#Bengals organization….do not let me down this offseason | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cementcornfield · 3 months ago

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The flaws in the team - is this fixable in one offseason?

I’m worried they’re gonna see how close some games were and talk themselves out of making necessary changes 😕

god. i have no idea. the thing is that the bengals have always had this reputation, and it's a fair one for the most part. but as a new fan, i've only been experiencing these good years. (became aware of them during the super bowl, really got into them the next season. luckily became a fan right around when they went on a 10 game win streak so like, i wasn't aware this team DID lose?? and now look at me.)

i think, if you want to be Fair, the front office and organization HAVE been making changes. selling the stadium naming rights, making an in-season trade, paying joe the most guaranteed money they've ever paid, these are all steps in the right direction. but you can also fairly point out that a lot of this is way too little too late. they are far far behind the way most other front offices are run, and we're seeing the consequences of that.

i hope that progress keeps being made. i hope they see what they have in joe and ja'marr after this insane season, and see how they've let them down. i think joe (and certainly ja'marr lol) is the type to speak his mind when he sees something he's not happy about. i'm not sure how much power or sway he does have in the organization, but i imagine it's more than pretty much any player they've had til this point. and i can only hope they listen to him!! (without him having to threaten a trade, which i wouldn't blame him for. but i don't think it's come to that quite yet.)

in terms of what changes they could reasonably make this offseason, i think we need to (ONCE AGAIN) focus on drafting and signing defensive talent. it sucks because oh my god we've dedicated so many resources to that the last few years, but we just keep missing (and of course letting the actual proven talent go, assuming we can replace and it turns out we can't!) and then when you think about how high-potential players haven't developed, you do have to look at coaching. lou has been incredible for us scheme-wise the last few years. he is one of the few DCs who has proven he can consistently limit patrick mahomes, josh allen, and even lamar sometimes (less so this year lol). but! when you take away his top talent, he's not able to reproduce these results reliably. which i mean, that's a hard ask for anyone, but it's his job to work with the tools given, and two years in a row now he's proven that he can't set up the players he has currently on the roster for success. so the answer might be in replacing him? or at the very least, keep him for his scheming creativity but maybe replace position coaches? who actually work with and develop the guys every day?

i still think zac's job is safe. and i know i'm in the minority when i say i'm mostly okay with that. when you look at this team's problems, and what they've been able to do on offense this year despite key injuries, i still think that's impressive. and obviously you can attribute some of that to joe's ability to improvise, but i think when you look at the game plans recently, they've been pretty good overall. zac definitely still has trouble with deciding on when to be aggressive, and sometimes he gets too cute with shit, but i really don't think he's this team's biggest problem, and i think joe is still very much on his side. if that changes though, then yeah, i'd think zac's seat could get pretty hot.

oh i do think we need to get rid of frank though. our o-line is better at pass protection this year, especially when orlando is in and having one of his best years statistically. and i get that when we have joe at qb, we're always going to prioritize passing, that's fine. but i'm pretty sure we're dead last in run blocking. which is a shame because chase brown has shown he can be pretty special! but we need to give him SOMETHING to work with on these runs. and given that frank is the o-line AND run coordinator, it's pretty evident that he's the problem there. so maybe the team gets rid of him? hopefully?

i dunno, this has become a whole rant but these are just some of the things that i think could happen? and maybe if they do, we'll be in better shape next year to get things figured out. i'm excited to watch our young guys this season, see what we have in them. because they could definitely be the key to success next season!

#can the front office fix everything in one offseason? they could get pretty close if they were willing to spend $$$$#but of course they aren't #so we'll just have to see if they adjust their conventional strategies AT ALL to give us ANYTHING!!#and hope for the best #they did go out and get joe a great defense in the 21 free agency #trey bj dj mike hilton #they were all considered mid level guys. and we gave them mid level contracts #and through sheer luck they all turned out to play above the value free agency had on them #we gotta hope we can get that to happen again because that worked out SO well for us #and i imagine that's what the FO is banking on. because they don't wanna spend all their money on one player. they're far too risk averse #i'm sure they're already fuming about overpaying for rankins this offseason #also disclaimer that i barely know what i'm talking about here!

