After proving that he can live up to his bad-ass name last year, the Bengals signed Tank Johnson to a 4 year deal.  In the 13 games that Tank started, he racked up 29 tackles and 2 sacks and played the leadership role for a defense that was ass-blastingly good last season.  This was an excellent move to maintain the Bengals high level of defense required to compete every year for the AFC North championship. 

Who Dey.

Free agency opened on Friday and there were some teams that were very busy like the Bears and Ravens and there were some teams who weren't busy at all, like the Bengals..... sort of (UH-OH).    I mentioned in a previous article that I would love to see Brandon Marshal in stripes this year via a first round pick traded to the Broncos but it doensn't look like I'm going to get my wish.  I've heard that the Bengals have been in contact with another wide receiver, though.  A wide receiver that some of you hate, probably with good reason, but he's a wide receiver that possesses an obvious overabundance of skill.... and ego.  Yes, I'm talking about Terrell Owens (DUN-dun-dun).

I'm assuming if you are a faithful WDR reader, you've already chucked your computer out of your window and now you are sitting under your desk, crying and holding you binky whispering to yourself that it isn't true.  For the rest of you, hear me out.  I'm not a huge T.O. fan.  I think the guy is more of a celebrity than a football player and it's no secret that he's burnt every bridge in every city that he's been in, minus Buffalo because I don't think he really cared.  He was run out of San Francisco, he turned the Eagles against each other and he made Tony Romo cry in Dallas.  He's the definition of Diva when it comes to football.  He has his own TV show.  He is 37.  Any football fan has good reason to cringe when they hear his or her favorite team in interested in T.O.  And considering all of this.... I still think it could work.

With all of the downside to T.O., there is still an upside.  That upside is the fact that at 37, he still has more talent in his little finger than a lot of young receivers will ever have in their entire lives.  He is a double move master, he's fast, he can catch if the ball is thrown well, he wants to win and he works hard to get what he wants.  He could be a guy, if just for one season, that takes a lot of attention off of Chad and the Bengals could get him cheap.  Any defense that would play against the Bengals would not be able to ignore or be comfortable with the fact that they have to cover Owens and Ochocinco. 

I'm not starting a "Bring T.O. to Cinci" Campaign.  I'm just asking you to think about it before you start selling your season tickets or rioting in the streets.  It may not be such a terrible thing.  We all noticed what happened in the locker room this past season.  Teams that aren't anchored by solid leadership and guys that have their heads on straight don't get past the death of a coaches wife and the death of a friend without falling apart a little bit.  The Bengals finally have the locker room that Marvin Lewis wants.  Would T.O. ruin that?  I don't know.  I don't think the answer is a definite "yes" though.  Besides, when asked about throwing to T.O., Carson Palmer said "I'd love love to.  His past doens't bother me at all. If any QB can deal with extravagant wars, it's me"

Brandon Marshall is good.  He's 25 (still young) and he can run, catch, run after he catches, get open and score touchdowns.  Those are the main criteria for being a good wide receiver.  Now that the Laveranues Coles experiment has officially gone tits up (AKA he was released), the Bengals have a #1 receiver, Chad, and a #3 receiver, Caldwell but no #2.  I don't think anybody really knows where Matt Jones fits in the equation or if Simpson will ever make it on the field.  I do know two things, though, and one of those things is that the Bengals are hurting in the wide receiver department.  The other thing is that Brandon Marshall is better than any wide receiver entering this years draft by a long shot and he would absolutely be worth a 1st round pick.  He may not be the deep threat that the Bengals could use right now but he would only help the recently anemic passing game in so many ways. 

There are some questions to ask about Marshall though.  Obviously the guy's a diva and he's probably a pain in the ass and the last thing you would want is a new guy to come in and piss all over the good vibe fire that the Bengals seemed to be roasting their swell feelings marshmallows over last season.  However, if you watch the dude play, you gotta think that the juice would be worth the squeeze.  An NFL record with 21 catches in the game against the Colts last season?  Did you see it?  Holy Crap!  And that was with this guy chucking the ball to him.

Insert your own eye spacing joke here _______________

Imagine what he could do opposite Chad and with Carson throwing to him.

Here's the thing though, I want a kajillioin dollars, a private jet and a harem of bond/playboy girls.  It's not going to happen and I don't think the Brandon Marshal thing is going to happen either.  A guy can still dream though.

