Just looked it up, here are the picks Cincinnati has in 2012. Two extras, one from Oakland and one from the Patriots.  Additionally, the Palmer trade gets Cincinnati a 2nd round pick in 2013, unless Oakland makes it to the AFC title game next season in which Cincinnati gets their first draft pick instead. That situation however, is so unlikely it was probably put in there as a joke :)    I'm joking... but seriously.

 

Cincinnati has:

 

Picks 17 (from Raiders) & 22 in the first round. 

 

Pick 55 in the 2nd round.

 

Pick 88 in the 3rd.

 

Pick 119 in the 4th

 

Pick 151 & 159 (from Patriots) in the 5th

 

Pick 183 in the 6th.

 

Pick 215 in the 7th.

 

Most obviously are the same number repeated in each draft, but it's good to have both extra picks in 2012. 

 

Considering how cheap Brown is, I doubt he will trade picks for a seasoned strong player- but will instead go with rookies or people who are past their prime and hope to get lucky again like he did with the great choices of Green & Dalton.

 

What's your scouting report on Frostee Rucker?  Seems like the Bengals wanted him back, but not at the price the Browns offered, especially with Michael Johnson slotted to start on that side of the line.  From what I read, he excels against the run and is nothing to write home about as a pass rusher.  Which side of the line did he play for the Bengals?

Recap of the Bengals first, second and third round picks.  No big headlines with these picks.  Just players to complement last year's playoff team:

 

 

FIRST ROUND

 

17. CB Dre Kirkpatrick - 6 feet 1, 186 pounds | Alabama - Starting CB on Alabama's juggernaut defense.  NFL.com projects him as a safety in the pros.

 

27. G/C Kevin Zeitler - 6 feet 4, 314 pounds | Wisconsin - Starting center for Wisconsin.  NFL.com projects him as a guard in the pros.  Bengals traded their #22 pick with the Patriots and received an extra third round pick (#93).

 

 

SECOND ROUND

 

53. DT Devon Still - 6 feet 5, 303 pounds | Penn State - Last year's Big Ten defensive player of the year dropped into the Bengals lap.

 

 

THIRD ROUND

 

83. WR Mohamed Sanu - 6 feet 2, 211 pounds | Rutgers - Big possession-type receiver who was a multi-year starter at Rutgers.

 

93. DT Brandon Thompson - 6 feet 2, 314 pounds | Clemson - Patriot's third round pick was used to acquire a run-stopping nose tackle.

Bengals are getting generally rave reviews for their draft.  Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated gave them an A+ and said they drafted 9 potential starters.  Mayock of NFL Network also said that they had one of the top drafts (along with the Eagles, I think).  I haven't read anything that doesn't list them as one of the winners of the weekend.  Now, take that for what it's worth--until they play on the field, it doesn't matter. 

 

As a Bengals fan, it's almost like Bizarro world.  I saw someone on Twitter yesterday (totally forget who) who said, "Imagine you've been in a coma for three years, and you wake up to learn the Bengals have suddenly become a good drafting team.  You wouldn't understand it." 

Chris Burke's Draft Grades:

 

http://nfl.si.com/2012/04/29/2012-nfl-draft-grades/#more-4991

 

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports also gives the Bengals' draft an A+:

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/18883097/draft-grades-bengals-haul-gets-high-praise-saints-flunk-the-weekend

 

An A from "the Czar" at Fox Sports:

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Czar-NFL-Draft-grades-per-team-042812

 

An A+ from the Sporting News:

 

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-04-28/nfl-draft-2012-grades-bengals-cowboys-patriots-packers-steelers

 

An A from Mel Kiper at ESPN:

 

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2012/4/29/2986196/2012-nfl-draft-grades-mel-kiper-jr-gives-the-bengals-an-a

 

 

I really am almost in shock at this draft. 

I'm optimistic. As a Big East fan, I'm glad they grabbed Sanu. Wish they had gotten Pead, though.

Sanu was a good pick IMO.  He is a great 'football player', but his ceiling might be Josh Cribbs..... meaning, his role might never really be defined.  Nonetheless, you can't ever have too many 'football players' on your team...... guys that just get after it and play with a reckless abandon.

