Corner Concerns

The Cincinnati Bengals enter 2013 with a strong defensive reputation. Since Mike Zimmer has taken over that side of the ball, the Bengals have surpassed respectability and now are seated at the high table with other impressive defensive specimens. They have earned this caliber by drafting well and developing projects to their fullest.

Yet, like many other defensive strongholds, there are weak spots to be found if one looks closely enough. Like Smaug's missing scale or the thermal exhaust port left open on the Death Star, the Bengals too have exploitable areas if their opponents can get through the first and second lines. Many may point to safety as this window of opportunity-and there are certainly a stockpile of concerns at that position-but cornerback too worries me.

Leon Hall is their leader in the back end. Out of all the names listed at corner, he is the most dependable. Last year he turned the tide on three late-season games with timely picks and tremendous returns. His pick-six against theTexans in the Wild-Card game gave his team their only lead of the contest. Hall has always played a half-step slower than many of his colleagues but also demonstrates terrific technique that not only has kept him in the league, but also keeps him as his team's best player at the position.

Aside from foot speed, health has become Leon's biggest drawback. In 2011, he ruptured his achilles tendon and missed the last seven games. Last year he missed Weeks 3 and 4 to a strained calf and really didn't look like his old self until the last third on the season. Prior to his achilles injury, Hall was a mini iron-man of sorts playing in 74 straight games, but an injury of that caliber is hard for any athlete to come back from and he isn't getting younger entering his seventh year as a pro.

Still Hall's toughness has never been called into question. He is a pros pro and is a good example for younger players around him. His spot at right corner awaits him until his health fails him again. When he is at his best, the benefits are easy to spot. His score against Houston was the only Bengals touchdown in the 2013 postseason, his touchdown against Pittsburgh proved to be an early dagger that vaulted the Stripes into the playoffs in the first place, and his interception in Philly fended off a nightmare upset that might have ruined the season in Week 15. He is a Pro-Bowl caliber player when he plays free and easy but even at 85 percent, he can be easily picked on.

Behind Hall are a litany of other question marks. The next most dependable of this lot is Terence Newman. Newman is not a young man as far as corners go (34) but held up better than most suspected last year as a new member to the Zim Clan. Zimmer has made the most of other aged defensive backs in his time here and Newman was familiar with his style from their days together in Dallas. One has to wonder, though, how long he can hold up. He was brought back this offseason after flirting with Oakland and still figures to be a major contributor, and the national media seems to put more credence into his play this year than last, but we close Bengal observers can't feel reassured penciling him in as a starter.

Newman impressed me with his tackling, like Hall, he too is no cream puff, but Torrey Smith, Antonio Brown and even still Mike Wallace who lurk on the schedule are very fast men who won't take pity on Newman's elder stage of his career. Not only must Newman stay healthy and remain on the field, but he must also maintain his speed which Father Time typically heavily discourages as men get older. Using him as a nickel seems like a natural demotion as the weeks and months pile up, but how soon is the defense as a whole ready to replace him with someone younger and more spry?

The organization would love that person to become last year's top draft pick, Dre Kirkpatrick. Sadly, however, the youngster has all the stigma of a cursed prospect and has found life hard and unfair in the NFL. No one really knows what this kid is capable of. We watched him line up only a handful of times on defense in 2012 and he didn't have the chance to show us much of anything. He is still tall and rangy with no real mileage applied to his body but the rest of his scouting report has yet to be determined. The lingering knee problem is a major red flag. What was diagnosed as Osgood-Schlatter disease eliminated all of his rookie mini and training camps and kept him off the field until Week 8. He played sparingly in five games before being rocked with what seemed to be a somewhat severe concussion that kept him out the next two weeks. The knee started acting back up late in the year and the Bengals shelved him for a fresh start this season. Dre had another procedure done to the knee in the offseason but sounds optimistic about making back in time for camp in 2013. Zimmer and Marvin Lewis are likely hopeful about his future, but one would think their optimism is somewhat guarded to do his short but injury riddled pro career.

