SB Nation - Jacob Bell

Tennessee Titans Daily Links: Don't Think I'll Be Paying $69.99 For An Unfettered View Of TE's Abusing Our D Edition

August West — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:45:56 -0000

Paul K previews the training camp battles across the AFC South, and he gives Jake Locker a very legitimate shot at unseating Matt Hasselbeck. At this point I think Hasselbeck would have to seriously struggle though camp and the preseason to lose the job, if for no other fact than they can yank Hass at any time of the season without much controversy, but benching Locker for Hass mid-season would be a complete disaster.

Finally, the NFL is going to allow fans to watch the same game tapes that coaches get. This is a remarkable turn of events for NFL fans, because we'll finally be able to see how the entire play unfolds regardless of where the network's cameras were pointed at that moment (though Deadspin's C-Roll posts remind us just how much of the action they do capture). The footage will be available after the game is over through the league's Game Rewind package, which will set you back $69.99 for the year. That's a steep price for the privilege of watching Michael Griffin bite on playfakes in excruciating detail , but it'll make a huge difference in how fans can review and analyze individual plays.

Nate Washington is feeling old thanks to all of our young WRs, but he also feels more comfortable in his own professionalism and preparation at this stage in his career.

Javon Ringer has been criminally under-utilized over the past few years because Fisher wanted Chris Johnson to take every carry he could muster. But now that his rookie deal is about to end, Ringer is hopeful he will get a shot to prove what he can do with steady carries.

Terry McCormick talks to Will Witherspoon about his new role as the mentor for our young, talented group of linebackers. It's great to see Witherspoon, who is entering his 11th year in the NFL, gracefully accepting the fact that his time with the Titans is winding down by helping advise the young guns who will replace him pretty soon.

If Taylor Thompson blossoms into an NFL star, will it change the way NFL scouts evaluate TEs?

Ben Muth scouts the Rams' offensive line, ~~which includes former-Titan Jacob Bell.~~

Recently-Retired Bengals Guard Jacob Bell Finds His New Calling After Football

Anthony Cosenza — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:30:04 -0000

When the Bengals acquired offensive guard Jacob Bell in free agency, many figured that the veteran would push for a starting spot, if not provide valuable depth at a weak position. Then the Bengals spent a first round pick on Kevin Zeitler and many saw the writing on the wall for Bell.

But, no one would have guessed that Bell would have retired so suddenly without giving himself a shot through Training Camp. As it turns out, it wasn't the Zeitler acquisition that pushed Bell to call it quits--it was the tragic death of future Hall of Fame linebacker, Junior Seau. A few days ago when addressing his sudden retirement, Bell made it known that he is looking to increase awareness on concussions and the effects on players after their football careers are over.

Recently, Sports Illustrated's Peter King spoke with Bell about his future plans and what played into the decision.

On what his post-football career goals are:

Bell hopes to push for rookies entering the league to be given information on concussion awareness at the annual NFL Rookie Symposium, and he'd like to see a baseline brain scan taken of every player before entering the league. He wants the findings of the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, which is studying the brains of former athletes in contact sports, to be more readily available to players.

Some truth in advertising the Bell retirement: He's hoping to raise the dialogue about the risks of head trauma and overall player safety for current and former players.

It's an admirable aim on Bell's part and falls in line with the league's recent push on player safety and concussion awareness. Aside from the team selecting Zeitler and bringing in Travelle Wharton, King raised an interesting question to Bell regarding his decision to retire and salary:

But Bell was helped along by his contractual situation. Bell was due to make $6 million last season and $6 million this season under his contract with the Rams. Before the 2011 season, the Rams cut his 2011 pay to $3 million, and wiped out the last year on his contract. So Bell made $3 million in 2011 for St. Louis, was an unrestricted free agent, and signed a one-year, $890,000 deal with the Bengals.

I asked Bell: "If you were on your previous contract with the Rams, due to make $6 million this year, would you have retired?"

"That's a very good question,'' he said. "And therein lies the problem. How can you say when you're being offered so much money, the kind of money that can secure your future, to play football? So of course it played a role."