Side note: If we find out soon that Brandon Marshall will be gracing Cincinnati with his presence, I'll settle for the harem of bond/playboy girls

You can pick one of the following three options:  A. I either natually look like this B. I just smelled something terrible or C. I just got done watching the NFL Combine FOR YOU!  Well the answer is C.  That's right, I risked life and limb just so I could report back to you about who looked good and who looked not so good when it comes to the positions that the Bengals may be interested in drafting high.  You owe me.  I take payment in cash, food and ladie's phone numbers.  Here's what I saw:

Wide Receivers:

It is widely thought that the Bengals are in desperate need of a deep threat receiver who can stretch the field and give Chad and Carson more room to work.  The fastest of the receivers was Clemson's Ford Jacoby who ran an astonishing 4.28 40.  If you're not sure what a 4.28 40 means, it means that Jacoby is very Chris Johnsonish.  If you don't know who Chris Johnson is, go back to where you were before you stumbled upon this site.  While a 4.28 40 is very impressive, it isn't everything... see Under Argo vs. The Signing of Darius Heyward-Bey.  Jacoby would have to prove that he can run routes and, you know, catch a ball and not just run really fast in a straight line if he wants to be worthy of a first round pick....... AL DAVIS!!!

Other top performing wide receivers were Golden Tate from Notre Dame, Arrelious Benn from Illinois and Mardy Gilyard from Cincinnti.

While some see a wide receiver drafted in the first round, others look in their crystal ball and see the Bengals drafting a tight end.  While I tend to agree with the wide receiver argument, the tight end argument has some legs.  After all, players at the tight end position really showcased their ability to block well, catch every ball thrown to them and when they caught the ball, they certainly didn't fumble it.  So..... wait, what?....... oh...... they did the exact opposite of that?  Oh.  Man, I really need to stop drinking so heavily before the games.  Anyway, I guess our tight ends sucked last year and even though veteran and locker room leader Reggie Kelly could make a come back this year, it's unsure if he'll ever be the same after rupturing his achilles.  Besides, he was never really a pass catching threat anyway and who the hell knows what's going to happen to Chase Coffman.  At one point in the season, I thought he was dead.  The top tight end was Dorin Dickerson from Pitt.  He ran a 4.40 and put up some impressive numbers throughout the other drills including bench press where he lifted a baby elephant 24 times.  However, like Ford Jacoby, the combine only says so much.  Players would need to prove that they can do everything on the field, no just run fast and lift up large zoo babies.

Weeee!

This is where an extensive scouting department comes in handy........ shit.

Other top tight ends were Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma, Jimmy Graham from Miami (FL) and Clay Harbor from Missouri State. 

Who really knows what's going to happen.  I sure as hell don't and I'd be willing to bet that the Bengals front office isn't really sure quite yet either.

Do I even need to tell you who this article is about?  Yep.  Chad.  It's unofficially official that Chad Ochocinco will be tearing up the dance floor on this season of "Dancing With The Stars" (a show that I've never watched... I've never even heard about it until just now... what is this dance that you speak of?). 

Chad's going to join Dolphin defensive end Jason Taylor as the only active NFL player to star on the show.  Ex-NFL players to be on the show include Warren "Saucy" Sapp, Emmitt "Slick Moves" Smith and Jerry "Rico Suave" Rice.  There is no doubt in my mind that Chad can dance circles around all of these wanna-be ballerinas. 

The show premiers on March 22nd.  I'll be too busy chopping down trees and growing a beard to tune in but feel free to leave your thoughts in our comments section.  I swear I won't make fun of you.

Good luck, Chad.  The NFL won't be able to fine you for your dancing where you're going so let loose.

Starting Saturday, we get to watch four days of the only thing that the NFL gives us that is boring.  That's right, the NFL Combine is just around the corner.  That means we get four whole days of watching guys run, jump, lift weights and run some more while other guys talk about it.  I watched it one time.  I was hurt and laid up on the couch and for four whole days I sat with my eyes glued to the NFL Network.  By the end of the four days I looked like that chick in the closet from The Ring (you know... minus the chick part and the dead part).

I DO like pancakes!!!

