Marvin Lewis Staying On As Bengals' Coach (1 Viewer)

[zamboni]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5988635

Apologies - I see it mentioned on the Bengals' offseason thread sub-title

 

[bigmarc27]

The Bungles.

 

[Black Box]

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Surely you can't be serious

 

[thriftyrocker]

Does this make it more or likely Palmer and/or Benson will be back too?

 

[FantasyTrader]

Thank GOD. As a Bernard Scott dynasty owner I've always believed his 4.5 yards a carry are best served on a 60-70 att. per season platter. Marv needs to put the blinders on and ride Benson's 3.5 yards a pop.

Well done Cincy.

 

[Northbound Train]

 

[zamboni]

To be fair, Marvin did have the team heading in the right direction in 2009 before the wheels fell off again in 2010. Maybe Brown is giving him a chance to right the ship again, or more likely, doesn't want to pay up to get someone else.

From a fantasy perspective though, Bernard Scott owners have to be disappointed.

 

[Steed]

Does this make it more or likely Palmer and/or Benson will be back too?

Accordin to Rotoworld, the biggest sticking point for Lewis was allowing him to have more sway over personnel decisions, meanig he'll be grabbing up some defenders in the draft. As I see it Palmer and Benson stick, Ocho and TO get replaced by Pimpson and Caldwell.

 

[Choke]

HAHAHA!

 

[Football Jones]

I think Benson was gone either way. His contract is up & Brown is surely not dumb enough to re-sign him for what Benson will want. What likely will help Scott owners is Brown being cheap.

Who they bring in to compete with Scott is anyone's guess. Maybe Lewis will smarten up & realize Scott needs to be his feature back & give him first crack at it. If so, Scott could be a major surprise.

 

[mad sweeney]

Darn. I was really hoping the 9ers were going to interview him like the ESPN ticker said.

 

[cvnpoka]

marvin does some screwy things, esp on gameday and his role for bernard is baffling. but the team plays hard and competes and hes shown to be able to manage some redic egos.

given the bengals track record of hiring terrible head coaches and keeping them for far too long (dave shula got 4.5 yrs!) i think bengals fans could do a ton worse here.

 

[Bri]

Team was shot without Palmer anyway. He was the only reason they weren't 0-16 every year anyway.

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

 

[Steed]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

Say what?

 

[BrainDeadGenius]

I thought for sure he was gone. If the Bengals are going to give him a new contract after a horrible season (place blame where you see fit), why not give him the extension before last offseason. What made Mike Brown decide not to give him an extension last year?

 

[atl3695]

I thought for sure he was gone. If the Bengals are going to give him a new contract after a horrible season (place blame where you see fit), why not give him the extension before last offseason. What made Mike Brown decide not to give him an extension last year?

Lewis was the hold up. Brown offered last year but Lewis wanted more scouts, better practice facility, etc. before he re-signed.

 

[Bri]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

Say what?

Where did I lose you?Carson is due 11.5 mil for the last year of his contract. What I hear is the Bengals have zero intention of paying him that much and when he signed the contract it was a major point of contention (at that time, and sorta still, teams always did this and didn't pay the huge final payment) and the Bengals promised. Now the Bengals are demanding he take a pay cut, he's furious and Mike Brown doesn't exactly have a rep for being a big spender so it seems to me like a trade is the only route here.I think a good quality QB would make San Fran very good right away, especially in that division. Yeah maybe a whole draft is overboard, but...

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

Say what?

Where did I lose you?Carson is due 11.5 mil for the last year of his contract. What I hear is the Bengals have zero intention of paying him that much and when he signed the contract it was a major point of contention (at that time, and sorta still, teams always did this and didn't pay the huge final payment) and the Bengals promised. Now the Bengals are demanding he take a pay cut, he's furious and Mike Brown doesn't exactly have a rep for being a big spender so it seems to me like a trade is the only route here.I think a good quality QB would make San Fran very good right away, especially in that division. Yeah maybe a whole draft is overboard, but...

Have you seen Palmer play in the last 4 years?

 

[Summer Wheat]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

Say what?

