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*UPDATE* Bengals and James Harrison reach agreement on a deal

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eva4ben-gal Hall Of Fame

eva4ben-gal

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Rey talked about cutting loose and going for it last preseason.  The coaches talked about how they hamstrung Rey with babysitting the newbies last year, ...they chained Rey to his spot.
 
I suppose that 2 year contract is their way of making it up to him and that signing a veteran SAM will unchain Rey so he can prove himself.

You mean Rey is going to be off the chain this year? Let's hope so
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Jeb Hall Of Fame

Jeb

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You mean Rey is going to be off the chain this year? Let's hope so

 

I agree.  I'm wary of the guy but the coaches were pretty adamant about him having to babysit.  Anybody, chained like that is going to be easier to wash out of any given play, ...and the coaches do owe him at the very least one veteran to play alongside.

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JBandJoeyV Hall Of Fame

JBandJoeyV

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Even if Rey doesnt improve dramatically, Burfict in 2013 should be better then burfict in 2012 just due to experience. Harrison should be better then Lawson id have to hope. Lawson didnt do shit last year and was exposed in coverage often.

 

Sign Harrison and our LB corp should be better then 2012. Maybe not dramatically, but still better. Draft a S early and its likely the S group should be better too. CB and DL you are returning everyone but also adding some young talent that didnt play much last year in Dre, Still, and Thompson.

 

Stay healthy and for those reasons alone the D should be just as good or better then in 2012.

 

Offensively, figure out the RT situation (preferably with Andre), more experience for the other WRs and even AJ, more experience for Dalton, another RB hopefully to add to the mix. No reason the O shouldnt be better too.

 

We havent done a ton in FA but assuming we sign Harrison and hopefully andre, put a good draft together, then we definitely improved on paper at least from 2012.

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Phatcat Hall Of Fame

Phatcat

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This may have been already mentioned in this thread, but I lost track when it got derailed into a Rey debate.  But nonetheless from last year.......

 

 

CIN.png 8 minutes ago - by Paul Dehner Jr.

Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said he hopes to involve OLB Manny Lawson more in the pass rush, and Zimmer needs more QB pressure from his linebackers. The Bengals linebacker positions -- starter and reserve -- accounted for only three sacks in 2011. Twenty teams had one individual linebacker with more sacks than that last year. Denver's 4-3 OLB Von Miller had 12.

Cincinnati Bengals RapidReports | All National Football League RapidReports

 

 

 

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JBandJoeyV Hall Of Fame

JBandJoeyV

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This may have been already mentioned in this thread, but I lost track when it got derailed into a Rey debate.  But nonetheless from last year.......

 

 

 

It would be interesting to see if anyone could get numbers on how often Lawson rushed the passer, or I guess what percent of his snaps he rushed the passer.

 

Lawson only had 2 sacks. Was that design not giving him the opportunities to rush the passer or was he just not getting there?

 

Id assume if they sign harrison they are going to give him plenty of opportunities to get at the qb.

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JBandJoeyV Hall Of Fame

JBandJoeyV

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John Clayton on how much revenge against the Steelers factors with possible signing with the #Bengals? "Everything".

 

 

Would be pretty fun to watch. Id take a 15 yarder for a big hit on ben.

 

Keep in mind that as bad as hes gonna want to beat the stealers, just as bad he wants to beat the ravens. And I think he hates the browns too. 

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JBandJoeyV Hall Of Fame

JBandJoeyV

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not gonna happen.  Rey is making starter's money, and if they sign Harrison Rey is your starting MLB.

 

Only way I see it is if he doesnt have many other opportunities and he signs a 1 year deal at a cheap price.

 

Im sure zim could find a way to use Burfict, Rey, Dansby, and Harrison.

 

Once again, not likely, but possible. We have ha 2 situations similar to this in recent years. In 2010 we were looking at both Antonio Bryant and TO at the same time. Chose Bryant, but TO was still around later and signed him too. In 2012 we looked at Jason Allen and Terence Newman around the same time. Signed Allen, but when Newman was still around later signed him too.

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Oldcat Hall Of Fame

Oldcat

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Seriously. With as much cap space as we have, I'd sign him up for these two games alone. Dude is borderline retarded, but combine his anger issues with a revenge factor and he may actually kill a Steeler or two.

 

It was pretty interesting (and gratifying) seeing the Steelers go off limping or worse during that second game with us.

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Bengals1181 Hall Of Fame

Bengals1181

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Ian rappaport (sp?) reported Friday that we could sign either one or both guys. Didn't see him say it, but it was on the ticker on NFL network. I don't see it happening though. Dansby must want big bucks

 

they may have listed it wrong.

 

 

 

 

I agree. Think it's James Harrison or Karlos Dansby. It is possible to sign both, but doubt it. RT @joereedy: @RapSheet Can't see both

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EnglishBengal Hall Of Fame

EnglishBengal

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Link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1604199-cincinnati-bengals-how-would-signing-james-harrison-affect-the-lb-position

 

Cincinnati Bengals: How Would Signing James Harrison Affect the LB Position?  

 
BY 

 (FEATURED COLUMNIST) ON APRIL 14, 2013

 

hi-res-134858339_crop_exact.jpg?w=650&h=ty Images

The Cincinnati Bengals have been searching for a linebacker recently and have possibly found their guy in former Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rush specialist James Harrison. If the Bengals do sign Harrison, how would that affect their plan for the position going forward?

 

Currently, Cincinnati has been linked to possibly taking a linebacker early in the draft. With the subpar play of middle linebacker Rey Maualuga and the lack of a strong-side linebacker after the departure of Manny Lawson to the Buffalo Bills, the Bengals could go after either position in the draft.

 

In free agency, aside from the interest in Harrison, Cincinnati has also expressed interest in middle linebacker Karlos Dansby. It would appear that if the Bengals do sign Harrison, Dansby would no longer be in play for the team.

 

So, if Harrison is signed, what will change for Cincinnati?

 

Two things would potentially shift in the Bengals' plans. First, the draft would become more of a wide-open venture for the Bengals. They would not be so hard pressed to find a linebacker early this year and could afford to wait until 2014. Second, the starting lineup would have several options with Harrison in play.

 

Let's take a look at these two options and analyze where the Bengals stand.

 

The Draft 

 

There have been plenty of names linked to the Bengals early in the draft at the linebacker position. Arthur Brown, Alec Ogletree, Kiko Alonso, Khaseem Greene and Manti Te'o have all been mentioned by various experts in mock drafts.

 

The signing of Harrison would allow the Bengals to steer away from these players in early rounds if they would so choose.

 

Harrison is 34 years of age and would likely receive a short-term deal. However, it would be enough to allow the Bengals to wait a year to draft a linebacker early and concentrate on other needs in 2013.

 

Cincinnati currently has very strong needs at the safety, running back and offensive tackle positions. They would be afforded the luxury of filling those needs with early picks this year if the draft would happen to fall that way.

 

Starting Lineup

 

The linebacker position is currently incomplete. The Bengals simply do not have three players on their roster that could be considered full-time starters in the upcoming season. The Harrison signing would give them an immediate starting trio.

 

However, one question remains—in what position would these players be starting?

 

The options become rather clear with Harrison in the fold.

 

Harrison will most certainly be the new SAM linebacker. This is his strong suit. He will be brought in to close in on the backfield and get after the quarterback and ball-carrier. The Bengals could use second-year player Emmanuel Lamur to spell him when needed to drop back into coverage.

 

The other two starters that are currently on the roster are Maualuga and VontazeBurfict.

 

The thing about these two players is that they both have experience starting at two positions. Maualuga is able to start at SAM and MIKE, whereas Burfict is able to start at WILL and MIKE.

 

There was talk about Maualuga moving out to the SAM position this year and allowingBurfict to make the slide in to the MIKE position. However, that will certainly be put on hold if Harrison is signed.

 

Being that Harrison will be cemented in the SAM position, that leaves Maualuga with the MIKE role which would keep Burfict at WILL.

 

Bengals fans would not get what they would be hoping for in a new middle linebacker, however, the linebacker corps would be significantly upgraded to where it was last year.

 

What Does Harrison Bring?

 

Pro Football Focus ranked Harrison as the 10th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme last season (subscription required). He was one of only 14 players to get a positive overall rating.

 

One thing that may surprise some fans is that Harrison is actually a very stout player against the run as well. Pro Football Focus ranked Harrison third overall against the run for 3-4 outside linebackers last year with a plus-12.1 rating (subscription required).

 

His ability to rush the passer and provide a stout presence against the run would make him ideal in the Bengals 4-3 system. There will be no learning curve for Harrison coming from a 3-4 as he will be asked to do the same things that he has always done.

 

This signing may hold up certain transitions and changes in the Bengals linebacker corps that fans were looking forward to. However, this gives Cincinnati the ability to compete and become a better team immediately.

 

Changes will still continue to happen on this young team, but this move will give the Bengals the best chance to win football games immediately.

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alleycat Hall Of Fame

alleycat

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Just to get in on this "starter's money" and play devils' advocate a bit - 

 

How many LB's on this team are presently getting starter's money?  By my count, assuming you count Rey's contract at that level, we have a whopping total of 1.  

 

Just because Burfict is starting doesn't mean that he's getting paid starter's money.  Lawson was also an UDFA.  The odds of Moch remaining on the team are slim to none. Joiner is an UDFA.  Maybin has to be getting the minimum.  And Thomas Howard isn't under contract.

 

So feel free to disagree, but doesn't it look like we still have room for 2 starting LB's pay-wise.   

 

Even if we took a 2nd round guy his pay wouldn't compare to a competent NFL starter's salary.

 

Lastly, I'd also think that turning our weakest unit on the team (LB's) into a strength is worth overpaying a little and having 4 starter quality guys on the team (and we'd be right to assume that they'll use Harrison in a rotational capacity to keep him fresh, extend his overall durability, and to put in others with greater strengths on those packages for which he's the wrong fit).

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