Money, Bell thinks, helps keep many players in the game longer than they might truly want to. "I guarantee you if you asked every player in the NFL if they'd do it for $500,000 a year, a lot of them would do something else,'' he said.

And there's the kicker. Unfortunately, this is likely the mindset of a lot of young players in the NFL today, who are making a large sum of money. By the sounds of it, Bell would have likely continued playing had he been making a higher salary than the veteran minimum he was set to receive from the Bengals.

A lot of players feel invincible and immune to future damage accrued from years of football. Or, even worse, they don't care. As long as youngsters have this mindset of "just pay me and I'll play no matter what", the NFL will remain profitable and will continue to dominate every other American sport. It's great to see that a longtime NFL veteran in Bell is giving back to the game's current and future participants and seems to have a productively aggressive approach in doing so.

Former Guard Jacob Bell Wants To Increase Awareness On Concussions

Josh Kirkendall — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:28:43 -0000

Already aware of the damage that football places on the body, former Cincinnati Bengals guard retired from the NFL last week citing Junior Seau's shocking suicide. Bell ditched the $890,000 contract that he signed last month, deciding to bring awareness towards younger players about the toll football takes. Speaking with NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Bell is starting to promote awareness regarding the physical damage players take, but more specifically the lasting damage of concussions.

"It's a blessing to be able to retire and walk away on my own instead of being forced out of it," Bell said. "Think about what the guys are going through. Everybody wants to make the money, but what are you really sacrificing? If they tell you we're going to take your brain and whack it with a baseball bat, but we'll give you a couple million bucks, how many people would really do that? ... I compare us to modern-day gladiators. We're giving our lives to the game of football for a price."

Bell offered three things that could help the league, ranging from awareness starting at the rookie symposium, brain scans before players start their NFL careers to the involvement of psychologists within a player's education.

Rapoport writes:

Bell believes activities to increase brain function would help -- puzzles, learning a language, taking vitamins. But, as he said, "It would really help to have a personal relationship with a doctor. ... The reality is, it's a traumatic experience for your brain when you're playing the game of football. But we can definitely help these players.

We feel that the problem will always be one of mortality, in this context. Older players feel the lasting affects after playing the sport for some time while younger players will always enter the NFL with a sense of invincibility. Grabbing their attention while their young might work. Regardless, good for Bell to step up and reach out.

Daily Bucs Links 5/10/12 - How players cope with life after football

Sander Philipse — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:38:52 -0000

Cosell Talks: Michael Vick / Matt Ryan : NFL Films Blog
Cosell talks about playing in structure, and pocket presence.

Rookie starters for 2012? Bengals, Bucs, Jags, Browns will have a few - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy
3 rookie starters for the Bucs, if not more.

Ranking the NFC South RB situations - NFC South Blog - ESPN
Third-best.

NFL - Why life after football can be bumpy - ESPN
When basically all of your life falls away, things get bumpy.

NFL is in need of a better exit plan for its players | National Football Post
An exit plan, anywhere.

Josh Freeman slimmed down to get better, Bucs' Dominik says - NFL.com
No kidding. He looks completely different.

NFL makes plans for replacement officials - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN
Because of a labor dispute.

You can follow us on Twitter as @Bucs_Nation or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BucsNation

If you have a topic you want to talk about, remember that you can write a fanpost.

Ex-player, Turned Lawyer, Leads Latest Group of Plaintiffs | NFL Concussion Litigation
Former Buc, Brad Culpepper.

A day in the life of an NFL agent
Interesting read.

Risk of head trauma contributed to Jacob Bell’s retirement | ProFootballTalk
Good for him.

How Tyler Urban and Cody Nutter Will Fit In With the Tampa Bay Bucs | WVU Pros
Some more of my thoughts on WVU players.

New Bucs QB Jordan Jefferson's legal issues deepen | tampabay.com & Tampa Bay Times
Oops.

Bucs LB Najee Goode Joins The Commish | The Commish – Justin Pawlowski
Yay, interviews.

