WhoDeyRevolution

The Drugstore List

I thought it would be a good idea to see where the Bengals draft picks stacked up against the Drugstore List.  The Drugstore List is put out every year by Jerry Jones, a former Mariemont pharmicist who had a number of Bengals coaches and management as customers.  As they left to coach other teams, his network increased.  Jerry Jones is the most respected (and consistently accurate) man in draft projections. 

A Tale of Two Franchises

The Saints’ big draft-day trades to twice jump ahead of the hapless Bengals to take the best available DTs on the board highlights the difference between an aggressive front office who are determined to win and a complacent front office who are hoping to win.

Both the Bengals and Saints finished 2007 with disappointing 7-9 records – but each teams’ response in the offseason could not be more different.  

In the free agency window, the Saints were active in addressing their weaknesses. They had one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2007. So they traded a 4^th rounder to the Jets for LB Jonathan Vilma and signed LB Dan Morgan. They also signed big-time free agents CB Randall Gay from New England and DE Bobby McCray from the Jags.

In the Bengals offseason, they only signed DE Antwan Odom from the Titans after botching a few trades to bulk up their interior line and refusing to trade Chad Johnson. The Bengals remain well under the salary cap. 

Depth, Depth, and More Depth

You don’t draft in the first two rounds to add depth when you are a sub-.500 team. Sadly, this is a concept that Marvin Lewis and co. haven’t seemed to grasp in five years of drafting. Not trading up for Sedrick Ellis was inexcusable. Not trading Chad Johnson for two first round picks was inconceivable. But after watching Marvin piss away his fifth draft in six years, I must say I’m almost relieved we didn’t detract talent from this year’s team in order to add future picks. Almost.

WHO NEEDS A PLAYMAKER?

Keith Rivers will be a solid yet unspectacular player, much like the last two first round picks, Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. He’ll have a career somewhere between Brian Simmons and Landon Johnson, and that won’t be all that bad- particularly if Odell Thurman and Ahmad Brooks can play up to their potential on the outside.

I’m going to take a wait-and-see approach on Jerome Simpson, who bears a scouting report awfully similar to TJ Houshmandzadeh. I’m in the minority of Bengals fans who actually wanted a receiver in the second round (and again in the third) mainly because I’m not a believer in Trevor Laws or the other D-lineman that were available around the 46^th pick.

However, my initial reaction to the Simpson pick was pure disgust - not because of his small-school resume but because of his lack of upside.  Every single scouting report projects him to be a #2 receiver at best - again, not something you should be aiming for in the Top 50 selections. Of course they would take him when the Roy Williams-esque Limas Sweed was still on the board. And they wouldn’t think of trading up for James “Plaxico” Hardy. 

The problem is that this regime never aims for the stars, they’re content getting guys who project to be league average starters, or even worse, rotational depth. When you target players like this, you’re going to end up with your John Thorntons, Brian Robinsons, Antonio Chatmans and Reggie Kellys - guys who are at best league average, and at worse, solid depth.

Marvin has never fully grasped this concept. When he drafted Chris Perry in the first round of the 2004 draft instead of selecting Stephen Jackson, who projected to be an absolute home-run back on everyone else’s draft board, he announced that Perry would provide great depth to the running back position. It sounds eerily similar to how he justified the selection of Simpson over the multitude of bigger home run threats on everyone else’s draft board.

Think that was the only time he opted for depth over a playmaker in the second round? How about in 2006 when he took Andrew Whitworth, who has been a surprisingly pleasant addition to the “rotation of the offensive line,” while a couple of playmakers went in the next five picks afterwards. Their names? Devin Hester and Maurice Jones-Drew. All this coming at a time when our top return man was none other than Keiwan Ratliff. 

Hell, even our “franchise player” Stacy Andrews was franchised because he provides depth on the offensive line. I’m willing to reserve judgment of the Simpson pick, especially given the praise heaped upon it by the NFL Network gurus (who panned the rest of the Bengals draft in the same segment,) but I really hope Bratkowski knows what he’s doing here. 

(more after the jump...)

Decent Draft Overshadowed by Ongoing Problems

The Bengals' selection of some very promising players is overshadowed by two problems that have plagued us in the past and still need to be addressed.  But before discsussing this and the strengths of the draft, let's address the most controversial pick of the weekend.

