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When he follows you into a public restroom & his cop buddy watches the door

...and just like that,The Bengals extend Andy Dalton,and select Chase young with the first pick...

Sadly, reporting isn't about "reporting" anymore. It's about clicks, hits, viewers, listeners and whatever it takes to get attention, even if it means stirring up a fabricated shit storm to get people upset or amused enough to pay attention. It's not surprising that little-known "reporters" like these have to resort to such, but it's pathetic that the likes of Dan Patrick have to, as well. It's the nature of today's media beast. People can get the facts from an app on the little box they carry around in their pocket. They don't have to sit down to watch Dan Patrick on the 6:00pm SportsCenter to find out what's going on. In the fight for relevance, the people who hope to make their living in the media business often resort to drama, controversy, or click bait. That's all this is about. Dan Patrick either shamelessly does what he's been doing, or he gets ignored and loses what little relevance he still has a member of the media. The bastards spewing the Burrow nonsense are nothing more than pro wrestlers thumping their chests in the middle of the ring, trying to incite as much of the crowd as they can. Florio was a prime example of that today. That he was able to say what he said in that interview with Channel 9 (?) and hold a straight face was impressive. I'll give him that.

Charean only heard the words in bold. Joe Burrow DID say this: “I haven’t really thought about it like that,” Burrow said Tuesday of his leverage. “I was kind of talking more about the Combine process. Just so everyone knows, I’m not going to throw. I’m not going to workout. That’s kind of what I was talking about. But yeah, I’m going to just try to be the best player I can be for whoever drafts me and try to fit in in any way that I can.” So there it is...

When Joe Burrow walks into The Precinct it's gonna be like Roy Munson walking into his local Bowling Alley in 1979.

As most of you know the NFL Combine starts this week and the SIRIUS NFL Channel is up in Indy. I thought I's post some highlights of interviews concerning the Bengals: DUKE TOBIN: The interview leads one to be very surprised if Joe is not the pick and it seems they aren't entertaining trading Seem very open to trading back in rounds 2 and 4 Drafting a QB and keeping Andy is an option and it won't be motivated by finance Andy's "feelings" do play a role Said they are constantly communicating with Andy and his agent. (Tea leaves suggest they are letting him reach out to other teams to garner interest) No timeline is set for anything Says he has never answered more questions about someone whom he has never talked to face to face (Burrow) Will meet with Burrow tomorrow (2/26/20) TUA Calls himself "very bionic" Says surgeries were chosen over rehab to get back on field quicker. Docs also told him they were better for longevity Had MRI yesterday. Expects "medical clearance" March 9 and Pro Day April 9 Will have individual workouts after Pro Day Says media got carried away with him admitting to growing up a Cowboys fan. His dogs are named Dallas and Star; it's just being honest Earliest memories of Cowboys were with Testeverde as QB and had no idea who Cher is (dang I'm getting old) Asked about tanking for Tua and now most likely not being number 1OA. Says all he can do is be honest to teams that interview him to insure they are getting what they expect Brady Quinn as him what he was doing now and he said "rehabbing", we Brady as for details like...are you running,....are you throwing....are you cutting...he didn't answer and simply said "I'm doing what they tell me". Leads me to believe the answer is no HERBERT He was interviewed this AM but I missed it, will update if they rebroadcast BURROW Complete press conference will be aired at 15:00 (3 pm for you civilians) today (2/25/20) I'll update some as I hear them/find relevance and ask anyone also with the channel to do likelwise.

