Holy crap!! What's really staggering about their drafts is how many 5th, 6th and 7th rounders are still with the team. Three out of 25 picks from the rounds that make up the depth on most teams. That is just mind boggling - that's your depth, your developing players, your special teamers...

There's a HS in Ohio that has better practice facilities than the Bengals or the Browns right now....

First off Michael, I love all the draft talk. I enjoy the offseason as much as I enjoy the actual season, especially leading up to the draft.

However, can someone explain that Bill Walsh quote to me? 8 teams? I having trouble comprehending that one. Were there 9 team "divisions"?

How does that 35% retention rate against other teams? Hard to make an assessment without that knowledge as to how the Bengals rate league-wide.

The mid-draft guys are the ones who will get your team to the title game because of cost-efficiency. These are the guys a team can afford to resign at reasonable dollars if the player proves above average. It's also much easier to stock up on fourth round picks in a draft than first or seconds.

In fairness: Pollack, Irons, Weathersby and Kieft aren't around because they sustained career ending injuries (car accident following shooting in Weathersby's case). That happens elsewhere, i'm sure, but this seems to be a pretty high concentration.

Some of the guys gone, especially R2, are in the League: Steinbach, Williams,Ratliff and Washington for sure and, probably, a number of those R3 LB. Lamont Thompson too hung around for awhile, as did Manual. Steinbach and Williams were prize FA; the others, not so much. This suggests retention is an issue which may go, in some part, towards the miserable facilities and etc Mike mentioned. A smart man would go where he had a real chance to compete ASAP.

Famously, CINC drafts known miscreants. Mostly, those don't work out. Among the numbered: Thurman, Henry, Rucker, Brooks and Askew. Perhaps that has something to do with coaches as selectors; maybe, they're watching game tape when the police blotter comes across their desks.

Two corrections, or requests for clarification. It is my understanding Kilmer is on IR and that Fanene is on the 53 man roster.

Walsh meant that, at that time, there were only 8 teams that he considered threats to the Niners. The landscape has changed.

The draft really is important. It's like John Clayton has also stated innumerable times you've got to draft your own type of player rather than relying on free agents to turn things around. When you compare the Bengals' terrible drafting to the Buccaneers' excellent drafting for instance, you can see why Tampa Bay is always in the hunt, especially with a veteran stud like Derrick Brooks. You were great on the air with Rome today, Derrick!

Mike L, how much input has Marvin Lewis had with the draft? If the Bengals allow position coaches to have significant input, it would probably reason Lewis has even more clout, and considering his coaching ineptitude it would explain the horrible drafts!!

And didn't you post a quote earlier this season about Lewis trying to take credit for all the great players on Baltimore's defense?

And my apologies to anyone who read my preseason prediction for the Bengals. I had them going 1-10 before Thanksgiving, and that damn tie last week ruined it!! Still cashed in on my wager of under 7.5 though, cha-ching!!!

The Bengals never learn anything. The Steelers kick their rear end every year because they have smarter management which has drafted better talent and hire much better coaching over the years. Dick Lebeau used to be Cincy's head coach, and he seems to do a really good job of coaching for the Steelers, after failing with the Bengals. I would think the Bengals would have learned something by now. The Bengals prove the old statement that "if you always do what you always do, you will always get what you always get". The Bengals will be bad until the Brown family sells the team.

Ahh Mr. Murder can stop spreading his garbage. When the Bengals were at Spinney Field, Murder might've been right but since they moved to PBS, that is no longer the case -- save for an indoor practice facility. So Mr, Murder? Quit talking your crap as you do not have a clue.

As to the author of this story, well, you need to take a lesson -- the same lesson Mr. Murder is needing to take -- that is: Learn about what you write before you write it. You state: "The Bengals make money regardless of how many mistakes they make in their business practices. They have to re-evaluate their method of business and if they don’t, they might be in front of the Senate looking for a bridge loan too." You are partially correct but unfortunately (for you, for the Bengals fans etc.) that portion of correctness is very small and doesn't address the real situation. Here goes:

The Bengals DO make money regardless of how many mistakes they make in their business practices. But only a part of that -- the first part. They make money REGARDLESS! Actually, their business practices are top notch (whether one wants to admit it or not, that is indeed the case!). The Bengals never lose money and never are left in debt. That is the definition -- the epitome of GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICES. Unfortunately, it is the antithesis of good winning Footbal Team front office practices. Very rare is it the case where a good football team also has a good economic forecast. In the past we have seen teams like the 49ers under Debartolo -- where he had other businesses to write off his losses with the 49ers in regards to their over-the-top salary requirements. Mikey Boy Brown -- the owner of the Bengals... does not. He just has the Bengals. He HAS to make them work. He can't operate them with a net loss. Therefore, his business practices are spot on. You are confusing good business practices with goo Football Front Office practices -- a common mistake but one that only a tiny bit of thinking needs to be done to see such a thing without having to be told (or reminded in some cases) that such is the case.

You also don't seem to understand that Mikey Boy Brown isn't going to be one to 'ask for a government bailout" -- you pathetic attempt to be witty and topical -- but for you... just 'twitty!' You will see in years to come, other owners talking about their bad financial straights but you will NEVER hear that from MBB. He may grouse at not making as much as he'd like to, but that doesn't mean squat as he won't be complaining that his team is operating at a loss -- as many owner had previously stated.

See, you just don't get it... With revenue sharing, MBB could survive quite comfortably without a single fan paying for a PSL and/or a ticket. He knows that if tomorrow, all that dried up... he'd still be solvent. My guess is about him and maybe two or three other owners would be able to do that... the rest would be looking for the aforementioned 'government bailout'!

MBB has no incentive to do anything more than what he is doing. The NFL isn't going to kick him out of the league. They can't force him to sell the team. MBB knows that he is in the drivers' seat and that is the way it will be. He knows that if the NFL starts making waves about forcing him to sell the team, all he has to do is wave the 'anti-trust' 'waiver' and the NFL will shut up faster than a boxer gettin' his jaw broke. There are no provisions -- and any enacted from here on in can't apply retroactively to him -- to force him to field a decent team. Simply put, your whole idea that MBB has to do anything is completley wrong. Now, why don't you try to prove me wrong?

Good writeup. Just a few corrections to the list:

In the 4th round group, K Travis Dorsch is long gone. FB Jeremi Johnson is on injured reserve.

In the 5th round group, QB Jeff Rowe is on the practice squad.

In the 6th round group, DB Corey Lynch and TE Matt Sherry are on IR.

In the 7th round group, DL Jonathan Fanene is on the active roster. In fact he was given a new deal earlier this year. OL Dan Santucci is on IR and WR Mario Urrutia is on the practice squad.