SB Nation - Bubba Franks

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.

The Baker Debate

John B — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:51:23 -0000

Our friends at The Jets Blog think the team made the right move dropping Chris Baker.

In the wake of the Jets’ recent personnel moves, a common question that seems to be troubling Jets fans is this: Why did they cut Chris Baker in the first place? Some have even gone so far as to criticize the front office for not retaining his services.

However, I am not here to opine on that same thought. Instead, I will be demonstrating why the Jets not only did the right thing in releasing Baker, but that it was, in fact, kind of a no-brainer.

Bent goes on to make a number of good points about the financial implications, his productivity, and his role. I agree with a lot of what he has to say. I don't think the issue is with cutting Baker. It's more what the team did afterwards to address the position, namely nothing. Most fans would be fine with a less distinguished but cheaper option provided such an option could block well and at least keep defenses honest as a pass catching threat. Now that Bubba Franks is gone, nobody is proven to fill that role. In a vacuum, I think there's argument Baker would be too expensive as a backup. Given what's taken place, a lot of fans are stuck wondering why the team didn't just keep Chris if there was no Plan B.

Jets Say Good Night To Veteran TE Bubba Franks

Xander Diaz — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:44:40 -0000

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Well it seems that the Jets feel Dustin Keller is their man. In a some what surprising move, the team has released veteran tight end Bubba Franks.

The move is only surprising in that the Jets were already looking rather thin at the position in terms of a blocking tight end. Franks did little, play wise, last season to warrant his stay.

Franks caught six passes for 47 yards in eight games after signing with the team last season. He started only four games. Franks missed eight games last season due to a hip injury and was unable to participate in this offseason’s activities because of a knee injury.

So this leaves the Jets with Dustin Keller, J’Nathan Bullock and Jack Simmons as the only tight ends on the roster. I’m hoping this means J’Nathan or Simmons have really stepped up their games.

Only time will tell.

Xander Diaz is Editor-In-Chief at AFCBeast.com

Poll

Showing Bubba Franks The Door. Good Move or Bad?

Bubba Who? Forget about'em....I did.

99 votes

Big Mistake! We kinda needed him and his bum knees!

30 votes

129 votes | Poll has closed

A Bengals Pre-preseason Preview, Part 4

Jay McDonnell — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:18 -0000

This is the fourth installment of a four-part series that examines the Bengals' schedule. You can catch up and read Part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Well, here it is folks. The 4^th part in the 4 part series that takes a pre-preseason look at the Cincinnati Bengals 2009 season schedule. This part is going to look at the final four games of the season in which the Bengals could clinch a playoff berth or they could break our hearts again leaving us pondering what could have been, which we are all accustomed to. But with the schedule being favorable, the possibility of the Bengals being in contention could be a reality. A winning record of 7-5 or better is a distinct possibility which could put them in line for at least wildcard spot. If that is the case, the outcome of each of these games will become more important with each passing week.

The first opponent in the final 4 games is a road game to Minnesota against the Vikings, who are a vastly improved team from just a few seasons ago. The Vikings possess one of the premier running backs in Adrian Peterson, who runs in the open field with reckless abandon. He finished the season with 1760 yards rushing averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The Bengals ability to stop him will be key in this game. But the Vikings added a new wrinkle that could pose problems with drafting WR Percy Harvin in the first round. There is much talk that he will be lined up in the QB position in the Wildcat formation. At the combine, Harvin posted one of the fastest 40 times with a 4.37 time, which could provide him with breakaway speed that defenses will find hard to catch. One of the problems that do face the Vikings is finding a starting quarterback. Tavaris Jackson has been streaky at best, getting benched in favor of Gus Frerote, who guided them to an 8-3 record last season before getting injured. And no, he did not head butt the stadium. In the off- season, they traded for Sage Rosenfels from the Texans, then released Frerote to make room. But the pursuit for a starting QB didn't stop there. They made a major push to get two time retiree Brett Farve, who, as of this writing, is still retired. Despite Petersons' rushing performance, the Viking offense finished 17^th averaging 330.9 yards per game. What kept the Vikings in the game was their defense that finished 6^th overall at 292.4 yards per game. This seasons' meeting will break the series record of 5-5 including the 2005 Bengals 37-8 victory when the defense picked off 5 passes.