Jacob Bell Reiterates Decision To Retire Based On Risk To His Health

Josh Kirkendall — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:36:27 -0000

With Jacob Bell's decision to retire, we wonder if the 1,800 former players suing the NFL, or the overall awareness regarding concussions, will start weighing heavily into players' decisions to leave the sport. We're not talking about superstars in the middle of multimillion dollar deals -- money is a huge motivator to keep playing. Rather the backup and special teams players, the bottom half of the roster making the minimum and the inherent risks to play football in the NFL. Or is the information overload being displayed publicly a matter of an over-reactionary society?

Either way it's the reason why Jacob Bell decided to retire. And he confirmed that through Jim Thomas with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"There were a lot of factors that went into it for me," Bell told the Post-Dispatch in a phone interview Tuesday night. "I've had a lot of fun playing. I've seen a lot of things. I've played in a lot of games. The reality is that for me it came down to risk and reward. I think you've always got to weigh that out. At some point, you've got to kind of figure out what you're in the game for.

"One of my biggest concerns when it comes to the game in general is my personal health. One thing that's obviously on the minds of a lot of people lately is brain research and all the stuff that's going on with that. One of the big things that I thought about when I was considering this is how much do I love the game? How much can they pay me to take away my health and my future and being able to be with my family and just have a healthy lifestyle?"

And on Tuesday Bell told Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"In the NFL we're modern-day gladiators and we sell our soul to the game of football for a price, but what is that price? Everyone has a price and for me I wanted to make sure that I don't have any regrets about my future in regards to what I've done in the NFL. At this point I can walk away with no regrets and leave on my own terms where the NFL didn't force me out and I made that decision on my own."

You have to appreciate Bell's honesty in the matter. And we still have to wonder if there will be other minimum-paid veteran players that follow Bell's lead.

Random Ramsdom: May 9, 2012

Brandon Birkhead — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:00:43 -0000

Hey everybody! How's your May been so far? Football's dead period has been depressing for most of us writers here at TST, but stay tuned! We will still have amazing content for our readers! Let's get to the links!

Vikings stadium mess

I don't even know where to begin with this. The stadium negotiations have become a fiasco in Minnesota. The politicians in Minnesota are changing their minds every nanosecond and it's getting ugly. A bill has passed through the state house and late last night, through the state senate, but it's a LONG way away from being reality. The Rams and the CVC are in stadium negotiations right now and the Rams just sent in their counter-offer. If the CVC rejects it, the matter will go to arbitration and if a deal isn't reached by the time the lease runs out, the same thing that is happening in Minnesota will happen in St. Louis.

More after the jump!

Rams sign 23 rookie free agents (Post-Dispatch)

Here's a list of the current UDFA's the Rams have brought in. Names to take note of are LB Sammy Brown, S Matt Daniels, QB Austin Davis, P John Hekker, and TE Deangelo Peterson.

Cosell's NFC West Review

A man who is quickly becoming one of my favorite draft analyst made a great point in his review of the NFC West draft: Who can say what player is a reach? Until the player steps on the field, no one knows who will be good. He had this to say about the Rams selecting Brain Quick.

Many will use the small school component of Quick's résumé to suggest he will have a much larger learning curve to adjust to the NFL. Again, another myth tossed around as if it's gospel. Watch any college wide receiver, especially one that played in a spread, and you will see limited routes. Justin Blackmon went to Oklahoma State, and he has no greater route running experience that Quick. They both played in spread offenses. In fact, studying both extensively on film, you can make the argument that Quick, who's significantly bigger than Blackmon, is more naturally athletic.

Sam Bradford Keep Gym in School (KSDK)

The Rams QB took time out of his day to visit a local elementary school and promote the NFL's Keep Gym in School program. Bradford led the kids in a "mini-camp". It's always great to see athletes using their stage for good. Speaking of Sam....

Rams told Bradford that they would not draft a QB (NFL.com)

Bradford said in a interview in NFL Network that he was told early that he was the guy as he should be. Bradford is a special, special talent. Last year was rough, but with a full off-season to get healthy and some new weapons, Bradford should bounce back nicely in 2012.

Jacob Bell retires (NFL.com)

Ex-Rams guard Jacob Bell retried after being on the Bengals for only one month. He said he lacks the desire to play football anymore. He signed a huge contract with the Rams and wound up being a huge disappointment. All the best in retirement.

