Dre Kirkpatrick

[vancelot23]

He won't fall that far.

 

[Tubbs1518]

I doubt he drops past the Cowboys at 14.

 

[kramer1]

Never heard of him.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

We keep taking that approach, and that's why we keep getting shitty guards.

Free Agency!

 

[Servo]

Free Agency!

good in theory...we all know it aint happening though.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I have to agree that OL>RB. If you have an OL opening up truck sized holes, it doesn't matter if they run 4.3 or 5.3. They are getting yardage.

I know Benson wasn't good, but how many times did we have to watch a 3rd and short where he got nailed in the backfield because Livings or another guard got blown up and pushed back?

Personally, I like Miller, but getting OL to block for any RB and Dalton should be the key. OL will open up the passing game and the running game. Unless they draft Miller to be a blocking RB in the backfield.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

good in theory...we all know it aint happening though.

We have signed some decent guys in free agency, including guards. Bobby Williams was a free agent pickup as a guard, and while he has declined, he was a really good offensive lineman for a while with us.

There are some decent guards, and we will have around 50 million to spend with only 1 year away from where we have to be at team cap floor of 99%. We will eventually have to start spending some money, and with us rebuilding so quick with Dalton and Green, this may be the year to use free agency a little more aggressively.

Before this new CBA, I would have agreed with you. However, now the league is forcing their hand to spend some more money on players.

 

[Servo]

It's my understanding (and I could very well be wrong on this) that the CBA floor doesnt kick in till 2013..so the Bengals are not mandated to spend money. As far as Williams goes, he was considered a huge bust by Philly and totally cast off. Their wasnt any competing for his services. So yeah, he turned out to be a good player. However, the Bengals still havent demonstrated that they can sign a guy that other teams covet. So while people may throw out Carl Nicks and Ben Grubbs as awesome additions (they would be) they dont fall in the 'one man's garbage...' category that the Bengals usually get.

 

[Cincyfan78]

We have signed some decent guys in free agency, including guards. Bobby Williams was a free agent pickup as a guard, and while he has declined, he was a really good offensive lineman for a while with us.

There are some decent guards, and we will have around 50 million to spend with only 1 year away from where we have to be at team cap floor of 99%. We will eventually have to start spending some money, and with us rebuilding so quick with Dalton and Green, this may be the year to use free agency a little more aggressively.

Before this new CBA, I would have agreed with you. However, now the league is forcing their hand to spend some more money on players.

I agree with this. I realize that, as you said, it is a year away, but eventually the money has to be put to good use. If nothing else, the lack of sell-outs even for a winning team is showing MB that the fans are no longer going to support this team without a clear blue print of winning. Gone will be the days where he could spend $40mil under the cap and live off the NFL's TV deal and not have to worry about plugging money back into the team to make up for any money lost due to poor attendance.

If the team is smart, and that will always be up for debate, they will start looking at the 2013 provision for cap spending with this years' F/A class. If you HAVE to spend the money, then it only makes good business sense (the only kind MB cares about) to put the best players out there so you can make money. In the past, the lack of spending off-set the terrible attendance, thus MB could actually MAKE money by losing ticket sales. Now that he HAS to spend that money, that will no longer be the case.

 

[kramer1]

It's my understanding (and I could very well be wrong on this) that the CBA floor doesnt kick in till 2013..so the Bengals are not mandated to spend money. As far as Williams goes, he was considered a huge bust by Philly and totally cast off. Their wasnt any competing for his services. So yeah, he turned out to be a good player. However, the Bengals still havent demonstrated that they can sign a guy that other teams covet. So while people may throw out Carl Nicks and Ben Grubbs as awesome additions (they would be) they dont fall in the 'one man's garbage...' category that the Bengals usually get.

I think they have to spend 90% cap in 2012.

 

[cincygrad]

They are going to start by overpaying for some of their own young players. Rey M. will see a huge payday even though he doesn't deserve one. Jerome Simpson will probably be paid.

