Bengals: Bengals like LB Blackstock

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Bengals like LB Blackstock

Division rivals Cincinnati and Cleveland are in the hunt to sign Arizona outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock, a restricted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals, a source told The Enquirer late Friday night. He was a 2005 third-round pick from the University of Virginia, but the Cardinals declined to give him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, so the Cardinals are not entitled to match any offer he would receive and would not get draft-pick compensation from a new team.

Blackstock visited the Bengals on Thursday, the day after he was in Cleveland, agent Brad Blank said this afternoon. Miami's interest has waned.

"The visit went very well," Blank said of his client's time in Cincinnati.

The Bengals lost starting linebacker Landon Johnson to the Carolina Panthers on Friday. Johnson agreed to terms on a three-year deal for $10 million.

Blackstock is 6 feet, 3 inches, 244 pounds, and he is listed as an outside linebacker. He has played in 46 games over three seasons with two starts. In 2007, he played in all 16 games for Arizona with no starts. He had 21 total tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble.

Miami also was interested, but Blackstock is most interested in the Bengals and Browns at this point.

Bengals public relations today confirmed a visit by former Colts and Bills defensive tackle Larry Tripplett.

30 Comments:

at 3/08/2008 8:46 AM

Anonymous said...

This looks like the perfect Bengals free agent. A backup linebacker who had 21 tackles 2 years ago? And the Cardinals don't even want him?

He'll be cheap and Mike can pay him backup money to come in and start. This guy is the perfect fit for the Bengals.

at 3/08/2008 9:34 AM

Anonymous said...

Let's sign another backup LB when we don't have a starting LB core yet. I wish CJ85 would've punched you a lot harder in 05' & knoced some coaching sense into you. I'm embarrassed to be a bengals fan now.

at 3/08/2008 9:36 AM

Anonymous said...

This is getting sickening. On it's own, the loss of Williams, Smith, and now Johnson isn't terrible, but if the Bengals don't replace them, the organization takes another huge step back.

at 3/08/2008 9:36 AM

Anonymous said...

I wish the news out of Bengals hq didn't mke them look so much like a kid in a candy store with just 5 cents in his pocket. They need a DT and Marvin tells everyone the Robertson deal is not dead. They need a TE and invite Utecht in for a visit. Then you write that they like Blackstock, an OLB who surely hasn't covered himself in glory. Odoms was a good deal that means they can look at a DE on Day 2 in the draft. And as Geoff Hobson points out, an Utecht signing would effectively give them 2 added defensive picks. They could use #9 on USC's pro-ready Keith Rivers without having to trade up. It would be nice if they would give less of a scatter-gun impression of their intentions.

at 3/08/2008 9:41 AM

Anonymous said...

Let a LB go who had over 100 tackles last year & get excited about a LB from Arizona that only had 21. "Marvin & Mike are your eyes crossed." Arizona didn't even want to resign this guy so why is he going to do great things here? Mike you need to ge GM because your skills haven't worked in 17 years & fans such as myself are losing extreme interest in this Bengals team.

at 3/08/2008 10:39 AM

Anonymous said...

How do we know this guy isnt the next Ray Lewis? Lets bring him in and see what he can do. We know the Browns will never sell the team so why does everyone keep b*tchin' about it? Find a battle thats easier to fight...like improving your own company and stay out of everyone elses.

at 3/08/2008 10:41 AM

Anonymous said...

You can't make a championship team with backup scrub players. If Blackstone was any good the Cardinals would have resigned him. How embarrassing Marvin are you going to make us?

at 3/08/2008 10:59 AM

Anonymous said...

It doesn't matter the Bengals will once again be a .500 team or worse. Their defense is no good and Chad is a cancer in the locker room. I'm about ready to cash in my season tickets. Every year we go through the same dance and end up with the same results. 1 playoff appearance in 17 years says it all. It all starts at the top and they just don't get it. Better get use to the Browns beating us twice a year. I'd say they've improved their team over the last 2 years. Don't think the Bengals can say that.

at 3/08/2008 11:09 AM

Anonymous said...

I do not see why people are upset when we lose defensive players. They all stunk up the place last year. Let's fire them all and start over.

at 3/08/2008 11:11 AM

Anonymous said...

I've never seen worst whiners than you idiots on here.
Try dong a little homwork before you grab the crying towel.
Blackstock came out of college a year early in 2005 from UVA where he was a teamate of Ahmad Brooks. He is a talent who hasn't had the chance to start yet. He and Pace were both backups to Chike Okeafor in AZ this past year when Okeafor got hurt. They fought for the starters spot, and it was given to Pace. Friends of mine who live in Phoenix told me that Blackstock played better, but Pace was the 1st rounder who they needed to produce, so they gave him the spot.