 

Zeitler was a good pick too, but I don't understand why if they were going to take a guard, they didn't just stay at #21 and take DeCastro.  IMHO, he is head and shoulder above Zeitler and about every other guard prospect who has come out in the past 5 years.  I guess I am bitter that the Steeler got the best value out of any 1st round pick on my draft board.

 

Not a fan of Kirkpatrick or Still.  I have some doubts about Kirkpatrick's ability to transition to the pro game and I would have opted for Jerel Worthy over Still at that point in the draft if you were looking at Big 10 DT's.  I was a big fan of Still coming out HS, but I thought he disappointed at PSU (just based on his off-the-charts potential).  Be wary of 6-5 300lb DT's who have all the measurables and accolades yet still don't go in the first round.

 

 

I think they liked Zeitler because they perceived him as a better run blocker.  I was expecting them to pick DeCastro, but I assume they must have had them graded pretty equally to trade out of the spot for the extra pick.  Zeitler was moving up the boards pretty well at the end.  I wish he hadn't gone to the Steelers, though.  (Word is the Ravens were targeting Zeitler with their pick (along with Hightower), which is one reason that they traded out of the round.) 

 

Personally, it seems really tough to take a guard in the first unless you know he's Steve Hutchinson. 

 

I like Sanu.  I feel pretty good about Kirkpatrick, actually, but I am taking a "wait and see" appraoch on Still.  The one nice thing is that they've done a good job developing d-linemen the last few years, including people with tons of talent who slipped for whatever reason (Frostee, Carlos Dunlap, etc.). 

 

I also like the Vontaze Burfict signing.  I think LB is a need, and it's a high-reward, low-risk signing.  First round talent for no pick at all.  If he gets his head on straight, great; if not, no big loss. 

Burict dropped out of the draft because of character concerns, which would have been overlooked but for the fact that he ran slower than any scout could justify for an NFL linebacker.  40 yd dash times at the combine were 4.93 and 5.10.  That is fairly average speed..... for a 300 lb defensive tackle.

 

Unless those times were totally out of whack for some reason, I can see only two possibilities for him at the next level - kickoff return team and goal-line defense.

Oh, I'd say that the 40 time more likely came from simply not caring since the end of the season.  Who knows how much weight he put on between then and the combine, or if he even bothered to prepare at all.  Lots of reasons guys tank.  I agree it goes right to the "character issue" theme that knocked him out of the draft. 

And I say that because if you've seen tape of him at ASU, there's no doubt he has the physical skills (when in shape) to play linebacker. 

Solid draft for the Who Deys.  Sanu should be a nice addition to the offense, and will hopefully allow us to get a little more creative with the play calling.  Towards the end of last year it seemed like offense consisted of either a) Cedric Benson 2-3 yard runs or b) deep bombs to AJ Green.  The return of Shipley and the second TE option we gained through the draft, in addition to Sanu should help A. Dalton out this year.  I'm getting excited for football season!

Happy Birthday, Bengals. They are a spry 45 today. "They took Bengals, the name of Cincinnati's pro teams in the old AFL of the late 1930s." Didn't know we had a team back then. Just adds to our rich and storied history.

 

Nice video.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cincinnati-bengals/09000d5d8294c489/Films-Encore-The-Bengals-are-born

 

Little History of the '30s Bengals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Bengals_%281937%E2%80%931941%29

Nice preseason game defeating the Jets. They kept showing the most ridiculous angle of the Cincinnati skyline, though. PNC Tower on the far left, Atrium on the far right next to Scripps, with a big gulf in the middle. No sign of Carew or Great American, or even Fifth Third. Made Downtown look smaller than Dayton's. Wonder why they chose that shot.

I doubt it matter much. Most everyone has seen the skyline before.

It probably doesn't matter much, but I think most people, if they have seen it, have lost it from their memory. Average NYC sports fan does not know what the Cincinnati skyline looks like.

Beat down. lol  Cleveland will win next week. Something is missing with this team.

