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Bengals agree to one-year deal with ex-Bucs DT Chris Baker


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Looks like he got about $1.5M last year between the contract and being brought back after being cut. Not too much more spent on a rotation tackle. Not sure why I thought it was $3M.

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4 minutes ago, JC said:

Looks like he got about $1.5M last year between the contract and being brought back after being cut. Not too much more spent on a rotation tackle. Not sure why I thought it was $3M.

Either way I'd still rather have Baker even if he's double the price. I think the potential of what he can do here next to Geno is worth it. In a year where the salary cap is $177M+ I don't think $3M is bad for a guy who might be our starting NT.

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33 minutes ago, omgdrdoom said:

Either way I'd still rather have Baker even if he's double the price. I think the potential of what he can do here next to Geno is worth it. In a year where the salary cap is $177M+ I don't think $3M is bad for a guy who might be our starting NT.

Cold hard fact is Tampa Bay has sucked for 10 years.  The guy went from a marginal Redskins club to that crap hole. After so many years of suck I imagine it starts to get old.  Maybe a fresh start with a far better defense then he has played on in years will help.  Again, I certainly wish we would make a splash in FA and pre fa released players but that is never the case so why hold my breathe. 

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Something else to keep in mind is that Marvin is really good friends with Koetter. I'm guessing there were some kind of communication that didn't make him out to be the laziest shithead in the world.

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34 minutes ago, SF2 said:

Cold hard fact is Tampa Bay has sucked for 10 years.  The guy went from a marginal Redskins club to that crap hole. After so many years of suck I imagine it starts to get old.  Maybe a fresh start with a far better defense then he has played on in years will help.  Again, I certainly wish we would make a splash in FA and pre fa released players but that is never the case so why hold my breathe. 

Yep he could just use some Redeemin' and we may actually have a very good NT for 2018. We shall see.

19 minutes ago, JC said:

Something else to keep in mind is that Marvin is really good friends with Koetter. I'm guessing there were some kind of communication that didn't make him out to be the laziest shithead in the world.

Haslett and Burney have both coached him before. I'm sure they had things to say to Marvin/Mike/whoever about the guy.

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3 hours ago, sparky151 said:

We'll probably re-sign Bodine because he's cheaper than the alternatives

besides the draft, what exactly are the better options?

 

and btw, I wouldn't consider a guy that missed almost all of 2017 with a concussion a realistic upgrade. 

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12 minutes ago, spicoli said:

besides the draft, what exactly are the better options?

 

and btw, I wouldn't consider a guy that missed almost all of 2017 with a concussion a realistic upgrade. 

Lol a concussion doesn't mean a player can't be considered an upgrade.

 

Weston Richburg is without a doubt a better NFL center than Bodine. Ryan Jensen is 10x better than Bodine. John Sullivan is better and would provide a good stop-gap.

 

Those are just 3 guys that I know are upcoming UFAs that are easy upgrades. I'm sure if I saw the full list there would be at least 1-3 more.

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lol if you sign a guy with that's missed almost an entire season with concussion issues you better have one helluva back-up plan in place, that's all I've gotta say.....being "better" doesn't really have a lot to do with it. 

 

 

 

 

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25 minutes ago, spicoli said:

lol if you sign a guy with that's missed almost an entire season with concussion issues you better have one helluva back-up plan in place, that's all I've gotta say.....being "better" doesn't really have a lot to do with it. 

 

 

 

 

Geoff Schwartz on twitter said that Richburg could have come back much earlier and didn't because the team decided to keep him out. Said he was good to go. 

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25 minutes ago, spicoli said:

lol if you sign a guy with that's missed almost an entire season with concussion issues you better have one helluva back-up plan in place, that's all I've gotta say.....being "better" doesn't really have a lot to do with it. 

 

You're acting like this is something that a person can't come back and play football after it happens. I don't know why you're being so weird about this. Do you love Bodine's play over the past few years or something? He played well for part of 1 season and a few games here and there sprinkled in the other seasons over his entire career.

 

Richburg had 1 concussion. It's not like he was concussed, came back and had another one a week later. 1 concussion. The team held him out and put him on IR even though Richburg went public saying he was medically cleared to play. The way you're talking about the guy I honestly don't think you have any idea of the situation and you're just assuming he's bad because outside FAs = bad like you're Hobson Jr.

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once again....being bad/good has absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

in today's NFL where everyone is hyper sensitive about concussions, I just don't put a lot of faith in someone that had to miss almost an entire year because of one.

 

he said he was good to go, that's great, the team doctors obviously thought otherwise .... who has the control in those type situations, the player or the doctor? 

 

Bodine is a bad player, I get it.....I simply have no desire to replace him with injury prone players, especially at the cost it'll incur.

 

you'd be better served just drafting his replacement, IMO. 

 

 

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5 minutes ago, spicoli said:

once again....being bad/good has absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

in today's NFL where everyone is hyper sensitive about concussions, I just don't put a lot of faith in someone that had to miss almost an entire year because of one.