Where did I lose you?Carson is due 11.5 mil for the last year of his contract. What I hear is the Bengals have zero intention of paying him that much and when he signed the contract it was a major point of contention (at that time, and sorta still, teams always did this and didn't pay the huge final payment) and the Bengals promised. Now the Bengals are demanding he take a pay cut, he's furious and Mike Brown doesn't exactly have a rep for being a big spender so it seems to me like a trade is the only route here.I think a good quality QB would make San Fran very good right away, especially in that division. Yeah maybe a whole draft is overboard, but...

Have you seen Palmer play in the last 4 years?

Palmer looked PDG without T-Ocho the last couple of weeks.

 

[QuizGuy66]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

Say what?

Where did I lose you?Carson is due 11.5 mil for the last year of his contract. What I hear is the Bengals have zero intention of paying him that much and when he signed the contract it was a major point of contention (at that time, and sorta still, teams always did this and didn't pay the huge final payment) and the Bengals promised. Now the Bengals are demanding he take a pay cut, he's furious and Mike Brown doesn't exactly have a rep for being a big spender so it seems to me like a trade is the only route here.

I think a good quality QB would make San Fran very good right away, especially in that division. Yeah maybe a whole draft is overboard, but...

Source? Haven't read anywhere that the Bengals demanded he take a pay cut. Media have speculated but nothing sourced saying that the Bengals were doing that. He also has 4 years left on that deal, btw, not 1. Link

If he is worth that much to the 49ers (which is what you seem to imply) then he certainly would be worth that to the Bengals as we have nothing behind him at that position. Since that's what the case would be if the Bengals traded him.

They can get out of the contract if they really want to by simply cutting him. They'll owe him nothing at all if they do.

I don't think this will happen.

Heck, I actually ponder if we'll take a look at Alex Smith to be our backup (no snark).

-QG

 

[Summer Wheat]

Reminds me of how the Lions operated for the last 50 years.

 

[Bri]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

Say what?

Where did I lose you?Carson is due 11.5 mil for the last year of his contract. What I hear is the Bengals have zero intention of paying him that much and when he signed the contract it was a major point of contention (at that time, and sorta still, teams always did this and didn't pay the huge final payment) and the Bengals promised. Now the Bengals are demanding he take a pay cut, he's furious and Mike Brown doesn't exactly have a rep for being a big spender so it seems to me like a trade is the only route here.

I think a good quality QB would make San Fran very good right away, especially in that division. Yeah maybe a whole draft is overboard, but...

Source? Haven't read anywhere that the Bengals demanded he take a pay cut. Media have speculated but nothing sourced saying that the Bengals were doing that. He also has 4 years left on that deal, btw, not 1. Link

I'm surprised it's 4 years that wasn't how it was presented to me. I only have one friend that's a reporter in the Cincy area and I don't wish to say his name. I did a quick google and it looks like ESPN's James Walker, PFT (and/or) Gregg Rosenthal are on top of this as well.This is from Gregg:

***********

The Bengals are going to rebuild this offseason, the only question is how much.

Coach Marvin Lewis appears as good as gone. Terrell Owens and Cedric Benson are free agents and seem likely to leave. The team may not pick up the option on Chad Ochocinco’s contract.

Quarterback Carson Palmer is the most important piece to the puzzle. He’s under contract next year for $11.5 million and acknowledged earlier this week that “anything’s possible” regarding his future.

According to ESPN.com’s James Walker, Palmer is highly unlikely to take a paycut to stay. Walker writes that decision could be the first step in the Bengals and Palmer parting ways.

We’re not so sure about that.

It would have been very surprising if Palmer was amenable to reducing his deal in the first place. That doesn’t mean Palmer is going anywhere.

************

Yep he stops short at the end and is hedging throughout the article but....this should be enough to let you know that my buddy isn't just flinging things and there's a very real sentiment out there that this is going on.

Here's the ESPN article:

************

With so much speculation swirling around the future of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, details are starting to emerge with three games remaining in a disappointing season.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells ESPN.com's AFC North blog that it's highly unlikely Palmer would accept a pay cut this offseason to remain with the rebuilding Bengals (2-11). Palmer is projected to be one of the NFL's highest-paid players in 2011 with a base salary of $11.5 million, and this could be the first step to a potential parting between the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the team which drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003.