That's all for today. Have a good one and GO RAMS!!

Cincinnati Bengals Guard Jacob Bell Retiring From The NFL

Josh Kirkendall — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:11:09 -0000

According to Yahoo Sports! NFL Insider Jason Cole, Cincinnati Bengals offensive guard Jacob Bell has retired from the NFL. Bell signed a one-year deal on April 11, 2012 worth $890,000 with a $65,000 signing bonus. No word if Bell retired due to the team's decision to select Kevin Zeitler in the first round, general love for the game diminishing or something else. It's too early to postulate a theory at this point.

As for the Bengals there are questions.

Zeitler and Wharton are your obvious starters, with Clint Boling and Otis Hudson the most natural backups. However the Bengals have a decent collection of undrafted free agents to check out from now until the end of the preseason, including Trevor Robinson, Mike Ryan and perhaps Ben Bojicic as well as Chris Riley.

Bell, largely projected as a backup, was the second guard signed by the Bengals during free agency this year, behind Travelle Wharton, who is expected to start at left guard. An eight-year veteran selected No. 138 overall during the 2004 NFL draft out of Miami University, Bell played his first four season with the Tennessee Titans before completing his career with a four-year stint with the St. Louis Rams.

Random Ramsdom, 5/8/12: St. Louis Rams' Offensive Line Cause For Concern

Ryan Van Bibber — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:37:51 -0000

Threats. That's the unofficial theme of Tuesday's St. Louis Rams headline round up. On the field, the Rams' offensive line raises more than a few eyebrows.

The last regime tried spending big bucks to fix the unit to disappointing results. The new leadership is opting for a riskier approach, trying to fix the broken pieces with improved coaching. It's a gamble, but it is worth pointing out that the Rams' OL is in this situation AFTER spending high draft picks and premium free agent dollars on players like Jason Smith, Jacob Bell and Jason Brown ... maybe they should find guys whose names don't start with the letter 'J.'

Oh, and then there's the concussion issue, which could suck the whole league into a real quagmire. Read more and find out which former Rams player is not going to win any good neighbor awards ... after the jump.

NFL isn't in danger of dying soon, but you can hear whispers - Mike Freeman at CBS takes note of the concussions issue and its threat to the NFL. Mark my words, if you thought the lockout and the CBA fight threatened the game's popularity, the concussion issue could truly torpedo it. Read this article.

2012 Offensive Line Rankings - Not good news for Rams fans here. Evan Silva at Rotoworld ranks the team's offensive line as the worst unit in the league. Questions about depth as well as the starters on the outside make the Rams' front five the most serious question mark heading into the 2012 season.

2009 NFL Draft Revisited - CBSSports - Speaking of the Rams' offensive line, here's a look back at the 2009 NFL Draft. The Rams' pick of Jason Smith at No. 2 looks ... well, like you thought it would in hindsight. Four of seven players selected are still on the roster, headlined by James Laurinaitis.

Randy McMichael is not a very good neighbor - Did you former St. Louis Rams tight end Randy McMichael, part of the Linehan era, still has a home in suburban St. Louis? You didn't know that, and McMichael may not either. According to a report from KMOV his neighbors are fed up with the semi-abandoned house and the overgrown yard and damaged siding that goes with it.

A Look Back: 2004 NFL Draft

Matt Wood — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:47 -0000

They say it takes at least 3 years to judge a draft.

While Mel Kiper will hand out his grades for this weekend's draft, we will actually look back on a draft in which we can draw some conclusions on. Will no more build-up, let's take a look at the last draft that Butch Davis had in Cleveland.

For everyone who thinks that the Browns gave up too much to move up one spot Thursday evening to take Trent Richardson, sit down.

The Browns were coming off a season in which they were 4-12, scored 17 points a game and gave up 24. Butch Davis was slowly losing power and his hand picked players were not living up to their supposed potential.

Gerard Warren was making headlines for the wrong reasons (arrests, fines, etc.) Chaun Thompson looked like a really good athlete trying to play football and William Green was too busy banging Kevin Johnson's wife to play good football.

In other words, the kingdom was collapsing on Butch.

