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★★★Official 2015 Cincy Bengals-now with more K Webb (3 Viewers)

I think the plan is to have Pollack start at C. I wouldn't mind seeing us grab one though for sure. I think we go OT and DE today.

-QG
Dream scenario would be a versatile OL like Bitoinio who could play just about anywhere. I agree though that a guy capable of playing OT is more likely than a purely inside guy like Swanson, Richburg or Martin. Need a swing tackle that is better than Marshall Newhouse.

If Bitonio is gone (which is likely), somebody like Jack Mewhort makes sense. Can start at LG if Boling isn't ready and backup both LT and RT. No guarantee he is good enough to eventually take over starting LT, but its not a crazy thought.

 
How does everyone feel about the Hill pick? The announcers on NFL Network all called it. I wasn't really expecting it. I'd think it's an upgrade over BJGE. Now we'll get to speculate how Bernard and Hill will split carries.

 
How does everyone feel about the Hill pick? The announcers on NFL Network all called it. I wasn't really expecting it. I'd think it's an upgrade over BJGE. Now we'll get to speculate how Bernard and Hill will split carries.
absolutely atrocious pick. they got a plodder at the most replaceable, least impactful position when they had plenty of weak spots at more important positions. must be extremely disappointing to pass on oline, dline, lb, safety.

and they likely didnt even get the best guy for the job with hyde still out there.

 
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RBs are now fungible. He is an upgrade over 2nd 9 (which is my nickname for BJGE).

He has a million red flags - 2 arrests the last of which was in '13.

We finally broke the habit of drafting these kinds of guys with early round picks and Hue has us doing it again (and I believe this is 100% a Hue Jackson pick). It fits what Jackson wants to do with our offense, I will say that.

But I don't love the pick. I hope this guy changes my mind.

Gio owners are dying - but I actually don't think he was ever going to be the every round back (though Hue will use him more).

I'll trust Hue on the talent question. Just hate that this guy is a bad headline waiting to happen.

-QG

 
Posted this in the draft thread but probably a better fit here....

I just had a thought about Gio and the Bengals offense.

Nothing substantial other than my own addled brain of course but I'm thinking that what the Hill pick really might mean is that you'll see Gio take up some of those plays that would have been booked for Hawkins. That they'll put both him and Hill in the backfield and split out Gio in the slot sometimes basically in the role of WR-3. If they don't pick a Hawkins-type WR I will feel a little more sure in this assessment.

I remember the salad says of the Woods/Brooks backfield. That was a powerful offense that had good receivers like Collinsworth as well. Both RBs did well fantasywise that year (both 10+ TDs) and Boomer through plenty of TDs. Basically it's a doable concept.

Hue is in command of the offense and I have to trust him (and he's been around long enough that I do respect him and trust him with this). I think Dalton's more likely to get dinged a little in fantasy value. Sanu's value might be basically dead. Marvin Jones won't get above what Alvin Harper usually did back in the day. Gio - my gut says Gio will still be alright.

-QG

 
Certainly the Bengals went with the back they thought was a better bit than one they'd think would be more popular skipping the Buckeye there.

Thrilled with the Clarke pick I think - another monster sized dude.

-QG

 
RBs are now fungible. He is an upgrade over 2nd 9 (which is my nickname for BJGE).

He has a million red flags - 2 arrests the last of which was in '13.

We finally broke the habit of drafting these kinds of guys with early round picks and Hue has us doing it again (and I believe this is 100% a Hue Jackson pick). It fits what Jackson wants to do with our offense, I will say that.

But I don't love the pick. I hope this guy changes my mind.

Gio owners are dying - but I actually don't think he was ever going to be the every round back (though Hue will use him more).

I'll trust Hue on the talent question. Just hate that this guy is a bad headline waiting to happen.

-QG
Fears about Gio are overblown - in 2010 McCoy was the #3 RB with only 207 carries. In PPR what really matters is his receptions, not his number of carries.

 
Gotta say I'm a little underwhelmed by this draft. I would like to see James Hurst today. We will eventually need more pass blocking and we have time to wait on him to get 100%.

I was interested in QB when the best ones were falling, but I don't think we need to take 1 just to have a body there. Can't imagine anyone left could start in 2015 even if Dalton was somehow gone.

 
I'd like opinions from QG, cstu, and other bengals' fans on the following...

1. Seems like we're very young and talented on Offense. (ages as of Sept 01, 2014)

Dalton (26)

Gio (22), Hill (21)

AJ Green (26), Marvin Jones (24), Sanu (25)

Gresham (26), Eifert (23)

Outside of maybe QB, seems like we won't need to draft another skill player for another 2 years (unless value falls to us) in the first 2 rounds.

