Dax Hill

[J24]

Mike Sans wrote an interesting article about Hill!
https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/bengals-film-breakdown-deep-dive-dax-hill-roller-coaster-season

[Soonerpeace]

(01-15-2024, 05:04 PM)J24 Wrote: Mike Sans wrote an interesting article about Hill!
https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/bengals-film-breakdown-deep-dive-dax-hill-roller-coaster-season

I think we didn’t do him any favors in his snaps at safety as a rookie. That being said despite Battles ratings we need to have better play at safety. But this is posts and analysis I like so kudos

[casear2727]

(01-15-2024, 05:21 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I think we didn’t do him any favors in his snaps at safety as a rookie. That being said despite Battles ratings we need to have better play at safety. But this is posts and analysis I like so kudos

I had this same problem with Lou last year regarding Dax' lack of snaps.  But then seeing how out of sync he was this season there is very little doubt Lou had any trust in Dax last year.

Hopefully they young guns in the secondary all take a big step next year and give us 2-3 years of quality play.

[Whatever]

(01-15-2024, 05:21 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I think we didn’t do him any favors in his snaps at safety as a rookie. That being said despite Battles ratings we need to have better play at safety. But this is posts and analysis I like so kudos

Hill probably would have been best served with a year learning next to Bell, but we tagged Bates, so he was playing no matter what.

The change at the other S spot, as well as the constant changes at CB, also probably hurt him with the communication issues.

[*bengalfan74*]

He's got a lot of the tools. Just needs some polish on the mental part of the game. Hopefully he's learning from his mistakes.

[Soonerpeace]

(01-15-2024, 05:54 PM)casear2727 Wrote: I had this same problem with Lou last year regarding Dax' lack of snaps.  But then seeing how out of sync he was this season there is very little doubt Lou had any trust in Dax last year.

Hopefully they young guns in the secondary all take a big step next year and give us 2-3 years of quality play.

Trust or not he should have gotten more snaps.

(01-15-2024, 06:03 PM)Whatever Wrote: Hill probably would have been best served with a year learning next to Bell, but we tagged Bates, so he was playing no matter what.

The change at the other S spot, as well as the constant changes at CB, also probably hurt him with the communication issues.

I don’t have a problem keeping Bates but I wished Dax had gotten more snaps at safety

[PDub80]

Dax prob better as a nickel. He has tools to do either.

[QueenCity]

Hope he turns it around in season 3.... tools are there it seems to be in between the eyes

[NATI BENGALS]

I’m not surprised at all that he struggled in his first year playing a new position in the NFL. And I expect him to be better next year. I think we have a pretty good potentially great safety tandem on the team ready to go for next year. If Dax doesn’t improve look for a new starting safety next offseason and I think Dax could move to nickel once Hilton’s contract is up after 2024.

[wanga]

(01-15-2024, 09:37 PM)QueenCity Wrote: Hope he turns it around in season 3.... tools are there it seems to be in between the eyes

So he nose what to do next season?

[007BengalsFan]

(01-15-2024, 06:27 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Trust or not he should have gotten more snaps.


I don’t have a problem keeping Bates but I wished Dax had gotten more snaps at safety

The Bengals were trying to make it to another Super Bowl.  You cant just give Hill a bunch of snaps to get experience when every game matters.   No coach is going to take one of the best safeties in the NFL, Jessie Bates out of the game so they can give Dax Hill a bunch of snaps so he can learn and get experience.  That is unrealistic.

[Soonerpeace]

(01-15-2024, 11:48 PM)007BengalsFan Wrote: The Bengals were trying to make it to another Super Bowl.  You cant just give Hill a bunch of snaps to get experience when every game matters.   No coach is going to take one of the best safeties in the NFL, Jessie Bates out of the game so they can give Dax Hill a bunch of snaps so he can learn and get experience.  That is unrealistic.

Bunch was never a word I used. More was the word I used.

[jj22]

Maybe they should take a look at Hilton at FS some given it’s his final year. It may extend his career. Not sure he has the range but he has the smarts and savvy. We may have seen his best days at nickel.

He can still run blitz. But he can do that from a safety spot

[casear2727]

(01-16-2024, 01:19 AM)jj22 Wrote: Maybe they should take a look at Hilton at FS some given it’s his final year. It may extend his career. Not sure he has the range but he has the smarts and savvy. We may have seen his best days at nickel.