That would be a competent owner.

I've been saying for years, since 2009, the Bengals have been atrocious working in space.  The linebackers are overrated by Bengal fans and Mike Zimmer alike.  Just look at any team that uses a lot of misdirection.  They will pound the normally stout Bengals defense.  Jets Wild Card game, 2009.  Houston Wild Card game, 2011.  Any time they play either one of those teams, regular season or playoffs, they are exposed because their linebackers play undisciplined and over-pursue because Zimmer's scheme is about blitzing and stopping the run between the tackles with a lot of man coverage.  If you can't get pressure, you hang your corners out to dry, it doesn't matter if it's Revis and Cromartie back there, you can't win like that in the National Football League.  The Ravens have noticed the Bengals' struggles with misdirection and with their improved offensive personnel, have effectively found the kryptonite to an opponent that traditionally plays them tough, and often beats them, no matter where the game is played.  Strange it took them so long honestly, Pittsburgh runs a lot of trick plays vs. the Bengals for these same reasons and has been doing so for a while.

 

Great gameplan by Baltimore.  Poor coaching by Zimmer.  Teams are liking what they see on film when they watch Leon Hall play this year, because he was getting picked on in the preseason by Rodgers, and it's carried over into the regular season.  Your #1 corner is not supposed to be getting picked on.  The Bengals need Dre Kirkpatrick dearly.

 

Green-Ellis was impressive.  The timing he had on his acceleration through the holes was great.  Hawkins is officially the #2 receiver, so that conversation can be put to bed.  As usual, I was disappointed with the lack of creativity in playcalling by Jay Gruden.  I remember Jermaine Gresham being targeted twice all game.  In fact, I don't recall any other Bengal TE being targeted at all.  Gruden talked all offseason about getting the ball to one of his best players, and we saw more of the same last night in that regard.  Why the Bengals don't take more out of the playbooks of their opponents is beyond me.  The Ravens got lucky on some deep balls, their receivers won't have such good hands every week as they did on some highly contested throws last night.  However, what killed the Bengals secondary was the tight end Dennis Pitta.  Why not throw to your own TE if you're the Bengals?  The tight end is hard to defend nowadays across the league because that position has evolved into an oversized wide receiver being covered by a linebacker or a safety that can't compete size-wise with someone as athletic as the modern day NFL tight end.  The Bengals have one of the best and never throw him the ball. 

 

Game plan was an issue last night, and that's the most troublesome part of all of this.

I, for one, woke up this morning anticipating the worst and, for a moment, scanned the Enquirer on-line headlines.  They told me all I needed to know.  (At least we have the Reds to count on, if nothing else.)  :oops:

After the way Mauluga played last night, Vontaze Burfict should be starting next week at MLB.  I would have benched Rey in the 2nd half.

 

I like Gruden, but I almost want him to leave for a HC job so the Bengals can get a coordinator who is willing to call creative plays.  Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both more innovative than Cincinnati, the team in the AFC North that was known for its offensive aggressiveness throughout the Carson Palmer era.  Say it with me...the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens are more creative and exciting offensively than the Cincinnati Bengals.

Baltimore looks like world beaters. They also got an emotional lift by commemorating that bankrupt crook who couldn't make a buck in the NFL.

Beat down. lol  Cleveland will win next week. Something is missing with this team.

 

Something is missing with my Browns too..... such as the ability to move the ball on offense.  Also consider that our best CB is suspended and our other starting CB got hurt last week before putting any money on the Browns to win.  I highly doubt we get another defensive performance 'for the ages' like the one which kept us in the game against Philly.

Beat down. lol  Cleveland will win next week. Something is missing with this team.

 

Something is missing with my Browns too..... such as the ability to move the ball on offense.  Also consider that our best CB is suspended and our other starting CB got hurt last week before putting any money on the Browns to win.  I highly doubt we get another defensive performance 'for the ages' like the one which kept us in the game against Philly.

 

Right.  AJ Green is a handful for Joe Hayden.  With Hayden out, will Green be unstoppable this week?

Bengals have been doing new retro program covers. They did some for the preseason but I only found one.