 

he said he was good to go, that's great, the team doctors obviously thought otherwise .... who has the control in those type situations, the player or the doctor? 

 

Bodine is a bad player, I get it.....I simply have no desire to replace him with injury prone players, especially at the cost it'll incur. 

 

 

"Injury prone players"

 

Had 1 concussion.

 

Lol? Okay man, whatever you want to believe.

 

BTW I'm well aware of his situation in 2016 but he played through it. You're clearly going nuts about this concussion issue which is a non-issue since it was his first career concussion and was cleared by doctors to play.

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look, if it were a knee or shoulder injury I'd agree with you, I just don't trust the concussion protocol in today's NFL.....the refs are going to be even more hyper sensitive now with anyone with a previous history .

 

I just don't think it's a wise investment is all, this concussion thing around the league is only gonna get worse before it gets better.

 

my suggestion is to simply draft his replacement and start over clean......what exactly is wrong with that? 

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1 hour ago, spicoli said:

look, if it were a knee or shoulder injury I'd agree with you, I just don't trust the concussion protocol in today's NFL.....the refs are going to be even more hyper sensitive now with anyone with a previous history .

 

I just don't think it's a wise investment is all, this concussion thing around the league is only gonna get worse before it gets better.

 

my suggestion is to simply draft his replacement and start over clean......what exactly is wrong with that? 

 

Your suggestion was that there "wasn't anyone better" other than a draft pick.

 

I named 3 that are clearly better than Bodine. You got really weird and started going off about a situation that you obviously know nothing about. Richburg has had ONE FUCKING CONCUSSION IN HIS CAREER. He was already medically cleared by doctors just a few weeks after the incident. The team shut him down by their own choice.

 

There are at least 3 UFAs that are obviously better than Bodine that the team could pursue if they felt like it. You're allowed to have an opinion that you'd prefer a draft pick, but stop the bullshit that there aren't any upgrades available via free agency because then you just sound like Hobspin and Mike Brown.

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I didn't say that there weren't ANY upgrades in FA, I just pretty much said stay away from Westburg because I don't have a whole lot of faith in the whole concussion thing.....it's not even as much about the player as it is the protocol involved and the hyper sensitivity associated with it all.

 

and I have no doubt that Jensen and Sullivan would play the position better than Bodine but I don't see them as being better options than drafting someone like James Daniels or Billy Price in the second round and starting from scratch. 

 

if we're gonna spend a bunch of money on a lineman, do it at one of the tackle spots. 

 

2 hours ago, omgdrdoom said:

 

 

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21 hours ago, Bunghole said:

You're right about FA, but there's been flurries of activity today. The Hawks traded Bennett to the Iggles (how INSANE is that pass rush going to be now?), and the Rams traded Olgetree to the Giants. THOSE are good players. Baker is NOT. 

 

We signed an underachiever to an area of limited need. We also tried to sign a safety, another area of limited need. Why are we not addressing the positions of need? Fuck, sign Solder, pay the man! Wait, I know...we'll address those areas of concern in the draft, because they are cheaper. PLUS we'll resign or own, like Russell Bodine, and he isn't very good. Mike Brown needs to die or pass control of this team to someone that understands 21st century NFL football. We haven't won a playoff game in 27 years. These stupid half measures are just...stupid.

Ogletree is slightly above average at best and paid like a stud.  The giants are idiots, nothing new. He was sooo good that the Rams wanted to get rid of him quickly after extending him.

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13 hours ago, TimKrumrieFan said:

Ogletree is slightly above average at best and paid like a stud.  The giants are idiots, nothing new. He was sooo good that the Rams wanted to get rid of him quickly after extending him.

He's 1 year removed from being an All Pro.

 

He didn't fit perfectly in the Rams new defense but the Giants are built similar to us and he'll be their Burfict.

 

People are out of their minds saying Ogletree isn't a good LB. You've obviously never watched him play.

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Match-up league

Posted 16 hours ago

hobson60x60.jpgGeoff HobsonEditorBengals.comFollow Me Blog

070804-Burney_Jacob-Art.jpg

Defensive line coach Jacob Burney is reunited with Chris Baker.

 

Jacob Burney and Jim Haslett looked at each other.

“Did you show him the tape?” Haslett asked Burney.

It’s on tape. That’s why he’s here. They saw what Chris Baker could do from 2011-14 when they coached together in Washington and what he did there after they left when head coach Jay Gruden changed up his defense.

“If he can do for us what he did then, it’s going to make us a better team, said Haslett, then Washington’s defensive coordinator and now the Bengals linebackers coach.

Baker, a 6-2, 300-pound defensive tackle, is the newest Bengal after signing a one-year deal and Burney, the Bengals defensive line coach who did the same job for Haslett, can’t wipe the smile off his face.

“We think this is a step in the right direction,” he said.

They say now it’s a league of matchups. And they may as well be talking about off the field as well as on the field. Players, coaches, schemes, fits, cities. It didn’t fit in Baker’s last stop in Tampa. But Baker is one of the lucky ones. As a young player he found two coaches that believe in him enough that they’re giving him another shot when they got another shot. Baker knows that’s why he’s here.