The Browns went into the draft picking in the 7th selection.

The Browns needed help everywhere, and this draft was considered one of the deepest in quite sometime. Most people had the Browns focused on a few players. Sean Taylor the safety from Miami, Ben Roethlisberger the Quarterback from Miami of Ohio, Robert Gallery the offensive tackle from Iowa and Kellen Winslow II from Miami.

Once the draft process started, most people believed that the Browns wouldn't get a chance at Gallery or Winslow.

The Raiders loved Gallery and needed Tackle help and it would have cost the Browns too much to trade up. He would have been nice, but the ship had sailed.

Winslow was a different case. Winslow had been recruited by Davis at "The U" and had a strong relationship with Davis. But weeks before the draft, Winslow was the main target of the Washington Redskins, who were picking 5th. But as luck would have it, Winslow was represented by the Poston Brothers.

If you aren't familiar with the Poston brothers, here is a quick recap. At that time they were known as ransom negotiators. Having players hold out of camp and complained to the media more than the organizations. They had such a poor relationship with some organizations that some teams wouldn't even draft their clients. The Redskins weren't one of these teams.

(By the way, in case you are wondering the Poston brothers were suspended by the NFLPA because they admitted to not reading LaVar Arrington's contract. Arrington missed out on a 6.5 million dollars worth of bonuses that he didn't earn, yet was told he did and accused the Redskins of stealing from him. In other words, the Poston's were and still are morons.)

The Redskins wanted to kick the tires on Kellen Winslow II before the draft, as they were down between K2 and his college teammate Sean Taylor. Gibbs wanted to meet Winslow face-to-face.

The morning of the meeting, in which the Poston brothers had set-up, Kellen Winslow slept in and didn't make the meeting on time. When he finally did show up, he feel asleep during the meeting. Needless to say, Joe Gibbs was not impressed. Guess who the Redskins drafted? Yep, they went Sean Taylor.

So, the Browns were down to Ben Roethlisberger and Kellen Winslow.

As I mentioned earlier, Butch was losing the team. He was coming off a poor season in which his hand picked Quarterback, Kelly Holcomb, had gone into the tank. He needed a spark. He couldn't wait on a rookie Quarterback to come in and get developed. He needed results.

So before the draft, the Browns went the free agent route. They signed Jeff Garcia, who was coming off a poor season in San Fran, to a 4 year 25 million dollar contract. What could go wrong? Butch had made his move at the Quarterback position.

When the draft rolled around, the Lions started making noise that they were interested in Kellen Winslow II. Almost everyone on earth was convinced that the Lions were in love with WR Roy Williams. After all, the Lions #1 WR the season before finished with 449 yards. The Lions were starving for some play-makers on the outside.

The Lions made an outrageous demand. They wanted a 2nd round pick to drop down one spot. When the Lions were on the clock, Butch bit. He sent the 37th overall selection to the Lions to move up one slot. (The 37th pick ended up being Teddy Lehman)

That is where we start:

1st round, 6th pick overall: Kellen Winslow II, TE, University of Miami

Winslow could have been great. I truly think that. After his accident, he never had the same explosiveness and play making ability that he showed in college. He was truly amazing to watch at Miami. He was too fast for Linebackers. Too big for corners and safeties. Good Lord did he have hands. Anything in his zip code he brought down.

But we know the story. Two games into his career he snapped his ankle trying to recover an on-side kick against the Dallas Cowboys, landing on IR. The following off-season was the Evil Knievel stunt.

After his wreck he was a possession guy. He went from being a Antonio Gates to being a Bubba Franks.

He had two good seasons in Cleveland, making the Pro Bowl in '07, but had a poor season in '08 and was sent packing to Tampa Bay. The Browns received a 2nd round pick in return, which turned out to be Mohamed Massaquoi.

Winslow could have been great, but the price paid by Butch was a horrible mis-step.

We could have drafted: Roy Williams, DeAngelo Hall, Ben Roethlisberger, Tommie Harris, Will Smith, Vince Wilfork, Steven Jackson, Chris Gamble and Chris Snee.