The Jury is Still Out

Jerome Simpson, WR, Coastal Carolina: Roughly 80% of Bengals fans hate this pick but I really don’t mind it.  The main reason most seem to hate this pick is because people believe we could’ve gotten him in the third round or later.  But in hindsight, Mark Curnutte reports that the Steelers were considering picking Simpson seven slots later.  What we often lose sight of on draft day is that the 32 NFL teams aren’t using Mel Kiper’s draft board.  Each team spends months looking at film, visiting with and ranking their own players and we don’t know what any team’s draft board looks like.  With the mixed reviews on Malcolm Kelly and Limas Sweed, after doing some research on Simpson, there is reason for excitement.  He’s 6-2, has a 41 1/2 inch vertical and runs in the 4.4’s.  Not only that, he has freakishly long arms and enormous hands, which counts for a couple extra inches of height (why 6-6 Eric Hicks played like he was 6-10 for your Cincinnati Bearcats).  Considering all this, Simpson sounds like a potential stud to me.  That being said, by making this selection over other top name receivers, his entire career  should draw step by step comparisons to both Malcolm Kelly and, especially, Limas Sweed who wound up going to Pittsburgh (maybe only because Simpson was gone).  Yes, the pick is questionable but it deserves at least a couple of years to play out before it is ripped as heavily as it has been already.

Two Common Problems

The selection of Fresno State defensive tackle, Jason Shirley makes no sense.  We heard phrases like “high character,” “great motor” and “effort guy” for Keith Rivers, Jerome Simpson, Pat Sims, Andre Caldwell and Corey Lynch.  Then we pick up a guy who played three games his senior season because he was suspended.  He also is awaiting his court date for suspicion of drunk driving.  Have we not learned anything from damaging suspensions and the public ridiculing of drafting problem players in the past?  Yes, it is a late round selection but up until this pick, we seemed to have shed the mentality of drafting guys with questionable character at a discount.  But, apparently, those days are not over.  Odds should be created on whether this guy will get a DUI in our city (with no public transportation and very few taxis) in the next calendar year. 

Bengals Mangement Reaffirms Need for Who Dey Revolution

I am certainly not a football scout, so I will not cram the intertubes with any of my "expert analysis" on the future success of the Bengals draft picks.  Keith Rivers and Jerome Simpson might make the next 15 Pro Bowls in a row or they may be taking a number at the unemployment office behind Chris Henry in a few years.  I'll let others entertain these arguments.

What was made perfectly clear at the draft, however, is that nothing has changed - Bengals management is still a complete joke.  The team was totally outmaneuvered in the first round, made a huge reach in the 2nd, drafted guys late with huge red flags and a couple guys late with local ties.  This has been the Bengals draft day approach for years - why did I think that something would be different this time around?

Round 1 - Keith Rivers, LB, USC

Whether or not they played their hand before the draft, anyone with any football knowledge knew that our top 2 targets in Round 1 were Sedrick Ellis or Derrick Harvey.  Well, the Saints and Jags knew it too - and traded up in front of the Bengals to snag them. 

As Comrade Buck pointed out, why was Mike Brown willing to trade a 3rd and 5th rounder for Shaun Rogers but not trade a 3rd rounder for Sedrick Ellis?  (The Saints traded their 10th overall and 3rd round pick to the Patriots for their 7th overall AND a 5th rounder).  Did Brown even try and trade up to ensure that they could take Ellis? Reports out of New Orleans show that the Saints called every team ahead of them in the draft to try and trade up - so the Bengals management had to know the Saints were working deals to jump ahead of them to take Ellis.  And what did Mike Brown do?  NOTHING. 

As I said before, Sedrick Ellis could be the reincarnation of Big Daddy and Keith Rivers could become the reincarnation of Dick Butkis - that is not the point.  The point is that the Bengals identified Sedrick Ellis and Derrick Harvey as their top targets and sat around and let other teams trade ahead and take their picks.

(more after the jump)

2008 Bengals Draft Recap

The 2008 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Bengals went down the middle on their 10 draft selections, taking five players on offense and five on defense.

Initial Reactions: 

1st Round:  The Keith Rivers pick was solid, but you have to wonder why they would be willing to give up  a 3rd and 5th round pick for Shaun Rogers yet won't give up a 3rd to move up and take Sedrick Ellis at #7.  Regardless, the Rivers pick is a solid pick who doesn't miss tackles and gives the Bengals someone to count on in a very cloudy, if crowded, linebacker situation.  That being said, the Cowboys and Saints DESTROYED the Bengals in this draft, trading up to take players that you have to assume were high on the Bengals board.   

