Bengals
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Browns will interview Mike Zimmer today for their head coach opening ... At least one team has some sense. @JayGlazer, Fox Sports
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6:05, Sports Talk
8:05, Mick Cronin Show
Topics
Bengals: Is Andy Dalton a franchise QB?
HOF vote
Reds
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Bengals
The Dalton Debate
(Photo: Eric Gay/AP)
Is Dalton a franchise QB?
ESPN
The Cincinnati Bengals don't need to draft a quarterback in the first round this year. They don't need to sign a free agent to replace quarterback Andy Dalton.
What the Bengals need to do is figure out whether Dalton is a franchise quarterback by the end of the 2013 season. That's a valid question after Dalton flopped for a second straight season in the playoffs and took a step back in his second NFL season.
Offensive showing puts spotlight on Dalton
AP
Nothing was more stunning than the way the offense imploded. And nobody is under more scrutiny heading into another empty offseason than quarterback Andy Dalton.
For the second year in a row, Dalton played poorly in the playoffs. He passed for only 3 yards in the first half and finished 14-of-30 for 127 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and a 44.7 passer rating that was third-worst in franchise history for a playoff game.
Dalton raises concerns for Bengals
NFL.com
It's not a question of whether Dalton is any good. It's obvious he's capable. It's whether he has the potential to be great. He has limitations as a thrower and struggled with accuracy. It was discouraging to see him truly take a step back in his second season mentally. He often seemed hesitant to make a throw, even when it was there. Too many passes went out of bounds. The game hasn't slowed down for him
Should Dalton be better than this?
Josh Katzowitz, CBS Sports
Really, the question is whether Dalton can be better than the man he replaced, former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. Although Palmer was solid in his time in Cincinnati, he didn't win a playoff game (the Bengals, in fact, haven't won a postseason game in 22 years). Dalton has been solid also, but he's 0-for-2 in the playoffs. So is Gruden.
Head coach Marvin Lewis is secure in his job for now. But if they don't truly improve next season, maybe Dalton and Gruden shouldn't feel so comfortable in theirs.
Disappointing Dalton
ProFootballFocus
Dalton did not respond well. Here he took two sacks, scrambled twice and completed only 3 of 10 attempts for 11 yards. Or 1.1 yards per attempt. There are more questions than answers with Dalton at this stage of his career, as his second postseason game highlighted.
Chris Burke, SI: Blame Dalton, if you want, or Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jay Gruden (who may have cost himself the shot at some head coaching jobs with Saturday’s game plan). Heck, give all the love to Joseph for putting the kibosh on Green. Whatever the explanation you want to go with, Green’s completely silent first half is inexcusable.Cincinnati had to find a way to get him the ball and only figured that out once it was in a hole. This was far from a breakout game for Dalton, and the Bengals may not be that far from reassessing if their current quarterback situation can get them over the top.
Bengals make strides, but offense must get better
Todd Jones, Columbus Dispatch
Dalton is more caretaker than gunslinger. He has thrown 35 TD passes in the red zone in his NFL career, with no interceptions. He’s not as bold as the QBs who have won the past eight Super Bowls: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli.
Yet Dalton is only 25 and has been a proven winner at every level.
How cap space looks for AFC North
ESPN.com
There's only five teams in the league who are projected to have over $30 million in cap space and two of them reside in the AFC North. The Bengals have the most projected cap room in 2013 with $55.1 million. The team with the second-most cap room in the NFL is the Browns, who are projected to have $48.9 million. Indianapolis ($46 million), Miami ($35.8 million) and Tampa Bay ($31.3 million) round out the top five.Complete list: Salary cap space 2013
Bookmark this: Free agent tracker for Bengals all NFL free agents.
