The Overkill Needs to Stop

The Tee Party has made its point. Time to shut up

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In a surprise to no one, Duke Tobin said to the media Tuesday that the Bengals would do everything they could to retain the Big Three. Higgins, Chase, Hendrickson, the trio essential to leading the Men to 18 wins in the last two years. (The Eagles only needed one year to do that, but never mind.)

“I want the good players too and I think that they ought to be paid to their ability level and that's what we're going to do,’’ the de facto GM said at the Combine. Zac Taylor echoed Tobin’s pronouncements.

This follows Joe Burrow’s incessant, very public arm-twisting on the same subject. By now, the average salaryman in Shanghai knows Joe Burrow wants Tee Higgins back. (They’re not familiar with Mike Gesicki.)

Frequent Perusers might know my take on this cavalcade of lobbying. Stealing a line from erstwhile Dem strategist James Carville, “It’s the defense, stupid.’’ The fact the Bengals can afford Higgins doesn’t mean they should pay him. The cap is the cap and paying the Big Three what each deserves doesn’t change that.

A perfectly healthy Burrow had to lead the Bengals to five wins in a row at the end of the year just to get to 9-8. The Bengals led the world in passing. They have Chase and Burrow. They don’t have Lawrence Taylor, JJ Watt and Deion Sanders.

But there’s something else no one is talking about and it is this: