Weapon Development

I used to think that good scheme and inventive playcalling could overcome a lack of talent. I remember banging the drum in 2009, saying the Bengals could win without Chris Henry—that the other guys would step it up. That didn't happen. True, it wasn't the most impressive coaching displays late that season by the offensive coordinator, but ultimately, it came down to simply not having the guns to move forward in the playoffs.

Last week against Pittsburgh, after AJ Green left the field, it felt that same way. Caldwell, Baby Hawk, and Jerome Simpson did not strike any kind of fear in the hearts of the Steeler defense. The timing went away, the routes became more round, and miscommunication set in like the ghost of Carson Palmer. It's amazing to think that by removing just one receiver from the game plan, the whole equation of success breaks down. Yet that is what happened in 2009 when Henry broke his arm and later died, and again in a much smaller dose last week in the second half when Green tweaked his knee.

The good news is that Green is going to be okay. Nothing tore in that precious knee of his and although the team will treat him delicately, his return is imminent if not for this week then for next. However, it seems logical on the part of the Bengals coaching staff to prepare the secondary-role players for more of a spotlight part should the team be in the same precarious situation again. Can anyone within their current receiving corps step up and at least act like a number one wideout, or must the group as a whole equally elevate their game to allow for further success? And even with Green on the field, can the others get better throughout the second half of the season?

Jay Gruden will have a heavy say in answering these questions. He must continue to change the shape of the offensive scheme week in and week out in order for the Bengals offense to remain fresh and unpredictable. I sensed more predictability in the playcalling last week than at any other point so far this year, but I also expected this as Dalton had yet to cut his teeth on the Steeler defense. I just knew that Marvin would want safe plays with lots of running and power formations and try to win with the kicking game—to protect Andy Dalton as much as he could. But once Green left the game, the talent level plummeted and training wheels were attached to the offensive scheme. It went beyond safe; it became mostly harmless.

The defense is a different animal altogether. It too lost a figurehead on their side of the ball in Leon Hall, but still kept it together enough to give the team multiple chances to tie things up late in the game. Steeler wide out Antonio Brown appeared impossible to guard in the short term—and I was worried—but the remaining corners got their act together and made winning possible in the end.

There were a lot of good things that came out of this game for the Bengals. The offensive line pass protected very well, Dalton displayed his tremendous pocket presence and many times threw the ball out of bounds rather than take a sack or force a pass into coverage. The defense put good pressure on Big Ben and kept the Steelers ground game to a minimal. Penalties were low and there was really just one bad turnover in the game (the deflected pass for the first interception gets chalked up to the “stuff happens” category). The national perception of this game is that it was an impressive loss for the Stripes and that they proved they could at least compete with the other divisional big dogs, and they did so after losing a couple of key pieces in the process. Nonetheless, the passing game looked weak without Green and future opponents are likely to take note of that and gameplan accordingly. If I were a defense, I would rather Jerome Simpson beat me then the high-caliber rookie.

The running game has proven to still be necessary in this pass-happy world, but throwing effectively will always be the quickest way out of trouble. Dalton and crew were modestly effective in the first half of the season but the unit will have to improve, not just remain average. I feel we all know what Caldwell brings to the table—he's consistently alright—but Simpson continues to be a frustrating wild card. He looks like a receiver, he runs well, but he drops way too many passes and he just can't put it altogether. I would rather have a less talented but more reliable player than an all-or-nothing guy catching the ball. Hawkins is a nice, jukey little player but doesn't seem to have the tools of an every-down number-two receiver. Gresham, of course, is the next best pass-catcher behind Green, but his role on this team isn't of the ariel-threat variety. Yes, he is an intriguing red-zone target, and is a tough runner with the ball in his hands, but he isn't much of a focal point to this offense the way Jason Witten is to his scheme, for example. Gresham has blocked a lot and hasn't been able to stretch the field much, yet both Donald Lee and Colin Cochart have had explosive plays the last few weeks—it's odd.

I'm not advocating panic in regards to the passing game; I'm only pointing out how the talent that does exist there, needs to get significantly better for the Bengals to win against the best teams. I think this is a well-coached team who will make the necessary developments to succeed and very possibly make the playoffs. Marvin spoke this week about the need to stay creative offensively and to not become predictable, so we at least know he is aware of the concern as well. The next few weeks are against familiar foes who seem much more beatable than perhaps many others would suggest. The Ravens and Steerlers II are games the Bengals should win if they're a team on the rise but they cannot settle for average performances if that is to happen; they have to learn to elevate their games in the face of difficulty and uncertainty no matter who is playing and who is injured.

Rise to the top. Surpass the limitations.

Mojokong—where is my coat?

