52 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Read where Bates wasn’t at voluntary workouts today, probably not a good sign???

If true, I hope there was a good reason. 

What is the last date teams can trade players?

9 hours ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Read where Bates wasn’t at voluntary workouts today, probably not a good sign???

I’m sure he isn’t happy. First with the franchise tag, and then with the Bengals seeming to prepare for life without him after this season. Which suggest a long term deal isn’t coming, at least not as high as Bates probably wants. 
 

With that said I have seen some suggest he may sit out unless he gets a long term deal. I see no way he actually goes through with that. One that would mean he would be losing out on 13 million dollars after this year. Two, his value isn’t going to go up by sitting this year out. He sits this year out, he probably only gets offered similar types of long term deals that the Bengals probably has already offered. He isn’t going to go set the market after sitting out a year. 
 

So while it may make it headlines for awhile this off season with him sitting out some. At the end of the day I think he will end up playing and probably there for mandatory stuff. 

Which fans need to prepare. With the Bengals having a Super Bowl roster with good talent, you can’t afford to keep them all. So they are going to lose a few guys over the next few years. 
 

They obviously are going to have to pay Burrow after this year. Most likely will pay Higgins after this year too, and then Chase after the following year. You also have Logan Wilson who can be extended after this year. Jonah Williams had his 5th year option activated, but they will need to extend him eventually. 
 

They just can’t afford to keep everyone.  Looks like Bates will be gone after this year, possibly Vonn Bell too. I also believe this may be the last year for a Mixon and Boyd too. Which while I love those 4 players, at least position wise those are positions that are not as hard to replace. Now their leadership is the thing that would hurt to lose though. 

I hear you fc, the downside to being successful in the NFL. 

Which is the same reason that my next Bengals jersey should have MY name on the back of it instead of a player who might be with the team only 3-4 years.

Interesting breakdown here, the Bengals come in at 17 in the draft using this methodology. 

 

Hey @Voice of Reason, I see Chase is catching 10,000 balls as a part of his summer training program. ?

24 minutes ago, theguru said:

Hey @Voice of Reason, I see Chase is catching 10,000 balls as a part of his summer training program. ?

He actually got better and better at reducing drops as the year went on last year. Probably taking a year off had an impact on the drops.

4 hours ago, theguru said:

Hey @Voice of Reason, I see Chase is catching 10,000 balls as a part of his summer training program. ?

The author, Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, says 10,000 hours or 10,000 iterations of anything is the magic amount to achieve greatness and true expertise.

10001! 10001! ?

I saw today that the Bengals currently have the 3rd toughest schedule in the NFL going into the season.

1 minute ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I saw today that the Bengals currently have the 3rd toughest schedule in the NFL going into the season.

Let's do it!  Hopefully I don't eat those words. 

6 hours ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I saw today that the Bengals currently have the 3rd toughest schedule in the NFL going into the season.

True. They also had one of the toughest schedules going into last year though too. I honestly really like how this years schedule looks. 

From the Bengals this morning:
 

This morning our team is announcing a stadium naming rights partnership with Cincinnati-based Paycor and we want our great fans to hear the news directly. The home of the Cincinnati Bengals is now Paycor Stadium. While our home stadium will take on a new name, the legacy of Paul Brown, one of football’s most influential coaches and founder of the Bengals, will live on forever.

 

The Bengals are proud of the commitment this strategic partnership demonstrates to continue competing for championships in Cincinnati.

 

Bengals President Mike Brown said: “This is a move that I think my father would have agreed to. He was always for what is best for the football team. This partnership allows the Bengals to continue to compete at the highest level in the NFL and exemplifies our long-term commitment to the community.”

 

Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn said: “It was important to find a naming rights partner that strongly aligns with the Bengals brand. Paycor is a local company on the rise that shares our commitment to building winning teams. We are proud to support Paycor’s growth and strengthen the Cincinnati business community with this partnership.”

 

Paycor Stadium branding will begin to be integrated throughout the stadium in the coming months, with Paycor and the Bengals hosting a ceremony before the season to unveil new branding and celebrate the partnership.