Turned out good for Pace, who was a nobody before this past season, and maybe that's all that Blackstock needs... a shot.

Besides that you numbnuts, the Cards are going to a 3-4 which Blackstock/Pace don't fit in.

Landon Johnson is a good person, but no better than a #4 LB on any other team. If you continue to keep players from crappy defenses, what will that give you?

Another crappy defense.

at 3/08/2008 11:29 AM

Anonymous said...

Enough over the crying over the very average Landon Johnson. Remember the first Steelers game when he had a backup tight end 6 yards deep in the backfield and couldnt bring him down? It summed up Landon's career. He made a good read, was in position, but just couldnt make the big play. This team needs starting caliber NFL linebackers. Landon was just another stiff

at 3/08/2008 11:31 AM

Anonymous said...

If Blackstock chooses the Bengals over the Browns (not likely),I have every confidence the Bengals will make some administrative error voiding the deal.

Go Browns!!!

at 3/08/2008 11:51 AM

Hoopster said...

Listen to me Bengal fans. Please find another team to cheer for. Mike Brown is a Football Idiot. Did you see Waterboy? The coach was using a book called football for idiots. Mike Brown and his daughter co authored it. Mike Brown only cares about one thing and one thing only. Money. He stores it in his head, that is why it is so big. Until Mike gets kicked out of the league for injected HGH in his head you might as well forget about it.

at 3/08/2008 12:17 PM

Anonymous said...

The NFL biography reveals that there were 21 tackles in 16 games, but with one start. These numbers lead to the NFL analysis that the LB was a "package player." That is, he rotated depending on down and distance, if you only play a percentage on the downs, this directly impacts your football numbers (e.g., sacks). If Miami and Mr. Football, Bill Parcells, is considering him does that mean Parcells lacks "coaching sense." Additionally, Clevelan has been receiving rave reviews for there additions. Does Crennel now lack "coaching sense?" Landon had 100 tackles, and truly a character guy this is undeniable. But at the end of the day, did his 100 tackles make the defense any better? Didn't Dahni Jones gather over a 100 tackles in less games?

at 3/08/2008 2:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Love how all these fans are now going off on the coach who has brought this franchise to respectability and one playoff appearance and has had this franchise in the playoff race until the last weeks of the season four out of five yrs. The only losing season, '07, was one game under .500. Now, letting a 225 pound BACKUP linebacker, sign a 10 mil $ deal with another team, is a very good move. Maybe this D has been so bad, because we've had LB's like these who lead our team in tackles, but answer me this......how many of those tackles were for loss or run stuffing stopped no gains???? Very few. Yes, L. Johnson has been our leading tackler but the fact is, majority of his tackles have been five to seven yds down field. He's too light to play the middle and too slow in coverage. Anyone who watched the last two games vs Indy in '05 and '06 could see that. He cannot cover a back out the backfield and sure as hell couldn't cover a TE, much like the departed M. Williams. In case you guys haven't noticed, and by the looks of the majority of the posts, you haven't, the Bengals are moving toward a bigger front 7. That means no more 220 pound LB's to get 110 tackles five yards off the ball. Another clue is that the Bengals are going with bigger LB's to 1)stop the run and 2)eventually switch to the 3-4 within the next two seasons. If Thurman doesn't get suspended and Hartwell, Brooks, and Marshall don't get hurt, Johnson's playing time would've been cut in half. Landon was a smart, dependable guy, but nothing more than a rotational LB, who at 3 mil a year, not worth it and bad business/personell decision.

at 3/08/2008 4:34 PM

Mr. Truth said...

For those of you, and there are only a few of you, who are defending the Bengal organization and the off season moves they are making, please explain why the Bengals have had ONE winning season since 1990. Bad luck? Or is it incompetent management coupled with a management attitude that winning isn't a priority?

at 3/08/2008 5:15 PM

Anonymous said...

clearly this blog is full of turds whom never played sports. as a former nfl player myself from cincinnati and loyal bengal fan....there is just so much that goes into if a guy excels or not depending on scheme...so some of these young second tier guys can become a great find in another situation. fans keep your head up...marvin is a great football guy.

at 3/08/2008 5:41 PM

Anonymous said...

yes anon 5:15 we all believe that you are a former NFL player. LOL

at 3/08/2008 6:23 PM

Anonymous said...

Well, he might not be a superstar or even a full time starter, but we need some depth at LB, and he might be a good fit if he comes cheap. Our LB core is relying on Brooks and Thurman to be what we all know they can be. That's a big if, but 'if' they live up to what they can do and stay on the field, we should be set.

at 3/08/2008 7:14 PM

REddlegg in Colorado said...

Bunguls management & coaches seem to forget that Frostee Rucker was a stud LB at USC(With Championship's) & converted into a DE with the bengal's.Why not try him back at LB & see what's happen's??? This isn't rocket science,it's football.

