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Offseason grade?


Offseason Grade  

45 members have voted

  1. 1. What would you grade this offseason?

    • A
      22
    • B
      21
    • C
      2
    • D
      0
    • F
      0


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I know we have had threads grading FA and threads grading the draft, but I dont know if we have had any grading the entire offseason. If you want to add your own plus or minus just add it in the notes.

 

 

I think this team got a lot better this offseason. Not just with guys we have added but also with guys that didnt contribute in 2012 that could be able to in 2013.

 

Guys we have lost this offseason:

Manny Lawson- made very few plays over the course of the season and only played like 35 percent of the snaps.

Bruce Gradkowski- backup

Leonard

Skuta

Clements

Crocker

 

Honestly, not a single guy we lost should have any impact on this team. A couple solid STs guys, but no one that isnt replaceable. Crocker could always come back if needed, but probably not necessary.

 

Additions:

James Harrison

Josh Johnson

Eifert

Bernard

Hunt

Williams

Porter

Rest of the draft picks and UDFA

 

Guys that barely played in 2012 that could add value in 2013:

Dre Kirkpatrick

Devon Still

Brandon Thompson

Shaun Prater

Sanu-played in 2012, but obviously not as much as he should in 2013.

 

 

I cant help but look at that and think that we greatly improved this team. Obviously some of these guys are going to have to step up, but with a list of all these additions and guys that didnt contribute last year, odds are at least a few of them step up.

 

Stay fairly healthy and there is no reason this team shouldnt be a contender.

 

My grade is an A-. Only reason its not higher is because I would have preferred they replaced Rey at MLB and also that they would have done something to fill the SS spot besides just a third round pick. WIth that being said if Rey plays well and Williams is able to contribute right away, this offseason will be even better.

 

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B or C for me. Didnt do anything major to take a big step forward. Just counting on the same guys who lost in the first round next year to be better this year. Many of them are young so it may well work out that we improve as a team, but i would of liked to see us bring in a replacement for Rey or a better #2 receiver.

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I like what we did in free agency this year. Got our guys back and didn't over pay for anyone, including andre. I don't think this off season can be accurately graded until we see who we get signed/extended over the next 12 months though. So far I would say A- for the draft and B+ for free agency. A- as a whole.
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B or C for me. Didnt do anything major to take a big step forward. Just counting on the same guys who lost in the first round next year to be better this year. Many of them are young so it may well work out that we improve as a team, but i would of liked to see us bring in a replacement for Rey or a better #2 receiver.

 
 
What else could they have done that would have been considered a big step forward? I guess they could have signed a vet S or LB (in addtion to Harrison) but wouldn't have been "big".  We also could have gotten MJ a long-term contract but I assume they're working on that.  We signed back quality players at good contracts (save maybe Nuge or Huber, neither which broke the bank).  They've set themselves up nicely so they won't lose our upcoming FA's in the next 1-2 years.  They didn't overpay for Andre which should help us sinnging those stars as well.
 
They also went out and grabbed two playmakers with the first two picks (helped by the Andre signing so we weren't in a tight spot), which was our achilles heal.  Our defense was pretty damn good last year and I think will fare even better with Harrison and Williams this year.  Drafted a potential replacement for MJ and Carlos (or even Geathers) if we can't or don't decide to bring them back.  Also drafted a LB that is a bit undersized who can actually cover that has a year to put on some size.  Drafted OL depth so we can finally stop whining about Roland (an maybe eventually Collins), as well as a Brian Leanoard clone and a quality WR to help push up the competition who can line up at any WR spot.  All of our draft picks are quality people as well so we shouldn't have to worry about them being kicked out of the league in 2 years.
 
Honestly, I thik they've done a great job this offseason.  I've been pleasantly surprised (do all Bengals fas predict doom and gloom?) and can't wait to see how it all plays out.  In my opinion, we didn't need any "big" moves, just quality smart moves to get the offense moving and scoring more (DONE) and further solifying a top ten defense (DONE). 
 