 

This could be an ugly game.  Not one-sided, just ugly for all of us watching it. 

Well, after two wins, it appears the Bengals offense is pretty good.

 

The defense, though....

Yeah thay got burned that 3rd quarter.  It's because of injuries though. Dunlap came back and did well.

I'm okay with the front four.  Not a huge fan of the linebackers right now.  And that secondary has just not been good. 

Those linebackers haven't been good since Odell Thurman and David Pollack in 2005. 

 

The secondary will improve with Dre Kirkpatrick seeing the field in late October.  Terrence Newman has played well, one measure of that is, we haven't seen the back of his jersey as often as we've seen Nate Clements'. 

 

Their top corner is coming off of an Achilles tear and didn't play in Washington.  Someone finally threw the ice water on Zimmer and made him realize that Adam Jones needs to be out there at corner at all times and I don't mean nickel. 

 

Leon Hall, Jones and Kirkpatrick with Newman as your 4th corner with Jason Allen on the bench...all of a sudden that's a pretty good unit.  Now the safety position...

 

They need Kyle Cook back.  They cannot run the ball inside of the guards (who are playing well) because Jeff Faine is getting beat to the punch 50% of the time. 

 

Marvin must have crawled in Jay Gruden's ear and camped out, because that's the most creative I've seen a Bengals playcaller since 2006.  I've said since last season that Gruden is far too conservative and it's been hampering the offense, and apparently Marvin agreed with me.  That was the most encouraging part of the game by far.  The Bengals future is win-in-the-playoffs bright if Gruden keeps building on what he started on Sunday.

 

Tackling and defense as a whole has been disgraceful all over the league.  Is it because of less practice time and less physical practice due to the new CBA, or what?  I'm waiting to see if defenses tighten up come week 7 or 8.  Hopefully the Bengals' comes around much sooner than that.

I went to the game in Washington on Sunday. A few observations:

 

- There were a lot of Bengals fans in attendance. One Redskins fan I was talking to at halftime said he was impressed by the Cincinnati turnout and said it was the most he'd seen from visiting fans at FedEx Field other than their three division opponents, the Patriots and the Steelers.

 

- FedEx Field is in the least convenient location of any stadium/ballpark I've been to. It's in Landover, Md., about a 25-minute Metro ride from Farragut (where we stayed). But there is no station at the stadium. Rather, you have to get off about a mile away and walk - with thousands of other fans - through a residential neighborhood and up/down a decent hill to get to/from the stadium.

 

- FedEx is huge but completely enclosed, offering zero in the way of views or even perspective of where you are. You're looking at the field or the seats, nothing else. At PBS, you get the river, downtown, Covington, the bridges, Mount Adams, etc.

 

- Redskins fans are great - most are welcoming. There were one or two rude comments but overall most were gracious. We were in our Bengals jerseys and got far more "good game" comments than anything else. Much different than the hostility in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

 

 

- FedEx Field is in the least convenient location of any stadium/ballpark I've been to. It's in Landover, Md., about a 25-minute Metro ride from Farragut (where we stayed). But there is no station at the stadium. Rather, you have to get off about a mile away and walk - with thousands of other fans - through a residential neighborhood and up/down a decent hill to get to/from the stadium.

 

Get this -- for a while there when it first opened, they were trying to tell people that they weren't allowed to walk onto the grounds. That they had to drive even though the Metro station is over there. Luckily that requirement got squashed pretty quickly.

I think within the next 5-10 years there will be a new stadium within DC limits. There seems to be a demand for it, and the location for FedEx Field is awful. I can't believe they actually built it out there. RFK isn't good either, which is why they will probably build a new stadium.

 

From Wikipedia:

According to Forbes Magazine, the Redskins are the second most valuable franchise in the NFL, behind the Dallas Cowboys, and were valued at approximately $1.55 billion as of 2009.[4] Being the second most valuable franchise, the Redskins remain the highest grossing team in the NFL with $345 million in revenue during the 2009 season.[4] They have also broken the NFL's mark for single-season attendance nine years in a row.