Cincinnati has yet to discuss its offseason plans with Palmer. But with the pay-cut option now squashed, this puts the Bengals in a tight spot. Cincinnati -- one of the NFL's most frugal franchises -- has to decide whether to overpay for a struggling quarterback or release Palmer, who will turn 31 on Dec. 27, and make him a free agent for the first time in his career.

The Bengals can cut Palmer without absorbing any cap charges. Entering Week 15, Cincinnati also holds the No. 2 overall pick, which is a good spot to draft a quarterback.

An offseason trade might be a third option. But it could be a challenge for Cincinnati to convince other teams to pay Palmer's ballooning $11.5 million salary despite declining production. Palmer has six multi-interception games this season and 18 picks total, which is the second highest tally of his career. He also holds a pedestrian 78.1 passer rating.

Palmer provided a clue to potentially moving on earlier this week when reporters in Cincinnati asked if Palmer could see himself in another uniform next year.

"Yeah, anything is possible," Palmer said candidly. "This is a business."

 

[QuizGuy66]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

Say what?

Where did I lose you?Carson is due 11.5 mil for the last year of his contract. What I hear is the Bengals have zero intention of paying him that much and when he signed the contract it was a major point of contention (at that time, and sorta still, teams always did this and didn't pay the huge final payment) and the Bengals promised. Now the Bengals are demanding he take a pay cut, he's furious and Mike Brown doesn't exactly have a rep for being a big spender so it seems to me like a trade is the only route here.

I think a good quality QB would make San Fran very good right away, especially in that division. Yeah maybe a whole draft is overboard, but...

Source? Haven't read anywhere that the Bengals demanded he take a pay cut. Media have speculated but nothing sourced saying that the Bengals were doing that. He also has 4 years left on that deal, btw, not 1. Link

I'm surprised it's 4 years that wasn't how it was presented to me. I only have one friend that's a reporter in the Cincy area and I don't wish to say his name. I did a quick google and it looks like ESPN's James Walker, PFT (and/or) Gregg Rosenthal are on top of this as well.This is from Gregg:

***********

The Bengals are going to rebuild this offseason, the only question is how much.

Coach Marvin Lewis appears as good as gone. Terrell Owens and Cedric Benson are free agents and seem likely to leave. The team may not pick up the option on Chad Ochocinco’s contract.

Quarterback Carson Palmer is the most important piece to the puzzle. He’s under contract next year for $11.5 million and acknowledged earlier this week that “anything’s possible” regarding his future.

According to ESPN.com’s James Walker, Palmer is highly unlikely to take a paycut to stay. Walker writes that decision could be the first step in the Bengals and Palmer parting ways.

We’re not so sure about that.

It would have been very surprising if Palmer was amenable to reducing his deal in the first place. That doesn’t mean Palmer is going anywhere.

************

Yep he stops short at the end and is hedging throughout the article but....this should be enough to let you know that my buddy isn't just flinging things and there's a very real sentiment out there that this is going on.

Here's the ESPN article:

************

With so much speculation swirling around the future of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, details are starting to emerge with three games remaining in a disappointing season.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells ESPN.com's AFC North blog that it's highly unlikely Palmer would accept a pay cut this offseason to remain with the rebuilding Bengals (2-11). Palmer is projected to be one of the NFL's highest-paid players in 2011 with a base salary of $11.5 million, and this could be the first step to a potential parting between the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the team which drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003.

Cincinnati has yet to discuss its offseason plans with Palmer. But with the pay-cut option now squashed, this puts the Bengals in a tight spot. Cincinnati -- one of the NFL's most frugal franchises -- has to decide whether to overpay for a struggling quarterback or release Palmer, who will turn 31 on Dec. 27, and make him a free agent for the first time in his career.

The Bengals can cut Palmer without absorbing any cap charges. Entering Week 15, Cincinnati also holds the No. 2 overall pick, which is a good spot to draft a quarterback.

An offseason trade might be a third option. But it could be a challenge for Cincinnati to convince other teams to pay Palmer's ballooning $11.5 million salary despite declining production. Palmer has six multi-interception games this season and 18 picks total, which is the second highest tally of his career. He also holds a pedestrian 78.1 passer rating.

