Bye week "fixes"

[Ryan Mc]

Originally Posted by WhoDeyTKO

Contrary to what most people believe the Bengals O-line is not the problem plaguing this offense. According to PFF, the Bengals have the 8th rated O-Line and best pass blocking line in the league......

Maybe....but, there are some things that aren't always picked up in these kinds of analysis. My impression is Andy has been high on a lot of throws this year. Some of them have just been bad throws, but many also seem to have come when the middle of the pocket has been pushed back into him. To me, it seems like this has happened a lot this year and so even though the O-line won't be charged with a sack or a hit or a pressure or anything, they still need to improve and give the QB more space in front of him to throw.

[WhoDeyTKO]

Originally Posted by thompson19osu

You can't say that our backs aren't hitting the holes fast enough. In actuality, there is only 1 back that isn't hitting the holes fast enough and we all know who that is. We saw what could happen when Bernard Scott was in the game. Cedric Peerman has only been used 2 times but has 12 yards between those carries. The problem is Bernard was injured and the team refuses to use Peerman. The problem could be alleviated if they actually did use a RBBC but the coaching staff refuses to do just that.

I agree with you, I should have stated BJGE doesn't hit the hole hard or fast enough. I wish the coaches would give Peerman a chance to show his stuff. I guess Mikey doesn't like the idea his 4 million dollar investment was a failure.

[Sideline Tweeting 101]

Originally Posted by thompson19osu

You can't say that our backs aren't hitting the holes fast enough. In actuality, there is only 1 back that isn't hitting the holes fast enough and we all know who that is. We saw what could happen when Bernard Scott was in the game. Cedric Peerman has only been used 2 times but has 12 yards between those carries. The problem is Bernard was injured and the team refuses to use Peerman. The problem could be alleviated if they actually did use a RBBC but the coaching staff refuses to do just that.

Ive said this same thing more than a few times on here, and each time I get some form of bashing for it. Peerman seems to create room with his burst, and he is also a very good receiving threat. It baffles me as to why he is not used more. I understand BJGE in the redzone, but use Peerman more between the 20's.

[bradfritz21]

Doesn't Cook come back after the bye week? That would help out the line a lot, imco, because he's more familiar with everyone and he's done well against the NTs of the AFC North, so he can handle anyone.

I feel like center and left guard is where our problems are because, even if PFF says that we have the best line in football, I don't like the pressure coming from the middle and I think that it's caused Andy to be flushed from the pocket.

[Derrick]

Originally Posted by WhoDeyTKO

Contrary to what most people believe the Bengals O-line is not the problem plaguing this offense. According to PFF, the Bengals have the 8th rated O-Line and best pass blocking line in the league. The problem isn't the line it's the skilled positions. The backs aren't hitting the holes fast or hard enough. Our QB, like Collinsworth stated Sunday night, is getting rid of the ball far too quickly. He needs to give plays more time to develop. We have had people open down field but Dalton is settling for the 3 yd underneath option. Our other receivers aren't getting open on a consistent enough basis and when they do get open they drop the ball (cough, Gresham, cough). We also MUST find new ways to get AJ the ball early and often in games. He is our biggest offensive weapon. We cannot go two quarters before trying to get him the ball. Finally our halftime adjustments have ****** the past few weeks. We have either been winning or close in all of our games at halftime, but our coaching staff has failed to come up with ways to counteract our opponents schemes while the other teams have come out and effectively our offense down in the second half of games. This has got to change.

We've consistently had the same stupid issues on defense as well. We have been able to generate some pressure with our front four in the games against poor teams, but against good teams it's not enough. We need to be blitzing on most passing downs, especially third down and long. We need to force teams to throw the hot route and then make the tackle. Our secondary isn't good enough to cover for 4 seconds without pressure. If it weren't for the dropped passes Sunday the Bengals would've lost by 21 points.

I love the Bengals and always will, but I cannot take much more of this chronic underachieving. We haver the players on this team to be one of the best in the league, but our coaches have lacked the ability to get our team prepared to play. I really hope Marvin and company can pull their heads out of their respective azzes over the bye and get back to winning, but I no longer have any playoff expectations for this season.

If this is so, why, pray tell, is Dalton having so much trouble completing passes to Bengal receivers?

[Derrick]

Originally Posted by Murphy

I have a feeling that Dalton is being told to go for the dink passes.

being told "If you throw short 3-5 yard passes, you keep the Defense honest and it will open up the deep play for AJ."

just seems like a Marvin idea.

Yes, and this idea doesn't work well either.