 

*******

 

As The Banks is built out it's going to remove significant parking/tailgating space from around PBS, right?

Probably, but I don't know how heavily tailgated those Banks parking lots are.  Something else that will affect it is whenever the Brent Spence replacement happens--if they take Longworth Hall, that will take out a huge tailgating spot. 

 

Good win today.  Defense looked better (though the Jags offense stinks) and A.J. Green is the man. 

^Former Bengals Offensive Coordinator Bob Bratkowski has something to do with that putrid Jacksonville offense. 

 

Andy Dalton's footwork was horrible in the first half.  He has to play better to start the game next week or the Bengals will be in trouble vs. Miami.  They will struggle to contain Reggie Bush and Tannehill hasn't been too bad thus far.  Fortunately, the other team in Florida has a terrible receiving core like the Jags.

I'm just happy the Bengals look 1,000x better than the Browns, at this point. I don't expect them to do as well as I'd hoped in the off-season, so I'm just looking at the bright side.

 

It's still a young team. Fittingly for Cincinnati, they have gobs of potential, but have trouble breaking through the top-tier. Andy Dalton is the perfect example of this. I just hope if/when these guys have their potential realized, they are still Bengals.

 

What's up with Green-Ellis and his fumbles? Crazy, right?

I'm just happy the Bengals look 1,000x better than the Browns, at this point. I don't expect them to do as well as I'd hoped in the off-season, so I'm just looking at the bright side.

 

It's still a young team. Fittingly for Cincinnati, they have gobs of potential, but have trouble breaking through the top-tier. Andy Dalton is the perfect example of this. I just hope if/when these guys have their potential realized, they are still Bengals.

 

What's up with Green-Ellis and his fumbles? Crazy, right?

 

 

Yeah, they look better than the Browns.... BUT, i'd argue that the browns have a tougher schedule.  The Browns have been in every game, except maybe Buffalo.  We nearly beat the Ravens, a team that obliterated the Bengals.  The game with the Bengals was close, so 1000x better might be a bit exaggerated. The rematch is coming up, so I suppose that will put in in perspective.

 

Browns opponents so far:

Philadelphia Eagles

Bengals

Buffalo Bills

Baltimore Ravens.

 

Next we get the Giants.... definitely a grind of a schedule.

They look better (hardly 1000x better) than the Browns because they played sh!tty enough two years ago to get ahead of us for AJ Green.... a player the Browns front office had their sights set on for 2 years.  That was the reason they beat the Browns in Week 2 and both games last year.  The Browns were shaking in their boots the entire game he would beat them downfield with Haden out and the defense over-compensated, allowing big plays and completions to other WRs.  We could very well be 4-0 if you sub AJ Green for Greg LIttle on our roster.  Philly and Baltimore games would have been wins for sure if everything else plays out just the same.  No joke.  AJ is that good (just a notch below Megatron IMO).  That's why it's so hard to judge Andy Dalton and Matthew Stafford, because both of them have #1 WRs that turn what could very well be interceptions into spectacular catches and touchdowns.  Weeden doesn't have that WR that you can throw it up to and trust he will beat the defensive back to the catch. 

They look better (hardly 1000x better) than the Browns because they played sh!tty enough two years ago to get ahead of us for AJ Green.... a player the Browns front office had their sights set on for 2 years.  That was the reason they beat the Browns in Week 2 and both games last year. 

 

The Browns have picked higher (or would have if not for trades) in all but 3 of the last 10 drafts, but the Bengals being (barely) worse than the Browns in 2010 was the reason the Bengals won?  There was a WR named Julio Jones available when the Browns picked in that draft, but the Browns decided to trade down for solid, but unspectacular linemen. 

^That's overcomplicating a very simple point.  We all know the Browns would be perreniel Superbowl winners if they had hit on half of their draft picks.  The point was that the Bengals won week 2 (and the two games last year) because of AJ Green.  He propels the Bengals receiving corp to astronomical levels above their counterparts from the Browns.  I don't see much difference in any other position group between the two teams.   