Palmer provided a clue to potentially moving on earlier this week when reporters in Cincinnati asked if Palmer could see himself in another uniform next year.

"Yeah, anything is possible," Palmer said candidly. "This is a business."

Yeah, I read these. All of these were speculation. All of them from "sources." But these same sources said Marvin was "as good as gone."-QG

 

[Bri]

Cmon QG, you've been coming here a long time. I know you know your Bengals. Gimme more than that man. There's definitely smoke here. OK maybe there's no fire but what's your gut say? Can you share that please

 

[cvnpoka]

Palmer looked PDG without T-Ocho the last couple of weeks.

you must have missed the ravens game

 

[Time Kibitzer]

I'm not sure why Bengals fans are upset. What high quality coach is going to want to coach a team that is under the control of Mike Brown? Marvin Lewis is probably the best that they can get with Mike Brown as owner/GM.

 

[QuizGuy66]

Cmon QG, you've been coming here a long time. I know you know your Bengals. Gimme more than that man. There's definitely smoke here. OK maybe there's no fire but what's your gut say? Can you share that please

I'm sharing you my gut (speaking of which, I probably should be going over to the fatball guys thread the way things are going). My gut says that Carson is the face of the franchise, that he had great chemistry with the young receivers (and a higher completion percentage), that the team will be looking to get rid of headache type of guys like Chad and TO, and that Carson will stay. Mike still has for him - the fact that they gave baby bro RunPee the backup job pretty much tells you that. Regardless of the record, they think they are close. A team that thinks it's close does not start over at QB. Look at the completion percentages - it was barely over 50% to Chad and TO. It was about 70% to everyone else (yes I know that most of those routes are shorter, but it still holds true for the last 3 weeks with the younger WRs). That is the kind of number that tells them Carson is not the problem. Brown is a loyalty guy. Hell by all appearances he practically threw away Marvin to protect Brat . He kept Shula on for 4 1/2 years. Carson falls in that category of loyalty to Mikey, I'm convinced.-QG

 

[McBokonon]

I'm not sure why Bengals fans are upset.

I'm sure if you give them a few days, they could summarize it for you.

 

[QuizGuy66]

I'm not sure why Bengals fans are upset. What high quality coach is going to want to coach a team that is under the control of Mike Brown? Marvin Lewis is probably the best that they can get with Mike Brown as owner/GM.

What Bengal fan is upset? What you say is 100% correct. The you know is much better in this case for sure. We're just afraid that Marvin didn't get enough concessions to stay.-QG

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

the fact that they gave baby bro RunPee the backup job pretty much tells you that.

little help with "RunPee" ?

 

[atl3695]

the fact that they gave baby bro RunPee the backup job pretty much tells you that.

little help with "RunPee" ?

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/B...e-56967342.htmlIf Fitzpatrick or O'Sullivan were still around, Palmer may have hit the bench THIS year. I think paying 11.5M for a guy like him will be hard for ownership to do. He is no more than a Shaun Hill quality qb at this point anyway.

 

[delusional]

Does this make it more or likely Palmer and/or Benson will be back too?

Accordin to Rotoworld, the biggest sticking point for Lewis was allowing him to have more sway over personnel decisions, meanig he'll be grabbing up some defenders in the draft. As I see it Palmer and Benson stick, Ocho and TO get replaced by Pimpson and Caldwell.

Thats interesting then.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

San Fran should offer their whole draft for Carson and call it a day

 

[QuizGuy66]

the fact that they gave baby bro RunPee the backup job pretty much tells you that.

little help with "RunPee" ?

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/B...e-56967342.htmlIf Fitzpatrick or O'Sullivan were still around, Palmer may have hit the bench THIS year. I think paying 11.5M for a guy like him will be hard for ownership to do. He is no more than a Shaun Smith quality qb at this point anyway.

I don't see it (though Fitzpatrick has really picked up his game with the Bills. He wasn't as good in Cincy.O'Sullivan was an unmitigated disaster and there is zero chance they'd bench Palmer for him. RunPee is a better option that O'Sullivan IMO.

