Did Bengals fall victim to Tomlin smokescreen

[LLT]

Did Bengals fall victim to Tomlin smokescreen
by Perry Biggerstaff
www.stillcurtain.com
05/08/16

Popular opinion is that the Cincinnati Bengals stole 1st round pick William Jackson III away from the Steelers moments before Pittsburgh would have chosen him with the #25 overall pick. Most draft sites and the vast majority of writers covering the draft had Jackson penciled in as choice for the secondary-hungry Steelers.

In truth, for weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers made it publicly known that they were enamored with the Houston cornerback. They attended his pro day. They met with him privately. They even publicly gushed over the young prospect after meeting with him over dinner.

It’s no wonder that Bengal fans were elated to hear Jackson’s name called when Cincinnati chose him as their 2016 1st rounder. After all, this was the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. This was the team that has enjoyed so much success while the Bengals wallowed in the mediocrity of not winning a playoff game in this generation. This was the very team that had recently snatched a much anticipated playoff win from them, even as they watched their team implode. It was only right that the Bengals grab THE player that the Steelers truly wanted and needed.

Right?

Wrong.

For those of us who were watching the draft, it was obvious that Tomlin didn’t act like a coach who had settled for the next best cornerback. He was elated. He was sharing broad smiles and handshakes with front office personnel. He had the demeanor of a man who had landed the player he wanted. Now, we find out that Artie Burns was on the phone with Tomlin before the Bengals picked Jackson. In fact, since the Bengals were still on the clock, some members of Artie Burns family thought that it was Cincinnati on the phone.

The Bengals front office fell victim to a Tomlin jedi mind trick. The same one that draftniks, talking heads, and sports writers (myself included) fell for. Publicly it was Jackson who received all the attention and praise while privately the Steelers had Artie Burns ranked above him.

Read more @ https://stillcurtain.com/2016/05/08/...n-smokescreen/

[Mojouw]

But...But...But...Tomlin is just a cool-shades poker player who doesn't know his butt from his elbow. No way he pulls this off!

Great write up. An interesting take on what actually goes on during the pre-draft and draft process.

[Count Steeler]

This is exactly what crossed my mind in the Artie Burns thread. I still remember how quickly the Steelers pick came in after Cincy was finished.

Hope we have the better long term CBm

[fansince'76]

But...But...But...Tomlin is just a cool-shades poker player who doesn't know his butt from his elbow. No way he pulls this off!

Don't forget his "007 trickery" that doesn't fool anybody.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com...turn-continues

Once again, they have to keep everything hush hush, as IF that gives them any advantage whatsoever.

How does the "Spy vs Spy" crap help in any way?

As if Seattle is sitting up there in the North West, spending time trying to game plan vs. Pouncy, "just in case."

They treated his 2nd surgery like a state secret, or instructions on how to build a dirty bomb or something.

We are almost in December and dude is still having to wear a walking boot...........OR DOES HE?????????????????????????? Maybe that's 007 trickery too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hawaiiansteeler]

Bengals William Jackson III says Steelers were 'coming for him'

Bryan DeArdo - Apr 29

On Thursday night, a new chapter was added to the Bengals and Steelers rivalry.

William Jackson III, the player everyone expected Pittsburgh to draft with the 25th pick, was snatched away by the Bengals just before the Steelers had a chance to grab the Houston cornerback.

Shortly after being drafted, Jackson confirmed that he would have been taken by the Steelers if the Bengals had not selected him with the 24th pick in the draft.

The Bengals picking Jackson was extra salt on the wounds for Steelers fans, who then watched as Pittsburgh quickly took Miami cornerback Artie Burns, Pittsburgh's first cornerback taken in the first round since Chad Scott back in 1997.

Now, instead of having him on their side, Pittsburgh will now have to face Jackson twice a year, as seemingly everyone's pick to land on the Steelers will now be on the other end of one of the most bitter rivalries in all of sports.

http://pit.247sports.com/Bolt/Bengal...-him--45074060

[LLT]

This is exactly what crossed my mind in the Artie Burns thread. I still remember how quickly the Steelers pick came in after Cincy was finished.

Hope we have the better long term CBm

The sheer fact that he was on the phone with Tomlin BEFORE the Bengals made their pick is incredibly telling.