 

*Jones is very good, but Green is on a level above him IMO.  Like I said, in my mind, Megatron and AJ are 1 and 1a as far as NFL receivers are concerned

The Bengals have dominated the Browns for the past decade - not just the last three games that AJ Green has played in. Cincinnati is 13-5 since 2003 with season sweeps in four of those years. In fact, the Bengals have somewhat separated themselves now from the Browns in the all-time series, leading 42-36.

I think every team in the league has dominated the Browns since they rejoined the league.  5-13 might actually be one of their better records.  That is besides the point.  We were talking about present make-up.  At present, the Bengals have a better squad.  The main reason is AJ Green.  He dictates the way that every team has to defend the Bengals.  They can't stack 8 in the box on a regular basis and allow one-on9ne coverage on the outside.  And you always have to account for the spectacular play, like the leaping 360 spinning catch on at full speed and then run after the catch without breaking stride he made against the Browns last year.  That pass was overthrown and high.  Weeden throws that and it is a pick.  That's not a knock on Dalton, btw.  He's a quality QB.  He just has a luxury other QBs don't and that is a WR that routinely turns incompletions or short gains into game changing plays

^That's overcomplicating a very simple point.  We all know the Browns would be perreniel Superbowl winners if they had hit on half of their draft picks.  The point was that the Bengals won week 2 (and the two games last year) because of AJ Green.  He propels the Bengals receiving corp to astronomical levels above their counterparts from the Browns.  I don't see much difference in any other position group between the two teams.   

 

*Jones is very good, but Green is on a level above him IMO.  Like I said, in my mind, Megatron and AJ are 1 and 1a as far as NFL receivers are concerned

 

I think that the Bengals' advantage at QB over Weeden is more significant than the advantage AJ Green is over the Browns' #1 WR.  Dalton is really good. 

I don't think that is possible.  Either you don't think of AJ Green as a pro-bowl caliber WR or your opinion of the Browns WRs is waaaaaaaay too high.

 

Comparing Dalton and Weeden is tough at this point with such a small sample size and particularly with the disparity in terms of weapons to throw to.  They both had impressive college careers.  I suppose this conversation would be better to have at the end of the year.  At this point, the best comparison is how they played against the same opponent - Baltimore.....

 

Dalton - 221 yds - 0 TDs - 1 Int - 65.3 passer rating - team lost 44-13

Weeden - 320 yds - 0 TDs - 1 Int - 59.8 passer rating - team lost 23-16

 

Weeden would have easily topped 400 against Baltimore and might've got a win had our #1 WR not dropped three balls which hit him on the hands (one of those would have been a TD) and killed momentum. 

 

Here's the head-to-head they played a few weeks back....

 

Dalton - 318 yds - 3 TDs - 1 Int - 128.2 passer rating - team won 34-27 

Weeden - 322 yds - 2 TDs - 0 Int - 114.9 passer rating - team lost 34-27

 

To be clear, I'm not saying Weeden is better than Dalton.  The jury is still out on that, and if I was a betting man, I would have to place my money on Dalton given the limited sampling we have.  But, on the other hand, if Dalton was on the Browns, working with our WRs, I highly doubt you would be here singing his praises.

I'm just happy the Bengals look 1,000x better than the Browns, at this point. I don't expect them to do as well as I'd hoped in the off-season, so I'm just looking at the bright side.

 

It's still a young team. Fittingly for Cincinnati, they have gobs of potential, but have trouble breaking through the top-tier. Andy Dalton is the perfect example of this. I just hope if/when these guys have their potential realized, they are still Bengals.

 

What's up with Green-Ellis and his fumbles? Crazy, right?

 

 

Yeah, they look better than the Browns.... BUT, i'd argue that the browns have a tougher schedule.  The Browns have been in every game, except maybe Buffalo.  We nearly beat the Ravens, a team that obliterated the Bengals.  The game with the Bengals was close, so 1000x better might be a bit exaggerated. The rematch is coming up, so I suppose that will put in in perspective.

 

Browns opponents so far:

Philadelphia Eagles

Bengals

Buffalo Bills

Baltimore Ravens.

 

Next we get the Giants.... definitely a grind of a schedule.