This team is poorly run,that's the bottomline.Mediocrity+Greed does not=success.Crap(In this case Brown Crap) rolls down hill from the top & seeps into the bottom.

sellthebengals2markcuban.com

They have a hard time evaulating talent and do not follow the blueprint that successful teams follow.FA ,I guess you can throw in trades,(And the James Brooks trade does not count anymore MB,he loves to remind fan's he brokered that deal) & developing the "right" players is hard for them.

I'm a Tired & frustrated bengals fan.I'm not sure how much more I can take of this prideful & arrogant inept incompetence.

at 3/08/2008 7:31 PM

Anonymous said...

Mr. Truth, would you like to explain to me that since Marvin Lewis took over in 2003 that we have had only one losing season?

Fools like you want to embrace the negative and not admit to the positive.

Mike Brown as an owner needs to go, that is the truth. He is an abomination as a football person.

That being said, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have a team here to gripe about.

Let's talk the TOTAL truth here Mr. Truth...

Cincinnati would NEVER get another team if the Bengals left, and whether or not you are on the side of the decision to keep them here or not... they are here. Cincinnati is a city that is slowing depopulating and NEEDS the income that the Bengals bring in.

They have improved their product since 2003 and appear to be continuing to try and do better.
That is light years ahead of 1991 to 2002.

So if you want to talk "truth" then let's do just that... let's acknowledgge the recent improvement and go from there.

Can you handle that... "Mr.Truth"?

at 3/08/2008 11:42 PM

Michael D. Davis said...

You know what, I I hope they land this guy. I hope he works out for us and I hope that we win next year. Losing Johnson, Smith, and Williams shouldn't upset people. If, at my job, we ended up just a couple of spots ahead of dead last; the leaders would be looking for employment elsewhere too. From the standpoint of every day Joes, you guys should understand this kind of a move. The afore mentioned trio couldn't get it done and at this point any change is welcome. I'd be upset if they didn't try some kind of drastic overhaul in the Carson Palmer era. Either way, I think we should all take a deep breath and reserve judgment until after the draft...you big bunch of whiners.

at 3/09/2008 10:39 AM

Mr. Truth said...

The Bengals aren't going anywhere. They are locked into a lease through 2030. So no, I'm not going to give Mike Brown credit for the team still being in Cincinnati. He's still here because he has a new taxpayer funded stadium with a very generous lease that has resulted in Mike making a bundle of money. So I'm not in the "let's just be happy we have a team" camp. Do you think the people in Green Bay have that attitude?

Has the team gotten better since Marvin arrived? Yes, at least in the first three years. But my criticisms aren't necessarily directed toward Marvin. But in more recent history, the Bengals went 7-9 last year and 8-8 the year before that. The Bengals have since lost 3 defensive starters and signed one part time starter. In short, once again the Bengals have done little to improve themselves in the off season, other than signing one part time starter.

Your argument also appears to be, "Hey, things were a lot worse in the 90's. The team still isn't very good, but it's not as bad as the 90's." I suppose going 7-9 is better than going 3-13. If you're satisfied with 7-9 and then losing three defensive starters, more power to you. If you're satisfied with one winning season in the last 18 years, good for you.

This organization is incompetent. On top of that, winning is not a priority with Mike Brown. The Bengals will not do what is necessary to win. Would Mike like to win? Sure, but only under his terms and after he has made a certain amount of profit. And if the Bengals lose year after year under Mike's system, so be it. In short, the Bengals are the worst organization in professional sports.

That's the truth.

at 3/09/2008 12:28 PM

Anonymous said...

People like many of you are the reason Winston Churchill once said “Never have so many, thought they knew so much, but actually knew so little.”.

From a 28 year Bengal fan who never jumped off the bandwagon. To most of you, jump off. Please. Spread your idiocy elsewhere.

at 3/09/2008 1:13 PM

Anonymous said...

The Brown Family is not greedy! Come on folks we all know that the Brown family should step down from player management, Hire top scouts and let the coaching staff do thier thing. The 07 season is behind us. If you really want to make a difference in Bengaldom, stop filling the stadium. Or are you like me in always having hope that the injuries will have a lesser impact and that the Bengals will turn it around? Cinci is a small market even if they had 10 superbowl rings Cinci will remain a small market. The Brown family is actually pretty savy when it comes to making profit, they just don't have the right mind set to build football greatness!

Mike Brown just keep writing the checks let hi level scouts and your coaching staff build the program.

at 3/09/2008 1:23 PM

Scott Stolze said...

I think we need to stop banging on Curnutte and be fine with the fact the he at least reports pretty objectively. I can no longer stomach trying to read Hobson and Bengals.com. Talk about a guy drinking the Kool Aid.