2nd round, 59th pick overall: Sean Jones, Safety, University of Georgia

Trader Butch was back at it again. The Browns sent their 3rd round pick (Ben Hartsock), 5th round pick (Jake Scott, a guy who has 117 starts in his career) and our 6th round pick (Von Hutchins) to move up 9 spots to take Sean Jones. Browns also got the Colts 5th rounder, the 161st pick.

Another injury. Jones missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL before the start of the season (seriously, how does this keep happening to the Browns?!). After that, Jones was actually pretty solid for the Browns when he was on the field. He lead all safeties in tackles in '06 and '07.

He picked off 14 passes for the Browns, and racked up 204 tackles. When his contract was up, he signed a one year deal with the Eagles replacing Brian Dawkins in the line-up. After that, he moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he played for two seasons.

We could have drafted: Darnell Dockett, Nick Hardwick, Chris Cooley, Matt Schaub and Bernard Berrian

4th round, 106th pick overall: Luke McCown, Quarterback, Louisiana Tech

Cool hand Luke. Well, that's what I called him.

McCown was drafted as a project, with the supposed belief that he would have multiple seasons to sit and learn behind Jeff Garcia. After Jeff Garcia quit on the team and decided that he would no longer suit up, McCown was forced into action under Terry Robiskie. He was terrible.

During the 2005 NFL draft, the Browns sent McCown to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 6th round selection (turned out to be Andrew Hoffman). He has bounced around the league for awhile, playing with the Jaguars as well.

We could have drafted: Nathan Vasher, Jerricho Cotchery, Jared Allen, Antonio Smith, Jacob Bell, Jake Scott and Michael Turner

5th round, 161st pick overall: Amon Gordon, Defensive Tackle, Stanford

Gordon was able to make the team as a rookie, posting 10 stops and looking like he had some upside. The following season he tore up a knee and missed the entire season.

By the way, if you are counting, that is three combined full missed seasons in the first two years for this draft class. Is that some kind of record?

Gordon has stuck around the league, playing for the Browns, Broncos, Ravens, Titans, Eagles, Patriots, Seahawks, Titans again, Seahawks again and last year with the Chiefs.

Still, wouldn't know this dude if I hit him with a car.

We could have drafted: Rex Hadnot

6th round, 176th pick overall: Kirk Chambers, Offensive Tackle, Stanford

Back to the Tree we go.

Chambers never started a game for the Browns during the two years he was here. He has started some games with the Buffalo Bills, but has pretty much been bouncing around as depth for teams.

We could have drafted: Corey Williams (yes, the same guy we gave a 2nd round pick for), Andy Lee

7th round, 208th pick overall: Adimchinobi Echemandu, Running Back, California

I was excited about this pick. He had some size and could move. He had a knee injury in college, but bounced back and posted some nice numbers at Cal.

It took me about three weeks to learn how to say his name. He took him about three weeks to get cut from the Browns. He finished his Cleveland career with 8 carries for 25 yards. He bounced around the league for years, probably just because of his bad ass name.

We could have drafted: Patrick Crayton, Bobby McCray, Scott Wells (Notable undrafted players: Wes Welker, Jason Peters, Willie Parker, Ryan Lilja and Malcolm Floyd)

So when you look back at this draft, to me it is the classic what could have been. If K2 stays healthy. If Garcia wasn't a quitter. If Sean Jones didn't tear an ACL. This draft could have been one of the best.

At the end of the day, this shows why the draft is such a crap shoot. On one hand, you have a player who is driving a motorcycle without a helmet, without a license on a busy street. He hits a car face first, and goes on to win two Super Bowls. On the other, you have a player in a parking lot, with a helmet, trying to pop a wheelie. He wrecks his career and costs himself millions of dollars.

Look at the Redskins. They pass on K2 because of the meeting, but end up with Chris Cooley later on in the draft.

Sometimes it comes down to luck. Sometimes it comes down to not giving away a 2nd round pick to move up a spot.

Either way, the Browns came up short in the 2004 NFL draft.