[gardner30]

Originally Posted by Derrick

If this is so, why, pray tell, is Dalton having so much trouble completing passes to Bengal receivers?

IMO....

1.) WRs not getting consistent separation

2.) Dalton tends to abandon his footwork fundamentals when the pocket gets cluttered leading to inaccurate throws.

3.) Dalton focuses on 1 guy and misses the open man.

Stuff young players normally struggle with.

[WhoDeyTKO]

Originally Posted by Derrick

If this is so, why, pray tell, is Dalton having so much trouble completing passes to Bengal receivers?

Because he is leaving the pocket too early. He has been giving up on plays before they have a chance to develop. There is always going to be pressure and Dalton needs to do a better job of staying strong in the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield, and taking the hit if need be.

[Ryan Mc]

Originally Posted by gardner30

IMO....

2.) Dalton tends to abandon his footwork fundamentals when the pocket gets cluttered leading to inaccurate throws....

Originally Posted by WhoDeyTKO

Because he is leaving the pocket too early. He has been giving up on plays before they have a chance to develop. There is always going to be pressure and Dalton needs to do a better job of staying strong in the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield, and taking the hit if need be.

Good points, I think you're right about this. It's funny, because I never saw Dalton in college so the first look I got at him was preseason before last year. After watching the first three preseason games before 2011 I expressed concern about exactly this stuff ... that his poise and footwork seemed to break down when there was pressure. Then, the season started and he was obviously very poised and confident for a rookie and this all didn't seem much of an issue. Hope he's not regressing to some previous bad habits.

[Bengal Greg]

This is the bengals, Mike Brown, and Marvin Lewis! You really think you're going to see any changes? Really? You haven't been watching very closely for the last 10 years have you? Ha, Ha, Ha!

[OH-HENRY]

Originally Posted by weesel1972

Did you say "bye week fixes" !? LMAO, from this team? Kind of like half time adjustments! Lol

lol---yes--if our bye week fixes are anything like our halftime adjustments......it'll be a long day against the Broncos.

[Brunz]

Originally Posted by Au165

That they already have Alfred Morris and there is no reason to carry Grant at this point? I am just saying he may be the best option out there if we want depth.

We should go after Larry Johnson again, that will shore everything up!

[XenoMorph]

Originally Posted by brunzbengal#1FAN

We should go after Larry Johnson again, that will shore everything up!

Recently arrested.

[Brunz]

Originally Posted by BengalsFan024

Recently arrested.

Fits right in LOL

[kevin]

On offense, use the 3rd round pick Sanu alot more.....I think out WRs are AJ Green, Hawk and Sanu....Sanu could help open it up for AJ and Hawk....Gresham and Charles at TE should be good also....I hope Faine can play, I hope Cook come back, if neither can play, we have a huge problem up the middle, what with losing our left guard to injury in preseason and a rookie right guard. We don't need a rookie center on top of it. ....I don't know if he RBs have any game though....None of this is helping 2nd year QB who is throwing way too many interceptions....Sanu, Blocking, and we could use some running in order to get AJ open. The run is soo bad, we may have to pass to set up the run.

On defense, Kirkpatrick....If he is healthy, get him out there, get him some game experience so that he isn't a rookie next year. ....The linebackers, I don't know, losing last years team leading tackler to injury is killing us. Whats with Rey Mauluga, he's really gone downhill from his rookie year. Are we playing him out of position. He looked better with Jones....Maybe Burfict can come on and make him look better.

The schedule gets very very tough, so lets hope they are trying to FIX something.

[CoreyKlein7322]

Hard to believe but im Actually excited about practice squad player being on roster. That is how pathetic Rey Mualuga is. Looks like with 1 more bad game out of Rey we could move Burfict to the Mike and put Emmanuel Lamur at Will.

Cannot wait till the day Rey Mualuga is finally benched!!

I have no faith in our coaching staff, including Zimmer!!

[BengalChris]

Bye week "fixes"

Hum, the trading deadline has passed, so all my favored options are gone.

[SHRacerX]

Originally Posted by CoreyKlein7322

Its amazing that we are now in Week 8 of the season and we are seeing the same problems we were seeing back in Week 1.

Specifically, I am referencing the play of our starting MLB Rey Mualuga. The guy is terrible. He does nothing well on the football field. He is slow to read plays. He overpursues. He cant cover. He cant sit in zones. He cant take on blocks. And suprisingly, even at 250-260lbs whatever he now weighs he cannot even make solid tackles you would expect from a MLB. And he is doing this in the biggest season of his football career (his contract year).

