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The signing of LB Kevin Hardy is notable for one main reason. Too many free agents have visited Cincinnati in the past, but quickly left town to sign with another team (often for less money). However, after the Bengals signed Hardy to a four-year deal, the talk about the changes that head coach Marvin Lewis would bring to the franchise became much louder. Are things really all that different in Cincy?
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The spin coming out of the Cincinnati Bengals organization is that the visiting players love Lewis. The signing of Kevin Hardy and DT John Thornton would seem to support this. Yet the new attitude was lost on Takeo Spikes, who begged the Bengals not to match Buffalo’s offer. Spikes preferred to join the team that could convince QB Drew Bledsoe to play for them.
There is plenty of free agency left and the bad breakup with Spikes may be drowned in a sea of new faces. But at this point, replacing Spikes with Hardy does not score as an upgrade. Hopefully, Hardy’s presence in the locker room and on the practice field will push the balance in the Bengals favor in terms of his signing.
The Bengals desperately needed to sign someone. They must have known that Spikes wanted out, badly. The team has already committed some $11 million in cap to just three players: Hardy, Thornton, and CB Tory James. That’s quite a bit of money to players that hardly anyone can claim will turn a franchise around.
Hardy, who will turn 30 this summer, is the crown jewel of the Bengals off-season moves. He has the name recognition that the Bengals crave, mostly with public relations in mind. But Hardy may be entering the twilight of his career and is certainly not in the same tier as Spikes. The Bengals can spin it anyway they want, and the media seems to be buying it, but Hardy is a consolation prize.
What the front office hopes is that Hardy will pave the way for bigger fish. What the front office has to mind is the cap they have spent to break the ice. The Bengals strategy looks more and more like a two-year plan with each passing week. 10+ years of losing is not easy to shake.
Nonetheless, Lewis will make the Bengals even more formidable defensively. This unit will have to carry the team as the Bengals try once again to develop a quarterback. Lewis might even be tempted to go defense with the first pick. Does he really feel comfortable bringing along a young QB? Free agency in 2004 seems a more likely time for the Bengals to go hunting for a new snap caller.
The Bengals cannot expect to make that much of an impact this off-season. Lewis will have to prove his worth on the field. He simply must squeeze more out of team that clearly has talent, but often lacks effort. Hardy might provide some leadership on this count and a good draft will have the media abuzz. However, we really won’t know if things have changed until next March and someone of Spike’s caliber calls up Lewis, expressing interest in playing for the Bengals.
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