Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes

Bengals apply franchise tag to backup lineman Stacy Andrews... it buys them time to negotiate a long-term deal ... if that doesn't happen, they will pay him nearly $7.5 million this year, the average of the 5 highest-paid players at his position in the league... if no one is injured, Andrews will be the 6th lineman on his own team.

Bengals don't do this last year for E. Steinbach, a Pro Bowl alternate, similarly versatile. Bengals tag J. Smith instead, because they have no one to replace J. Smith if he leaves, unless you think Frostee Rucker is fabulous. J. Smith gets top-5 cash, even as he might not be top 5 in his own division.

Meantime, in the last 2 days the Chiefs tag Jared Allen, Ravens tag Terrell Suggs, Colts Dallas Clark... all Pro Bowl-caliber players.

Bengals overpay players because they don't have enough quality talent to replace decent players who can leave. Bengals don't have enough quality talent, in part, because they don't have a quality personnel dept., or a GM...

Props to Andrews, the beneficiary of the Bengals' forever weakness. Props to Paul Alexander, the O-line coach who has developed Andrews from a green 4th-rounder into a valuable player.

Just guessing. But adding 3-5 scouts and a GM might not cost the club much more than what it had to overpay Smith and might have to overpay Andrews.