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tkmedia · 4 years ago

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With Dak Prescott out, Dallas Cowboys turn to Garrett Gilbert at No. 2

6:00 AM ETOXNARD, Calif. -- As it turned out, the Dallas Cowboys' season did not end Wednesday when Dak Prescott stopped throwing passes because of a muscle strain, but it did speak to the fragility of their potential success.The Cowboys' hopes are pinned to Prescott, which is why they paid him a $160 million contract that included $126 million in guarantees this offseason. Their dilemma is not uncommon in the NFL. Quick: Name Russell Wilson's backup with the Seattle Seahawks. See, not that easy.The Cowboys' No. 2 quarterback, at least for the moment, is Garrett Gilbert.Gilbert, 30, has played in as many NFL games (seven) as he has professional teams -- the Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams and the Orlando Apollos of the defunct Alliance of American Football."It's part of being a backup quarterback. You've got to always be ready to step in at any point," Gilbert said.He has thrown 44 passes in those seven games and has 283 yards, a touchdown and an interception. All but six of those passes came in his one NFL start -- last season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, three weeks after signing with Dallas. All but 40 of those yards came against the Steelers, too.NFL Nation reporters break down every division to get your ready for the season.• NFC East | AFC East • NFC North | AFC North • NFC South | AFC South • NFC West | AFC West "That's why he's sitting here as the No. 2, and he's done nothing but continue to impress Mike and Kellen in terms of what they feel like he could do if called upon," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "Feel like he can win a game for us, or games."The Cowboys, of course, hope it never comes to that, but in the offseason, Gilbert dived deeper into the Cowboys' playbook. He was constantly studying on his iPad. During the spring, he monitored Prescott and listened to how the veteran quarterback saw things."Being around and Kellen and being around Dak and getting to learn this offense from square one was the biggest thing for me and the biggest takeaway," Gilbert said. "I feel much more comfortable with all of our protection stuff, all our checks and audibles. That has been really great for me to be able to get in from square one and get that baseline that I didn't have last year with me playing catch-up and learn game plans on a weekly basis."Clearly the Cowboys liked what Gilbert did.Even with Prescott coming off a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle last October, the Cowboys did not look heavily in the free-agent market for a backup. They visited with Jeff Driskel and Brett Hundley but ultimately opted not to sign either player.Prescott's shoulder strain has not altered their plan at the moment, either.Gilbert has been the clear No. 2 to Prescott, and with his absence was elevated to be the starter over Ben DiNucci and Cooper Rush.It is a far different approach from what the Cowboys did a year ago when they signed Andy Dalton, who started 133 games in nine years with the Cincinnati Bengals, to a one-year deal that guaranteed him $3 million. It is far different from the approach the organization took early in Tony Romo's career when he had veterans Brad Johnson, Jon Kitna and Kyle Orton as his backups.Garrett Gilbert will get the bulk of the first-team quarterback work for the Dallas Cowboys while Dak Prescott takes a break from throwing. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty ImagesAfter Romo suffered through back and collarbone injuries, the Cowboys went with low-cost backups, such as Brandon Weeden and Moore, who is now the Dallas offensive coordinator. Oh, and they selected Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft."First of all, I think I've got a lot of confidence in all of our quarterbacks," Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz said. "I see the way they work, and they have a hell of a leader in their room who makes sure everybody's on top of their stuff. I mean don't tell them I said this, but they've got a pretty good coach in there, too. Having confidence in your quarterback room is very special, especially when you're a tight end; you can trust those guys and they can trust you."Gilbert did not pay attention to what the Cowboys did -- or didn't do -- at the quarterback position this offseason."Listen, obviously I want to win the backup job. That's my goal," he said. "That's all of our goal that are here behind Dak, but I think to focus on who I'm competing with specifically would be getting in the way of what I'm trying to do and how I'm trying to improve every day. My goal is to simply go out there, get better, be the best quarterback I can be for this team and let the chips fall where they may. That has served me well in the past."If this run with the first team is short, or if he is ever called upon during the season, he will not try to be Prescott 2.0."I'd be doing myself and those guys a disservice if I tried to be Dak out on the field when I was out there," Gilbert said. "Certainly, there some things that are going to sound the same as far as cadence and that sort of thing, but I feel like when I'm out there, I'm operating my own offense there, not trying to be like him." Read the full article

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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The Cowboys’ problems are deeper than Dak Prescott’s injury

Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Don’t let Dak Prescott’s injury distract from the Cowboys’ other issues.