2. Dalton is a divisive player. Some love, some hate. I'm not sold on him, I expect him to do enough to make us go "well...he's good enough...probably..." which kinda leaves us in limbo at QB. Will be interesting to see if they sign him long term after this year. I'd prefer if you all commented on the other points as this has been debated to death.

3. Run defense is solid. I love Atkins and hopefully we can replace Michael Johnson. Love the Dennard pickup to help the 28th overall pass defense. Would like to improve our safety play. Burfict was an amazing surprise and from what I've seen, Rey seems to make plays (feel free to correct, I'm much less informed about the defense). If Leon Hall returns semi-healthy it'll definitely help. Is Kirkpatrick a bust or soon to be bust? Seems like general opinion is definitely leaning that way.

4. Overall we seem like a solid team. A perennial playoff contender who maybe doesn't have the dynamic QB or solid enough defense to really make it to the super bowl. But that could change in the next 1-3 years. After the 1990s, I'm very happy with the general state/direction of the team.

5. The Hill pick in the 2nd round. BJGE averaged 3.4 yds/carry on 220 carries...and he hasn't averaged over 4.0 yds/carry since 2010 with the Patriots. I was originally disappointed with the pick because i felt our RBs were not a weakness.

Hill - 6'2", 236lbs

BJGE - 5'11", 220lbs

Gio - 5'9", 208lbs

Hill was the 2nd RB taken in the draft. He should be better than BJGE. Should provide a more competent power runner to complement Gio's abilities. (I definitely don't like the character concerns as it seems we were finally moving away from those types of players).

6. Biggest question for fantasy owners...how will carries be split between Gio/Hill/BJGE? Bernard was the #18 RB in non-ppr with 170 carries and 56 receptions. BJGE has 220 carries. Seems like i could see 190 carries for Gio with 45-55 catches. Then the rest would be divided between BJGE and Hill depending on how ready Hill is. Does that seem reasonable? Not ideal for fantasy owners wanting Gio to get 225+ carries...but I think that split helps preserve Gio and helps us preserve leads late in the game by using Hill.

7. How is our Offensive Line? We need to improve our pass protection? Where are our strengths and weaknesses and depth along the line?

 
1. One of the best young offensive teams, no question

2. Dalton is what he is - competent. He's not worth $15M but as hard as it is to find a competent QB they may be left with little choice.

3. Defense looks better than last year. Kirkpatrick looks like a bust, he could turn it around but hasn't looked good so far.

4. They will only be held back in the playoffs by Dalton.

5. Hill is an improvement over BJGE and the running game should be even better this year.

6. Gio is the playmaker in the offense he will still get his. Carries are probably limited to ~200 but his fantasy value is in his receiving so he should be fine. Trying to gauge Hill's fantasy value is more difficult - he can get 200 carries but receptions will be limited and he'll rely on TD's for value.

 
If cutting BJGE saves Mike Brown some coin, I don't see him on the opening day roster.
Based on an internet search...

Base salary - $2.3 million

Signing bonus - $500k

Workout bonus - $200k

Cap hit - $3 million

And in 2015 he's an UFA. Seems like he'll be on the team this year while Hill learns the system and then he'll be an obvious cut next year.

 
Yeah this is it for the Law Firm - Hill a much cheaper replacement. And we probably won't start a ton of drives with 2nd 9 either.

-QG

 
Eh. As a Bengals' fan I'm skeptical. Solid pick in terms of talent and possible need. Let's see what he shows in terms of poise and accuracy in camp. Might need a couple of years to develop. Happy with the pick. But not ready to get too excited about it too quick. (Akili Smith and others have made me gunshy)

 
koreansteve said:
knowledge dropper said:
If cutting BJGE saves Mike Brown some coin, I don't see him on the opening day roster.
Based on an internet search...

Base salary - $2.3 million

Signing bonus - $500k

Workout bonus - $200k

Cap hit - $3 million

And in 2015 he's an UFA. Seems like he'll be on the team this year while Hill learns the system and then he'll be an obvious cut next year.
I'd rather save the $2M this year and roll with Gio/Hill.

 
Lawfirm is gone. You could kind of tell when Hue Jackson was asked about it in the press conference. He didn't come out and say it, but it didn't take a lot of reading between the lines. Saves them $2.5M by cutting him.

Should be a great battle for the 3rd (and maybe 4th) RB spots behind Gio and Hill:

-Rex Burkhead- Last year's 6th who they seem to really like and could be a solid special teamer.

-Cedric Peerman- Solid vet who has been special teams captain.