This Saturday, I'm going to brave the incredibly huge crowds in St Louis to attend my first ever XFL game. It's the St Louis BattleHawks (oops, I meant BaπleHawks) against the Seattle Dragons at the TWA Edwards Jones Dome at America's Center Dome Dome! This will be my first trip back to the TWA Edwards Jones Dome at America's Center Dome Dome since I took my little one and met up with Chicago Jason back in December of 2011 to watch the Bengals spank the Rams. That game was remarkable in that I found tickets in the secondary market going for a paltry $10 ... for lower bowl mid-field seats about 15-20 rows from the field. There used to be a thread here about that adventure, but sadly I cannot find it and suspect it was a casualty of one of the past board "resets" that happened. Jason was hella cool and gifted me that Wyche-era Bengals Starter jacket you've seen me pose in from time to time... amazingly, that jacket was too tight and didn't fit me when he brought it down from Chicago, but 8+ years later and now it's about a size too big. : ) The announced attendance at 56K, but 40-50K of those attending came disguised as empty seats. The place was swarming with Bengal fans who made the short trip to take advantage of the cheap tickets, and we kept running into members of the Bomb Squad all over town, including the trip we took to the A-B Brewery. ANYWAY... I adopted the BaπleHawks as my XFL team so I would have a rooting interest. I figured out that I had a free weekend at the same time as a home BaπleHawks game, which itself is just 3 hours before a Blues game. I was going to make both, since the XFL claimed that their timing rules would keep the games to under 2 hours..... but three weeks into the season that's been proven as bunk. They ARE shorter than NFL games, but the games are still nearly 3 hours long. So I'll take in the football game, then head down to Ballpark Village to watch the Blues punch the Stars about. Tickets in St Louis were crazy hard to get. I was lucky, in that I only need a single seat, and I was able to snag one of the few remaining $60 seats. But the one I got looks pretty damn nice: That's the home sideline (yeah, the BaπleHawks put themselves on the side FACING the cameras), on the 15, and I'm in the first row of the upper half of the section. That half is elevated... there's a walkway in front of and below the section, and after coming out of the tunnel you have to take a sort flight of steps UP to get to the seats. I'm in Row CC (there are no Rows AA or BB in this section), and in seat 5 of 9. Which is why that seat was available, there being an odd number of seats everything else was paired up and taken by season subscribers. They sold out their first game - 29K seats bought - and are looking like likely to sell out game 2 as well (or at least come pretty darned close). There are a lot of connections between the Bengals and BaπleHawks, including Coaches Jonathan Hayes (HC / GM) and Jay Hayes (DC), and players Will Clarke (DE, 3rd round 2014 draft) and Alonzo Russell (Practice Squad WR, UFA 2016) . Not sure if that's a positive or a negative, but it is what it is. That's it for now. I don't expect anyone on the Board will be in Gateway for Saturday's game, but if anyone IS please follow-up here and we can meet up for a pregame beer - assuming they don't drink it all AGAIN this week. Ka-Kaw!

I figured the best way to explore this question would be to go and find the data. So I did. I looked at the collegiate statistics of most current starting(ish) NFL quarterbacks. For each of them, I determined (given subjective, case-by-case criteria) how many seasons they had that were markedly better than Joe Burrow's 2018 -- his first year at LSU. By that standard then, for the sake of the current dialogue, I define the "number of big seasons" each of them had in college. Tom Brady - none Ryan Fitzpatrick - can't find Josh Allen - one Sam Darnold - two Ben Roethlisberger - three Lamar Jackson - two Baker Mayfield - three Andy Dalton - two Ryan Tannehill - one Jacoby Brissett - zero Gardner Minshew - one Deshaun Watson - two Derek Carr - three Philip Rivers - one Joe Flacco - can't find Patrick Mahomes - two Dak Prescott - two Carson Wentz - two Dwayne Haskins - one Daniel Jones - zero Aaron Rodgers - one, two if I'm generous Kirk Cousins - two Matt Stafford - one Mitchell Trubisky - one Cam Newton - one Drew Brees - two or three? (turnover machine) Jameis Winston - two Matt Ryan - one Russell Wilson - three Jimmy Garoppolo - at least one, can't find 2013 Kyler Murray - one Jared Goff - two Bold - clearly a great player who has performed at an MVP level at least one year in the NFL (fewer than two great collegiate seasons) Italics - either a solid NFL player or one who shows a lot of promise (fewer than two great collegiate seasons) To me, this list is all over the place. If I could scatter plot it I'd expect a very low correlation.

I read that USA Today article yesterday and it fits the pattern we've seen all along. The national media is pushing this narrative. They want Burrow to pull a power move so they have a bigger story to write about. They want someone to challenge the NFL order and stick it to one of the worst owners in professional sports. It is 100% their agenda and they don't care how it affects Burrow or his reputation.

well when/if he signs with a team with the 1 pick and they take a qb, if he thinks there will be a competition he isnt the brightest lightbulb in the burntout bulb pile .

I think Joe Burrow might already be my all time favorite Bengal.

The small hands is more motivation for Mikey to go with Burrow. Kid gloves are cheaper that adult gloves.

He just murdered the "Pull an Eli" narrative. That's done. Go fuck yourselves, PFT and DP Show and Cowherd and others. And he confirmed the leverage quote was taken out of context (as we knew) and he was referring to the combine (he's not gonna throw):

The text was funny, but he had to use both hands to do it.

I loved me some Burfict, even at the end. Helped keep me engaged.

I get it, Burrow will be the pick, but as we're about to get into the combine, I'm starting to have reservations. There's are just so many red flags. One flag by itself isn't a big deal, but when you have three of four it starts to worry me. Let's look at the flags (that everyone won't agree with). 1. One year of production. He was in college for five years and had one good year...hell, he only played for two years. He was behind multiple solid QBs at tOSU, but for a #1 pick you would think when he got on the field he'd do more than just run at tOSU. Then his first year at LSU, he was an average QB. So what clicked in year two? Did he really just get better all of a sudden? Was it the scheme change? Can he only play in a specific scheme? It just brings some questions to mind. 2. He had tons of talent around him. This has been the argument for a lot of Alabama players that didn't make it; they had so much talent on those teams, the game is just easier. When they don't have as much of a talent advantage they're not able to adjust (see Trent Richardson, AJM, etc.). The scary thing is, he had talent like that for all five years of his college career and STILL only had one great (historic) year. 3. Arm strength. I don't think you have to have a great arm to be successful in the NFL, see Drew Brees, Joe Montana, etc. It can help, but it's not necessary. However this will limit some of the things you can do on the field. If this is the only red flag, so what? But if you're an average to above average QB as is, you might want to have a strong arm. I'm sure it can get better, but I don't think he'll ever have a top-10 arm. 4. Hand Size. I think this is the most overrated "thing", but let's think about this logically. The smaller your hands are, the harder it is to grip something with size, like a football. There's not guarantee that this will be an issue, but it's something else to think about. If the ball slips out of his hand 3 times a season because of this, that may not be a big deal...but it might be. Who knows? Again, if this was the only red flag I'd just look over it without giving it a second thought. I hope JB comes in and becomes a HOF QB for us. With all of these red flags it just makes me nervous and I hope the front office is doing their due diligence and are at least fielding calls for that #1 pick. If you can trade down to 5 (or 4, 3, 2) and still get a QB (Tua, Herbert (?)) and you can still come away with multiple 1st and 2nd rounders over the next two years, it's something that I hope is seriously considered. Is Tua (QB), Chaisson (Edge), Queen (LB) and Cushenberry (IOL) better than getting just Burrow for a team that has multiple holes to fill?

How fantastic would that be given that Dalton was himself a second round pick? We get nine years with five playoff berths and the most TD passes in Bengals history... only to be [almost] fully reimbursed in the end.

Andy should know his role if he chooses to stay in Cincinnati. He doesn't want to stay. If Keenum would choose to sign with Cincinnati I think he would know his role.

I like it. As long as we don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole (i.e. max protect all the time or something he doesn't do well) I think he'll be fine. I don't know that he's the can't miss, generational QB that comes out once every so often, but if he can be a consistent top-10 QB that would be great. Thanks for finding that article. Great research that I was too lazy to do. Interesting stats there. I'd argue against Cam being "great". He did lead a team to a SB appearance, but to me he's a below average QB that had an amazing skill set that made him a great football player that season. Reading that back it sounds like total BS, but I really believe that. I think you're right though, there doesn't seem to be a strong correlation one way or the other.

Turns out Jordan Palmer has been great for this process - this is a good listen :

I know a few folks were in 104/106 sections years ago. I previously had sec 116. My new seats are in Section 106 in row 26. anyone nearby?

The reality is everyone in the national media has a favorite team not named the Bengals.

What is hilarious is you thinking we would waste the #1 pick on a QB to back up Case Keemun. Absolutely hysterical! And why are you comparing him to Dalton? Dalton is being replaced, Keenum is just a cheaper replacement.

You guys are missing the point on the proposed 5 year deal for AJ. They don't have to keep him for 5 years, it's pay as you go. They can exit after any season and gain cap space. That's the sort of structure they should give him. He wants a multi-year deal. Fine, but the team shouldn't be locked into it. If he's healthy and still playing at a high level, he can earn every penny in the contract. If he's not healthy now or can't stay healthy, the team can cut ties without being hamstrung.

No He Hate Me, No Vote

I got bored and made this nifty chart to try and figure out this QB mess

That's Obvious!

The guy will be on his 6th team in 10 years. I have to think he realizes nobody is bringing him in to be a starter given the other options. He played for $3.5 million last year, I am sure he would have no problem getting similar money to come here.

Brady Quinn at least gets this. He stated: "From first hand experience, I can say Joe is saying exactly what he should. He can't paint himself in a corner in case there's a trade." He further said he feels 100% that the Bengals will go Burrow and Burrow will suit up. Like Burrow, Brady's an Ohio kid. I hope that's about all they have in common

Appreciate the recaps

Until he starts turning the ball over, it doesn't matter. I'm sure Finley has nice big hands, yet I bet he would turn the ball over even more. This is piddly ass shit. Drew Brees and Russel Wilson are too short. If you can play, you can play. Far too much is made of the underwear Olympics. Draft guys who can play football, not soft as whiners who have "great feet" to play OT for example. There is no guarantee that Burrow will be a great QB, but throwing out games upon games of great game play over hand size is stupid. Plenty of big handed QBs that turn the ball over all the time.

