RB, perhaps he can play some WR from time to time from the slot if needed. We lack depth at WR and TE, but we have versatile guys in Burkhead and Hewitt that can really help us out. They honestly should have thought about keeping Pryor around to learn WR during camp to see how he did. However, there are some second tier option going to be available during preseason that get cut. I am not freaking yet.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I've never seen the kid play...... But what I read about him is that he is nothing like Hawkins. He's all straight line speed with stiff hips and a lack of quickness. He's more of a sprinter. That's just what the three or four different scouting reports I read online said. Maybe one of the draft experts here has a different take. That said, a guy that runs 4.3 and doesn't have character concerns makes it to to the 7th round? That makes me wonder why the scouts didn't like him.

You are correct, he's more of a one trick pony, but his straight line speed is in the elite category. Get him running deep 9's/seams and he can help take the top off a defense, especially if matched up against 3rd and 4th CB's with less foot speed in the slot. Knowing that could open up more opportunities underneath.

Not saying he's going to be some stud, but I think there's at least some potential to help a little bit out of that 4th spot just because of his speed.

 

[cincygrad]

I watched a video on the Bengals website that said this exact same thing, but they were using Fisher as the jumbo package TE who is eligible, because he is a good blocker and has experience catching a ball if need be. Not a real threat to catch a TD, but a guy the defense has to stay honest on.

Then keep in mind that although we do not want to have to do it, Hewitt can play TE just as easily and is a pretty good TE if need be. We don't want to move him from FB, but I can see him going in motion from the FB position and moving to a TE position during a play to mess with the defenses head.

I honestly do not see Roland making the team unless he beats out Winston for the 5th Tackle, who is only going to be on the roster until Og is healthy and coming off PUP.

Whitworth, Smith, Og, Fisher, Winston Those are going to be our 5 tackles in my opinion.

I am concerned about WR depth, there is no doubt. However, if we can finally get lucky and keep some of these guys healthy by not having to throw the ball nearly as much, maybe we might just be able to get away with a little lack of depth.

The wild card I like, Sanu is also praising Rex Burkhead, said he is a great runner, can punt, kick, throw, catch just as well as he can. Says he can do anything on this team.

So if Burkhead is the 3rd RB, perhaps he can play some WR from time to time from the slot if needed. We lack depth at WR and TE, but we have versatile guys in Burkhead and Hewitt that can really help us out. They honestly should have thought about keeping Pryor around to learn WR during camp to see how he did. However, there are some second tier option going to be available during preseason that get cut. I am not freaking yet.

Great.... We have a tackle that can play tight end.

This type of approach hurt us in 2009 when our offense was limited and it hurt us last year when guys got injured. If we stay healthy we'll be fine - I just don't see any reason to believe that will happen.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Great.... We have a tackle that can play tight end.

This type of approach hurt us in 2009 when our offense was limited and it hurt us last year when guys got injured. If we stay healthy we'll be fine - I just don't see any reason to believe that will happen.

I was just stating that we have some versatile players is all. If we have injuries, which hopefully we do not have to worry about it, we at least have a few players that can move around to help out.

 

[cincygrad]

Whats in the Box? Hue Jackson Invokes Pandora Before Bengals Season

This is terrific..... Could have been written by a smart ass Bengal fan.

The video of Dalton's performance against Cleveland was also terrific.

 

[ckhokie]

Baltimore Ravens place Dennis Pitta, Terrence Brooks on PUP list - Baltimore Ravens Blog - ESPN

AFCN is in the bag.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Whats in the Box? Hue Jackson Invokes Pandora Before Bengals Season

This is terrific..... Could have been written by a smart ass Bengal fan.

The video of Dalton's performance against Cleveland was also terrific.

Have to admit that was pretty damn funny. Can't wait to see the incarnate of all evil wrapped in a red headed QB take the field and destroy the league. Sounds like a good time is approaching.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

Looks like we got the answer to the original thread topic. MJ goes down for the count.

 

[cincygrad]

Ugh... Hoping it turns out okay. I'm excited for football season. Aside from the triple crown races, I've barely watched a minute of sports since basketball ended. The Reds are/were just too depressing.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Apparently just a strain. Out 4 weeks, which would put him back with the 3rd pre-season game, maybe? Not sure about the schedule off the top of my head.

Ravens also lost starting Safety Matt Elam for the year with a bicep tear.

 

[cincygrad]

Apparently just a strain. Out 4 weeks, which would put him back with the 3rd pre-season game, maybe? Not sure about the schedule off the top of my head.

Ravens also lost starting Safety Matt Elam for the year with a bicep tear.

Doesn't matter..... The Ravens whole season hinges on the health of Dennis Pita. He's so talented, he could probably play safety.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

Baltimore Ravens place Dennis Pitta, Terrence Brooks on PUP list - Baltimore Ravens Blog - ESPN

AFCN is in the bag.

Funny, you put a Bengals jersey on him, and it's tough to tell Pitta apart from Eifert. They have the same trademark technique. On the ground, crying in the fetal position.

 

[cincygrad]

I see Marvin Jones is as durable as ever..... One week into camp and the guy is already sore.

Given all the hype about his proficiency in the red zone and how much he'll improve the passing game, it's worth noting that more than 1/3 of his career touchdowns came in one game.

 

[alf8478]

I see Marvin Jones is as durable as ever..... One week into camp and the guy is already sore.

Given all the hype about his proficiency in the red zone and how much he'll improve the passing game, it's worth noting that more than 1/3 of his career touchdowns came in one game.

That's why they keep Brandon Tate around