But what i find most amazing is that week in and week out we continue to play him as our starting MLB as if somehow he is going to "magically' improve. Now I assume Marvin lets Zimmer make the call as to who his starters our on defense, and I have to assume Zimmer is the initial person responsible for the debacle of continuing to play Rey Mualuga. But ultimately, Marvin is the head coach and he gets the final say on the decision, so Marvins hands arent clean either. Plus with Marvin having a defensive background I have to believe he is more hands on with the defense than he is with the offense. I would imagine Gruden has a lot more freedom than does Zimmer, since Marvin probably feels like he could still call the defense.

So Bye Week fix #1 is Replace Mulauga with VONTAZE BURFICT as our starting MLB. We could then slide in Vincent Rey or Muckelroy as the starting WILL LB.

Bye Week Fix #2 would be to get Taylor Mays onto the field!!

I know Chris Crocker made a nice play on the interception against Pittsburgh. I know we are also playing Clements at SS. But neither of those guys play the run as well as Taylor Mays. Neither of those guys put much fear into WR's over the middle. (and where are we getting killed--each week? over the middle!!!).

Now, if they refuse to let Taylor Mays play SS, why not use the Bye week to teach him Nickel LB responsibilities? Or at least get him into the game as the #5 DB and let him cover the short middle of the field. Charles woodson was playing OLB/Nickel LB for the Packers up until his injury and he was doing it well.

NFL is now about speed/pass coverage/pass rush. It is no longer about slow LB's who cannot cover the pass (Manny Lawson/Rey Mualuga). We need to get with the modern game. We have a modern day DL (Atkins/Dunlap/MJ). We have potential (i hope) with our CB's who have been injured (Kirkpatrick/Allen). There is no reason this cannot be a top 10 defense should we choose to play the right personnel.

Bye Week Fix #3---More Dunlap!!! I have absolutely no idea why Geathers is receiving more PT than Dunlap. That should NOT be happening. Geathers outside of the one play where he caused fumble, has gotten ZERO pass rush this whole season!! Geathers should be the #4 DE in playing time AFTER MJ/Dunlap/Moch. I would still play him over Gillberry.

Bye Week Fix #4---get another RB (or at least let Cedric peerman and Andrew hawkins get more carries). Preferably I would love to trade for Lamar Miller but since that appearently is NOT an option, why cant we work with what we already have? Lets get Hawkins the ball at least 3-5 times a game from the RB position!! Lets get Peerman involved with 5-10 carries. Then lets give the other 10-15 carries to BJGE. We are relying TOO MUCH on BJGE!! The guy is good in short yardage but really he is nothing more than a short yardage back or closer in 4th qtr "if" we are holding onto a lead. Thats it!!

Bye Week Fix #5--Get Hawkins the ball!! Hawkins needs to have screens; jet sweeps; reverses; drag routes; and some occassional draws/handoffs out of the backfield. The guy is tough!! Even if we left him in the backfield to pass block on a 3rd down I would believe he is more than capable of perfroming that task. He is an effort guy!!

Bye Week Fix #6--Get AJ Green the ball DOWN THE FIELD!! When the play breaks down and no one is open, and assuming AJ has a "go" route, Andy Daltons first thought should be to chuck it up to AJ and see if he cant make a play on the ball. I dont know why he has gone away from that, but AJ is not going to let the defense get the INT. Worst case scenario is incomplete pass. Better case scenario is pass interference or big play!!

Final Bye week Fix #7--Zimmer!! What the hell are you playign 2 deep safeties for at the 10 yard line? Are you afraid you are going to be beat over the top in the GL defense? are u serious? We are too soft with our defensive coverages/alignment/packages. We need to start challenging Offenses. We cant be afraid to play WR's and TEs one on one!! Lets bring the defense up and challenge like you did back in 2009!!

Im done with my rant....how many of these "fixes" do I expect to be put into place??? NONE. OF THEM!!! Is that a sign of me being wrong (no coaching experience at any level) or our coaches? Its pretty sad when the answer to that question is our NFL coaches!!

Fix#1 would weaken team too much at WILL. I could see Rey at SAM and Burfict at MIKE, but Muck or V Rey at WILL with no Lawson is not an upgrade. I think we let Burfict continue to gain experience at WILL and draft Te'o to be MIKE next year. Burfict is doing great where he is. The Bengals could have an incredibly intelligent playmaker that could set their defensive schemes in Te'o.

Fix #2- DEAD ON. I want to throw punches, not duck and hide. Either the guy improves with game time experience or he is gone. They aren't going to learn crap with him on the bench and he just might intimidate a few guys coming across the middle.