Expectations around Kirkpatrick for fans have plummeted. We've seen this before. Dubious recurring knee problems are close to a death sentence in the NFL, not to mention the concussion he suffered statistically makes him more vulnerable for it to happen again. If he comes back and plays even sparingly but consistently, it would be a huge relief and instill hope that maybe he can develop into a first-round pick, but as it stands now, he is behind the eight ball and his battle is steeply uphill.

Adam Jones is a nice story. Here, a troubled young man found a new lease on life in Zimmer's system and he enjoyed what many consider his best year last season. Jones is a passionate player that brings a lot of good things to the table, not only on defense but as a return man too. He played in every game last year which was perhaps the most important stat for him to attain after battling hamstring and neck injuries the two previous years. He has shed a lot of the negativity that surrounded his reputation from past transgressions, and really seems to care about winning more than anything else.

Yet while he may warm our hearts, the Bengals may need him to play at perhaps unrealistic levels. Like Hall and Newman, he too is no spring chicken. Not only that, but one full season does make up for the abundance of missed games he has endured by either injury or suspension. He can still make exciting plays and has the football instincts to change the game by himself, but one cannot yet call him a reliable player.

There are others on the list but they all have their own, mainly injury, problems. Brandon Ghee remains on the roster (I think) but he's always hurt. Chris Lewis-Harris looked good in the preseason and even cracked the wild-card roster, but he is a project and a fill-in at best. Shaun Prater could develop into a decent player but missed all of last year with a knee injury in his rookie season-not a good start to a career.

The whole philosophy on defense this season for the Bengals centers around getting pressure on the quarterback, which, in theory, takes pressure off of the corners. We all know, however, that the pass rush will not be dominant on every single play and that a lot of pressure still exists within the corner ranks. They are not the fastest bunch in the NFL-and with quarterbacks likely to deliver the ball quickly against a heavy pass rush, they don't need to be-but they also are not the deepest for a unit with so many injury concerns. Don't expect a big free agency splash like Charles Woodson. Instead expect the Bengals to rely on their existing veterans to assist the younger players in their development while everyone keeps their fingers crossed in hopes of avoiding injury.

The more it's examined, the more tenuous the position appears. A chink in the armor perhaps not fortified enough. I trust the coaching staff in place to make the most of the situation, and the commitment on defense has been given to the players up front, but the back end becomes more worrisome as the reality sets in. Hopefully that worry quickly dissipates in the bask of winning meaningful games.

Mojokong-cornering the market.

Oversimplifying Things: Two Ways the Bengals Win

On a cool, rainy spring day, the May showers welcomed the 2013 Bengals' draft class to Cincinnati where their professional careers began, running around in shorts under the gloomy late-morning skies. This marked the true beginning of the new season, one of rather great expectations.

Now that the puzzle is mostly complete in regards to answering the who, it's time to turn to the how.

On defense, there doesn't seem to be much secrecy in the way Mike Zimmer plans to attack. The heavy rotation of defensive linemen is expected to generate extra hits on the quarterback which will in turn tire him out and lead to mistakes. Stopping the run has been an afterthought in part because of the tremendous pass rush but also because Zimmer has generated such consistent results that it is perhaps taken for granted at this point.

I heard NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes say on television that the Bengals defense was soft and couldn't have disagreed more. When pressed, he even pointed to Michael Johnson as an example which also seems unfair for a guy coming off of a double-digit sack effort. The conversation was prompted by the arrival of James Harrison and the "nastiness" he brings to the Bengals, and while I agree that his intensity will rub off on his teammates, I don't think Mike Zimmer tolerates soft players. Domata Peko may smile a lot but I'm not calling that guy soft. Rey Maualuga has awareness issues and is too often out of place, but he too is not soft. I'm excited to see what Harrison can do among the many pass rushers the Bengals have collected, but I'm not sure if he brings an immediate sense of intimidation that wasn't there before. My guess is that his snaps are more limited than some may expect and that he brings a nice energy off of the bench.