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Hall of Fame
(Sports on Earth Photo)
Final Verdict
Joe Posnanski, SportsOnEarth.com
He was widely viewed by the sportswriters as the best player of all time. In the end, character clause or not, the writers understood their mission was to honor the best who ever played the game. I think that's still our mission. I don't think it's right to pretend that the steroid and PED stuff never happened -- it absolutely did happen and should be part of the evaluation of a baseball player's career. But I don't see how steroid use in an era when there was no testing, no policing and (I believe) tacit encouragement to use PEDs can or should be, on its own, a Hall of Fame disqualifier.
Allowing assumption into Hall of Fame vote a slippery slope
Richard Justice, MLB.com
One voter told me he wouldn't vote for Clemens, Bonds, McGwire, etc., because he has too much respect for the game.
Oh, Lord, scoop out my eyes with a plastic spoon. There are few things sportswriters enjoy more than preaching about right and wrong.
MLB.com writers reveal their ballots:
Each year, lifetime members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, i.e. those who spent 10 or more consecutive years with the organization, are bestowed a unique honor: Together, they comprise the electorate for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. At MLB.com, we have 16 veteran writers who have earned the privilege to vote, and again they're sharing their ballots with you.
The Hall of Fame, from scratch
FanGraph.com
So, instead of a yes/no decision, I’d center my Hall of Fame around the concept of tiers. Instead of Simmons multi-level Egyptian architecture, I’d settle for a series of rooms, each slightly smaller than the previous one. A suggested order:
My thoughts on the voting process
I'm maintained for years that the Hall of Fame voting process needs an overhaul.
1. There is no reason the vote to be exclusive to the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America). Times and media have changed since 1939. TV, Radio, blogs are major players in coverage of the game. 2. There is no reason for a writer to maintain a vote that is decades removed from covering the game. 3. You can't convince me that the likes of Vin Scully, Bob Costas, Marty Brennaman, George Grande, Tim McCarver, Jon Miller don't deserve a vote. And why would those in the hall not get a vote?
Each year I refer to the voting percentages of players inducted and laugh. Can you imagine having a ballot and NOT voting for Babe Ruth in 1936? That's what happened. Check out some Hall of Fame players and the number of writers that did not vote for them in the player's induction year:
64 Bob Gibson, 48 Cy Young, 45 Frank Robinson, 43 Mickey Mantle, 37 Walter Johnson, 28 Joe Dimaggio, 28 Rickey Henderson, 23 Willie Mays, 23 Stan Musial
21 Christy Mathewson, 20 Ted Williams, 16 Johnny Bench, 16 Mike Schmidt
9 Hank Aaron, 9 Babe Ruth, 5 Tom Seaver. Click here for a complete list.
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Bearcats
UC, Massillon staffs not getting along
FridayNightOhio.com
“It was an ugly situation,” Hall said. “I think they thought he was going to go to Tennessee with Butch Jones and they offered another quarterback. But that wasn’t the case. Cincinnati will not be allowed back in Massillon on our campus as long as Jason Hall is in Massillon.”
Tuberville a HR for UC
247Sports.com
Area coaches are excited about Tuberville coming on board.
“I remember when I was a young coach, I went and listened to a presentation Coach Tuberville gave at a clinic when he was the defensive coordinator at Miami the U,” Steve Specht, head coach at area power Cincinnati St. Xavier said. “Since then I’ve followed him and stayed in contact learning a little here and there. I think he’s an excellent coach.
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Stuff
College basketball bubble watch
SI
Oh baby, I can't wait
Indians turned to Tressel to help land Swisher.
ESPN apologizes for Musburger's remarks about McCarron's girlfriend
Why you should be watching 'Justified'.
Casey and Peyton insist I eat too fast. They want to get me this. Cost: $99.
The Hapifork
Esquire
"The fork vibrates if you take a bite less than 10 seconds after the last mouthful," CNET reports. "That will teach you to slow down, enjoy each morsel, and allow your brain to rein in your appetite."
(David Becker, Getty Images)
Ryan Parker has a new song: AJ's girl
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