 

The beauty of it is by the end, the schedules won't be that different.  The Bengals have a harder one on paper because they finished 3rd while the Browns finished fourth.  Both teams play all the teams in the NFC East and the AFC West.  Since the Browns finished last, they get the last place teams from the AFC East (Bills) and the AFC South (Colts), while the Bengals play the 3rd place team from each (Dolphins and Jags). 

I don't think that is possible.  Either you don't think of AJ Green as a pro-bowl caliber WR or your opinion of the Browns WRs is waaaaaaaay too high.

 

Comparing Dalton and Weeden is tough at this point with such a small sample size and particularly with the disparity in terms of weapons to throw to.  They both had impressive college careers.  I suppose this conversation would be better to have at the end of the year.  At this point, the best comparison is how they played against the same opponent - Baltimore.....

 

Dalton - 221 yds - 0 TDs - 1 Int - 65.3 passer rating - team lost 44-13

Weeden - 320 yds - 0 TDs - 1 Int - 59.8 passer rating - team lost 23-16

 

Weeden would have easily topped 400 against Baltimore and might've got a win had our #1 WR not dropped three balls which hit him on the hands (one of those would have been a TD) and killed momentum. 

 

Here's the head-to-head they played a few weeks back....

 

Dalton - 318 yds - 3 TDs - 1 Int - 128.2 passer rating - team won 34-27 

Weeden - 322 yds - 2 TDs - 0 Int - 114.9 passer rating - team lost 34-27

 

To be clear, I'm not saying Weeden is better than Dalton.  The jury is still out on that, and if I was a betting man, I would have to place my money on Dalton given the limited sampling we have.  But, on the other hand, if Dalton was on the Browns, working with our WRs, I highly doubt you would be here singing his praises.

 

Your solution to a small sample size is to make the sample size even smaller?  You removed Weeden's worst game and Dalton's best game from the comparison.

 

Looking at all of the games. Dalton is the leagues' 5th rated passer with a 103 QB rating.  Weeden is ranked dead last in the league with a 60.4 QB rating.  ESPN's strange "QBR" rating system ranks Dalton 4th in the NFL and Weeden again last in the NFL.

 

I agree that AJ Green is one of the 2 or 3 best WRs in the league and Greg Little is maybe the worst #1 WR in the league.  But the QB position is much more important, and Dalton's advantage over Weeden right now is more important than Green's advantage over Little. 

 

If I had to choose between Green missing the rest of the season with an injury or Dalton missing the rest of the season with an injury (knock on wood), I would say goodbye to Green in heartbeat. 

 

 

The beauty of it is by the end, the schedules won't be that different.  The Bengals have a harder one on paper because they finished 3rd while the Browns finished fourth.  Both teams play all the teams in the NFC East and the AFC West.  Since the Browns finished last, they get the last place teams from the AFC East (Bills) and the AFC South (Colts), while the Bengals play the 3rd place team from each (Dolphins and Jags). 

 

Statistically, the Browns' schedule is harder because they have to play the Bengals twice, while the Bengals get to play the Browns twice.  That being said, I think the next Bengal/Brown game in Cleveland is going to be a really good game and I don't have a good feeling about it as a Bengal fan.

^Joe Haden will be back for that game, which will allow the Browns to go back to using the regular defensive playbook

 

^^I was trying to find the best apples-to-apples comparison.  Weeden hasn't yet been given the opportunity to shred the Washington defense and Dalton hasn't yet had to face the wide-9 used by Philly (not to mention their two pro-bowl cornerbacks) and won't face the front four of Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Marcellus Dareus, and Mark Anderson from Bufallo.  I also would guess that the Browns had as many drops in one game as the Bengals have had all season.  Having recievers catch the ball which hits them on the hands on 3rd and 9 or the ball that goes straight through their hands in the endzone does wonders for a QBs stats.

The Bills are the 27th ranked defense.  They may have some big names, but they aren't scaring anyone.  Mario Williams isn't a dominant player anymore.  Profootballfocus ranks him as a below average pass rusher this season.  Philly's defense is good though.