-James Wilder Jr.- Interesting UDFA signing who may have a shot to stick as the #3 or 4

Also, interesting to note the Bengals signed the FB Hewitt from Stanford. Should have a good shot at making the team. The Orson Charles FB experiment was a failure.

 
Hmm, I might have to put a Dalton contract pole out there.

-QG
The strange thing is the impact of the recent drafts on QB valuations. As recently as 14 months ago I would have been dead set against the idea of starting over at QB because it's just so hard to find a real upgrade. Now, we pick in the 20s and we're looking at guys like Manziel and Bridgewater. If that happened again next year, you'd be talking about Marriota or Jameis (lots have him going #1 but lots had Teddy #1 a year ago). I like Dalton and I will support him if he gets extended, but I think the cost to replace QB has take a sharp downturn.

As much as I think he's done enough to be a valuable QB, when teams are letting names like Manziel, Teddy, and maybe soon to be Jameis/Mariotta float around for just a pick, I'm skeptical we need to break the bank just to stay average at QB.

 
Hmm, I might have to put a Dalton contract pole out there.

-QG
The strange thing is the impact of the recent drafts on QB valuations. As recently as 14 months ago I would have been dead set against the idea of starting over at QB because it's just so hard to find a real upgrade. Now, we pick in the 20s and we're looking at guys like Manziel and Bridgewater. If that happened again next year, you'd be talking about Marriota or Jameis (lots have him going #1 but lots had Teddy #1 a year ago). I like Dalton and I will support him if he gets extended, but I think the cost to replace QB has take a sharp downturn.

As much as I think he's done enough to be a valuable QB, when teams are letting names like Manziel, Teddy, and maybe soon to be Jameis/Mariotta float around for just a pick, I'm skeptical we need to break the bank just to stay average at QB.
I think some of that reflects on the prospects themselves. Now RGIII at 2 does seem like it was perhaps a bit too high (though that has more to do with his ability to stay healthy than his talent). But none of these guys are Andrew Luck. It seems to go in cycles. Bortles, Manziel, Bridgewater, I haven't really gotten the sense that any of these guys is a franchise saver. Now there definitely is less of a market demand than the now ridiculous looking draft of '11. Newton, Dalton, and Kaep are the only guys that are anything.

I don't think any of these quarterbacks must have excited the Bengals to think they were must gets to replace Dalton. And based on track record why replace a guy where you know the good and bad with a guy who is 100% question mark? Why replace Dalton with the modern equivalent of Locker, Gabbert, or Ponder potentially?

All that said, I hope they play out the option. If he does enough to break the bank, so be it. $20m in '15, '16, '17 and '18 isn't all that different from $18m in '14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.

-QG

 
Good points and I'm definitely torn on the topic.

I don't think they have to be franchise savers though. The franchise is in as good of shape as it's been in 25 years. For WHY replace Dalton, mostly money and a little bit upside. I think you can be league average for cheap at QB now which is something that was not an option very recently. Picking Bridgewater or a comparable player next year means you're likely league average at QB for 2M a year instead of league average for 18M. That has value, even if it carries some risk. In addition, I think some of the young QBs probably have higher ceilings than Andy.

 
Late to the party, but just a couple opinions on a few things.

-I absolutely love the Dennard pick in the 1st. Having him, Hall and Pacman in on nickel packages is exciting to think about. Every game I watched of MSU was impressive this year, their pass defense was by far the best college football pass defense I've seen this past year and it started with Dennard.

-The Hill pick in the 2nd was a head scratcher at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. BJGE didn't do so well in short yardage last year, Hill will be a great compliment to Gio. I would like to see more 2 back packages with Gio and Hill catching passes out of the backfield, but I think that would have a higher chance of happening if Gruden was still the OC compared to Hue. For a big back, he sure does have soft hands. I think Hill will take away some of Gio's touches in the redzone as the year goes on, much like Gio did to BJGE.

-I was excited about the Clarke and Bodine picks too. I think they will both provide some great depth at each of their positions (DE and G/C). I can't see either of them providing much this year though. I think Clarke could play a huge role at the DE spot opposite of Dunlap in a year or 2. I see Bodine as more of a backup most of the time he is with the Bengals, I would love to see him step up and take over the C spot.

-A lot of my friends were excited about the McCarron pick, but I just don't see it meaning much. The guy is a prototypical backup QB in the NFL, he isn't going to mean much more than that. He doesn't excite me one bit, I would of rather seen someone like Zach Mettenberger or Aaron Murray. I think they both have a better chance to surprise teams and be a starter in the future.