Mark me down for an A.
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I went with B. But really it is incomplete. The grade drops significantly if you end up not getting any of Geno, Dunlap or MJ extended. Goes up to an A with 2 of the 3, probably stays where it is with 1 of the 3.  

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I can't remember the last time we did this.  I think I was in C or D grade wise and pointing two factors in resigning Smith and another Significant FA.

 

Smith extended.  Harrison added.

 

Everyone loves the draft so put down for an A.   In the end I think we only strengthed the case of Bengals being in contention for AFC North.

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Ill give them a B, they kept their guys even if I would have liked a longer contract for Andre, and added Harrison who imo is an unknown at this point playing in an 4/3 and with his age... had they gotten Andre for longer and moved Rey to SAM and signed Dansby instead it would have been an A.

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I voted for a C. 

 

We mostly stayed pat.

 

Offseason pluses: kept Zimmer and Gruden. Extended Smith. Added 2 potential playmakers early in draft. 

 

Offseason negatives: no major upgrades in free agency. tagged MJ, probably making him harder to sign longterm. might have gotten worse at backup QB, SS, and perhaps SLB. 

 

I think we should have shopped for a better backup QB than Johnson. We'll see if Williams as a rookie is an upgrade from Crocker. I think that is a year away. Harrison should be better in 2013 than Lawson was in 2012, but he's not a longterm solution and gets hurt a lot. Maualuga shouldn't have been brought back.

 

The grade will increase if we extend Geno plus at least 1 of Dunlap or Gresham. 

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I don't see a single position we got worse at. Even if Harrison isn't a stud, there is no way Lawson is better than him. Lawson made like 2 plays all year, if that. I'm not a Crocker fan even though he played better in 12 then 11. But I think Williams could definitely be an upgrade, or if not at least comparable at this point in their careers.

Got better at TE, got better at RB, got more depth at OL, and added a few draft picks on d that will at worst help depth and maybe even compete for some playing time with hunt and porter.

Once again taking into consideration the guys that didn't really play that much in 12 (dre Sanu still and Thompson) this team should be a good amount better in 13 than 12. At least on paper.
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IMO people looking for major upgrades this offseason weren't being realistic with themselves.  Only 2 starting spots were really up for debate.  SS and a LB spot.  Every other starter was going to be in place and most of the upgrading of the team was going to be young guys already on the team growing up.

 

Of the two spots open, they upgraded SLB.  SS remains to be seen.

 

 

In addition, 3 of the teams 4 DE's were free agents, and they were able to keep all 3.  Likewise, they re-signed 2 of their top 3 CB's.  And finally, they re-signed their most important free agent in Andre Smith.

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I think we should have shopped for a better backup QB than Johnson. We'll see if Williams as a rookie is an upgrade from Crocker. I think that is a year away. Harrison should be better in 2013 than Lawson was in 2012, but he's not a longterm solution and gets hurt a lot. Maualuga shouldn't have been brought back.

 

 

 

We not only did that, we signed him.  Skelton.

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We not only did that, we signed him.  Skelton.

Skelton was a waiver claim rather than a free agent signing. Arizona is pretty thin at QB so their castoffs are nothing to get excited about. There's nothing wrong with claiming Skelton but let's not pretend he's an upgrade on anyone except probably Robinson. We could have signed a veteran backup QB with years of starting experience and some prior success. Someone like Jason Campbell or David Carr. Guys who might be able to win games if Dalton gets hurt. Instead we went bargain basement with Josh Johnson who was only in the league 1 week last season, plus a waiver wire guy that 20 other teams passed on.

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IMO people looking for major upgrades this offseason weren't being realistic with themselves.  Only 2 starting spots were really up for debate.  SS and a LB spot.  Every other starter was going to be in place and most of the upgrading of the team was going to be young guys already on the team growing up.

 

Of the two spots open, they upgraded SLB.  SS remains to be seen.

 

 

In addition, 3 of the teams 4 DE's were free agents, and they were able to keep all 3.  Likewise, they re-signed 2 of their top 3 CB's.  And finally, they re-signed their most important free agent in Andre Smith.