The next game is also on the road with their second trip to the left coast, but this time it is against the San Diego Chargers, which features triple threat QB Philip Rivers, TE Antonio Gates and RB LaDaninain Tomlinson. Head Coach Norv Turner, who inherited a 14-2 team from the 2007 season and Super Bowl expectations, is in his second year as the Chargers head coach. He has built a reputation for being an innovative offensive coordinator, but never as a viable head coach. In 8 years as a head coach, he has won only two division titles, including last season's fluke title at 8-8. The Chargers at one point in the season possessed a 4-8 record before winning the final 4 games and watching the Denver Broncos hand them the division title after having a record of 8-5. Their ability to put points on the board averaging 27.4 points per game allowed them to overcome a defense that finished 25^th overall and give up 21.7 points per game. Despite the lackluster season, their offseason was rather quiet with the resigning of LT to a 3 year deal and backup Darren Sproles to a one year franchise tag deal. To shore up the defense, the Chargers took DE Larry English with their first pick, who is expected to provide Shawne Merriman with relief if there is a setback during rehab. If he can break the starting line-up, this could provide the Chargers with 3 capable rushers including Shaun Phillips. The Chargers lead the regular season series with an 18-10 record including the Bengals last visit to San Diego in 2003 when they came away with a 34-27 victory. Most of our older fans, myself included, remember the most significant Bengals victory in franchise history coming in the 1981 AFC Championship game against the Dan Fouts -lead Chargers, which catapulted the Bengals to their very first Super Bowl appearance. The game was played in conditions that are only felt in the Antarctic. Temperatures' so cold, it froze the thermostats. My teeth are chattering just thinking about it.

The Bengals continue their meeting with AFC West teams with another game against the Kansas City Chefs, I mean, Chiefs. Great googly moogly! This will be the 5^th consecutive meeting between the two teams with the previous 4 games being split at 2-2 including the 16-6 win last season, with this meeting to be held at Paul Brown Stadium. Unlike the Chargers uneventful off season, the Chiefs were busy working to improve a team that finished 24^th in total offense at 308.7 yards per game, and 31^st in total defense allowing 393.2 yards per game. Their first step towards improvement was firing Herm Edwards and hiring Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator for the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. (Man that sounded weird) Then they were able to extract Mike Vrabel and Matt Cassel from the New England Patriots, which left wife and me (yes, she loves football) scratching our head as to why New England would let go of two key players. Both players are expected to make immediate impact on both sides of the ball. Looking to improve their anemic defense for the long term, they drafted DE Tyson Jackson, former LSU teammate of Glenn Dorsey (whom they drafted last season), with the 3^rd pick overall in this season draft. Wwhile in college their motto was "nobody runs on us". It will be interesting to see how well that translates to the NFL.

The final game of the season is at the Meadowlands against the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!!! They, too, have gone through a rather interesting off-season after going 9-7 and again missing the playoffs, despite having future Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre playing quarterback. Since missing the playoffs again, they felt it necessary to fire Eric Mangini and hire Rex Ryan from the Ravens, and Favre decided once again to retire. With the departure of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals landed WR Laveranues Coles to fill his spot, who I believe will be a great compliment to Chad Johnson (ok, Ochocinco). Last season's offensive output, despite finishing 16^th overall averaging 331.7 yards per game, were able to put up 25.3 points per game, 9^th in the league. The defense also finished 16^th overall allowing 329.4 yards per game, but was unable to keep the opposition off the board allowing 22.2 points per game, 18^th in the league. To fill the void that Favre left when he retired again, the Jets drafted highly touted Mark Sanchez with the 5^th pick overall, which they got in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. This pick was only one of a total of three draft picks the Jets had for this season. They were able to show some semblance of stability by resigning several of their declared free agents including Bubba Franks, Jay Feely and Larry Izzo. They were also able to make a trade with the Eagles getting Lito Shepard in a deal for conditional draft picks. The Jets have the edge in the series at 12-7 including a 26-14 victory last season in New York. This game with be the third straight season they have met and the second time at the Meadowlands.

These final four games could be the toughest as 3 of the 4 games are on the road. If the Bengals have a winning record and shot a playoff spot coming into this portion of the season, these games could be the most important of the season. How the Bengals fair against the Vikings and Chargers could spell how the final two games should go.

Hey Jets Fans; Don't Count Your Chickens Just Yet!

Xander Diaz — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:00:22 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

7 months ago: New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, rear, lines up behind center Michael Parenton, lineman Matt Slauson, left, and Stanley Daniels, right, during rookie football minicamp Saturday, May 2, 2009 in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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This has been quite the off-season for us Jets fans. After a heart breaking end to the 2008 season, we have seen our team make for some seemingly huge strides.

Eric Mangini has moved on to Cleveland...gas can and matches in hand. Rex ‘Son of Buddy' Ryan has stepped into the head coaching role, bringing defensive stars Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard with him.

These additions immediately put the Jets defense back on the radar. More importantly, he brought a bit of swagger and a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Something this team has been sorely lacking for way too long.

