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Bengals Free Agency Thread.


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3 hours ago, T-Dub said:

 

 

Vernon Davis: 6'3". 248 lbs

 

Kyle Pitts: 6'6", 239 lbs

 

So, y'know, almost 10 lbs lighter at 3 inches taller.  He's in fact smaller, in that sense.

 

Like I said.. Hype train out of control on this guy.


how does he compare to Kelce or Tony Gonzalez?  If Pitts ends up like Vernon Davis, I’ll be disappointed 

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2 hours ago, tibor75 said:


how does he compare to Kelce or Tony Gonzalez?  If Pitts ends up like Vernon Davis, I’ll be disappointed 

 

That was basically my point, these "freakish athletes" tend to find out they aren't nearly as freakish at the NFL level.  Said it before but anyone drafted in the first round is going to be a freak athlete or they wouldn't be there.  Then suddenly they have to actually work to beat the guy across from them, probably for the first time in their football career, and many aren't ready or willing to make that adjustment. 

 

Not saying Pitts is going to bust even but "pass-catching TE" and "top 5 draft pick" just don't match up in my mind.  I can believe he will be a good player but when people start talking about some rookie coming in and blowing up the NFL game and all that hype shit..  I hear that every year and it almost never happens.  Far more likely they're forgotten by the next draft.

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13 hours ago, tibor75 said:


how does he compare to Kelce or Tony Gonzalez?  If Pitts ends up like Vernon Davis, I’ll be disappointed 

You'll be downright orgasmic if he compares to TE Aaron Hernandez.  Well, off the field.  Maybe Kellen Winslow.  Junior.  I mean, you're really that kind of guy.

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Article in the Athletic.

 

‘He has an aura about him’: Joe Burrow recruits as Bengals build team in his image

 

 

CINCINNATI — Inside Jeff Ruby’s The Precinct Steakhouse on Thursday evening, the Cincinnati Bengals’ recruitment press dominated the room. Multiple tables, coaches, wives, four free agents who signed earlier in the day and prospective right tackle Riley Reiff, still contemplating if this is the city where he wants to spend his 10th NFL season.

In a week laced with unfulfilled hopes in reconstructing the offensive line and a market definitely dropping off beyond the former Minnesota Vikings tackle, the tension of landing Reiff loomed larger than his 6-foot-6, 305-pound frame.

The Bengals staff needed to show everyone in the room, specifically Reiff, what they all believe in. They needed the best recruiting tool in their arsenal.

Cue Joe Burrow.

“He has an aura about him,” free-agent cornerback Mike Hilton said. “He’s a young guy, but he commands the room.”

He commanded these tables inside The Precinct dining room just as he did the locker room and field last year for the Bengals. Those closest to Burrow feel connected to a humility and presence that makes believers of everyone.

He did it at LSU. He did it in Cincinnati. On Thursday, he did it with Reiff.

“Went out to eat with him last night, had a good steak, I went away from eating that steak and I was like, ‘I want to block for this guy,'” Reiff said Friday, minutes after signing his contract. “Seeing him on the film, but he’s even better off the field.”

Commanding a room is made easier, I suppose, when people are ordering a steak named after you. And it’s delicious.

“Jeff Ruby’s is the most fire steakhouse I’ve ever been to, I had the Steak Burrow,” cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said. “I have never had a steak like that.”

Thursday and Friday culminated a critical week in the moving of the Bengals roster under head coach Zac Taylor from the farm to the table.

The full, methodical turn out of the Marvin Lewis era was made complete this week.

A.J. Green signed in Arizona. Geno Atkins was released. William Jackson III went to Washington, Carl Lawson to New York. Only three players remain under contract from the team’s last playoff appearance in 2015 (Giovani Bernard, Clark Harris and Trey Hopkins). Only 13 players remain who played a down for Lewis.

When players would walk into the locker room the past two years, reverence and respect would instantly be given to Green and Atkins. They deserved it. They were legendary here. Faces of the organization and potential future Hall of Famers. Any desire to take hold of the direction of the team and assert yourself as a leader would come with hesitancy as their veteran presence dominated the building.

With those names and memories of a bygone era out the door, there is only one face owning the direction of the franchise. While the Burrow started his era and built a presence last year as a rookie captain, in some ways, he was officially knighted Thursday at The Precinct.

“He played well this season. Guys around the league took notice of it,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said of Burrow’s presence commanding the room of free agents Thursday. “Obviously, his reputation preceded him from what he did at LSU. The whole world was watching that. So he’s got a reputation, and guys respect the way he plays the game. And then on top of that, he carries himself like a starting quarterback in the NFL that’s going to do a bunch of great things in his career would carry himself. So everybody feels that, and they see that. It’s fun to see guys react to him that way. It’s the way I’ve always felt about him from the minute I met him. I think that’s probably going to be a common theme as guys get to know him more and more and he continues to play better and better.”