2nd Round:  Coastal Carolina has a football team?  Well they do and the Bengals found their wideout Jerome Simpson, who impressed Bengals coaches at the combine and on film.  I understand we need receivers, but I was in attendance at Monster Park in San Francisco for the 49ers-Bengals game last year.  Chris Henry was healthy, Chad Johnson was healthy, TJ Houshmandzadeh was healthy.  Guess what.  The Bengals STILL LOST THE GAME.  Why?  Because Shaun "Montana" Hill threw all over a Bengals defense that can't stop anyone.  I refuse to understand the Bengals philosophy here.  The Bengals front line (specifically pass rush) has absolutely killed this team in the Marvin Lewis era, and it has made the Bengals shaky secondary look worse.  Carson Palmer is not the kind of QB who will pout over not having elite receivers to throw to.  If he went 5 for 11 every game and the Bengals went 11-5, he would be the happiest guy on the team.  Simpson very likely would have been around in the 3rd round, maybe later.  It doesn't matter how good Simpson ends up being...the Bengals got poor value. 

3rd Round:  Finally, the Bengals address their needs at defensive tackle with Auburn's Pat Sims, and finally I can end my hunger strike that began after the second round pick that left Trevor Laws, Limas Sweed & others on the board.  The Bengals were fortunate that Sims was still here in the third round, and they can now use him in a rotation with Thornton (how long will he be here?), Peko, Myers, etc.  For their compensatory pick, the Bengals pick up a kick returner in Andre Caldwell (Florida) who could project to be a solid third or fourth receiver for Carson Palmer.  Surprised to get another WR here, honestly.  At least the guy has big game experience playing in the SEC.

4th Round:  Anthony Collins out of Kansas is a solid offensive tackle who will project to play right tackle in the pros and hopefully will have the versatility to play guard as well.  The Bengals have always been decent at developing offensive lineman, and you have to like the pick especially with the new uncertainty surrounding Levi Jones.   

NFL Draft Live Blog

Coming at you live from Over-the-Rhine, Ohio and Washington, DC - welcome to the WhoDeyRevolution Live Blog.  Jason Buck and Andrew Simon will be reporting throughout today's NFL Draft.

Jason's comments will be in italics. Andrew's will be bolded.

7:58: The more I think about this pick, the more angry I get.  This guy likely would have been around in the 3rd round - where the Bengals have 2 picks!  Do the Bengals really think we have the DTs to compete?  Sims and Laws were still available - and were taken soon after the Bengals botched their pick.  John Thorton has never been dominant and Peko was a non-factor all year.  The Bengals got outmaneuvered in Round 1 with the Saints trading up to take Ellis and the Jags trading up to get Harvey - and then in Round 2 with the opportunity to get a guy who could help improve the defense - we blow it.

I can only imagine how they will botch tomrorrow.  My guess for the 3rd round pick: Tom Zbikowski.

7:55: I am still in absolute shock.  Jerome Simpson.  Coastal Carolina.  The Bengals did not improve their pass rush and did not get a run stuffing DT that can draw double teams. They passed up Limas Sweed and Early Doucet to take a guy who has racked up stats against subpar competition.  I guess you could argue that Jerry Rice did the same - but do you really have more confidence in the Bengals scouting department to see something special in this kid more than other teams?

7:47: As bad as I thought it could be, I did not expect it would be this bad.  Wow.  Viva la Revolution.

7:45: Who is this guy???????????????

7:44: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!

7:40: Prediction -  Quentin Groves.

7:39: Bengals on the clock....

7:32: Chicago should take a QB (Rex Grossman is our QB) and the Detroit could take a DT in front of the Bengals to make up for losing Shaun Rogers.

7:29: Tyrell Johnson taken.  Calais Campbell and Quentin Groves still available.  If anyone is sitting near Mike Brown, please pass along this information.

7:28: 2 picks to go - please Mike Brown, take defense.  Please.

7:27: Eddie Royal taken in the 2nd round!  I talked about him on Mo's show on Monday.  I am a budding Mel Kiper.

7:16: Jerry Jones interviewed on NFL Network - makes it as clear as possible (since he isn't allowed to talk about trading for players under contract with another team) that he is interested in trading for Chad.  What do they offer though? 