The Cowboys’ devastating loss to Washington on Sunday was another low point in what’s becoming a devastating season. Nothing has gone right for Dallas during a year that once held so much promise. Now the team is left in tatters.

The Cowboys have an easy excuse for everything that’s gone wrong in the form of Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury, but that’s a reductive way to examine the season. The reality is that while Prescott getting hurt was definitely a turning point, there are far more problems with the Cowboys than just their franchise quarterback.

Now, serious questions loom over how they progress. Not just in 2020, but beyond.

RJ Ochoa, from Blogging The Boys on what’s gone wrong in 2020:

This season was supposed to be one of promise for the Dallas Cowboys. Mike McCarthy was specifically chosen as the team’s new head coach because the roster was viewed as one ready to challenge for a title immediately. A number of challenges from a worldly perspective and an injury one have made the climb all the more steep, but they’ve also highlighted the true problems with the organization. Dallas has a culture issue where they are unable to handle adversity well. It’s possible that McCarthy is the guy to finally treat that disease, but that potential prognosis is one that is going take a while to take hold. In the here and now the Cowboys are a group that is somehow finding places to sink beyond their weekly rock bottom, but the Dodgers won the World Series so either the Cowboys or New York Knicks are up next to end their drought. Would you really bet on the Knicks?

Follow Ochoa’s daily Cowboys coverage at Blogging the Boys.

How did the Cowboys reach this moment?

In need of a change at the top, the Cowboys reshuffled their coaching staff behind Mike McCarthy, best known for returning the Packers to prominence and winning a Super Bowl. Despite being out of the league for two years, Jerry Jones elected to hire McCarthy in the hopes he could take a talented roster to the next level, rather than electing to roll the dice on a young, unproven coach.

It echoed the decision by the team in 2003 to hire Bill Parcells, which ended in mixed success. It didn’t help that the Cowboys had a bizarre offseason, much of which centered on Dak Prescott. Dallas wasn’t 100 percent sold on Prescott being the franchise quarterback the team needed, hesitant to give him a major payday as a result, instead placing him under the franchise tag.

From there the free agency period followed a similar model of low risk, known quantities, signing proven players like Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe for the defensive line, and revamping the secondary with new faces as well. Curiously the team elected to bring in Andy Dalton, recently released by the Bengals to be their backup quarterback. In terms of talent, Dalton was fine for a backup — but he had a wildly divergent skillset to that of Prescott, meaning there wouldn’t be much offensive continuity if he needed to step up.

Obviously the prevailing factor in the Cowboys’ unfortunate downtick was losing Prescott for the season, but the defense has been so abysmal that it’s unclear if even having a healthy quarterback would make an impact. Dallas boasts one of the worst defenses in the league, giving up over 400 yards per game — and more importantly a league-worst 34.7 points. Teams can score on Dallas at will, which naturally pulls the focus away from a run-based offense led by Ezekiel Elliot, who is on pace for 258 carries this season, his lowest since an injury-shortened 2017 where he missed five games.

Now the Cowboys have to throw to stay in games because the defense is bad, taking touches away from one of the best offensive weapons, and fundamentally altering the offense in a bad way. Couple this with Elliot’s propensity for fumbles this season (four so far) and there’s nothing really going right for Dallas on either side of the ball.

Most recently Dalton was injured in a helmet-to-helmet hit, putting him in concussion protocol and furthering the downward spiral of this organization.

Where do the Cowboys go from here?

Dallas is mathematically still alive in the limp NFC East, but really this team feels done. A lame duck 6-10 finish to win the division might earn some brownie points and good feelings, but it’s not helpful for the team long term.

The next nine games need to be pure evaluation for the Cowboys, not just for talent on the field, but at every level of the organization. It’s not like McCarthy and Co. were burning the league up prior to Prescott’s injury, and Dallas can’t afford to waste its two young offensive talents with another poor coaching staff that don’t know how to use them.