It worked with Reiff and his four new teammates.

“The kid’s a killer,” said Larry Ogunjobi, who chased Burrow around twice this past year with the Browns. “He’s the real deal.”

Awuzie said he sees something special brewing in Cincinnati, and that was a major part of the draw. As for why …

“First off, let’s start with the quarterback and what he can do,” Awuzie said.

“Checks his ego at the door,” new defensive end Trey Hendrickson said.

The attitude particularly attracted Reiff. A man from Parkston, S.D., and a product of the University of Iowa who has played his entire professional career in Detroit and Minnesota connected instantly with the guy from southeastern Ohio.

“Just the way he conducts himself, carries himself,” Reiff said. “Seems like a down-to-earth, Cincinnati-type guy.”

Those words jump off the page. A Cincinnati-type guy. Yes, the city and this team under Taylor are developing a type of player in the image of their quarterback. But what exactly is a Cincinnati-type guy?

“Tough, Midwestern, blue-collar. Comes to work,” Reiff said.

Man, put that on a wall somewhere. Scrub “Seize The Dey” and replace it tomorrow.

The more Burrow recruits, the more Burrow wins, the more the Bengals believe they can build a team in his image. One that inevitably follows his example as the star in the room.

“I can just tell how genuine of a guy he is and how much he loves football,” Hilton said, “so when you got a leader like that, you know he’s leading the right direction.”

Last year in free agency, the Bengals sold the hope and potential of Burrow. This year, they sold the guy. The proof. The personality. The owner of the room.

In a week when the Bengals cleared the runway for Burrow to take over as the face — and lead recruiter — for the organization, they can only say so far, so good.

“He certainly has tremendous impact when you got a quarterback that you believe in,” Taylor said. “Everybody in the organization, everybody in the city believes in the guy. He believes in himself, and so that is very clear to those that are considering the Bengals and want to be a part of this. He’s certainly a great draw because we know with him we can do a lot of special things here.”

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9 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

Hopefully, his knee agrees with him. 
 

As great a rehab as he has been achieving, that may be the question mark only answered by playing on it in an actual game. 
 

 

 

 

Fans need to be prepared to give him a few games to shake the rust off and start trusting that knee again.   If they put together a real OL for him that could happen quickly, if not...  

 

Point being he's not Superman.   Put him in a balanced offense with some other playmakers and he should excel.  Expect him to carry a bad team on his back and he's going to break down again.  This is still a team sport even with JB.

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6 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

 

Fans need to be prepared to give him a few games to shake the rust off and start trusting that knee again.   If they put together a real OL for him that could happen quickly, if not...  

 

Point being he's not Superman.   Put him in a balanced offense with some other playmakers and he should excel.  Expect him to carry a bad team on his back and he's going to break down again.  This is still a team sport even with JB.

The Quitter actually had better numbers in 2006 than 2005 overall. His knee was not his problem going forward, it became his elbow. 
 

Exactly correct: quite probable he goes the route of The Quitter, and excels. The knee becomes less of an issue. Until then, one day at a time. 

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15 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

The Quitter actually had better numbers in 2006 than 2005 overall. His knee was not his problem going forward, it became his elbow. 
 

Exactly correct: quite probable he goes the route of The Quitter, and excels. The knee becomes less of an issue. Until then, one day at a time. 

 

Totally different players "upstairs", that's for sure.  Leadership & such is like night & day.

 

Still, a knee is pretty much a knee and I do remember Carson being a little bit hesitant in early '06.  His problem wasn't his knee or elbow, it was his heart.  Or his dick, depending on who you believe.

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22 hours ago, spicoli said:


Why are under the delusion that the only way you can get a starter on the OL is by taking him in the top 5? 

You can get a starter in any round.  We are actually looking for a GOOD starter. 

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24 minutes ago, spicoli said:

 

And you can't get that in R2? 

Isn't that how we got Whitworth?

We got Jake Fisher in round 2 as well.  Don’t get me wrong, when it was announced we signed Reiff I was all in on Pitts until I heard it was a 1 year deal. 

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12 minutes ago, claptonrocks said:

Talking about filling the guard position..

Is it possible they could draft Wyatt Davis or Tre Smith to plug and play?

 

 

 

 

I see no reason why not.  This OL was terrible last year, it wasn't just Hart.

 

 

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1 hour ago, spicoli said:

Leatherwood, Cosmi and Eichenberg could all come in and start at RT from day one if they had to. 

You really believe that?.

Cosmi shows 1st round capability.

Ill give you that..

Leatherwood and Eichenberg arent starting for anyone this upcoming season imo..

Your reaching bigtime there imo.

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21 minutes ago, stryker57 said:

patriots got brady in the 7th, is that where we should look for a hof qb?

 

Brady was  a 6th rnd pick.Golladay sad he wanted 18 milliom a year and he got it.Whitworth was a 3rd rnd pick out of LSU.

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