There were 2 LB spots open. They stayed pat instead of upgrading Maualuga and perhaps upgraded with Harrison. That depends on him staying healthy all season and playing well. Those are no sure things, which is why Pittsburgh wanted him to take a paycut and no other team was interested. Maybe he'll turn out to be a good value signing. Maybe he misses 10 games. 

 

Same thing at SS. They've been trying to replace Crocker for several years, with unproven players. Mays, Sands, Iloka, haven't taken the job yet. Maybe Williams will but I doubt he plays as well as a rookie as Crocker did in 2012. 

 

Keeping the DEs and CBs was a good move but not unexpected for a team with the most cap space. Given that free agency was a buyer's market this year, the team should be able to keep the players they want and upgrade at other spots. Tagging MJ may make it harder to sign him long term compared to just letting him test the waters and matching his best offer. Perhaps someone else would have made a big offer to him but we certainly could have afforded someone like Cliff Avril as a fallback. More likely we could have signed MJ long term for Avril type money, ie 7.5 or so a year. Tagging him values his services at 11.2 mil for the 2013 season so it's harder to get him done at 8 mil per over 4 or 5 years.

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That's a pretty tough curve you're grading on....what kind of grade would you give the Ravens and Steelers? They didn't even tread water at many positions. And yes I know the Ravens were starting in a better place.
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There were 2 LB spots open. They stayed pat instead of upgrading Maualuga and perhaps upgraded with Harrison. That depends on him staying healthy all season and playing well. Those are no sure things, which is why Pittsburgh wanted him to take a paycut and no other team was interested. Maybe he'll turn out to be a good value signing. Maybe he misses 10 games. 

 

Same thing at SS. They've been trying to replace Crocker for several years, with unproven players. Mays, Sands, Iloka, haven't taken the job yet. Maybe Williams will but I doubt he plays as well as a rookie as Crocker did in 2012. 

 

Keeping the DEs and CBs was a good move but not unexpected for a team with the most cap space. Given that free agency was a buyer's market this year, the team should be able to keep the players they want and upgrade at other spots. Tagging MJ may make it harder to sign him long term compared to just letting him test the waters and matching his best offer. Perhaps someone else would have made a big offer to him but we certainly could have afforded someone like Cliff Avril as a fallback. More likely we could have signed MJ long term for Avril type money, ie 7.5 or so a year. Tagging him values his services at 11.2 mil for the 2013 season so it's harder to get him done at 8 mil per over 4 or 5 years.

 

It sounds like you are way over valuing FA compared to the draft.

 

I think at worst you could grade free agency out to a C, maybe C- if you are a tough critic.They retained all of their own they wanted, signed a pro bowl player on D, and didnt lost really anything. Most people would probably give FA a B or so, but if you want to give it a C so be it.

 

But the draft was easily a high B if not an A. Almost every critic, analyst, fan, would agree.

 

So if you combine the draft and FA, at WORST i think you could give it a B-. Anything lower than that I think is a little crazy.

 

When you have a playoff team, you dont have to go out and sign tons of studs. You have to retain your own, fill in some spots in FA and the draft. They did just that by adding Harrison, Eifert, Bernard, etc.

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It appears that they resigned everyone that they wanted of their guys, added Harrison and Skelton, whom I believe has a better winning percentage as a starter than Grad did, and had a solid draft, that follows three previous ones. They also seem to be a place where undrafted free agents think they will have a chance if they can show, so it appears that they are no longer a place where players don't want to come. I'd give it an easy B+, and if they get some of their big boys done, it's an A+.
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Skelton was a waiver claim rather than a free agent signing. Arizona is pretty thin at QB so their castoffs are nothing to get excited about. There's nothing wrong with claiming Skelton but let's not pretend he's an upgrade on anyone except probably Robinson. We could have signed a veteran backup QB with years of starting experience and some prior success. Someone like Jason Campbell or David Carr. Guys who might be able to win games if Dalton gets hurt. Instead we went bargain basement with Josh Johnson who was only in the league 1 week last season, plus a waiver wire guy that 20 other teams passed on.