From there the biggest decision will be for Dallas to put up or shut up on Prescott himself. The team couldn’t decide if he was worth top-flight QB money, but if he returns healthy someone is going to be willing to pay it. If the Cowboys decide to move on they need to hope they lose as many games as possible, putting them in the mix for a top quarterback in the draft. The idea of going with proven veterans isn’t a move for this team that can get them over the top in the NFC.

This isn’t a disaster. It’s more needing to correct a few missteps, which can me more difficult than a full overhaul. Either way, Dallas can be an elite team — but the Cowboys need to get out of their own way and not overthink this moving forward.

Dallas lost its identity when their starting quarterback went down, but the problem is far deeper. A cultural shift is needed to keep this team together, but there are still looming questions about what’s worth keeping. Much depends on how much rope Mike McCarthy is given to turn this around, but there’s no doubt that Jerry Jones is getting frustrated. This was supposed to be a year to get over the hump, not contemplate a rebuild — but here we are. Either way, it’s going to be fascinating to watch, and for millions of Cowboys fans a scary time to support the team.

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unathletic-athletic-opinion-blog · 5 years ago

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Vontaze Burfict: A Head Case or a Case Study?

It has been a rough couple of months for the Raider Nation faithful. The divorce from Antonio Brown was expected to bring every Oakland Raider stakeholder an overdue sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the Silver and Black must hold their breaths yet again as another key offseason acquisition’s actions plaster news headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Starting linebacker and defensive captain, Vontaze Burfict, has been suspended for the remaining twelve games of the regular season and postseason, if necessary, following an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end, Jack Doyle.[1] The suspension was handed down this past Monday by John Runyan, Vice President of Player Operations for the NFL, following Burfict’s disqualification early into the game’s second quarter the prior day.[2] This will mark the longest suspension issued to a player for an on-the-field offense, pending Burfict’s appeal hearing on October 8th of course.[3]

Doyle thankfully managed to pop up immediately after getting speared by Burfict and played the remainder of the game without any complications or setbacks.

And if the Doyle hit was not embarrassment enough, Burfict was notified via a later letter on Thursday of last week of another hit against a defenseless player during the same quarter of the game.[4] This time, Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines was on the receiving end of the blow, which occurred away from the ball and went unflagged.[5] NFL personnel have said they will include this unflagged penalty among the totality of Burfict’s offenses according to Burfict’s agent, Lamont Smith.[6]

This is hardly the first time Burfict’s character has come under fire. Having previously been ranked the number one inside linebacker recruit out of high school in 2009, Burfict struggled with excessive personal foul penalty calls while at Arizona State – so much so that then-ASU coach Dennis Erickson resorted to benching him.[7] Problems on and off the field then caused his initial first-round draft projection to plummet to the point where he went undrafted over the course of the 2012 NFL Draft.[8]

Burfict’s history of being a danger to both himself and his opposition continued during his tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2012 until the conclusion of last season. In addition to flipping off fans of the Buffalo Bills in 2016 and his four-game suspension for PEDs in 2018, nine separate incidents forced the NFL’s hand to issue this hefty suspension[9]:

· December 7, 2018: Fined $53,482 for lowering his helmet against Andy Janovich of the Denver Broncos;[10]

· October 19, 2018: Fined $112,000 for his hits to the head areas against then-Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown and current-Pittsburgh Steeler James Conner;[11]

· October 27, 2017: Fined $12,154 for an unsportsmanlike conduct call (kicking) against Roosevelt Nix of the Pittsburgh Steelers;[12]

· August 28, 2017: Suspended 3 games for a hit on a defenseless receiver against Anthony Sherman of the Kansas City Chiefs during the preseason, forfeiting $1,400,469 of his 2017 salary;[13]

· October 19, 2016: Fined $75,000 for an unsportsmanlike conduct call (stepping on a player) against then-New England Patriot LeGarrette Blount;[14]

· January 11, 2016: Suspended 3 games for an excessive hit to a defenseless receiver against then-Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown, forfeiting $502,941 of his 2016 salary;[15]

· December 18, 2015: Fined $69,454 for a combination of unsportsmanlike conduct plays against numerous Pittsburgh Steeler players, including a tackle that ended the season of the team’s then-running back, Le’Veon Bell;[16]

· October 15, 2014: Fined $25,000 for ankle-twisting two Carolina Panther players: Cam Newton and Greg Olsen;[17] and

· November 1, 2013: Fined $21,000 for spearing against then-New York Jet Stephen Hill.[18]

As Runyan explained to Burfict in the first letter, the Doyle hit was “unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game. Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures.”[19] The content of the second letter has yet to be released.