Regardless of Harrison, the Bengals were ready to carry on smacking opposing quarterbacks when they brought back three of their existing defensive ends and drafted another. The whole defensive season hinges on it; the corners could have terrific years if it's successful. It would free up the linebackers to stop the run more freely which is undoubtedly their strength.

The offensive emphasis this season is a bit more murky to predict. It is the third year of the three most important men on offense. Jay Gruden, A.J. Green and Andy Dalton have each grown in their past two previous seasons. None of these men have fulfilled their potential yet and there are heaps of expectation on the shoulders of all three.

Dalton has become on those quarterbacks who take the most scrutiny during the offseason. Drew Brees used to be another guy who media and fans enjoyed pointing out his deficiencies. There has been a recent crescendo of criticism and then defense of Andy Dalton and while I think that he lacks the luster of more physically impressive quarterbacks, the fact his biggest criticism is that he can't win playoff games is a pretty good problem for a third-year player to have.

Like all of you, I have no idea what happens inside the belly of Paul Brown Stadium, behind the concrete, inside the coaches rooms. There, plans are made and we often see the perceived attempts but we never truly know. That being said, I suspect that last season a lot, if not too much, was dumped upon Andy Dalton's plate. What may have looked basic and doable in his first year, probably looked vast and complex in year two and the ginger needed more time than was given to fully understand it. His numbers went up which points to an expanded role, but outside of his stats, his pocket presence, field awareness and general comfort running the offense subsided and an overall improvement was not easy to discern. So then what should we expect to see in year three?

His main man, A.J. Green, is ready to blast off. He is a dynamo, talent is left in pools wherever he steps, only God and himself can keep him from his greatness. Yet Dalton too is at least partially responsible for how great Green will be and that is another unspoken burden upon the young QB. Getting the ball to A.J. remains numero uno on Gruden's to-do list, but unlike previous seasons, all three of these men have more viable weapons around them.

Now, before I dive headfirst into the new depth the Bengals have added to their offensive arsenal it feels responsible to point out that these men are rookies and unproven and that every year we Bengals fans anoint up-and-coming skill players as immediate impact players when sometimes the opposite is true.

That being said, the Bengals haven't had a running back prospect this bright since Kenny Irons or Chris Perry, both of whom were cruelly forced from the game as very young men due to injury. Marvin Lewis has made little-guy comparisons of Giovani Bernard to success stories like Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew. He compliments a hard-working but rather singular back in BenJarvus Green-Ellis and will be running behind an offensive line that is growing up together. The running game had stretches of dominance midseason last year and Bernard will help switch up the sauce every now again and attack more on the outside, giving Benny a break.

Of course, Tyler Eifert is the new designer tight end, capable of being used in a variety of spots and pressures different positions in different ways. Also added to the mix is Arkansas wide receiver, Cobi Hamilton, who appears to be another possession guy and reminds me of Antonio Bryant. Lastly, Nebraska's tough running Rex Burkheadgets a chance to be mainly a special-teams grunt but could be used on some weird third down shovel passes (I can already see him being used in fake punts too).

The thing all of these guys have in common is that they are all players expected to run simpler routes and gain those crucial yards-after-catch. If hitting the passer is the one key to success for the defense, picking up YAC might be the same for the offense. If passing yards are being picked up without Dalton throwing the ball very long, everybody is then playing to their skill set. Eifert and Jermaine Gresham are big strong receiving tight ends, and while Gresham does drop passes, he also makes some grown-ass-man catches too. Mohamed Sanu and now Hamilton are also on the big and strong spectrum of wide receiver, and while not big (but in my mind pretty strong), Andrew Hawkins excels with the ball in his hands with blockers in front of him. Bernard comes with a reputation of catching the ball well and Green-Ellis can bring them in when thrown his way too.

If these guys convert on shorter stuff, it will force the double-team off of Green and then there's really no stopping him. Effective complimentary players are absolutely necessary for stars to be at their best. In the end, the players, the coaches, the fans and their writers want wins more than stats. If A.J. Green's stats go down but the offense is better and they win more games, life will be even sweeter.