Second-Quarter Report: Discipline

My, what an October it was!  Shortly after halftime in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, the Bengals decided they weren't gonna dress up as a bad team for Halloween this year.  They were going as playoff contenders and divisional threats and no one could convince them otherwise.  So they started to play the part.

First off was the thrilling comeback against Buffalo orchestrated by the cool and collected carrot-top, Andy Dalton. Then the schedule took a right on Easy Street, and the Stripes shoveled their way through three more wins over Jax, Indy and Seattle.  Suddenly all the doom predicted in the preseason looked totally baseless, and the Bengals stood up high among the oaks of the AFC at 5-2. 

Once Halloween passed, the Bengals still refused to take off their costume and return to their normal selves.  A crucial road game against a lingering Titans team formed on the horizon and served as the best test since Buffalo.  The going got tough in the first half.  The defense softened, the offense sputtered and the team once more found themselves down by two scores coming out at halftime.

This stretch of five wins in a row is nicely bracketed thus far by two impressive displays of effective halftime adjustments.  Unlike the Bills game, the Bengals comeback in Tennessee wasn't all that surprising.  The defense put on the clamps, Woody Dalton got in a groove and the rest is history.  It wasn't a blowout, but it really wasn't all that close either. 

This team doesn't know any better.  Never have I seen such a focused team under Marvin Lewis.  They're quiet, unassuming winners who seem to believe in themselves, each other, and the system as a whole.  You can see Marvin's personality bleed through to his players.  The egos are minimal; these men are workers. 

A lot of that stems from discipline.  On defense, the gap-discipline against the run game is topnotch.  The front four stay in their gaps, the linebackers flow to the football, and gobs of tacklers are constantly swarming around ball carriers.  The tremendous depth along their defensive line allows for a constant wave of fresh, large bodies, and the whole defense appears very well conditioned right now.  Many other teams have complained about how the lockout has produced poor tackling, but the Bengals have had no such problems.  They are a very good tackling team.  They are strong and immovable and each player has been impressive by sticking to their own individual tasks rather than playing outside of the scheme. 

Mike Zimmer continues to make a name for himself in this league by not only crafting excellent game plans, but also crafting die-hard relationships with his players; these guys would jump off cliffs for Zim.  Their discipline not only physically, but also mentally, has kept Cincinnati from blowing games late.  Defensive penalties is the secret ingredient to a bad loss.  The lack of them has allowed the Bengals to beat the teams they should.

The discipline is evident on the offensive side of the ball as well.  Jay Gruden's scheme has the signature element every effective game plan needs: when starters go down, the offense produces just as well with backups.  Mike McCarthy did it last year with the Packers and they did okay.  The Patriots have done it for years, even without Tom Brady.  Good offenses adjust and carry on undeterred by injury.  A nice side effect of that is that backups get more productive experience and become better players and eventually even starters.  Gruden's scheme isn't as complicated as other coordinators around the NFL, but, to me, that's the beauty of it. 

We Bengal fans were subjected to a needlessly sophisticated scheme for years with Bob Bratkowski.  It probably illuminated upon the chalkboard when he wrote it up, but in reality, it confused the players and the team lost games as a result.  With Gruden, everyone knows the plays well and the difference has shown up in the wins column.  It's a modest scheme that, for the most part, is based around conventional tried-and-true football philosophy.  The coaching discipline to make the right call rather than the brilliant one, and the player discipline to avoid turnovers and penalties, has allowed Marvin to play his coveted field-position game and win with good defense and Mike Nugent. 

Gruden and Dalton came into this thing tied at the cerebral cortex and are now on the same frequency when it matters the most.  Look around the league at the truly great offenses, and most times you find a strong mental bond between quarterback and play-caller.  Woody has shown himself to be an intelligent, able-armed QB with excellent pocket presence and decent mobility.  I think Gruden will continue to protect him as much as he can with a good amount of run plays, heavy power-formations with extra blockers and a ball-controlling short passing game.  Gruden will have to install some new stuff along the way to avoid blatant predictability, but I think the character of this offense has already been defined as a safe and disciplined one.

Overall, it's damn-near impossible not to be impressed by the second-quarter of the Bengals season.  Sure, we can nitpick about the easy schedule, but Cincinnati was supposed to be bad too, remember?  If you aren't daring enough to call them a playoff contender yet, fine, but at least we can all agree that they're good enough to wear the costume for a while longer.  This upcoming stretch of divisional games is like a dark and scary country road straight outta Scooby-Doo, and the Mystery Machine may take a wrong turn at some point, but if the Bengals remain this disciplined and the scheme continues to be fully understood by the players, I think they will come out just fine.


Mojokong—simply sterling.