It's hard to even read his stuff anymore. References to the week just closed perhaps the team's most aggressive and frenzied ever? They were kicking the tires on Calvin Pace? Seriously, if you're just going to write team-oriented spin why bother! This organization and team are so full of holes and disfunction, and he's exclaiming a week in which they lose 3 starters and sign one "pretty good" 8 sack guy as aggressive?? Two points: The three starters lost can all go their merry way. They were all part of the underachieving, completely unproductive defensive unit of years past, and they're hardly losses. That said, the team still needs to line up players to roll into those spots. It doesn't all come via FA, but it's obviously a part. They signed one DE. And don't spin it as if they would have acquired 2 or 3 players at once. No, if they got Rodgers, or then Robertson, there would have been no Odom. They signed ONE PLAYER!!! Secondly, it's pathetic that nothing was done to go after LBs Pace or Briggs. The team is putrid in its front seven...putrid. And nothing, as far as what we've read hear and other media sources, nothing done to get Pace or Briggs in. That is not aggressive, that's pathetic!!

All he does is praise relentless motors and stats, harken back to one stretch of 2005, and talk up the benefits of all these wonderful mid to lower round draft picks Cincinnati will have this year and next. Well, gee, isn't that exciting. Maybe if the team had a true GM and personnel guy in the front office, and not one of the most overrated coaches and a horrible roster assembler in Marvin Lewis making the selections, that would matter. (FYI--what do all the good and successful teams as of late have in common? They have a GENERAL MANAGER! i.e., the Giants, i.e. the Browns, i.e. the Packers, i.e. the Bears, i.e. the Chargers, i.e. the Patriots with their version in Pioli. All have GMs making wise, shrewd moves and piecing together, for the most part, good drafts.
And what do we have? We have Marvin smiling ear to ear over one "pretty good" DE signing. Laughable. Meanwhile, the offense still has a lot of holes and problems to fix (no pass catching TE, a head case WR, a washed up RB, a washed up RT who is paid millions). it's fine to respect and admire what Rudi and Willie did in the past. For a time, particularly Anderson, they were great players who "gutted" out great performances. But it's OVER! They're past those days. And Bratkowski is so overrated, so stale, it's not even funny (first down incompletion, 2nd down Rudi up the middle for 1 yard, third down incompletion...oh, if I had a dollar for every time I've seen that sequence the past two years!)

And then we get that spin job article from on Friday...Not a Week for the Weak. The only thing that's weak is how out of touch with reality the Bengals Mgt. is, as well as Bengals.com writers.

at 3/09/2008 7:00 PM

AlexAnsara said...

Guys, quit your complaining, please. The Bengals aren't looking at Blackstock as a guy to take them to the Super Bowl. They let Landon go b/c they saw him as a backup with Dahani, Brooks, and Odell returning. Now they are looking for more backup linebackers, such as Blackstock.

Yeah, he'll be cheap. He's not starter material and that's not what the team is shopping for at this point. So stop ripping Marvin and Mike for shopping around. Instead, get in touch with the team philosophy at this point and pay attention to roster needs. Considering those things, this move makes plenty of sense.

at 3/10/2008 3:23 AM

Anonymous said...

WHO???!!! Well, that's the answer! We are destined to go 12-4 next year! Thanks, Mr. Brown.

at 3/10/2008 8:04 AM

Anonymous said...

Leadership.
That's what the Bengals sorely lack.

First, guys were getting arrested. Then defensive players complain because teammates were not in the right slot to make a play. Often.

And Carson has to debate 85 after every play because he missed him and he was open, according to 85. 85 breaks off routes when he's about to get tatooed and no one call him on it. All the receivers want to know why they don't throw it down field every play. We can't run the ball. Can't stop the run. It's been a broken record. And if you look at the Steelers, the Pats and other solid organizations it comes down to leadership. From the top.

There's no rudder. If the owner can't provide it, and I think we're in agreement there. Then hire a GM....like a Parcells or a Cowher and tell him to mold the team in his image. Ensure the coach does the same. And quit depending on the league to police your own organization.

We've all heard it. If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always gotten.

Good luck Bengals!

at 3/10/2008 4:20 PM

Anonymous said...

I like the signing of Blackstock. First he comes from a good defensive mind set of Virginia. We needed to get another LB to replace Johnson, even know he might not have 100 tackles depth will be better. Plus with Andrew taking up so much money right now because of his lack of committment to sign a long term deal we are in a bind.

I don't care if Justin Smith is gone, because he should of just played outside LB since he never once stayed home on the backside of the defense. He was overpaid and didn't perform so let him go. And there is so much young depth at the Safety & LB position Williams and Johnson wasn't that bad of a move to not sign them.

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Saturday, March 08, 2008

Bengals like LB Blackstock

30 Comments: