SB Nation - Daniel Wilcox

With three Tight Ends down, the Bengals will likely look to the free market

Kirkendall — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:42:18 -0000

Now that the Bengals are down three Tight Ends, the question becomes, what now? Reggie Kelly is out for the year after having surgery on Wednesday. On the same day, Ben Utecht suffered a nasty concussion which knocked him out for nearly ten minutes before regaining consciousness and was taken to the local hospital. Daniel Coats is listed as day-to-day after the third-string Tight End twisted his ankle. With Chase Coffman and Darius Hill as the only healthy Tight Ends available (both of whom are rookies), the Bengals are looking into the market for another.

The Bengals were talking about signing another tight end even before they went out to practice Wednesday night with former Packer and Jet Bubba Franks the most well known. Head coach Marvin Lewis acknowledged that Franks "was a very, very good player for a long period of time." He's also 31 and has played in just eight games in each of the last two seasons.

Typically when the Bengals went through a spell of injuries, we'd question the training staff. However, it doesn't seem right this time. The injuries that our Tight Ends are suffering are freak injuries that are unpreventable, placed in the category of "it happens."

Scout.com lists best available free agents at Tight End -- Bubba Franks among them.

George Wrighster - The Giants recently released him.
Bubba Franks - The New York Jets recently released him. Franks fits in as a second tight end at this point in his career.
Mark Bruener - May retire, but if he wants to play, he would fit in as a blocking/third tight end
Daniel Wilcox - Decent blocker who fits in as a second or third tight end.
Jerame Tuman - Fits in as a third tight end.
Courtney Anderson - One very highly regarded by the Raiders, but has bounced around quite a bit the past few seasons.
Nate Jackson - He was selected recently in the UFL draft.
Martrez Milner - Just waived by the Jets and fits in as a third tight end.
Adam Bergen - Former undrafted free agent who fits in as a third tight end.

Likely, the Bengals will rely heavily on Chase Coffman to carry the position banner. However, there's things he must adjust to. Like lining up in a three-point stance, for instance, and blocking. Coffman knows the sudden opportunity he's given.

"It does leave an opportunity for me to step up, make more plays and get more reps in practice and do the things that I need to be doing to be a great player," Coffman said Monday after Kelly was injured. "I have to step up now a lot more, learn quicker and do a lot better."

Satisfied enough that Coffman is doing the right things, head coach Marvin Lewis does see improvement.

"The offensive coaches comment that every day you see improvement," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "It's kind of like riding a bike; the more you do it the quicker it's going to come back to you. I thought tonight he (Coffman) did a good job of both hanging in there physically and being one of two guys for an entire practice."

There's still a decent chance that Coats returns within the month. Who knows about Utecht -- concussions are tricky things and there's no time-table chart. Either way, the Bengals will likely sign a Tight End in the coming days to replenish the ranks -- at least temporarily.

Ravens Training Camp Battles: Tight Ends

Bruce Raffel — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:53:03 -0000

After former Raven QB and NFL star Steve McNair was laid to rest Saturday, I say it's time to let the man rest in peace and move on to re-focusing on the game itself. BaltimoreRavens.com did an interesting story written by Geoff Peckham, on the competition between the tight ends. Check out the story by clicking here.

I thought this would be a great topic to debate, especially the chances of who will step up other than starter Todd Heap. Heap is coming off of a downyear, but many people withhold blaming it on him, instead making the case that he was forced to stay in on passing downs to provide additional protection for rookie QB Joe Flacco. That should change this season, as the offensive line made great strides last year and looks to be one of the strong points of this year's offense. However, I'm somewhat skeptical of that reasoning, as he did seem to drop a few passes that he normally does hold onto. At the same time, the incredible catch he made in traffic in Tennessee towards the end of the game winning drive that culminated in Matt Stover's 43 yard FG to put us in the AFC Championship Game was classic Heap.

So who represents the next best option after Heap, or in addition to him?

The Ravens second string tight end the past few years, Daniel Wilcox is now gone. Quinn Sypniewski was thought to move into the backup slot and was a solid blocker and surprisingly decent pass catcher. However, Sypniewski has been injury prone and while it looked like he was on his way to recovery and starting the season as the team's second string TE, he was forced to undergo another surgery that could either sideline him a good portion of the 2009 season or even cause him to miss it entirely.

That was the main reason the Ravens went out and signed former Philadelphia Eagle LJ Smith to a contract in the off season. Smith, who was Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb's main target at the tight end position, is very athletic for the position, with good speed but suspect hands. According to many Eagles' fans, he'll make the tough grabs but drop the balls that hit him in the hands in the key situations, which frustrated fans enough to say they won't miss him in 2009. The Eagles "trash" could be the Ravens "treasure," as they plan to use Smith in two TE sets as well in multiple passing formations and expect him to contribute right away.

Drafted in the 5th round in this year's NFL Draft, Davon Drew (East Carolina) poses some interesting options for the Ravens. He has good size (6'4", 260 lbs.) and good enough hands (43 receptions for 695 yards in 2008) to be named All Conference USA honors his final two years in school. Drew could be an excellent insurance policy for Sypniewski if his recovery is delayed or interrupted.