You mean Squirrel Paws?

He is going to need one..

I think if you ask Joe, he will tell you that his balls are bigger and he has no problem handling them........

I really like the kid from Colorado Laviska Shenault Jr. He already has a pro WR body at 6'2" 220 lbs. Great hands, nice speed and extremely physical. Definitely built for the AFC North. I don't think we need another speed guy. We need WRs who can get open and catch the ball.

Damn, I thought this was going to be a Ricky Hunley thread. You may laugh but trading his rights to Denver because his contract demands were whack ( guy wanted expensive cars and real estate) netted us Tim McGee (1986 first round pick), David Fulcher (1986 third round pick).

Maybe not but those guys watch ESPN too & I'd bet most have a negative opinion of the Bengals. Whether that opinion is deserved or not, everyone is subject to confirmation bias. No question the team has done very little as of late to change that perception outside a coaching change that has yet to show for anything. I think they should target their favorite A/B-list free agent and pull out all the stops, at least make it a close race with any other interested teams. They don't need to sign the guy so much as they need to be seen making a no-shit best effort to compete. I don't think they understand the necessity of dipping into the FA pool when a team gets in a hole like this one? Building through the draft only works when you have consistently average or better drafts. To the same end, rolling out the red carpet for Burrow would go a long way towards helping their image.

What all this should be telling our FO is that they better make damned sure they protect him, because the league's zebras definitely won't. They'd like nothing more than to blame the Bengals for ruining him jUsT lIkE pOoR cArSoN pAlMeR!!1 Our two Joes need to become superbest friends. If I'm Burrow I'd be finding out what Mixon drinks and shipping him a case.

He didn’t say it in the video used as the basis for the original article. The original journalist that did the interview did not mention him saying that exact quote. It was only said in those exact words and attributed to Joe Burrow by reporters that were basing their stories off of the original interview. An interview which they weren’t present for and was conducted by someone unaffiliated with them or their organizations. The original journalist made it very clear that he did not want Joe to play for the Bengals. If he had actually said it, he would have used it in his original story. When you look at all of those things together, you can see how all of this just a bunch of BS.

Joe Burrow "is seven feet tall!"

Here's the rest of the leverage quote: Leverage in the context of his answer was him saying that he didn't have to do all the drills etc at combine. Media ran with that in an entirely different direction to suit their needs and narrative.

The PFF folks were recently on Sirius NFL radio the other day and was giving their 2 highest grades at every position since they've start rating college players. Their 2 OTs were Laramy Tunstil and Jonah Williams. They said ideal length was the only thing that stopped Williams from being among the highest they rated at any position. Does that mean he's going to excel in the NFL? No. Is it good to hear? Yes

got me

Nice job Jason.

I'm a "No" on grabbing a WR early (picks 2 thru 4) for the same reason i was a no when I heard the Bengals were slobbering all over John Ross. It's a luxury pick that I don't think the team can afford right now. The oline still stinks on ice (the improvement people saw at the end of the year wasn't exactly against a murderers row on defense) and the LBers are arguably worse. If we could get a nice coverage LBer in the draft or free agency (cough cough) do you think we would spend as much time in the nickle? Burrow won't survive with the current line in front of him and a primo WR won't do a damn thing about that. Dream scenario: Trade Dalton for a third 1 Burrow 2 LB 3a OL 3b OL 4 thru 7 BPA Or trade Dalton for a third and trade down in the 2nd round for another 3rd. Meh, that'll never happen.

The only real issue is Andy would be a bad citizen. The money is moot. It's for one year and if folks think Mikey is going to look for those savings to sign more talent then they've just recently started following the team. He pays his own and that's it. Without even parting ways with Andy we have over $47 MIL in cap space and that's before getting "creative". We can resign our important folks and move the cap hit to next year and beyond by paying bonuses. If Andy Dalton acts like a professional no one can argue that he's not the best backup QB we could get for JB. Now if a team is silly enough to offer us a high 2nd for Andy, then we'd have to consider it.

Hell no lol

Not unless he learns to beat press coverage & the bigger/more physical DB's that have been roughing him up. Honestly though haven't we wasted enough time & money on this guy? There are good receivers on this team who deserve the ball 100x more than Ross.

Eff it - I am going. I have booked the flights and the hotel. Got half on each due to points. Here we go. My lifelong bad luck jinx versus the Bengals doing the right thing and the national media trying to stir up trouble. What could possibly go wrong???? If anyone else ends up in Vegas - let me know so we can meet up. There's supposed to be quite a good sized contingent heading out there.