[Kray007]

Ultimately, at Linebacker, Franklin and Speed’s fate rests in the hands of Lou Anarumo. He’s got to decide if their skills fit his system; whether or not the weird 4-2-5 scheme favored by Bradley didn’t play to their strengths. To be honest, I didn’t pay enough attention to the Bengal’s D to reach many conclusions about how Speed fits in. But, my gut tells me that they’re gonna want/need to add someone who excels in coverage, and Speed is described as serviceable at best.

The good news is that there are a few prospective free agent Linebackers out there who can cover. The problem is that not many of them are the kind of big names that a disaffected fan base will stand up and applaud Ballard for signing.