Bad draft day decisions could spell disaster for Bengals defense in 2008 and for a long time to come

In order for the Bengals to compete this season and really make a run at the playoffs, Bengals Management and Coaches are going to have to come up big in the draft.  The Bengals 2008 draft may be one of the most important drafts the teams has had in years. 

The Bengals have a lot of needs going into the 2008 draft.  They key to the draft will be finding players that can have an immediate impact on the team especially on the defensive side of the ball.

The Bengals have to focus on needs and not the best available talent.  This has been hard for the Bengals in the past.  How many times in the past (pre-Marvin era) were the Bengals in desperate need of one key position, but instead of fulfilling that need they decided to go with the best available talent in the first round?  The Bengals need to focus on defense.  With the loss of Madeui Williams, Justin Smith, and Landon Johnson the Bengals bad defense has just gotten worse.  Bengals fans, before you hit the panic button just yet, there is some light at the end of the Bengals dark defensive tunnel. 

If you thought Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson was upset before, what about now?  Now that Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald has signed a four-year, $40 million contract.  While Fitzgerald breaks the bank with $10 million per year for four years, Johnson is boxed in by a contract that went from good to bad in a hurry.

“Chad’s got to be crying,” one NFL insider told me.  Why? Because he’s between a rock and a hard place … for the next four years.  The $35.5 million extension Johnson signed in April 2006, which included a fat $10.75 million signing bonus, looked great at the time. But it doesn’t look so good anymore compared to Fitzgerald’s monster deal.

Johnson is due to earn $3 million in 2008, $4.5 million in 2009, $5 million in 2010 and $6 million in 2011. That’s $18.5 million.  In that same span, Fitzgerald will make $40 million — $22.5 million more than Chad.  Chad cannot be happy. But he has only two people to blame: himself and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Instead of waiting for Chad to reach free agency in 2009, they leaped on the Bengals’ six-year extension in 2006.

The Bengals' search for defensive depth yielded Arizona Cardinals free agent outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock, who agreed to a one-year contract Monday, March 10. Blackstock, a 6-foot-3, 244-pound fourth-year veteran, was a 2005 third-round draft pick from the University of Virginia.

Blackstock's three-year totals for Arizona included 44 tackles and four sacks in 46 games with two starts. He's expected to back up starting outside linebackers Dhani Jones and Rashad Jeanty, and strengthen the special teams coverage units.

Dayton Daily News

Profootballtalk.com reported that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson punched head coach Marvin Lewis during halftime of a Jan. 2006 playoff again against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The website cited a clip posted on YouTube in which former Cincinnati defensive tackle Shaun Smith, now a Cleveland Brown, told a group of Browns Backers the story of the incident. The clip has since been removed from YouTube.

Quoting an unidentified source, Profootballtalk.com reported that in Jan. 2006: "The last few minutes of intermission were ticking away, when the players were startled by the sight and sound of a helmet slamming against the glass pane of the training room door. Inside, receiver Chad Johnson and receivers coach Hue Jackson were engaged in an altercation. At one point, Johnson was seen holding Jackson in a headlock. "Coach Marvin Lewis entered the training room to intervene, and Johnson (per the source) took a swing at him."

The team denied any such incident, and Johnson called a press conference for the sole purpose of claiming that nothing happened.

Source: Profootballtalk.com

The Cincinnati Bengals lost their leading tackler Friday, March 7, when linebacker Landon Johnson agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Carolina Panthers.

Johnson visited the Panthers on Thursday and agreed to join the NFC South team today, said his agent, Andy Simms.

"He's excited to join the Carolina Panthers and further his career," Simms said. "He truly enjoyed his four years in Cincinnati."

Johnson led the Bengals in tackles three of the past four seasons.

Dayton Daily News

ESPN is reporting the Bengals Defensive End Justin Smith has signed  deal with the San Franciso 49ers.  The deal is expected to be worth $45 million that included $20 million in guarantees.

Smith had played seven season so for the Bengals.  He was the 4th pick overall in the 2007 draft out of Missouri.  The Bengals had kept him last year by placing the Franchise Tag on him.  Although Smith did not have an exceptional season last year, he had 43 1/2 sacks while with the Bengals.  Smith has a reputation for having a big motor an being a very hard worker on and off the filed.   franchise tag by the Bengals in 2007.  Smith despite his number of sack, he only managed 2 sacks last season. Smith has played in 16 games every season except his rookie campaign when he made 15 appearances.

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