One cannot sum up the inter-workings of a football season into simply this or that being the only variable of success, but we speculators of the sport are allowed to indulge in oversimplification and that is what you have read here. If Dalton can handle the scope of the offense Gruden presents to him, he should be able to utilize the many short-route, possession targets at his disposal which will allow Green freedom to run his crispy pass patterns and dazzle with his play. On defense, if the rotation racks up the hits on the quarterbacks, everyone's job becomes easier and they finish at a top-10 ranked unit again, maybe top-3.

Quarterback hits and YAC. Bengals 11-5.

Mojokong-first fire.

The Flexible Addition

The word that comes to mind when profiling Tyler Eifert is: flexibility. I don't mean to say that he is a contortionist-though as an athletic young man, I'm sure he bends just fine-but rather, that he adds figurative flexibility in two ways.

The first way is the most obvious. On the field, he can be used in a variety of places. Tight ends have traditionally lined up hunched over with their fingers on the ground, appearing ready to either block or run out for a pass. The game has morphed with great strides since then, and while many tight ends still begin their play in the old fashion, many coaches have flexed these players away from the offensive line in either the slot or even wide receiver positions.

Watching highlights of Eifert, one can quickly see how the guy causes problems from all of these areas on the field. When he lines up in the traditional tight end spot, he becomes a threat in the seam route. He is able to find open space past the linebackers and braces appropriately for the ensuing contact by smaller defensive backs. Split him out wide and watch him jump over shorter players on long throws down the sidelines, or watch him scoot across the middle on crossing routes as an easy safety-valve target. In the red-zone, he can be used in the slot and beat linebackers or zone coverages on corner routes in the end-zone. In short, he is an expert pass catcher for the college ranks (even caught five interceptions his senior year in high-school) and his body-positioning, strength, and safe hands make him a dynamic playmaker and a mismatch extraordinaire.

The first concern that is always arisen when discussing Eifert, though, is his blocking. Eifert himself admitted that it's what he hears too and he's indicated that blocking has become his offseason priority. In other scouting reports, one can read that he has made terrific strides in that regard since first enrolling at Notre Dame and that the question mark is somewhat overblown. Yet, in those same reports, one can also read how he might have problems with NFL defensive ends if he isn't able to use his hands more effectively when pushing back these brutes.

Offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden, has already made his opinion known about Eifert's blocking. He recognizes that Eifert was not asked to do much blocking in college and that if he becomes a one-dimensional pass-catcher, the defenses can predict his role easier and adjust to him more comfortably.

‘In order to be a difference-maker at that position, you have to be able to block to help the running game,' Gruden told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

One way he can assist the running game without being a tremendous blocker is simply securing the outside when split wide by blocking the defensive backs that line up against him. New running back and fellow Bengal draftee, Gionvani Bernard, could use some help out there when he blazes around the defensive line and finds open areas in the flats. I could also see Eifert being an effective blocker in the screen game for the same reasons.

Obviously, the Bengals already have a Pro-Bowl tight end in Jermaine Gresham, but Gresham is a more traditional version of the position. Gresham has demonstrated that he can block just fine. He's a larger guy than Eifert with a naturally thicker build. Strength is not Gresham's issue. Like other prototypical tight ends, though, Gresham doesn't have the greatest hands. I stand by my assessment that it derives from an inability to concentrate in the crucial nanoseconds that defines a play. They are both highly-touted prospects, but Gresham's potential is nearly realized. At this point, the world pretty much knows what he brings to the table, and that which he struggles with, Eifert reportedly excels. How they will both be used simultaneously remains to be seen, but Gruden recently chimed in about that too, explaining how easy it would be to adjust from the three-wide receiver sets the team used so often last season, to a two-tight end look. Ultimately, what Eifert brings to the offense is added flexibility to its scheme.

In the other sense, his arrival provides the Bengals some wiggle room on the business end when Gresham's contract runs out in 2014. As of now, Rob Gronkowski is the highest-paid tight end ever after signing a six-year, $54 million extension prior to last season. When healthy, Gronk has been an animal and a touchdown scoring machine, warranting big money, but he has suffered a number of setbacks on his broken forearm and teeters on the edge of being labeled ‘injury prone'.