-As for Dalton, I really hope the Bengals don't pay him before this season starts. I would like to see him play this year for a contract much like Flacco from the Super Bowl year. I don't think Dalton is worth the 18-20 million that he is asking for, especially before this season. I would feel a lot better with giving Dalton maybe 10-13 million, but unless he proves to me otherwise, he is what he is. An Average QB.

 
-A lot of my friends were excited about the McCarron pick, but I just don't see it meaning much. The guy is a prototypical backup QB in the NFL, he isn't going to mean much more than that. He doesn't excite me one bit, I would of rather seen someone like Zach Mettenberger or Aaron Murray. I think they both have a better chance to surprise teams and be a starter in the future.
This is the same thing I like about him as a pick. I think too many teams are invested in using the backup QB position as a lottery ticket, hoping a guy with a lot of potential will come through on a longshot to develop.

But I think there's a lot to be said in having a true, bona fide backup QB on your roster, a la Charlie Batch for so many years in PIT. A guy who is a good game manager right out of the gate, whose major check in the "pros" column on draft day is that he rarely makes mistakes, and who as a fan you can feel more or less 100% confident won't go out there in a high-pressure situation and lose it for you outright.

I don't know that I liked ANY of the QB's in this draft to be a guy I'd have been happy with my franchise developing as a presumptive starter. But among the guys who could really help a team out as a long term backup QB, AJ was my absolute favorite one in the draft.

If you're really down on Dalton, and were hoping for his heir apparent, then I can understand why you might be sour on this pick. But if you like the team as it's designed, and simply want to hedge against the game or two (on average) per season your starter won't be able to stay out there for every important snap, then you'd have been hard pressed to draft better. The boring, capable guy who won't lose it for you is a valuable commodity for a franchise that wants to be a contender.

 
-A lot of my friends were excited about the McCarron pick, but I just don't see it meaning much. The guy is a prototypical backup QB in the NFL, he isn't going to mean much more than that. He doesn't excite me one bit, I would of rather seen someone like Zach Mettenberger or Aaron Murray. I think they both have a better chance to surprise teams and be a starter in the future.
If you're really down on Dalton, and were hoping for his heir apparent, then I can understand why you might be sour on this pick. But if you like the team as it's designed, and simply want to hedge against the game or two (on average) per season your starter won't be able to stay out there for every important snap, then you'd have been hard pressed to draft better. The boring, capable guy who won't lose it for you is a valuable commodity for a franchise that wants to be a contender.
I think this is the main reason why I don't really like the pick that much. I was hoping to get someone who is going to put pressure on Dalton to perform well to prove that he is the starter over someone else. With McCarron in the mix, I don't think it is giving Dalton any concern whatsoever.

 
Hmm, I might have to put a Dalton contract pole out there.

-QG
Still nothing.... fire it up?
Sure. LOL what was the question again - let me know if what I put works or if it needs a do-over.
haha this works. For the first time, I'm starting to question if Dalton has a deal by opening day. I honestly thought it would be done or there would at least be smoke. I still think he's our QB long-term, but could we be looking at in-season negotiations? Lock him up after the season Flacco-style? Would Andy have a preferred destination if we let it get that far?

For now, I'm voting long-term deal 15-20M, but I'm not laughing off any of the options they way I might have a while back.

 
I think the plan is to have Pollack start at C. I wouldn't mind seeing us grab one though for sure. I think we go OT and DE today.

-QG
And apparently not - only listed at LG on the depth chart. The rookie is tabbed as the starting center right now.

Eifert seems to have been heavily in the mix so far in camp.

Hill is listed as 3rd on the RB depth chart - I still think that's an "earn your spot" plot though.

There's a camp invitee whose name I'm forgetting who is making a big impression at fullback (and would have been getting like 70% of the airtime if we were on Hard Knocks this year). That said the depth chart that was released has an H-Back type position in that spot with Eifert at the top of the chart above Charles. So we'll see if there's anything to it. Wouldn't mind having a real fullback this year, especially with the emphasis on the run.

Oh, and Dalton signed an extension.

-QG

 
Hmm, I might have to put a Dalton contract pole out there.

-QG
Still nothing.... fire it up?
Sure. LOL what was the question again - let me know if what I put works or if it needs a do-over.
haha this works. For the first time, I'm starting to question if Dalton has a deal by opening day. I honestly thought it would be done or there would at least be smoke. I still think he's our QB long-term, but could we be looking at in-season negotiations? Lock him up after the season Flacco-style? Would Andy have a preferred destination if we let it get that far?

For now, I'm voting long-term deal 15-20M, but I'm not laughing off any of the options they way I might have a while back.
I still don't quite know how to categorize this new Kaepernick-extension. Looks long term, but plays out short term in many ways. I'd give full credit to either answer if I were grading the exam.