Then they'll start paying some of the guys that are only 2nd year players..... Wouldn't be surprised to see new deals for Atkins and Dunlap.

 

[flamingrey]

It's my understanding (and I could very well be wrong on this) that the CBA floor doesnt kick in till 2013..so the Bengals are not mandated to spend money. As far as Williams goes, he was considered a huge bust by Philly and totally cast off. Their wasnt any competing for his services. So yeah, he turned out to be a good player. However, the Bengals still havent demonstrated that they can sign a guy that other teams covet. So while people may throw out Carl Nicks and Ben Grubbs as awesome additions (they would be) they dont fall in the 'one man's garbage...' category that the Bengals usually get.

Nailed it.

 

[flamingrey]

They are going to start by overpaying for some of their own young players. Rey M. will see a huge payday even though he doesn't deserve one. Jerome Simpson will probably be paid.

Then they'll start paying some of the guys that are only 2nd year players..... Wouldn't be surprised to see new deals for Atkins and Dunlap.

Also nailed it.

By the time the 99% hits, Dalton, Green, Dunlap, and Atkins will all be up for an extension.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Also nailed it.

By the time the 99% hits, Dalton, Green, Dunlap, and Atkins will all be up for an extension.

Disagree. I think we will spend some money in FA this year. Wisely? Yet to be determined. But I think we pay some cash this year for FA. You can agree to disagree.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Also go to remember that the cap will go up by the time all those guys are due for an extention creating more room.

 

[flamingrey]

Also go to remember that the cap will go up by the time all those guys are due for an extention creating more room.

The increase in the cap is usually covered by the escalation in existing contracts.

 

[flamingrey]

Disagree. I think we will spend some money in FA this year. Wisely? Yet to be determined. But I think we pay some cash this year for FA. You can agree to disagree.

Way to go out on a limb...we will spend "some" money. We always spend "some" money, but I guarantee Mike doesn't get up to his 99% or anywhere near it. He will only spend what he has to spend.

 

[Cincyfan78]

The increase in the cap is usually covered by the escalation in existing contracts.

This is true, but I am going to "assume" that with the new rookie salaries being much lower than year's past, and the cap number rising at relatively the same rate as before...there should* be some extra money in there.

I guess we'll just have to see how it all plays out.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Way to go out on a limb...we will spend "some" money. We always spend "some" money, but I guarantee Mike doesn't get up to his 99% or anywhere near it. He will only spend what he has to spend.

I never said he would spend up to his 99%, and I would dare you to find such a quote. I said we were 1 year away from being forced to spend up to 99% of the cap, so I think Mike is going to get an early head start on that this year. Everyone thinks we have tons of holes, but we only have a few positions of real need, and between some decent free agents to eat up more space and another good draft with a couple 1st round picks, we should do pretty decent.

He will not want to be forced to spend up to cap in one single year, so I think he gets a bit of a head start this year, and that will include at least one big signing not currently on the team. I think that one big signing could be a guard. A few fillers in FA, and then the draft.

Mike is not going to spend up to 99% unwisely, at least in his mind, but he will spend some money on at least one to two FA this year (6 to 8 million a year each).

 

[cincygrad]

I never said he would spend up to his 99%, and I would dare you to find such a quote. I said we were 1 year away from being forced to spend up to 99% of the cap, so I think Mike is going to get an early head start on that this year. Everyone thinks we have tons of holes, but we only have a few positions of real need, and between some decent free agents to eat up more space and another good draft with a couple 1st round picks, we should do pretty decent.

He will not want to be forced to spend up to cap in one single year, so I think he gets a bit of a head start this year, and that will include at least one big signing not currently on the team. I think that one big signing could be a guard. A few fillers in FA, and then the draft.

Mike is not going to spend up to 99% unwisely, at least in his mind, but he will spend some money on at least one to two FA this year (6 to 8 million a year each).

Or, he'll decide to save as much money as possible this season because he'll be forced to spend the next. Hard to tell with Mike Brown.