Anyway, Marvin said unequivocally on Mike and Mike that Carson's their guy.

-QG

 

[Acrobat7]

Cmon QG, you've been coming here a long time. I know you know your Bengals. Gimme more than that man. There's definitely smoke here. OK maybe there's no fire but what's your gut say? Can you share that please

I'm sharing you my gut (speaking of which, I probably should be going over to the fatball guys thread the way things are going). My gut says that Carson is the face of the franchise, that he had great chemistry with the young receivers (and a higher completion percentage), that the team will be looking to get rid of headache type of guys like Chad and TO, and that Carson will stay. Mike still has for him - the fact that they gave baby bro RunPee the backup job pretty much tells you that. Regardless of the record, they think they are close. A team that thinks it's close does not start over at QB. Look at the completion percentages - it was barely over 50% to Chad and TO. It was about 70% to everyone else (yes I know that most of those routes are shorter, but it still holds true for the last 3 weeks with the younger WRs). That is the kind of number that tells them Carson is not the problem. Brown is a loyalty guy. Hell by all appearances he practically threw away Marvin to protect Brat . He kept Shula on for 4 1/2 years. Carson falls in that category of loyalty to Mikey, I'm convinced.-QG

be my oracle: is Benson staying or leaving? i can't watch it any more...

 

[Tybeeman]

Bengals new slogan should be "Celebrate Mediocrity, be a Bengals fan!"

 

[QuizGuy66]

Cmon QG, you've been coming here a long time. I know you know your Bengals. Gimme more than that man. There's definitely smoke here. OK maybe there's no fire but what's your gut say? Can you share that please

I'm sharing you my gut (speaking of which, I probably should be going over to the fatball guys thread the way things are going). My gut says that Carson is the face of the franchise, that he had great chemistry with the young receivers (and a higher completion percentage), that the team will be looking to get rid of headache type of guys like Chad and TO, and that Carson will stay. Mike still has for him - the fact that they gave baby bro RunPee the backup job pretty much tells you that. Regardless of the record, they think they are close. A team that thinks it's close does not start over at QB. Look at the completion percentages - it was barely over 50% to Chad and TO. It was about 70% to everyone else (yes I know that most of those routes are shorter, but it still holds true for the last 3 weeks with the younger WRs). That is the kind of number that tells them Carson is not the problem. Brown is a loyalty guy. Hell by all appearances he practically threw away Marvin to protect Brat . He kept Shula on for 4 1/2 years. Carson falls in that category of loyalty to Mikey, I'm convinced.-QG

be my oracle: is Benson staying or leaving? i can't watch it any more...

All will be revealed with the contract status of Bob Bratkowski.(If Brat stays, Benson goes and vice-versa.)-QG

 

[notdarkyet]

If Brat stays I am officially done with the Bengals and will become a full time fantasy football fan.

 

[RC94]

This may also belong in that bad owners thread but I thought some of you would like to read this:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writ...gals/index.html

Bengals stuck in mediocrity and in no hurry to do anything about it

Story Highlights:

In Cincinnati, coaches who lose 10 in a row are retained

As long as he hovers around .500, Marvin Lewis has a job for life

The problem with the Bengal-ization is it hurts the city's image

Marvin Lewis was all smiles after having his contract renewed following a 4-12 season.

In Cincinnati, we are the NFL's Charlie Brown, in all ways. We're forever approaching the football, with a steady leg and a sweetly naïve heart. You know the rest.

But this is Ohio. We love football. We can't help ourselves. That's why even those of us who have been here a couple decades, long enough to see how things work with the Bengals, were optimistic that this time, things would be different. Marvin Lewis would meet with Mike Brown and from that summit would arise a new day, in which the Bengals would announce they'd rejoined the National Football League.

Didn't happen.

The coach and owner met for two long days and decided the coach would come back and very little would change. A scapegoated assistant or two would take a fall (nice knowing you, offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski) and candid discussions would occur in which Brown would once again make it clear who runs things. Beyond that, same old box of rocks.

We deal in a different reality here in Cincinnati. We exist in a parallel NFL universe, where coaches who lose 10 in a row and 12 of 16 are retained. Where, in retrospect, the most disappointing season in franchise history is now looked upon by the coach and owner as a jumping-off point for better Sundays to come.