He can still run blitz. But he can do that from a safety spot

Hilton took snaps at FS in 14 games this year.  The most ever in his career.  Not sure a transition is coming but Lou isnt afraid to play him deep.

[Nicomo Cosca]

Hilton was much better in coverage this season than he gets credit for.

Mike Hilton this season:

514 coverage snaps
77 targets
0 TDs allowed ️ pic.twitter.com/unPUKoImTO

— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) January 11, 2024

[PDub80]

(01-16-2024, 02:12 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Hilton was much better in coverage this season than he gets credit for.

Mike Hilton this season:

514 coverage snaps
77 targets
0 TDs allowed ️ pic.twitter.com/unPUKoImTO

— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) January 11, 2024

He was such a liability in coverage in 2022, I wonder if Lou changed coverages to help him out which caused these big play issues elsewhere?





Need a deep dive on this.

[KillerGoose]

(01-16-2024, 11:35 AM)PDub80 Wrote: He was such a liability in coverage in 2022, I wonder if Lou changed coverages to help him out which caused these big play issues elsewhere?





Need a deep dive on this.

I've been watching a bunch of All-22 recently and so far my answer is "not really". Cincinnati still primarily plays single high coverages, cover three specifically. Maybe if you had a spreadsheet breakdown of all the coverages you would find a small adjustment but nothing notable. Statistically, his 2023 season isn't really that much different than his 2022 season. He was targeted 78 times in 2022 and only gave up two TDs and about 120 more yards. I would just chalk it up to the volatility of football. 

[PDub80]

(01-16-2024, 11:53 AM)KillerGoose Wrote: I've been watching a bunch of All-22 recently and so far my answer is "not really". Cincinnati still primarily plays single high coverages, cover three specifically. Maybe if you had a spreadsheet breakdown of all the coverages you would find a small adjustment but nothing notable. Statistically, his 2023 season isn't really that much different than his 2022 season. He was targeted 78 times in 2022 and only gave up two TDs and about 120 more yards. I would just chalk it up to the volatility of football. 

Fair enough!

- I just wasn't sure if they had adjusted zone spacing, assignments, or placement to help him out. There were times last year where Hilton, who has been an INCREDIBLE Bengal - love the guy being on the team, seemed to be trailing/struggling on some really big plays.

- It's tough for me to understand target counts on CBs that are in a zone scheme since their job is to pick up whatever is happening in their area. Is Hilton being targeted, or is the scheme's weak spot being targeted based on the game plan unfolding in real time?

This is where my fan knowledge on the intricacies of the Bengals defense kind of stops. Not being in the meetings or seeing their defensive playbook, I have ZERO ideas on what player is responsible for what & how that could hurt or help Hilton's job in coverage.

- 100% convinced, however, that the Bengals zone was shredded on big plays due to the lack of consistent pressure on QBs. Time & the QB's "spot" is a zone's biggest enemy & the Bengals failed to flush the QB from many angles across the line beyond Hendrickson's efforts.

- Lastly, the Blitz seemed lacking or ineffective this season, or is it just me?

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(01-15-2024, 05:04 PM)J24 Wrote: Mike Sans wrote an interesting article about Hill!
https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/bengals-film-breakdown-deep-dive-dax-hill-roller-coaster-season

The thing that has me worried is that a lot of the mental mistakes came late in the year (KC & Pitt). 

But I agree that he is the starter next year and us spending significant $$$ on a FA S or using a Day 1 or 2 draft pick on a S are unlikely. 

I do wish we'd stop picking guys & then trying to switch their positions..

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

I still have very high hopes for Daxton Hill and think he can become one of the best Safeties in the league. I wish we saw him playing
better towards the end of the season though which is my only concern about the light not yet turning on for him at FS. As BF74 said,
Dax has all the tools, he just needs to put it together and get focused and learn how Offenses are going to attack him and instead go
and attack Offenses himself.

He has the speed, quicks, athleticism and physicality to be a great player in the Secondary. If it doesn't work out at Safety he could
be a great nickel Corner as well even though I love Mike. Mike is getting older, will be sad to see him go one day, but hopefully it is
after we win a SB with him.