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With the 24th Pick in the 2014 NFL DRAFT the Bengals select DARQUEZE DENNARD!!


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This breakdown of Dennard is really well done:

 

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2014/5/14/5715954/darqueze-dennard-must-walk-the-line-to-become-great-bengals-cincinnati-defense

 

I mentioned some of these plays when discussing Dennard a few weeks back and why I thought there was a chance he could actually fall to us. He had a decent amount of pass interference called against him in college and a ton of other plays where it could have been called but wasn't. 

 

A lot of his success is going to depend on how much of this stuff he can get away with. And if he can better learn to get rid of the more obvious stuff. The NFL officials are better. They just aren't going to let you grab big handfuls of jersey like he did in college when a guy started to run by him. 

 

Hopefully he'll be one of those guys that has opposing fans yelling at their TV "he's holding him! Pass interference" on stuff that isn't called and not a guy who has Bengals fans yelling at the TV if he gives up free yards.

 

Another note: I do think the penalty yardage against him makes some of the other stats about completions, etc. a bit less impressive. If every time you are beat, you tackle the WR and get a flag against you for 15 yards, of course you aren't going to give up many completions. That's obviously an exaggeration, but I do think you have to factor in the penalties against when you are calculating the yards he gave up.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm pretty sure the concerns in this video are exactly why we like Dennard. Poor analysis in my opinion.


http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap2000000353035/Best-rookie-cornerback-fits?campaign=Twitter_videos_cbs

 

I agree.  Dennard seemed to be the most physical guy in the bunch.  That's one area I'm not really concerned with.  What was ED thinking?

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I'm pretty sure the concerns in this video are exactly why we like Dennard. Poor analysis in my opinion.


http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap2000000353035/Best-rookie-cornerback-fits?campaign=Twitter_videos_cbs

 

Also agreed. Dennard is a willing open field tackler in run support and probably the most physical CB in pass defense. Also they showed a lot of plays involving other AFCN receivers against teams that weren't the Bengals. Not like there is a lack of footage of Dennard or the Bengals pass defense.

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I agree.  Dennard seemed to be the most physical guy in the bunch.  That's one area I'm not really concerned with.  What was ED thinking?



I saw yesterday too. I thought he was confused or just flat out ignorant. Dennard is physical and reminds me of Revis. Not as good of course. But similar style
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Bengals CB Dennard waits on his 'moment'

 

May, 30, 2014
By Coley Harvey | ESPN.com

 

CINCINNATI -- When the Bengals made cornerback Darqueze Dennard their first-round pick earlier this month, they did so with their immediate future in mind.

Terence Newman is 35 and is scheduled to hit free agency next spring. Adam Jones isn't too far behind him. Leon Hall is turning 30 at the end of year and is coming off his second major injury in three seasons. As much as the Bengals respect and appreciate what the trio has accomplished in recent years, they know it's time to start preparing for life after them.

So Dennard, a 22-year-old who was named college football's top defensive back last year, was added to the mix when the Bengals' pick rolled around at No. 24.

The rookie understands his place in the team's cornerback hierarchy and knows he may not see much playing time defensively this fall. He's OK with that, though, because he believes his time will come soon enough.

"I'm just waiting on my moment," Dennard said earlier this week following the Bengals' first organized team activity practice.

He's also waiting on something else: a contract. The Bengals have already signed their other seven draft picks, but they haven't yet inked Dennard to his deal. Despite the delay in getting him paid, Dennard has been participating as the Bengals go through their first series of full-team offseason practices. He said Tuesday that he wasn't worried about not having a contract, but remains hopeful that an agreement will be made soon.

As far as his place in the Bengals' cornerback rotation, for now, Dennard is trying to learn from the likes of Newman, Jones, Hall and third-year cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.

"Those guys have been playing a long time in the NFL and have a lot of games under their belt," Dennard said. "I'm here to play. That's my mindset -- to get on the field -- but being under the tutelage of them is going to help me, as well. A lot of guys don't have the same chance I have. Those veteran guys have played a lot of games and have done great things on the football field. I have them and I'm going to use them."

Dennard added that he is already peppering the vets with questions about playing the position and being a professional player, in general. He wants to be a pest to them and anyone else who's willing to help him navigate this next stage of his development.

"I'm probably going to get on their nerves by asking them so many questions, but I'm going to use that to better me as a player and a person," Dennard said. "Hopefully I'll have the same kind of career as them."

His career could begin this season by getting the majority of his playing time on special teams. Possible injuries aside, for now, the depth ahead of him at corner will make it difficult for him to get on the field. Newman and Jones opened this week's OTAs as the starting boundary cornerbacks. Kirkpatrick got time with the second-team corners alongside Chris Lewis-Harris, a third-year corner who was active for six games last season. In time, the expectation is that Dennard and Kirkpatrick will be the top options at the two boundary spots.

Kirkpatrick still has to prove he's starting material. As well as he played at times filling in for an injured Newman last season, Kirkpatrick still gave up his share of touchdown passes and got burned on occasion in coverage.

Dennard seldom got burned at Michigan State. He held opposing receivers to just 5.78 yards per catch, the lowest figure for a defensive back during the entire BCS era. He and the rest of the Spartans' defensive backfield considered themselves so effective against the pass that he nicknamed the group "No Fly Zone" last summer.

Part of what made Michigan State's "No Fly Zone" live up to Dennard's nickname was the intense nature of his single-coverage play on opposing receivers. He blanketed pass-catchers so well in college the Bengals believed he needed to be in their defense.

Dennard's former college teammate, current Spartan safety Kurtis Drummond, said Dennard's coverage was a credit to his preparation.

"He works on it. That's not something he just throws himself in," Drummond said. "That's something that he's very prepared to do. Something he takes pride in. He's a competitor and he wants to be the best at whatever he does."
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What's the hold up with him signing?

 

Offset language...  it's really the only negotiation the players/agents have in the new CBA.

 

Basically, if the team cuts the player during his first contract the player can only make the total of his rookie deal when combining his original deal with the new team's deal- instead of making his fully-guaranteed rookie deal plus whatever the new team signs him for.

 

Team is looking to minimize their exposure when cutting the player (if he's signed somewhere else).

 

 

Edit: it's explained much more eloquently here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/05/02/offset-rookie-contracts-nfl/2130979/

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Offset language...  it's really the only negotiation the players/agents have in the new CBA.
 
Basically, if the team cuts the player during his first contract the player can only make the total of his rookie deal when combining his original deal with the new team's deal- instead of making his fully-guaranteed rookie deal plus whatever the new team signs him for.
 
Team is looking to minimize their exposure when cutting the player (if he's signed somewhere else).
 
 
Edit: it's explained much more eloquently here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/05/02/offset-rookie-contracts-nfl/2130979/



I see. Thanks for the info!!
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