HEY, BENGALS: YOU CAN’T ADD TOO MANY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS


EDITOR’S NOTE: The NFL Draft is this week. With that, then, we’re sending a letter — some advice —to each of the four teams in the AFC North. This one goes out to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Dear Bengals:

How many picks do you have in this year’s NFL Draft?

However many it is, use all of them on defense. And if you make trades to get more, or different, picks, then use those on defense, too.

You do realize that there are two sides of the ball, don’t you? It’s called defense. You can’t stop opposing offenses today — the rules won’t allow it because everybody wants to see teams race up and down the field as if it’s a video game — but you have to at least slow them down from time to time.

You can’t win enough games — and certainly no championships at all — by the way you’re playing things, counting on quarterback Joe Burrow to just outscore teams every week. He’s good, but he’s not Superman. Nobody is.

And if you watch his body language, especially after he throws a touchdown pass, and then two minutes later, he’s back on offense because the other team has scored in like three or four plays, you know the pressure of it all is weighing on him. He looks depressed and downcast, as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. It’s not the weight of the world, but it’s the weight of the Bengals. Everything depends on him, and he’s not getting any help by your defense.

You have an offense that can score on anybody, but you have a defense that can’t stop St. Xavier High School.

Do something about it. And do it in this draft. Or else you’re going to be sitting home this coming off-season as well.

Sincerely, 
Steve King