 

Isn't that what you wanted?  A QB better than Josh Johnson.  And Skelton has years of starting experience and some prior success - he was QB during their win streak in 2011.

 

Neither of the 2 guys you mentioned has shown much better than Skelton has, plus they are old.

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That's a pretty tough curve you're grading on....what kind of grade would you give the Ravens and Steelers? They didn't even tread water at many positions. And yes I know the Ravens were starting in a better place.

I'd give the Ravens a better grade than the Bengals because they've done better with less. I'd rate the Steelers and Browns below the Bengals. I think the grade has to take into account the resources available, then how well they were used. The Bengals had the most cap space in the league at the start of free agency. We all know the team isn't going to sign a high priced guy like Mike Wallace this year or Peyton Manning last year. But looking to upgrade a few moderately priced positions doesn't seem too much to ask.

 

We could have replaced Grad with a better backup QB than him,  instead we downgraded. We could have signed a good MLB or moved Burfict to the middle. Instead it's another year of Rey. We could have replaced Crocker with a proven vet at SS. Instead we're back to hoping one of the youngsters pans out. I hope Dalton stays healthy and plays well all year. I hope Maualuga somehow improves in his 5th season. I hope Williams or another young safety has a great season. But it unnecessary to take those chances. I don't think we'll miss the guys who aren't back, we just should have found better replacements.

 

The draft was ok. I don't rate Hawkinson or Johnson very highly but if they're on the PS that's ok. Bernard and Williams should become starters by midseason. Eifert will play a lot. There's reason for hope but that's not the same as confidence.

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Isn't that what you wanted?  A QB better than Josh Johnson.  And Skelton has years of starting experience and some prior success - he was QB during their win streak in 2011.

 

Neither of the 2 guys you mentioned has shown much better than Skelton has, plus they are old.

What's the evidence that Skelton is better than Johnson? They've both been cut by bad teams. Skelton has started 17 games in his 3 year career with a  15-25 TD-INT differential. His career rating is 63 which is not usually good enough to remain in the league. 

 

Is this where you start pleading that it wasn't his fault, the AZ o-line is bad, no running game, the sun got in his eyes, etc?

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I'd give the Ravens a better grade than the Bengals because they've done better with less. I'd rate the Steelers and Browns below the Bengals. I think the grade has to take into account the resources available, then how well they were used. The Bengals had the most cap space in the league at the start of free agency. We all know the team isn't going to sign a high priced guy like Mike Wallace this year or Peyton Manning last year. But looking to upgrade a few moderately priced positions doesn't seem too much to ask.
 
We could have replaced Grad with a better backup QB than him,  instead we downgraded. We could have signed a good MLB or moved Burfict to the middle. Instead it's another year of Rey. We could have replaced Crocker with a proven vet at SS. Instead we're back to hoping one of the youngsters pans out. I hope Dalton stays healthy and plays well all year. I hope Maualuga somehow improves in his 5th season. I hope Williams or another young safety has a great season. But it unnecessary to take those chances. I don't think we'll miss the guys who aren't back, we just should have found better replacements.
 
The draft was ok. I don't rate Hawkinson or Johnson very highly but if they're on the PS that's ok. Bernard and Williams should become starters by midseason. Eifert will play a lot. There's reason for hope but that's not the same as confidence.


Skelton is most certainly an upgrade over Gradkowski.


And the fact you point to not being crazy about the draft because you don't approve of the 5th and 7th round picks, makes the comment lose all credibility.
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What's the evidence that Skelton is better than Johnson? They've both been cut by bad teams. Skelton has started 17 games in his 3 year career with a  15-25 TD-INT differential. His career rating is 63 which is not usually good enough to remain in the league. 

 

Is this where you start pleading that it wasn't his fault, the AZ o-line is bad, no running game, the sun got in his eyes, etc?

 

He's won games as a starter, after coming in as a backup in this league called the NFL.  So he has done what we would be expecting him to do.

 

Why not just admit you forgot we signed him?  I never claimed anything about the dude's skills, and no, the team isn't going to sign anyone to compete with Dalton.

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