Gresham has been relatively healthy and has put up decent numbers. His contract won't be of Gronk money, but he will command a sizable extension himself. The Bengals have been noticably shrewd in regards to free-agency, with the emphasis on saving money in order to resign their own stars. With A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson all in line for their next payday, Gresham has to wonder where he falls on the team's priority list. Now with yet another first-round pick at the position, the Bengals don't seem to need him as much as perhaps it seemed last year. The development of Eifert's blocking and the hopeful improvement of Gresham's catching ability should go a long way toward clarifying the Bengals' long-term plans at tight end.

Many fans remember the letdown in Houston last year and pointed at least half the blame on Gresham himself. Then when Cincinnati drafted Eifert, some of those felt it was in response to that showing and that it was done to increase the pressure on him. While there may be a kernel of truth to that (or perhaps not), the pressure has been amplified nonetheless. The competition for the position and leading role in that area is now more important than it was before the draft and both leading competitors realize what's at stake. The organization gave itself flexibility while forcing a seasoned veteran to sweat a bit. Tyler Eifert is partly here to reinforce the underlying message of the profession to Gresham and to the rest of the team: this is pro football, where no one is safe.

Mojokong-warming up with the weather.

The Great Power Shift

One could argue that the Bengals never panic.  Even when their record and state of affairs warrant a heightened sense of concern, they keep their faces resolved and forge ahead with encouraging words.

This time around, though, there is no need for panic.  Within the organization, one can sense a quiet calm of confidence.  As other teams scramble around, tightening screws and battening down hatches, the Bengals have kept to themselves, whistling while they appraise their roster.

The draft reflects their satisfaction with their current team.  Pundits and draft wizards sketched out needs—and perhaps the Bengal brain-trust agreed with them—but they weren’t going to let that dictate their plans.  There were viable safeties and linebackers and running backs available with the 21^st pick, but they eschewed those positions in favor of a football player they felt was skilled above the rest.

Tyler Eifert brings more to the team than just another tight end on the roster.  As noted elsewhere, he should not be viewed as Jermaine Gresham’s replacement, or his backup.  He is an accent to the offense as a whole, a newly crafted weapon that was developed under a gold dome in Indiana. 

The acquisition of him points to the increased value the league as a whole has designated to the modern tight end.  With prospects growing ever bigger and faster, these types of offensive threats are practically immediate mismatches against smaller defensive backs and slower linebackers.  The defensive evolution against this new type of player has been slow to respond and we have yet to see the appropriately skilled and sized defender to counter them. 

Other teams have used two tight ends recently with wild success.  The New England Patriots are the easiest example of the kind of strains a potent double tight end set invokes upon opposing defenses.  Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have simultaneously exploded on to the scene and only their own health has prevented them from blossoming even further.  In Baltimore, Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta were major components of a Super Bowl-winning offense, and even the team they beat, the 49ers, found late-season magic with Dalanie Walker complimenting Vernon Davis.

The Bengals have given in to this trend by selecting Eifert.  The biggest difference between them and the others, though, is that only Cincinnati has A.J. Green.   The Bengals want to get all their players involved and put up points in a variety of ways, but the true overriding logic behind all of it is to do whatever it takes to allow Green to dominate more easily.  There is no question who their best offensive player is.   No one else on the roster is composed of the same cosmic fabric that breathes life into football legends.   He alone makes defenses fear the Bengals, and that fear must be utilized to their advantage.

The ability to spread out both tight ends wide and put Green in motion serves as a tangible example of how defenses will need to adjust.  If Eifert’s presence allows A.J. even a few more yards of open space to operate in, he was worth the pick, but Eifert is more than a serviceable decoy.  The scouting reports rave about him with superlatives that emphasize the softness of his hands and the ability to win most jump balls.  If there is a knock on him, it’s his blocking, but for all the complaining fans do about Gresham, the one thing he has undoubtedly improved upon is his blocking skills.  Sure, Eifert will have to learn that trade as well over time—one could argue that the lack of that very thing is what killed Chase Coffman’s chances in stripes—but he was not brought here to showcase his blocking attributes.  He will catch passes and stretch out defenses for mostly Green’s benefit.