While I discourage you from watching the Combine because you'll wake up in a closet with a nasty case of lock jaw and you'll be wearing a skirt (see picture above), I understand that some of you want to be football super-duper fans and you'll watch it anyway.  If that's the case, don't say that I didn't warn you.  If you want to get a healthy dose of football without boring yourself into a coma or you want to just check out a certain postion, here's the schedule:

Saturday Feb. 27th:  offensive lineman and tight ends

Sunday Feb. 28th:    quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs

Monday Mar 1st:      defensive lineman and linebackers

Tuesday mar 2nd:   defensive backs

If you want to watch the positions that the Bengals are probably going to be watching for the first couple rounds, I would suggest watching the wide receivers and tight ends... but who really knows right?

Much like you would hold up a crusifix to a vampire or a flame thrower to anything Twilight related, the Bengals are holding the axe to cut Shane Gingerballs Graham loose.  The Bengals called two free agent kickers, Nick Novak and Dave Rayner, to come to Cincinnati and work out and Rayner's agent made an announcement Friday night that his client signed with the Bengals. 

After "allegedly" signing another kicker, there would be no reason to keep Graham in Cincinnati.  The front office should make it known to the public as soon as possible that Graham is forever banished from the Queen City so Bengals fans around the world can rejoice.  Hopefully he will sign with a rival team so he can screw up their winning chances in clutch situations. 

Actually.... I would prefer that it was acceptable to display Graham on fountain square so we can all throw rocks at his stupid face.  "Rocks at Shayne Graham's head before June, corn be heavy soon" (thanks college) we could say before his sacrifice to the gods of football (and to the gods of the only crop that can grow in southwest Ohio) and use him as an example to other Bengals players of what can happen to them if they decide to suck at their job when we need them not to suck.  To bad this isn't a Shirley Jackson kind of world.

"I'd like to think that the last thing that went through his head, other than that rock, was 'man I wish I didn't suck so much'"

The signing of Matt Jones and the what seams to be the inevitable release of Shayne Graham are two moves so far this offseason that have impressed me.  Front office.... so far, so good.

The first round of the 2010 NFL Draft is on April 22nd at 7:30 PM.  Rounds two and three are on Friday April 23rd at 6:30 PM and rounds four through seven are on Saturday morning, during my cartoon time.  If my calculations are correct (and they always are), then the NFL draft will start 69 (HA!) days and about 16 hours from right now. 

Last year, after completing the season with a 4-11-1 record, the Bengals had the number 6 pick in the draft.  This year, after finishing 10-7, the Bengals have the number 21 pick in the draft. 

Last year the focus of the Bengals draft was to start in the trenches and move out.  The Bengals drafted offensive and defensive lineman more than anything else; 4 of the 11 picks were lineman. 

This year the focus, I would think (and hope), would be to start with the skilled posiotions first and work their way back to the line.  It is a common theme in all of the mock drafts that are already polluting the internet that the Bengals draft a wide receiver or a tight end in the first round.  I tend to agree with the first.

A big and fast wide receiver could be the solution to many of the Bengals offensive woes.  It would give the Bengals somebody to stretch the field and open things up for Chad and Andre.  I personally hope the Bengals get their hands on Arrelious Benn from Illinois.  He's big (6'2" 220lbs big) and he's very fast.  Don't pay any attention to his numbers because he was unfortunate enough to have a bad quarterback throwing him the ball but his talent is unmistakable.

When it comes to the second round, I personally would like to see the Bengals draft another wide receiver but I don't think that will happen.  If they do, why not draft UC's Mardy Gilyard.  He's proven his value as a wide receiver and a punt/kick returner and he's a character guy. 

Just these two picks could help the Bengals passing game so much.  They would have their deep threat and a possession receiver.  Then the rest of the draft could be used to fill holes in the line or bring in new talented back ups for veterans. 

Either way, all I can hope for is a similar offseason and draft to what the Bengals had last year.  If the Bengals can pull that off two years in a row, I will officially start to change my feelings about the Bengals front office.  Notice, I said START to change my feelings.

If you’re an American and a sports fan, then you’ve probably been affected in some way or another.  Major League Baseball did it in 1994, The National Hockey League did it in in 2004 and the National Football League, Americas most popular professional sports league, could do it in 2011.  I’m talking about a strike, a lockout, a picket, a boycott;  I’m talking about the fact that after the 2010 season, it is likely that the NFL players may strike.  Here’s why:

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and the NFL owners agreed a while back to a salary cap that would end after the 2009-2010 season (now).  They would then sit down and talk again about a new salary cap.  Unfortunately, this time they haven’t been able to come up with some sort of agreement which means that the 2010-2011 season will be uncapped and then they will sit down at the end of that season to try to negotiate again.