7:14:  I think Avril is off the board for the Bengals until the 3rd round at least.

7:12: Picks I would be happy with: Sims, Tyrell Johnson, Campbell, Groves.

7:06:  If I'm Malcom Kelly...I'm calling Mike Brown to say "You know I loved your work when you beat the IRS in tax court...think you can give me some pointers?"

7:03: Still on the board for the Bengals with 7 picks to go: DeSean Jackson (WR), Limas Sweed (WR), Marion Manningham (WR), Early Doucet (WR), James Hardy (WR), Malcom Kelly (WR), Calais Campbell (DE), Quentin Groves (DE), Cliff Avril (DE), Pat Sims (DT), Trevor Laws (DT), Tyrell Johnson (S).

6:57: I guess we now have to hope for bad WRs to get taken before the Bengals - Thanks Green Bay (Jordy Nelson).

6:51: Chiefs are having a fantastic draft. Has anyone EVER said that about the Bengals?

6:46: Buck, why would the Bengals ever trade up?  They will just take the best available (WR) in Round 2.

6:35:  TRADE UP AND GET MERLING!!  Or sit back and take Trevor Laws.  But with all the WR's falling...you know what that means.

6:24:  Kentwan Balmer taken - is the 3-4 dead for the Bengals?

6:22: Mayne pipes into say "The Bengals are fucking lame.  Simon, write that down."

6:05:  Best defensive lineman still available:  Philip Merling, Kentwan Balmer, Pat Sims, Calais Campbell, Trevor Laws, Lawrence Jackson, Chris Ellis (Va Tech)

5:54: How many RBs do the Titans have now?  Also, more worryingly, no WRs have been taken.  Gonna be hard to pass up a WR in the 2nd round for the Bengals now.

5:50: Every good team in the NFL employs a 2-back system (except the Chargers who have LT).

5:43:  Steelers take Mendenhall?

5:42: Why has Mendenhall dropped so far?  You could argue he's a better all around back than McFadden.

5:36: The Bengals have so many linebackers...we really could have used a DT or DE.  Too bad Mike Brown couldn't have been bothered to make a trade.

5:24:  Bengals trade up to get Kentwan Balmer?  Maybe it makes too much sense.

5:21: One more pick for the Bengals to offload Chad...will it happen?

5:09: Nick Simon: New Chad interview on NFL.com 

Key quote:  I don't blame Marvin Lewis. I love him. You have never heard me say one bad thing about my coaches or teammates. I know it's not up to Coach Lewis. Whether I'm traded, or if we get better players, is not up to him. If it was up to Coach Lewis, then he would do it."

 

Sounds like WDR.  More on this later.

5:01: That's an insult to (FEMA) Mike Brown.

5:00: I still say the Bengals have to go defensive line in the second round...Trevor Laws, Pat Sims.   Or maybe Calaias Campbell out of the U...6'7" plus.

4:52: 5 more picks for the Bengals to trade Chad to the Skins.  The football knowledge between Mike Brown and Dan Snyder would rival the other Mike Brown's understanding of federal response to hurricanes.

4:50: The Chiefs have significantly improved today.

4:49:  Dorsey and Albert?  The Chiefs are having a hell of a draft.

Tune in Tomorrow for WDR NFL Draft Live Blog

Live Blog of the NFL Draft will begin right here at 2:00 on Saturday, April 26th.  Check back then....

Thou Shalt Not Waste Carson Palmer's Career

Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com and Sporting News recently wrote an article indicating that Bengals’ owner, Mike Brown, is handling the Chad Johnson situation properly and admirably.  The article raises some very interesting points and I think that Brown’s response to Chad Johnson is completely understandable, somewhat admirable but, ultimately, still incorrect. 