Andy Dalton should be thrilled with the Eifert pick.  Here is a large, mobile target that reliably brings in what is thrown in his direction on a consistent basis.  Gresham has concentration issues that plague him in the form of drops and penalties.  For as physically gifted as he is, reliability is not Gresham’s strong suit.  Eifert comes with more dependability in the pass game and with question marks swirling about the rest of the receivers not named Green, Dalton sorely needs someone he can lean on in third-down situations.

The other new weapon is second-round pick, Giovanni Bernard.  In February, Bernard was talked about as the only first-round quality running back.  Then the evaluation process began, and the wizards proclaimed Eddie Lacy as the best of the crop.  Either way, no back was picked in the first round and the Bengals made Bernard the first one off the board.

Running back was a need, but Bernard fills more than the generic backup to BenJarvus Green-Ellis.  This is an explosive player with supreme cutback ability.  He’s fast, has good field vision and can rocket through holes.  The purported ability to catch well out of the backfield makes him a terrific new element for Jay Gruden and the offense.    

These two draft picks cement the west-coast identity the Bengals have shifted towards under Gruden.  Each serves as high-octane safety valves with an emphasis on yards-after-catch.  Shorter to intermediate routes are the kind of passes Andy Dalton prefers to throw.  Setting up, and then converting, third-and-four, should be the secret ingredient of this year’s offense.   Do enough of that with the host of complimentary players including the two rookies, and A.J. Green will quickly become the twisting of the knife for any Bengals foe.   Their personnel now lend itself to a short-yardage, ball-control offensive philosophy which is rooted in the west-coast scheme.

The draft didn’t only help the team strengthen its offensive identity.  With the free-agent pick-up of James Harrison, and the drafting of both Margus Hunt and Sean Porter, Mike Zimmer now has a stockpile of pass-rushers at his disposal.  With the emergence of Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, the team saw it as an opportunity to be exceptional in one defensive category: hits on the quarterback.   Because of these men and their success, other like Michael Johnson and Wallace Gilberry found their own jobs easier to perform and team records in sacks were set.   Now the team has dedicated even more resources to this one facet of their defensive scheme by loading up on large guys who harbor a distaste for quarterbacks.

There is perhaps no more intriguing player in this year’s draft to me than Margus Hunt.  This man is a werewolf of a football player, excelling in every physical test set in his path but still a raw specimen to say the least.  He is very large (6’8’’1/2, 280 lbs.), very fast (4.6 40-yard dash) and very strong (38 reps at 220lbs.).  He could create absolute chaos when rushing the passer, especially as part of a heavy rotation of constant fresh bodies along the defensive line, but his most eye-opening stat is the fact he blocked 17 kicks in his college career!   The J.J. Watt comparisons may be jumping the gun on a fella who’s only played football for four years, but even if he develops into a more reasonable comparison of someone like Calias Campbell, the Bengals will be thrilled. 

This young roster, planted as a sapling in 2010, has matured before our eyes and now boasts a solid trunk and strong, fruitful limbs.  It is poised and ready to make even bigger strides than the pleasant surprise campaigns of the last two seasons.  Its depth is quality and its talent-level satisfactory.  The division appears vulnerable and the Bengals’ future gleams upon an intense silver lining.  Still, divisions are not won and lost in my imagination and they must prove their worth on the field itself, but how can one not feel optimistic about their current state?  How many other teams can boast the same refined identity that Cincinnati has shaped itself into?

This offseason did serve as a signpost, and to me it points toward success.  I feel good about the team’s decision-making and its perceived vision of the future.  What you see is not a shiny façade covering a flimsy foundation.  What you see is concrete and rebar, housing a sleeping monster.  One day in July it will awake and those found on its schedule will rue that day.  A new power is rising.  May it lead us to triumphs unknown!

 

Mojokong—the coal wanderer