First, what does an uncapped season mean for the NFL?  It means that major market teams in major market cities such as New York, Dallas, Chicago, LA and a few more can spend all the money they have to buy up all the expensive free agents.  Sound familiar? (see: New York Yankees/Boston Red Sox).  Smaller market teams like Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, Kansas City, Jacksonville and couple others could be left in the dust when big name players go after big money.  The Bengals couldn’t compete with The Giants in spending even if Mike Brown wasn’t cheap.  So what does that mean?  Well, it means that there is a decent chance that whoever wins the Super Bowl next year could have bought the Super Bowl. 

Well, it’s just one year right?  I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it’s possible that it may not be just one year.  Representatives from the NFLPA have said that if they play a season without a salary cap, they will never play with a salary cap again.  It’s much like a kid who has never tasted sugar.  He has no idea what he’s missing doesn’t crave sweets.  Then you give him one piece of chocolate and next thing you know, he has a sweet tooth that would rival Willy Wonka’s.  He’ll want sugar, or in this case tons of money, all the time.

Well, what could this possibly do to the NFL?  Well, let’s look at baseball for a minute.  The Yankees spent the most money in 2009 with a  team payroll of $201,449,289.  The Florida Marlins spent the least amount with a 2009 payroll of $36,814,000.  That’s a $164,635,289 difference.  The difference between those two teams is greater than any other teams payroll (other than the Yankees).  The Yankees won the 2009 World Series…. Coincidence?  The Yankees have won 27 World Series, the most in Major League Baseball…. Coincidence?  I don’t think so.

One of the NFL’s greatest assets has been the saying “Any Given Sunday”.  This saying means (possibly meant) that on any given Sunday, any team can beat any team.  That means that small market teams can beat major market teams.  It’s one of the reasons that the NFL has grown to be the most popular sports league in American history.  If the salary cap goes away permanently, then it is very possible for the balance of power to shift to the big cites and then we can say goodbye to “Any Given Sunday” and say hello to “Maybe We’ll Get Lucky This Sunday”.

NFL, please don't "Bud Selig" football.

If you took all of the starting quarterbacks from the NFL and lined them up according to skill, where would Carson Palmer be?  Would you have him next to Peyton Manning and Drew Brees in front, in the middle with the likes of Matt Ryan and Jay Cutler, or in the rear of the line with JaMarcus Russel and Brady Quinn?  The 2009 stats say that he belongs in the middle of the pack.  He tossed for 3,094 yards in the regular season which is 18th in the NFL (the middle) and he had a 83.6 passer rating which is 16th in the NFL (exactly the middle).  We all know, though, that a quarterback's passer rating and yards in one year don't necessarily decide where he stands among the other quarterbacks.

So what does?  I don't think that there is a formula to figure out which QB's are good and which QB's aren't.  I think that most people that know football just know.  It's not hard to see that Peyton Manning is greater than his numbers will ever say he is.  It's not hard to see that JaMarcus Russel isn't even as good as the bad numbers he puts up.  There is an X-Factor that good quarterbacks possess.  It's a culmination of leadership, arm strength, accuracy, intuition, intelligence, the ability to inspire, and a thousand other qualities that make a great quarterback.  The vast majority of quarterbacks in the NFL don't have all or most of these qualities..... only a few do.  Carson Palmer does.

He had a bad year; I agree with that.  He's much better than he played this past year, I agree with that too.  What I don't agree with is every person who thinks they know football when they say that Carson should be let go or that he's a bust.  Carson Palmer has the ability to be as great as we want him to be.  Personally, I put Palmer not in front of the line, but not far behind Manning, Brees, Brady, Rivers, and Warner.  He doesn't belong in the middle and he certaintly doesn't belong in the rear.  Don't believe me or think I don't know what I'm talking about?  Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason agree. 

Think about it for a few minutes.  If you think that Carson belongs in the middle of the pack of NFL quarterbacks then the only person who can change your mind is Carson.... it doesn't matter what I say.  I have a feeling that he'll be changing a lot of minds next season.