The Ravens moved LB/DE Edgar Jones around last year, based on their needs each game. Some were at his natural position on the defensive side of the ball, but other times, he was forced onto the offensive side as a reserve tight end. Although he only caught one pass last year, he proved his versatility by playing defense and Special Teams and will continue to be a valuable Wild Card in 2009 wherever he is utilized.

Finally, there is little known about Isaac Smolko, who was an undrafted free agent in 2008 out of Penn State University. At 6'5", 258 lbs., Smolko is a big target but did not have any receptions in his rookie year last season, with minimal playing. For him to make the team, it will be due to his play on Special Teams, as he is buried deep on the TE depth chart.

The Ravens report to Training Camp in Westminster, Maryland in less than three weeks and the TE position will be closely watched by all to see how they stack up to play in the 2009 season that is finally getting closer and closer.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:00:11 -0000

Happy Monday to you, or whatever day it might be as you read this, from the Department of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. It's been a slow news week for the Broncos and the NFL, but that can't slow us down. Ready, begin...

1. I'm a fairly casual NBA fan. When I was a kid, I decided that the Phoenix Suns were going to be my team, because I liked their Point Guard, Kevin Johnson, who is now the Mayor of Sacramento. I also became a big Steve Nash fan when he was a Freshman at Santa Clara, and he hit 8-of-8 from the free throw line, down the stretch to beat Arizona in the NCAA Tournament in 1992. (That was the first time a 15 seed ever beat a 2 seed.) Steve subsequently being a Sun for 2 stints has also made me excited to be a Suns fan over the years.

The Suns are now on the verge of losing me as a fan, because they took what was the equivalent of the Indianapolis Colts of the NBA, and are quickly turning into the Detroit Lions. A great owner, Jerry Colangelo, sold the team to a terrible owner, Robert Sarver. Sarver is cheap, and likes to sell first round picks for $3 Million in cash, which shouldn't even be allowed. Then those first round picks become players like Rajon Rondo and Rudy Fernandez, guys who could help win now. They make desperate trades, trying to get away from the fast-paced, high scoring approach that made them annual contenders, because the punditry decided that offense can't win championships. Now, they aren't contenders, and they're boring to watch. Nash, one of the Top 10 PGs of all-time, is being forced to play a slow and scripted game, which is completely incompatible with what made him great. Now, they're going to fire their first-year coach tomorrow, and probably trade Amare Stoudemire for pennies on the dollar. The whole thing is just atrocious, and I could easily just switch to the Cavs, any moment. I've been toying with buying season tickets anyway.

The reason I bring this up in a football column is that I am a little worried about the direction of the Broncos. I keep trying to convince myself that I shouldn't be, that Pat Bowlen is a great owner, but like Rachel Maddow, I might need to be talked down. Here is the key question in my mind. Is the only reason that we've all thought so much of Pat Bowlen as an owner the fact that he stayed out of the way of Mike Shanahan all these years, and didn't get involved in football decisions? I think the answer to that question is yes, and since he seems to be changing his MO, I can't help but worry that he'll want to start being more involved as a football decision-maker.

I am thankful for Mike Lombardi's work at the National Football Post, because the year he spent in Denver, working for no pay, enables him to provide some real insight into the team. He has often written about how the Broncos have always lacked a coherent holistic player procurement strategy (I would argue that RBs and O-Linemen have been procured in a coherent way, but he's pretty much right about the rest of the team.) He notably disagrees with the Broncos tendency to rely heavily on position analysis from assistant coaches, rather than from scouts. Lombardi is fond of repeating the Bill Walsh mantra, "Players play, coaches coach, and scouts scout."

I think that the Shanahan-era Broncos always tried to find players who they thought might be worth a dollar, but were selling for 50 cents for one reason or another. Think about Maurice Clarett, who spectacularly didn't work out. Another example is Marcus Thomas, who is working out pretty well. The trade for Dewayne Robertson is another example, as is the one for Dre Bly. Behind that approach is the belief that your coaching and your environment will cause those acquisitions to play better for you than they did in the other place, or in the case of Clarett and Thomas, that they'll behave themselves in your place.

The Patriots approach to player procurement is well-documented. They favor high-character, high-intelligence, low-risk players, and they have specific size/speed guidelines in mind for every position. Fits within their schemes are always considered, and versatility is valued highly. They never overpay replaceable players, and they tend to draft to replace those players a year in advance. All of this is demonstrably pretty smart, and we know this is how Josh McDaniels learned the NFL game. It's a Fortune 500 approach in a league of mom-and-pop businesses.

If the Goodman's got whacked because they were resistant to this type of approach, then I am okay with that. If it happened because Pat Bowlen simply wanted to assert his personal dominance over football operations, then I am not. The Broncos' 2008 draft class was the best in the League, and if they were anybody but the Broncos, you would never stop hearing that. I hope our team is in good hands, because unlike with the Suns, I am a Broncos fan for life, and I would hate to see a good thing get ruined.