This season-long suspension has also drawn the ire from two separate parties: those who believe the suspension was not stiff enough and those who believe it was too harsh.

Beginning with the latter, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, notorious former Pro Bowl linebacker Bill Romanowski, and Burfict’s Oakland Raider teammates and coaches believe the suspension is ridiculous. There are also those NFL players who accept the risks associated with the sport’s violent nature that don’t understand the suspension. We sign up for this – their default argument on these types of hits. Additionally, all believe that Burfict’s hit was illegal but thought the unnecessary roughness call was punishment enough.

On the other side of the spectrum are those who believe Burfict should never play another down of football again. These feelings stem from Burfict seemingly being incapable of adjusting his playing style to fit the NFL’s letter of the law. Those in favor of this notion are current-New England Patriot tight end Benjamin Watson as well as numerous former NFL players including Marcus Spears and Ross Tucker (who also writes for The Athletic) to name a few. Then there are the countless articles being published that are calling for Burfict to receive a life-long ban.

It feels all but certain that the NFLPA, the labor organization that represents the NFL players, will lobby to reduce Burfict’s suspension down to around ten games. The NFL meant this suspension to be a statement to every player: player safety and the concussion epidemic are to be taken very seriously.

OR…

You could argue that the league is worrying primarily about its image and that Vontaze Burfict, at the end of the day, is a case study into the inequitable disciplinary system that exists within the league.

The overwhelming majority of NFL suspensions related to vicious hits occurred after the league publicly acknowledged the link between football and CTE in 2009 – the only pre-2009 suspension was for one game, issued to then-New York Jet Eric Smith for a helmet-to-helmet hit on then-Arizona Cardinal Anquan Boldin.[20] Since 2009, numerous players have been suspended for their illegal hits on the gridiron, ranging typically from one (1) game to three (3) games. Obviously, the twelve games being issued to the All-Pro Raider linebacker now will be an outlier to say the very least. But Vontaze Burfict is also setting the new standard for a concussion-conscious league that is looking to maintain its bottom-line. Players need to adjust their tackling to play within the safer rules today.

Now let’s put personal conduct suspensions under the microscope. You may be wondering how the Vontaze Burfict suspension ties into areas like assault, domestic violence, and sexual assault. The NFL has been far too lenient on those players accused of these heinous acts. Yes, a league personal conduct policy is currently in place but league officials rarely enforce the policy’s six-game minimum suspension.[21] In turn, players are not adjusting their off-the-field behaviors since mitigation usually reduces their initial suspension.[22] Playing professionally is not a right, it is a privilege. Unfortunately, not every athlete lives by that. Why should they?The average number of games for NFL players with domestic violence suspensions around the time of the Ray Rice incident was 1.5 games.[23] Since employing this personal conduct policy following the Rice debacle, only a handful of athletes – notably, Ezekiel Elliot and Josh Brown according to USA Today – have served a suspension of six games.[24]

Not Quincy Enunwa.[25] Not Jonathan Dwyer.[26] Not Andrew Quarless.[27] Not Junior Galette.[28] Not Joseph Randle.[29] Not Reuben Foster – initially.[30] Not Jameis Winston.[31]

So then how does somebody like a Jameis Winston receive only a three-game suspension when he has had a history of sexual harassment – albeit carrying over from his time at Florida State University? Vontaze Burfict’s history is being factored into his suspension. While Burfict has a larger rap sheet, where is the consistency? The equitability?

Instead of Burfict’s suspension for illegal hit(s) approaching comparability to personal conduct suspensions, his suspension actually mimics suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy more. This is because assault, domestic violence, and sexual assault are social issues that impact every sport in some way or another. It is not directly tied to the NFL’s bottom-line like concussions or player well-being – which encompasses substance abuse. Essentially, the NFL does not care to be a leader for social change on how men view their significant others and families.