[Shoes]

Nice work Perry!

[ALLD]

I don't think either is a shut down corner. Time will tell who made the better pick. Cincy could draft the second coming of Rod Woodson and they still won't stop our WRs without a personal foul.

[st33lersguy]

It makes more sense that they were locked in on Burns regardless of Jackson III's availability. First of all, Jackson III is not a good run defender at all who rarely makes tackles. Considering that the Steelers sat Boykin because of his inability to play run defense in practice suggests that maybe they were not all that high on him. Plus Burns would have an advantage over Jackson in being younger which is more towards what the Steelers like

[polamalubeast]

I don't think either is a shut down corner. Time will tell who made the better pick. Cincy could draft the second coming of Rod Woodson and they still won't stop our WRs without a personal foul.

The Bengals could have the 85 Bears on defense and the greatest show on turf on offense and they would still be unable to win a playoff game with Mike Brown as owner and Marvin Lewis as coach.

The Bengals could have the most talented team in the world but they never make me fear, especially in big games.

[ETL]

The Bengals could have the 85 Bears on defense and the greatest show on turf on offense and they would still be unable to win a playoff game with Mike Brown as owner and Marvin Lewis as coach.

The Bengals could have the most talented team in the world but they never make me fear, especially in big games.

Agree. Bengals just f/u talent and make players like BirthDefect their marquee players. Jackson will be a star after he leaves as a free agent

[Dwinsgames]

wouldn't be the first time we snookered the Bengals into thinking they where taking our Guy .. Jerome Simpson 2008

[Edman]

Just like how the Ravens "outmaneuvered" the Steelers last year by taking Maxx Williams. Remember that nonsense?

[salamander]

I don't subscribe to all this hocus pocus.

[Edman]

Now, instead of having him on their side, Pittsburgh will now have to face Jackson twice a year, as seemingly everyone's pick to land on the Steelers will now be on the other end of one of the most bitter rivalries in all of sports.

One team mad at another doesn't make a "rivalry".

It's more like a feud. Like the Steelers-Bengals "rivalry" in the mid-2000's. The Bengals were bitter and mad, but the Steelers were clearly the superior team.

[fansince'76]

Now, instead of having him on their side, Pittsburgh will now have to face Jackson twice a year, as seemingly everyone's pick to land on the Steelers will now be on the other end of one of the most bitter rivalries in all of sports.

You mean like Darqueze Dennard (who the Steelers actually did pass on as they were ahead of the Bengals in the draft order that year)?

Just more cannon fodder for AB to make look foolish...

[BlackAndGold]

Add in the fact WJ3 is going to be 24 years old, makes this story possibly even more true.

[GBMelBlount]

We smoke screened them into taking the best available cornerback.

How clever.

[tube517]

I saw this article linked in another forum (didn't click on the link and didn't know it was Perry's article) and the guy who posted the link said something about Tomlin's poker face.

[salamander]

We smoke screened them into taking the best available cornerback.

How clever.

INCONCEIVABLE!

[Texasteel]

We smoke screened them into taking the best available cornerback.

How clever.

Jackson has as many question marks as Burns does, and IMO would have been as big of a reach as some say Burns was. Jackson could become a fine CB, but the best available CB is yet to be seen.

[steelreserve]

Somehow, I think each team has its own scouting reports and player rankings that they spend a lot of time on, and don't draft based on what the Steelers say to the media. Or pay attention to what any other team says in the media, except for the purpose of making trades.

[Dwinsgames]

Somehow, I think each team has its own scouting reports and player rankings that they spend a lot of time on, and don't draft based on what the Steelers say to the media. Or pay attention to what any other team says in the media, except for the purpose of making trades.

and this is why draft grades are build on false pretenses because its people grading on their perceived value of the player not on what the teams value and those teams have far greater amounts of tape and research done for those prospects , granted they do not get to every prospect from every school that would likely be impossible without a staff of hundreds but they cover most if not all of the higher profile guys and hit on a few notable small school guys ..

its not a perfect science because there are to many variables and far to much projection to make it a science at all but it is truly a best guess

[Steelerette]

If WJ3 has the better career, then the Bengals got us. If Artie does, then we got them. Part luck, part scheme, part coaching, but at this point we didn't really win or lose a poker game (yet).

