"Sunday update: T.J. call may be Monday
By GEOFF HOBSON
March 1, 2009
Updated: 5 p.m.
There were indications that Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh might not make the call until Monday morning instead of Sunday night as the Bengals wait word on the fate of their third all-time receiver.

One thing is certain. The Vikings are making a huge push to get a Houshmandzadeh deal done before he leaves the Twin Cities and it doesn't look like he's leaving any time soon. The red-carpet treatment from Zygi Wilf, the Vikings owner, began Saturday when he dispatched one the club's private planes to pick up Houshmandzadeh in Seattle, and has been characterized as "a full-court press."

The Bengals on Sunday afternoon confirmed the visit of Giants running back Derrick Ward before he reportedly got on a plane to Denver. It's believed the Bengals are trying to focus on re-signing running back Cedric Benson."


I love the part where "it's believed the Bengals are trying to focus on resigning Benson."

Wow! They can't even just try to resign the guy, they have to "try to focus on resigning" the guy. They can't even just focus on resigning him, they have to "try to focus" it. Furthermore, this is only what Hobspin believes as he apparently has no idea what the hell they are really doing either. Is it possible Mike-hole scheduled his vacation for the opening weekend of FA?

Still, I remain convinced they will resign him since there has been no other interest in him so far, I have not heard of any visits he has made, and because the guy has off-the-field character baggage so he is a perfect fit. I expect he will make something ridiculous like $3-3.5 mill a year, while we will pass up Ward because he would have cost something like $4-4.5 mill a year.
Also, expect him to somehow dupe Mike-hole into paying him more than the RBs that were signed before him, such as Correll Buckhalter.

So the Bengals fly Ward in on coach and make him take a Taxi to PBS, Vikings fly TJ in on a private jet and pick him up in a limo.

Which team will get their man?

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I heard TJ was staying an extra day or two because they had some kind of party on a houseboat planned for him....

"Well, it ain't braggin' if it's true
Yes sir, yes sir
It ain't braggin' if it's true
Muhammad Ali said that
Back when he was a young man
Back when he was Cassius Clay
Before he fought too many fights
And left his brain inside the ring"

Hobspin now reporting that the Bengals are offering $7 mill a year for 4 years and the Vikes are offering an unspecified amount on a 3 year deal.

Honestly, I totally reespect TJ as a player, but I would rather see the money go to the O-Line, RB or defense. That said, Hobspin is also reporting that the Bengals are not pursuing anything right now except WR and RB. If we are going to overpay for a WR it might as well be TJ.

Does anyone else think the loss of TJ is not the end of the world only because we already have a lot of talent at WR? It seems to me that in terms of play making and depth, WR might be our one position of strength. So what does Brown-hole do, he "tries to focus" on bringing in another WR. Does this guy just get a hard-on for WRs or what?

Benson is in Texas, so he might be gone too. Or he might be desperately looking for some leverage to squeeze the Brown-hole with.

BTW, we could have signed 320 lb. center Jason Brown from the Ravens for essentially what Brown-hole is reportedly offering TJ, plus another year.

But that boat has sailed as he already signed with the Rams. Great.

If the Bengals had improved after 2005, and if they were now a top tier team, then it might make sense to keep TJ. But with the way things stand, TJ will be at twilight of his career by the Bengals are a winner again. That's assuming the Bengals ever become a winner again.

So, yeah, you might as well let TJ go and try to develop the young guys. I haven't given up on Jerome Simpson... yet. Caldwell should at least be okay, maybe pretty good. They should use that money to fill some other holes.

"I heard TJ was staying an extra day or two because they had some kind of party on a houseboat planned for him...."



Zing!

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This is just so stupid and bengal like.  If they really wanted to keep TJ, why didn't they try to concentrate on bringin him back 6 or 8 months ago.... They just let hime sit and then go out and shop.  I think Brown does this on purpose, he can let a player sit, then offer them what was great money 6 or 8 months earlier, the player can then go and leverage that offer for an updated one with the new figures.  Then when the player signs elsewhere, bengals sheep go.... oh well...he isn't worth what he got paid, so MFB did the right thing by letting him go....  What a sham.

"Well, it ain't braggin' if it's true
Yes sir, yes sir
It ain't braggin' if it's true
Muhammad Ali said that
Back when he was a young man
Back when he was Cassius Clay
Before he fought too many fights
And left his brain inside the ring"