“There’s never any gray when it comes to myself and Baker and it’s a good relationship,” Burney said.

The Baker signing kicks the Bengals into free agency season, which has that odd start on Monday and Tuesday where teams can talk to other players but can’t announce deals until Wednesday.

The Bengals, who don’t want to sacrifice drafts picks for unrestricted free agents (UFAs), figure to continue to search for low-to-mid-range deals (the big ones are reserved for Geno Atkins andCarlos Dunlap) that have the potential to make bigger impacts because of past performance or scheme fit or both. Meet Baker, believed to be paid in the $3 million range for a non-UFA player they feel has the chance to play regularly and well.

The Bengals are upbeat because he's a rarity. A big guy that can move. Those guys are tough to find in any draft.

If …

 

070804-Haslett_Jim-Art.jpg

Jim Haslett oversaw Chris Baker's rise from undrafted retread

 

If he plays like he did in Washington. That’s when from 2011-2014 Haslett and Burney developed him from an undrafted free agent on his third team into a starter. By the time they were gone in 2015-16, Baker was a top ten defensive lineman graded by profootballlfocus.com  earning a three-year free-agent deal in Tampa last year for nearly $16 million in which took home about half of that after they released him two weeks ago.

“They think you can play if they give you $8 million,” Haslett said. “They just don’t hand it out.”

Now at age 30, Baker has no doubt he can get back to that level where he displayed uncommon big man athleticism on all three downs.

“Without question,” Baker said Thursday from Tampa. “It always helps to be around people that really believe in you and really know what you can do.  They’re going to give me a shot and see what I can do. I’m doing everything on my part to put my best foot forward when I get out there. I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life. I haven’t been this light since college. It has to translate to the field. I pray I stay healthy and let this thing roll out as long as I can.”

And it looks like he’s in just the right scheme, a penetrating four-man line. In Washington’s 3-4, Burney was able to discipline Baker in the art of two-gap play at end and nose tackle even though his athleticism makes him a natural one-gap player.

“This defense is a little different,” said Burney of the Bengals’ scheme. “Mentality-wise, personality-wise, it’s a good fit. We’re on the edge (of the O-lineman) here. In Washington we were head up. He can be a nose or a three (technique). He brings that athleticism inside.”

Baker flourished when new Washington DC Joe Barry brought in an attacking 3-4 that is similar to what the Bengals use in a 4-3 and those nine sacks in 2015-16 helped get him the big contract.

“I’m kind of able to use my athleticism and just go play,” Baker said. “I had a good conversation with the defensive coordinator, Coach (Teryl) Austin, and he told me my role. They’re not going to hand me anything. I have to earn it. I’ve done that my whole career being an undrafted guy.”

Baker may be at his NFL lightest, but he knows he’s also carrying some baggage from Tampa. A locker-room shouting match after a last-minute loss to Carolina capped a frustrating year he was criticized for his play (and at times effort) not matching his paycheck. He believes the locker-room incident with linebacker Kwon Alexander was pretty typical in the heat of such a tough loss and felt that they had patched it up right after that but the story was already rolling.

But it has rolled past Burney, who has his own relationship with Baker.

“I don’t care about any of that. Time to look forward. I told him he has to look forward because he can’t change any of it,” Burney said. “He knows what to expect. It’s not as if he needs time to get used to it. There’s never any gray when it comes to myself and Baker and it’s a good relationship. I like the kid. He’s a got a great personality. He’s an outgoing guy and he cares.”

Baker knows he’s the next in line for getting one of those second chances that Bengals president Mike Brown and head coach Marvin Lewis have become known for.

“I know there are guys they sign who sometimes other teams might not touch, but they give them an opportunity,” Baker said. “And that’s the one thing I like about the Bengals organization. They don’t look too much into the past of things you did before, but they’re trying to make their own judgment and feeling on a player and they give them a chance and if that player can hold up, then great. If not, you have to move on. I’m happy Coach Lewis and the rest of the staff thought enough of me to give me another chance and I’m definitely going to take advantage of it.”

It’s a league of matchups.

“Coach Burney is really good at being direct and telling me what he wanted done,” Baker said. “He does coach hard, but I’ve been coached by him. I know what to expect … I respect him, he respects me. So we make a good match.”

 

 

 

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Match-up-league/26da89d0-ee95-4920-96e4-d17bcc7fb8e9?campaign=cin:fanshare:twitter

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Only $300,000 of Bengals DT Chris Baker's 1-year, $3 million contract is actually guaranteed. He gets $1.5 million in base salary with a $300,000 signing bonus, a $500,000 roster bonus and a $50,000 workout bonus. $200,000 of the roster bonus is given to him if he is on the 53-man roster in Week 1, while he has additional roster bonuses of up to $300,000 if he is on the active 46-man roster ($18,750/game). He also has up to $600,000 in not likely to be earned playtime incentives available. His cap number is $2.4 million.

 

 

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-40017507-4

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