[steelreserve]

and this is why draft grades are build on false pretenses because its people grading on their perceived value of the player not on what the teams value and those teams have far greater amounts of tape and research done for those prospects , granted they do not get to every prospect from every school that would likely be impossible without a staff of hundreds but they cover most if not all of the higher profile guys and hit on a few notable small school guys ..

its not a perfect science because there are to many variables and far to much projection to make it a science at all but it is truly a best guess

Every team has a different opinion of every guy, and for that matter every one of us has a slightly different opinion of every guy. That doesn't make anyone automatically right or wrong, but emphasizes how much of an inexact science it is.

In the first 2-3 rounds, we've all seen a lot of the same footage and heard a lot of the same things as the professionals have - so there's a lot more chance for the "armchair GMs" to get it right than some people would have you believe. In round 4, 5, 6, 7 - forget it, I have almost no knowledge of most of those players, with the exception of the occasional well-known guy who winds up there. So whatever the team does, you hope for the best without too much second-guessing. THAT'S where the professional coaches and scouts earn their money IMO.

I still don't like the Burns pick a whole lot, for reasons that plenty of people have already said, but yeah, there is obviously an upside to it if it works out. But it's a big "if" in my mind - a bigger "if" than with some other players possibly.

[Dwinsgames]

Every team has a different opinion of every guy, and for that matter every one of us has a slightly different opinion of every guy. That doesn't make anyone automatically right or wrong, but emphasizes how much of an inexact science it is.

In the first 2-3 rounds, we've all seen a lot of the same footage and heard a lot of the same things as the professionals have - so there's a lot more chance for the "armchair GMs" to get it right than some people would have you believe. In round 4, 5, 6, 7 - forget it, I have almost no knowledge of most of those players, with the exception of the occasional well-known guy who winds up there. So whatever the team does, you hope for the best without too much second-guessing. THAT'S where the professional coaches and scouts earn their money IMO.

I still don't like the Burns pick a whole lot, for reasons that plenty of people have already said, but yeah, there is obviously an upside to it if it works out. But it's a big "if" in my mind - a bigger "if" than with some other players possibly.

the one big thing with Burns that is over looked by many , he is raw but there is reason behind some of that at least ... he was a track guy he missed most of , perhaps all of spring practices with the team due to his track schedule thus was not getting coaching at that time yet was talented enough to start over guys who did get those reps that being said teams still get more background info than we could ever expect to get and those 1 on 1 interviews at the chalk board are invaluable moments and insight to a players knowledge and understanding to the game and we get none of that and all the Raw talk about Burns while true he is 3 years younger than Jackson and Jackson is raw himself

[hawaiiansteeler]

by Jim Wexell

The Steelers had six defensive backs ranked as first-rounders, in their upper tier, on draft day, with the only safety being Keanu Neal.

Burns was the last of the six to go. He was such a small slice of a smidge behind William Jackson that it didn't matter to the Steelers which one was left to them. And they weren't interested in listening to any trade offers. At. All.

http://www.scout.com/nfl/steelers/st...p?preview=true

[steelreserve]

The Steelers had six defensive backs ranked as first-rounders, in their upper tier, on draft day, with the only safety being Keanu Neal.

That in itself makes me a lot more nervous about whether we knew what we were doing.

[Dwinsgames]

That in itself makes me a lot more nervous about whether we knew what we were doing.

agree with that because the Neal tape I watched was abysmal Alabama and Michigan games , couldn't bare to watch more as I had seen enough to know I didn't want him clearly I was in the minority ( still scratching my head on that one )

[Psycho Ward 86]

by Jim Wexell

The Steelers had six defensive backs ranked as first-rounders, in their upper tier, on draft day, with the only safety being Keanu Neal.

Burns was the last of the six to go. He was such a small slice of a smidge behind William Jackson that it didn't matter to the Steelers which one was left to them. And they weren't interested in listening to any trade offers. At. All.

http://www.scout.com/nfl/steelers/st...p?preview=true

I wonder who those guys were...I'm going to guess Keanu Neal, Artie Burns, William Jackson III, Eli Apple, Vernon Hargreaves, Jalen Ramsey