"I'm excited where we are,'' Marvin Lewis decided Monday.

Do tell.

When it comes to the Bengals, we don't have expectations, only dread. Please don't be as bad as last year. We want only to be relevant, and not even every year. We've been conditioned/bludgeoned into believing annual relevancy is not possible. It's not as if we want to be Pittsburgh or anything.

In other places, real NFL towns, it's a cruel, bottom-line business. Win or dial Mayflower. Last week, speculation in New York centered on Tom Coughlin's job security. His Giants sat at 9-6, he'd won a Super Bowl just three years earlier. Four other coaches had been fired in midseason. Others hang by a thread. In Cincinnati, a 4-12 coach gets a new deal.

You could look at the Bengals latest folly a few ways:

It was a marriage of convenience. The Bengals would do no better than Lewis. Right now, Lewis would do no better than the Bengals. The coach couldn't be excited about taking a pay cut and an ego bang to coach in college (at, say, Pitt) or serving as some NFL team's defensive coordinator until he got another head coaching offer. The team couldn't be thrilled about trying to find a coach in the midst of labor turmoil. They needed each other. Or;

Lewis has made his peace with Bengaldom. He has been entirely Bengal-ized. It's a realization that Mike Brown will not change, that he pays well, that he doesn't like to fire people, that his aspirations can be excavated with a decent shovel. Lewis can have a job for life in Cincinnati, as long as he remains loyal and keeps the ship on the course to mediocrity. His eight-year record (60-67-1, 0-2 in the playoffs) is right where it needs to be. This is a cozy place to work. Coaching for the Bengals can be like acquiring tenure as a college professor.

Take your pick. Either way, the franchise is stuck in about 1975, and prefers it that way.

The press conference Brown and Lewis gave Tuesday only added to the reality. Brown declared his personnel "department'' (one scout, two "consultants'', a director of football operations and a director of player personnel, same as when Lewis was hired in 2003) to be "all right. I don't apologize for our scouting,'' Brown said.

Brown offered an arcane statistic he claimed proved how good the Bengals are in finding talent: In the last 10 years, Brown said, the Bengals rank 10th in the NFL in the total number of games played by players they've drafted. That those same players helped immensely in Cincinnati's exemplary 68-93-1 record in that decade evidently proves Brown's point. Or something.

"We don't have 10 area scouts, falling all over each other,'' is how Lewis explained it.

The Bengals don't have an indoor practice field. They're the northernmost team in the league without one. It has long been a bone of contention with Lewis. He sees the lack of a bubble as a metaphor for an ownership unwilling to commit to winning. At least he used to.

Now, Brown says he's "not as keen'' on an indoor workplace as Lewis. Lewis, compliant, says it's OK, his boss has a labor issue to deal with first. Lewis also is perfectly fine with competing against two of the best front offices in the business in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, armed with the mom-and-pop crew he works with now. "I'm very satisfied with where we are,'' he said.

Memo to Philly, Boston and New York: Please tell us how to deal with this situation. Beyond, of course, rolling over, which we've done for 20 years. We've all been Bengal-ized.

Fans declare insurrection, then write their checks. Corporate suite lessors lament the economy, then write their checks. The Bengals sold out 57 consecutive games, until the middle of this year. The revolution starts tomorrow.

The problem with all this Bengal-ness, this abject Bengal-ization, is that it spills from the football team all over the city's image. Nationally, the 'Nati used to be the Big Red Machine: Exemplary, clean-cut ballplayers who loved mom and country and always slid headfirst. Now, Cincinnati is Fly-over-ville, home to the Bungles, who finish 4-12 and re-up their head coach. We're not a big rube town. We're more of a medium-sized rube town.

"People are not happy with us,'' Brown concluded. "That's what happens when you have the kind of season we've had.''

Season, yes. Just the one bad season. We'll be back next year. The sky is the limit. Perhaps even 8-8.

 

[cvnpoka]

bengals have actually drafted pretty well the last 8 or so years. last 3 yrs, in particular have yielded more contributing players than most teams.