Fix #3- Dunlap takes off so many plays that they are trying to keep him fresh for when they really need pressure. So far, he has been a huge disappointment. I don't know what the recipe for motivating Dunlap and MJ93 is, but I am drafting a DE in round 2 next year for competition.

Fix #4- Agreed on Peerman, not Hawkins. I don't want Hawkins to get too many hits as a RB. He is key to what has to happen from the slot. Peerman has done nothing but impress in his limited opportunities, and the guy seems to give 110% every snap. I want guys like this on the field more.

Fix #5- DEAD ON, AGAIN! This guy should have 10 targets a game. Yep, as many as AJ Green. His play underneath will help create opportunities for AJ down the field. Seems like Hawk makes a 20 yard play, then they don't go back to him. Use him until they stop him!

Fix #6. Go to AJ downfield, but do it on first down! Why wait until 3rd and 10 when everyone is dropping in to coverage? Also, if his guy is going to play 10 yards off, how about a WR screen? Remember those?

Fix #7. DEAD ON!!! Zimmer needs a metal detector to find the brass balls he used to have. This panty-waste scheme of "don't hurt me deep" gets you dissected and puts the offense in no risk of turnovers! It is all high % passes with no one within 5 yards. The defense must tighten up coverage and must create pressure (rush Rey or Manny, they sure as hell aren't doing anything in coverage!) to force turnovers! Remember those? When was the last time the Bengals forced a turnover? What? The Redskins game? One tipped ball against Cleveland comes to mind...and MJ would have scored if Joe Thomas doesn't make a great dive tackle to stop him.

I will add my fix #8. Mo Sanu and Orson Charles. Line Sanu up opposite AJ. He has some of the best hands on the team, and can do any number of things on the field. Get Charles involved early on a TE screen. Let Gresham know (a la Pete Carroll, who is a d-bag, but it took balls to start Russell Wilson over the higher paid player) that draft position and money don't earn you catches....your FN PLAY DOES! I want him benched for the entire first half. Let him see what the kid can do with the same opportunities. He might actually wake up and start playing with a little fire.

Oh, sorry, one more: Fix #9. Stop bringing the KO out from 8 yards back, Tate, you pinhead.

[SHRacerX]

Originally Posted by J24

Portis was pretty good to!

You mean "Princess Tortoise"? I heard a radio announcer call him that and I spit coffee all over my dashboard. Not sure why, but this strikes me as hilarious.

[SHRacerX]

Originally Posted by Murphy

I have a feeling that Dalton is being told to go for the dink passes.

being told "If you throw short 3-5 yard passes, you keep the Defense honest and it will open up the deep play for AJ."

just seems like a Marvin idea.

Agreed. And after Gresham drops an easy 10 yard gain on 2nd down after a BJGE special on first and ten, it is third and ten and here comes the rush.

Look at what has been said about Dalton:

He is taking too many sacks (holding on to the ball too long) against Washington.

Then, he isn't taking enough chances...so he throws interceptions (less than half that were his fault) against Cleveland and Miami.

Now, he is being "too quick with the ball" and not being enough of a leader???? I will take the Dalton we had in the beginning of the season. The only improvement is when that foru second clock goes off in your head, either make the throw or toss it out of bounds to avoid the sack. Be patient, and don't play scared...in other words, all this talk about your INTs don't mean crap. They are in the past. The Bengals need WINS and to do that, they need you to spread the ball around and avoid staring down your primary (something that seemed to happen a lot against Pitt).

I think if they just said to Andy: "forget all the problems you have been hearing from media, fans, and even us coaches...go out and let er rip. Make plays. Have fun. You can beat any team in the NFL when you are on your game". And I would involve him in changing plays more at the LOS. He is smart enough.

[SHRacerX]

Originally Posted by bradfritz21

Doesn't Cook come back after the bye week? That would help out the line a lot, imco, because he's more familiar with everyone and he's done well against the NTs of the AFC North, so he can handle anyone.

I feel like center and left guard is where our problems are because, even if PFF says that we have the best line in football, I don't like the pressure coming from the middle and I think that it's caused Andy to be flushed from the pocket.

Actually, Boling has done a very solid job at LG. The weak link is Center. And I don't hear that Cook will be ready very soon, which is too bad. He is a very tough guy at the point of attack and his biggest strength is getting the guys lined up in the correct scheme. I would love to see him back and playing with these guys, as he has not had the opportunity to play with these promising young guards and the bookends, Whit and Andre.