Bengals Offensive Tackle Whitworth Very Impressed with Kevin Zeitler

Mike Fightmaster — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:10:56 -0000

Coming into the draft, it was all but a lock that the Bengals would take a guard with one of their first round picks because, even though they signed Travis Wharton and Jacob Bell during free agency, they did not have a long-term solution in place. After the Bengals drafted Dre Kirkpatrick with the No. 17 pick overall, and Stanford OG David DeCastro slid past the Chargers, Bears, and Titans, it seemed as though the Bengals would have their wishes granted and would take DeCastro, start him at guard from day one, and he would be an all-pro guard for the next decade.

That, of course, is a fans perspective on the draft and we, as fans, know very little about who the Bengals value most and what they are going to do so that they can get the guy they want, even if that means trading back. The Bengals ended up doing exactly that swapping first-round picks with the Patriots, receiving a third-round pick as compensation, drafting Wisconsin offensive guard Kevin Zeitler with the No. 27 overall pick. It is still to be determined if the Bengals got the better end of the trade but, at first glance, Zeitler and Clemson defensive tackle Brandon Thompson holds greater value (at least on paper) than the lone pick of DeCastro. We will wait and see if it actually ends up being a good decision by the Bengals, but one thing is for sure: Andrew Whitworth is very excited to have Zeitler on his team, telling Dan Hoard:

"It wasn’t really a shocker to me," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth. "From everyone I’ve talked to, the guy is very impressive – as a person and as a player. Anytime we get a guy in the locker room that is a great person and player, I’m excited about it."

A lot of fans were not excited about passing over DeCastro, trading back a few picks, and still picking a guard because the only offensive lineman that they have been hearing about is DeCastro and how he will start from day one. It also doesn't help that the Steelers drafted DeCastro, which as you can imagine didn't sit well with many fans. But what fans don't see are the workouts and the interviews that the Bengals hold with prospects and the value they judge from those private sessions.

What fans might not know about Zeitler is that he is an absolute mauler in the running game and is a solid pass blocker. Paul Anderson, Bengals offensive line coach, sees Zeitler as possibly the best guard in the draft and the Bengals were able to get an extra draft pick as well as the top guard on their board. No matter how you view it, this is a win for the Bengals. Not only this but, as Whitworth notes, Zeitler is a great person with great character. If you are a Bengals fan, any time the Bengals draft a player with great character, you should be ecstatic. The fact that he is a top-notch talent and fills a large need for the Bengals offense is certainly a plus.

"I see a guy who is serious about what he is going to have to do," said Whitworth. "He’s not overwhelmed and seems pretty determined. I like that. He’s definitely a guy that has a lot of character – that’s the first thing that you realize after a short conversation with him. I’m excited about his future here and I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help be a part of him being successful."

The transition coming from college to the NFL is never easy for any player, but trying to make that transition on the offensive line is especially difficult. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that Zeitler is going to be going up against two of the top, most complex defenses and blitz packages in Baltimore and Pittsburgh two times a year. Whitworth is commonly known as one of the top tackles in the NFL and one of the smartest players in the league. Knowing that Whit is going to take Zeitler under his wing and do everything he can to help Zeitler learn the offense and transition to the pros, allowing him the opportunity to succeed as a pro, should be reassuring to every fan.

Whitworth is one of the few Bengals players, along with Domata Peko and Andy Dalton, that if he says something about a player, it is not just fluff for the media, but it should be taken as truth. This can also be applied to second year OC Jay Gruden, who had this to say regarding Zeitler:

"He’s one of the top guards on the board, in our opinion. He’s tough, he’s strong, he’s physical, he’s smart — guys like that can only help your football team. It’s not a popular pick sometimes to take an offensive guard, but last time I checked, they play a lot of snaps on Sunday."

Overall, the last three to four years of drafts should be evidence that the Bengals know what they are doing with their draft strategy and who they pick, especially in the later rounds, and they should have earned our trust on draft day. If guys like Gruden and Whitworth say that Zeitler is a great player and will be a great addition to the Bengals offensive line, you should take their word for it. I know that I do. If you still need more evidence and convincing, watch this video of Zeitler's draft profile from SB Nation and decide for yourself if the Bengals got a better value by drafting Zeitler/Thompson over DeCastro.

Kevin Zeitler 2012 NFL Draft Profile (via sbnnfl)