2. The following are ten offensive Free Agents, who I think should be considered for acquisition.

a. Ryan Fitzpatrick - QB - Cincinnati - A smart and athletic young player, who played pretty well amid tough circumstances for the Bengals last season. He is pretty ideal as a backup, because he has to know that he's just short of starter-caliber. He is young, but has good pro experience.

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2008 - Ryan Fitzpatrick	12	70.0	221	372	59.4	1905	158.8	5.1	8	9	60	304	25.3	5.1	2	38	193

b. Dan Orlovsky - QB - Detroit - Orlovsky passes the eyeball test when you watch him throw a ball. He has a good arm, and he's a better athlete than he looks. The self-inflicted safety was bad, but he didn't have a lot of playing experience when it happened. He can be a solid backup, especially with good coaching.

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2008 - Dan Orlovsky	10	72.6	143	255	56.1	1616	161.6	6.3	8	8	7	29	2.9	4.1	0	14	95

c. Michael Pittman - RB - Denver - I'd like to see Michael re-signed. He was excellent as a third-down back and short-yardage runner before he got hurt.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Michael Pittman	8	76	320	40.0	4.2	20	4	10	112	14.0	11.2	40	0

d. JJ Arrington - RB - Arizona - Arrington is a good kick returner, and a solid backup RB. He's a guy who is a contributor to a winning team, like Kevin Faulk. You have to think McDaniels is looking for a guy like Faulk.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - J.J. Arrington	11	31	187	17.0	6.0	30	1	29	255	23.2	8.8	35	1

e. Jason Wright - RB - Cleveland - I've never understood why this guy doesn't play more. To my eyes, he's a lot better than Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison. He's a good-sized back, who runs with power.

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
2008 - Jason Wright	13	23	85	6.5	3.7	11	0	22	156	12.0	7.1	17	1

f. Jabar Gaffney - WR - New England - He knows the new system, and will come pretty cheaply. Gaffney is a solid outside possession WR.


	Receiving								Kickoff Returns							Punt Returns
G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	Lng	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
11	38	468	42.5	12.3	37	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

g. Michael Clayton - WR - Tampa Bay - Clayton had a good rookie year, and then got stuck in Jon Gruden's doghouse for the next 3 years after that. He's big and physical, and you can buy low on him. I've always thought he was better than guys that Gruden had playing key minutes.


	Receiving								Kickoff Returns							Punt Returns
G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	Lng	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
14	38	484	34.6	12.7	58	1	3	69	23.0	29	0	0	0	0	0	0

h. Devery Henderson - WR - New Orleans - Henderson led the NFL with an average of 24.8 yards per catch in 2008. He's kind of a one-trick pony, but he is a pretty dangerous deep threat. The Broncos will want to stretch the field more than in the past, and don't really have a guy like Henderson.


	Receiving								Kickoff Returns							Punt Returns
G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	Lng	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
15	32	793	52.9	24.8	84	3	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

i. Daniel Wilcox - TE - Baltimore - A solid blocking TE, who would provide good depth behind Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham.


	Receiving								Kickoff Returns							Punt Returns
G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	Lng	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
9	5	19	2.1	3.8	8	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

j. Jake Grove - C - Oakland - Grove is a good backup-type. He can probably get a starter's job somewhere, but he'd be good to have for competition in camp. Since he missed some time in 2008 with injuries, he may be devalued enough to get on a cheap, come-compete-for-a-job kind of deal.

3. Whither the Guru's reaction to Brett Favre's Earth-shattering retirement announcement? I am dying to know what he thinks. :)

4. The Jets are going to suck this year, unless they get a QB, and their only hope to do that is to draft one, and hope for the best. They are terribly positioned for the future, also, because their cap situation is the worst in the NFL. Favre actually did them a giant favor by quitting, from that perspective. Mike Tannenbaum and Eric Mangini mortgaged the future last season, trying to save their own jobs. Mangini took the fall, and then got hired in Cleveland, which is apropos, because there, he has to pay for the Savage/Crennel two-headed monster doing the same thing.

5. I think Favre would be atrocious as a TV personality. I'm virtually positive that that means Fox has offered him a contract to join Curt, Howie, Terry, Jimmy, Michael, Jillian, and the rest of them in the studio by now, and ESPN wants him for the MNF package too. Imagine Brett matching "wits" with Kornheiser.

6. I don't get the appeal of NASCAR. I watched some of the Daytona 500 today, and I just don't get it. I think there is a part of my brain that is missing, or something.

Next week, we'll have combine talk, 10 ideas for defensive player acqusitions, and much more. Have a great week, and we'll see you next Monday morning, with more Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations.

Poll

Do you want Patrick Ramsey to return as backup QB, or are you ready for a new direction?

Bring back Ramsey

28 votes

The position needs new blood

199 votes

Hopefully, it doesn't matter. Let's just hope for a healthy Jay Cutler

126 votes

353 votes | Poll has closed