 
Hmm, I might have to put a Dalton contract pole out there.

-QG
Still nothing.... fire it up?
Sure. LOL what was the question again - let me know if what I put works or if it needs a do-over.
haha this works. For the first time, I'm starting to question if Dalton has a deal by opening day. I honestly thought it would be done or there would at least be smoke. I still think he's our QB long-term, but could we be looking at in-season negotiations? Lock him up after the season Flacco-style? Would Andy have a preferred destination if we let it get that far?

For now, I'm voting long-term deal 15-20M, but I'm not laughing off any of the options they way I might have a while back.
I still don't quite know how to categorize this new Kaepernick-extension. Looks long term, but plays out short term in many ways. I'd give full credit to either answer if I were grading the exam.
Cheese gets full marks. Have details come out yet? Everyone is assuming it's a Kaepernick-Extension (with a lower ceiling but more money guaranteed). If that really is the case, I think it's a best case scenario. Really hard to fathom starting over with a crap-shoot rookie. Really hard to give a Cutleresque extension.

-QG

 
Hmm, I might have to put a Dalton contract pole out there.

-QG
Still nothing.... fire it up?
Sure. LOL what was the question again - let me know if what I put works or if it needs a do-over.
haha this works. For the first time, I'm starting to question if Dalton has a deal by opening day. I honestly thought it would be done or there would at least be smoke. I still think he's our QB long-term, but could we be looking at in-season negotiations? Lock him up after the season Flacco-style? Would Andy have a preferred destination if we let it get that far?

For now, I'm voting long-term deal 15-20M, but I'm not laughing off any of the options they way I might have a while back.
I still don't quite know how to categorize this new Kaepernick-extension. Looks long term, but plays out short term in many ways. I'd give full credit to either answer if I were grading the exam.
Cheese gets full marks. Have details come out yet? Everyone is assuming it's a Kaepernick-Extension (with a lower ceiling but more money guaranteed). If that really is the case, I think it's a best case scenario. Really hard to fathom starting over with a crap-shoot rookie. Really hard to give a Cutleresque extension.

-QG
Just going off what they were reporting on morning radio between segments. Maybe they were jumping the gun. :shrug:

I can't imagine that with those kind of numbers, it would be anything but the Kaepernick plan. Whole NFL seemed to acknowledge the instant the ink dried on that contract that it was going to be the way forward for every team with a "Good Enough QB For Right Now" under center.

Kudos to both Andy and Bengals, if that's the case. He gets to plead his case by proving he's worth it while making a mint for the current season; they get to keep flexibility moving forward in case an amazing opportunity comes up. :thumbup:

 
I agree that it's probably a Kaep contract. Just was hoping you might have seen an article I missed that had more details :)

-QG

 
I declare the contract liveable. They can get out after 2 years/$25m or 3 years/$35 before the big years really hit. The $19m year number only really applies if they win the Super Bowl. If that happens they could make it $40m for all I would care.

-QG

 
A provisional 2/25 sounds very reasonable. I'm willing to trust more inquiring minds to check on the details and fine print.

 
The most important numbers are the numbers fully guaranteed at signing.

Dalton receives a signing bonus of $12 million and a roster bonus in three days of $5 million. That’s a total of $17 million out of the gates.

Coupled with his $986,000 base salary (which isn’t guaranteed as a legal matter but it is as a practical matter), Dalton will make $18 million in the first year of the deal.

Then, on the third day of the 2015 league year in March, Dalton earns a $4 million roster bonus. He also has a $3 million non-guaranteed base salary in 2015. That’s $25 million over two years.

The rest of the base deal is simple. In addition to annual workout bonuses of $200,000, Dalton has base salaries of $10.5 million in 2016, $13.1 million in 2017, $13.7 million in 2018, $16 million in 2019, and $17.5 million in 2020.
From the PFT article.

-QG

 
Raiderfan32904 said:
Love that Dennard is looking good. Hopefully he'll look like a solid CB for the future by the end of this year (unlike Kirkpatrick).

I agree with QG, the Dalton contract seems 'liveable'. We can get out after 2-3 years...during which time we should be grooming someone. If he does magically turn into a top 10 QB or wins us a Super Bowl, then feel free to throw that money in the contract at him.

 
It occurs to me as I read with my morning java that the NFL had better wake up and smell the coffee - the Bengals are looking like the class of the AFC right now. Possible SB defense, great run game and an efficient pass game, combined with a nice schedule.

 
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saw bengals as 2 pt dogs for the early line which would make them a neutral field favorite. pretty impressive.

 

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