Sports are as much about ego and attitude as they are about physical skills and attributes. The mono tone stylings of Eric Mangini did nothing to impress or inspire players, media or fans.

40 years removed from Broadway Joe, it appears those years of begging, cursing and praying have rewarded Jets Fandom with a potential "franchise" QB in Mark Sanchez. Wildly charismatic, this young Mexican-American seems to possess the kind of qualities and skills it takes to lead a team to great things. Jets fans are clamoring for a chance to see this man take the field for Gang Green. He even has his veteran teammates excited.

Things certainly seem to be looking up for this team and its fans. Or are they?

Despite all outward appearances, this is a team that is still only one bad break away from disaster. Several key positions are still floating in limbo.

Quarterback

I know I just told you about how happy everyone is to see Mark Sanchez in green and white but let's not start holding hands and whispering sweet nothings in each others ears over it just yet. Sanchez has a total of 16 starts at the collegiate level and his competitor at the position, Kellen Clemens, is only 3-5 as a starter. Clemens most meaningful game was a loss to Baltimore back in 2007.

Once you come down from the high of such a gutsy move to grab Sanchez in the draft, you realize that not much has actually changed. Sanchez has no experience and Clemens is simply not going to amount to much as a mentor. The truth is no one has a clue what to expect from the QB position this year, including Rex "Hey I Won with Joe Flacco" Ryan, and that should scare everyone.

Wide Receiver

Laveranues Coles was allowed to walk away, signing with the Bengals. According to statements made by the team, they believe the current wide receiving corps has what it takes to go down the stretch and be competitive. Yeah, right.

I love what I have seen in Jericho Cotchery so far but he is not yet a true number 1 wide out. The Jets know this all too well as evidenced by the fact that Mike Tannenbaum has been on the phone to just about everybody he's ever seen catch a football. Rumors of trades have been flying back and forth among fans and media ever since the Jets failed to make a single move for a WR during the recent NFL draft.

Plaxico Burress, Braylon Edwards, Anquan Boldin & Marvin Harrison are the names most mentioned in talks of potential trades or signings, sparking much debate about the costs and benefits (or lack thereof), of acquiring any of these players.

I personally have reservations about each for various reasons and am probably in the minority when I say that I think Burress, despite his reputation, could be a great on-the-field addition for this team. Admittedly, he is a potential off field nightmare waiting to happen, but he is also a stellar, proven performer who, I think, has outdone all those other guys with the exception of Marvin Harrison who is bound for Canton.

Without a true number 1 option at the wide receiver position to draw extra coverage or to help stretch the field, a Jets offense that is already suspect at the QB position, will face many blitzes and eight man fronts. This could and most likely will spell disaster for the master game plan.

I still think we will see the Jets make a play for one of the receivers mentioned before we get to the pre-season.

Tight End

The team inexplicably released veteran TE Chris Baker and have so far haven't found a good match via free agency. Despite bringing in several vets for visits, including ex-Detroit Lion Michael Gaines, the best the Jets have managed in recent days was to re-sign Bubba Franks. Franks is old (31), hasn't played a full on season since 2006 and didn't show the best hands last summer.

Known primarily as a receiving TE rather than a blocking one, this signing is insurance against an injury to Dustin Keller at best. At worst it means the team is actually considering depending on the likes of a J'Nathan Bullock to successfully transition from a college basketball power forward to a working NFL tight end.

While all reports indicate Bullock had an impressive pro day, displaying astounding athleticism, toughness and great hands and really impressing scouts, just how effective is a guy who hasn't played competitive football since high school going to be? I admit he is an intriguing prospect but I'm not sure Rex and crew should be putting all their eggs in that basket.

Say what you want, but letting Baker go was a huge mistake. Baker was a solid option for us at the position but it seems the front office just couldn't see it, based on the treatment he received during his tenure as a Jet. I'm sure New England will be more than happy to demonstrate how big a mistake letting him go was.

Lack of Depth

This one is not getting anywhere as much press but it's huge. The Jets are way too thin at way too many positions to truly be successful. Both the defensive and offensive lines, parts of the secondary and, of course, the tight ends are so thin that one injury could sink the entire boat.

First Time Head Coach

Rex Ryan has proven his worth as a defensive coordinator, but how will he handle the offense? How about the special teams? Will he be consumed by the defense each week and depend on offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to run the offense? Will he play conservative and handcuff his offensive coordinator? Can he manage the clock? The list of unknowns with the new coach is great. There is no guarantee that Rex Ryan's defensive wizardry will translate to wizardry at the head coach level.

Despite all appearances, I'm actually extremely optimistic about the coming season. There are a lot of good things happening with this team too. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of questions.

Xander is Editor-In-Chief at AFCBeast.com