The situation is as follows.  The Bengals gave Chad Johnson a significant sum of money up front and extended his contract through 2010 (or 2011 if the Bengals would, for some reason, exercise an option).  Now that the bonuses have been paid, Chad has to live with being paid the paltry salary of…GASP!...$3 million per year and is not focusing on the money that the Bengals have already paid him.  Surely, Chad has invested this money wisely to create a diverse portfolio yielding a consistent, positive return for his future.  Nonetheless, Johnson has still made the decision to kick, scream and threaten to never play for the Bengals again.  The problem is that while Chad has received a great deal of money, he has not given us the performance that he agreed to through 2010.  What would we do if we were in Mike Brown’s situation with his perspective?  If you had paid a player large bonuses with the understanding that he would be on your team for 5 years and then he decided he didn’t want to play for you anymore after 2 years, what would you do?  If a lot of us were in that situation and realizing we likely couldn't physically take the player who put us in this situation, we would probably tell him to piss off because we would feel taken advantage of and wronged.  This is exactly what Mike Brown is doing, which is very understandable and as Florio points out, maybe even somewhat admirable.  It sends a message that behavior like this will not be tolerated in a sports world where it so often is.  Perhaps, it wins back a locker room that was lost after overlooking so much of Chad’s B.S. in the past.  It also makes financial sense because of the salary cap hit.  Despite all of this and my complete understanding of the reasoning behind not trading Chad Johnson, I still strongly disagree with the move for one main reason….

Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer's career should not be wasted.  It is universally accepted throughout the league that Carson Palmer has the talent of a top QB.  Before last year, a common thought was that Palmer was the best QB after Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.  Whether this is true or not, the point is that Carson is a unique talent and quarterback is a difficult position to get right in the NFL.  Since Boomer Esiason, look how many quarterbacks the Bengals have had to go through to return to the playoffs.  Here’s a quick rundown if it is not too painful to read: David Klingler, Jay Schroeder, Jeff Blake, (old, still awesome but too late in the season to recover from the horrid start) Boomer Esiason, Neil O’Donnell, Jeff Blake (again), Akili Smith, Scott Mitchell, Gus Frerotte and (new, improved but still not a playoff QB) Jon Kitna. Now that I’ve taken a necessary five minute break after typing that last sentence and we finally have our playoff caliber quarterback, we absolutely MUST shoot for the playoffs every year.  This means right now.  Every year that we do not perform to our abilities and miss the playoffs is another wasted year of Carson Palmer’s career.  When that career is over, who knows how long it will take for us to get another elite quarterback?  If it’s as long as it took last time, we should be making the playoffs again sometime around 2025 and the invention of hoverboards.  The time is now with Carson Palmer and as a result, every decision should be made with an eye towards winning immediately.  By having this stale mate with Chad Johnson, the Bengals are not capitalizing on Carson Palmer’s ability.  Absent a trade, there are two potential outcomes:

Chad Johnson Holds Out

If Chad Johnson holds out, we are down a pro bowl wide receiver.  While we can fine him and get some money back from him, we will have received no draft picks, no players and no improvement to our football team.  In addition, we will still be in for weekly, if not daily, questions posed to Marvin Lewis and every other member of the Bengals organization as to the team’s thoughts on Chad Johnson.  The distraction will linger and we will have received nothing that will make us a better football team in return for Chad Johnson’s absence.

Chad Johnson Decides to Play Football

If Chad does play for the Bengals in the 2008 season, it will only be to earn his money.  His arrival will cause an en even bigger media frenzy and distraction to the clubhouse.  If Chad was disruptive before all of this, one can imagine how he will be now.  To me, this is the worst-case scenario.  After Chad’s adolescent behavior and blasting the organization, the coach and Carson, how can anyone want him back in that locker room?  Certainly, there will be at least a few people on the team that get into altercations with Chad or are generally angry with his presence.  This clearly will not have a positive effect on our football team.

Either way, by not trading Chad Johnson, the Cincinnati Bengals are failing to do what is best for the football team while we have a quarterback that can get us to the playoffs.  If we can trade Chad Johnson to get two number one picks to play with Carson Palmer during the prime of his career, we absolutely should.  The window for the playoffs, and dare I say it, a Super Bowl championship, is closing by the year.  Keeping Chad Johnson in the equation through 2010 detracts from that goal and passes up the opportunity to obtain additional players who can contribute to that goal.

Reason #413,569 to hate Drew Rosenhaus

I have been on board to trade Chad Johnson for a long time now, but when you watch the garbage you will see below, you can at least understand why the Bengals would love to prove a point to Ocho Psycho and his disgusting agent, Drew Rosenhaus.  Do the Bengals still need to think about their other players like Carson Palmer, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Willie Anderson who would die to win a Super Bowl and get rid of Chad?  Of course they do.  But...you can at least see why no one wants to see this guy win.

I literally became physically ill while enduring this 1:42 of verbal diarrhea.