On the surface, Vontaze Burfict is a repeat offender of violent hits that jeopardizes both his opposition and himself. His vicious hits against both Jack Doyle and Nyheim Hines were highly uncalled for and should both be eradicated from professional football given the grimness of CTE. But considering the history of the NFL’s inequitable suspension system, Burfict and his current suspension are the symbols of a flawed league unable to shift its priorities away from financial and brand progression toward social progression.

What do you think about the Vontaze Burfict suspension? Do you think it is reasonable or off-base? Do you see it impacting the league going forward or proving that the league is still highly flawed? Let us know.

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[1]http://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/nfl/id/27736470

[2]Id.

[3]Id.

[4]https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27769204/nfl-finds-another-illegal-hit-raiders-linebacker-vontaze-burfict

[5]Id.

[6]Id.

[7]http://archive.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/2010/10/05/20101005arizona-state-football-burfict-benched.html

[8]https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-combine-vontaze-burficts-2012-debacle-drops-him-out-of-draft/

[9]https://theathletic.com/1255025/2019/09/30/vontaze-burfict-raiders-suspension-nfl-nflpa-lifetime-ban/

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[19]http://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/nfl/id/27736470

[20]https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3654002

[21]https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/06/29/nfl-shows-once-again-that-its-six-game-suspension-policy-is-meaningless/

[22]Id.

[23]https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nfl-domestic-violence-policy-suspensions/

[24]https://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/arrests/

[25]Id.

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#football #social change #concussion #suspension #vontaze burfict

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footballleague0 · 7 years ago

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The long-snapper: How to anonymously make $1 million in the NFL – Cincinnati Bengals Blog

CINCINNATI — Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was heading out of a meeting one day when he spotted long-snapper Clark Harris chatting with the other specialists.

Kirkpatrick started to wonder what kinds of things a long-snapper would discuss in a meeting.

“How much time do you [need] to know that you’ve just got to snap the ball?” Kirkpatrick asked.

Kirkpatrick decided he had no idea what snappers actually do all day. He doesn’t see them post workout videos on social media, like the Steelers’ James Harrison does. So their time doesn’t seem consumed by working out.

So what is it they actually do?

That’s the million-dollar question for Harris, one of up to 14 snappers in the league who stand to make that much or more this season.

He has spent years convincing fans and teammates alike that, yes, he does actually practice.

“If someone ever finds out I play for the Bengals, they’re like ‘Oh really, what’s your name?’ I tell them and they say, ‘I’ve never heard of you,’” Harris said. “I say, ‘Well, then I’m doing my job.’ I always get a little chuckle out of that.”

Player, TeamCap valueCharley Hughlett, Browns$1.46MZak DeOssie, Giants$1.3ML.P. Ladouceur, Cowboys$1.22MBeau Brinkley, Titans$1.17MKyle Nelson, 49ers$1.15MMike Windt, Chargers$1.06MNick Sundberg, Redskins$1,05MMorgan Cox, Ravens$1.04MJeffrey Jansen, Panthers$1.04MJon Dorenbos, Saints$1MClark Harris, Bengals$1MSource: ESPN Stats & Information

On most days, Harris is on the side field with the other specialists, snapping on punts, field goals and PAT attempts. For a while during the preseason, he had more to do when the Bengals carried three kickers, and his snap totals soared high into the double digits.

Now that it’s the regular season, that’s died down a bit. During warm-ups the other day, he even had some time to retrieve and try to kick back Kevin Huber’s punts.

“He thinks he’s a good punter,” Huber joked.

A normal day for a long-snapper is about what anyone would expect. He works on his skills, just like everyone else.

“He doesn’t do a whole lot of running in practice. He gets paid to snap,” said Bengals special-teams coordinator Darrin Simmons. “Just like the quarterback throws a lot of passes, the snapper has to snap. That’s what he does. He’s had to snap more this offseason than in previous years, but that’s part of the deal.”

Harris is well-paid for his services, considering his position. He’s entering the final season of a five-year, $4.95 million contract signed in 2013.

It might seem like a lot of money for someone who’s on the field for 14 or 15 plays, but it’s also harder in some ways for long-snappers to keep their jobs. After all, there are only 32 of these jobs open, and teams are always looking for a reason to go younger and cheaper.

One bad mistake could be the end of the road. But Harris has done this for almost a decade with most of the league not even knowing his name. That’s exactly how it should be.

“The less you know about Clark, the better, let’s put it that way,” Simmons said.

Simmons knows as well as anyone what can happen when a long-snapper gets attention for the wrong reasons. Before Harris, there was Brad St. Louis, who snapped for the Bengals for 10 years and was even popular enough to have his own website and fan club.

St. Louis was for the most part a perfectly fine long-snapper, except for one bad snap on a PAT in 2006 that not only cost the Bengals a win against the Broncos, but a potential playoff berth as well.

St. Louis was respected enough by the organization to stick around for several years after that. But things went south in 2009 after a string of bad snaps took at least 11 points off the board and cost the Bengals some wins. St. Louis was released and Harris was signed after spending the first part of his career bouncing around practice squads.

“Mentally, Brad struggled with confidence and nerves,” Simmons said. “Brad’s accuracy really went off the deep end. We brought Clark in to try to put out a fire.”

St. Louis said the problem was all mental in his case. Players typically have the ability to block out everything when they get on the field, but things happening in his personal life around that time just became too much to ignore. Once he could no longer block those things out, St. Louis knew his career was over.

Bengals long-snapper Clark Harris sums up his longevity as an NFL long-snapper: “Can’t mess up. That’s all there is to it.” Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire

Harris, 33, is now entering his 10th accrued season, the same number of years St. Louis lasted. He thinks he can go another 10 if someone wants him around.

There are a few reasons he has stuck around. As a former tight end, Harris has rare athleticism for the position and can understand coverages and make a tackle if needed.

“There are some guys who are not very athletic in coverage,” Simmons said. “They can snap well, but they don’t cover. Clark always finds a way to get himself in position to make the tackle at the right times.”

He’s tougher than people think. Harris injured his groin during a game last season and could barely walk. But when it became clear the Bengals’ emergency snappers weren’t going to cut it, he played out the rest of the game.

As for the mental aspect, Harris seems to have that down. His attitude can best be described as carefree, with long hair down to his shoulders and tattoos on his arms.

“[Brad] was a little more clean cut, did everything the right way. Clark is a little more rough around the edges,” said Huber, who is Harris’ locker neighbor and good friend.

Harris spends his free time playing iPhone games, particularly Pokemon Go, a craze that came and went quickly last summer.

“Back when they had those little hoverboards, he’d hoverboard from his house to here and stop and hit a couple [hot spots] along the way,” Huber said. “I think it’s the most bizarre thing ever.”

Surprisingly, Harris also happens to be one of the bigger trash-talkers on the team.

“They ain’t got nothing but time,” Kirkpatrick said.

Huber can attest to that. He said Harris gleefully gets into it with opposing fans when he’s on the sidelines. Considering he’s only in the game for around a dozen plays, that’s a lot of free time.

“He likes road games, because he loves it when people start talking to him, and he’ll fire back. He gets a really big kick out of that,” Huber said. “There’s some places like Baltimore and Pittsburgh, it’s usually season-ticket holders, because it’s the same guys each year. They’ve gotten to know him a little bit, so when he comes back, they’re screaming his name. He has fun with it.”

Huber said he couldn’t repeat most of the words said, but he could sum up the general conversation: “They just try to get on him for being a long-snapper. He always just comes back with ‘Well, you’re paying to watch me play.’ There are some more choice words being used back and forth, but that’s the gist of it.”

Is a long-snapper worth $1 million a year? The Bengals seem to think so, as long as he continues to remain mostly anonymous.

“Can’t mess up. That’s all there is to it,” Harris said. “You start having a couple of bad days in practice, people are going to start noticing. Have a bad game, and they think you’re slipping. You can’t mess up.”

The post The long-snapper: How to anonymously make $1 million in the NFL – Cincinnati Bengals Blog appeared first on Daily Star Sports.

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giantsfootball0 · 7 years ago