08-30-2019, 11:56 AM
After what I saw in preseason I have a prediction about the 2019 regular season: The Cincinnati Bengals will finish 9-7 -- or most likely better -- after a slow start. Let's remember a few pertinent facts:
1. It's Zac Taylor's team but the majority of the roster was drafted in the Marvin Lewis era. This means, for better or worse, the previous coach's player selections may or may not fit the new playbook. For this reason it will take longer for the players who learned under Marvin to "unlearn" his techniques and "relearn" what Zac is teaching. The players seem to be buying into the new schemes and I've heard many of them state how much they appreciate Zac's teaching style.
2. New coaches mean new schemes. It's not just a new playbook, either; it's coming up with techniques to enhance the execution of the plays in the playbook. Jim Turner is doing a bang-up job teaching the Cincinnati offensive linemen how to pass block and create a moving pocket; I haven't seen that in Cincinnati for years. His run blocking scheme isn't working at present but it will "gel" later so don't get anxious if Joe Mixon doesn't look stellar at first. What I want to see are running plays where wide receivers and tight ends go in motion then, when the ball is snapped, they become extra blockers on the line. The Rams did this expertly in 2018. I'm not worried at all about pass plays; Andy Dalton can make every throw, even into tight coverage, that one can ask a quarterback to make.
3. Persistence pays off. At first, the play on both sides of the ball will be sloppy and appear somewhat disorganized -- especially on offense. This is to be expected and Brian Callahan, the new offensive coordinator, has to run plays over and over in practice until muscle memory takes over. Even in the preseason I can see his offense is more intricate than what we've seen from the Bengals since 2015. Lou Anarumo has helped the Cincinnati secondary immensely already and his coaching has helped the first team defensive line generate more pressure on quarterbacks and they can defend against A- and B-gap runs better than before. However, the linebackers are still total junk so Tem Lukabu has lots of work to do. The linebackers are big and physical but they are frequently out of position against the run but mostly against the pass. I haven't seen many blitz packages but I think Lou and Tem prefer the linebackers learn and master more fundamental skills before teaching them more advanced techniques.
4. There will be no blowouts against the Bengals. That's right: None. Even in the games they will inevitably lose, the Bengals will be competitive. I've seen enough energy from the players, specifically those on the first team, to indicate play will be sufficiently physical which is something Cincinnati has been missing for several seasons.
This will be a good season for the Cincinnati Bengals after some initial hiccoughs, understandable growing pains, and all the rest of the issues which come with almost a complete coaching staff change. Don't get discouraged, keep the faith, and let's enjoy this season.
1. It's Zac Taylor's team but the majority of the roster was drafted in the Marvin Lewis era. This means, for better or worse, the previous coach's player selections may or may not fit the new playbook. For this reason it will take longer for the players who learned under Marvin to "unlearn" his techniques and "relearn" what Zac is teaching. The players seem to be buying into the new schemes and I've heard many of them state how much they appreciate Zac's teaching style.
2. New coaches mean new schemes. It's not just a new playbook, either; it's coming up with techniques to enhance the execution of the plays in the playbook. Jim Turner is doing a bang-up job teaching the Cincinnati offensive linemen how to pass block and create a moving pocket; I haven't seen that in Cincinnati for years. His run blocking scheme isn't working at present but it will "gel" later so don't get anxious if Joe Mixon doesn't look stellar at first. What I want to see are running plays where wide receivers and tight ends go in motion then, when the ball is snapped, they become extra blockers on the line. The Rams did this expertly in 2018. I'm not worried at all about pass plays; Andy Dalton can make every throw, even into tight coverage, that one can ask a quarterback to make.
3. Persistence pays off. At first, the play on both sides of the ball will be sloppy and appear somewhat disorganized -- especially on offense. This is to be expected and Brian Callahan, the new offensive coordinator, has to run plays over and over in practice until muscle memory takes over. Even in the preseason I can see his offense is more intricate than what we've seen from the Bengals since 2015. Lou Anarumo has helped the Cincinnati secondary immensely already and his coaching has helped the first team defensive line generate more pressure on quarterbacks and they can defend against A- and B-gap runs better than before. However, the linebackers are still total junk so Tem Lukabu has lots of work to do. The linebackers are big and physical but they are frequently out of position against the run but mostly against the pass. I haven't seen many blitz packages but I think Lou and Tem prefer the linebackers learn and master more fundamental skills before teaching them more advanced techniques.
4. There will be no blowouts against the Bengals. That's right: None. Even in the games they will inevitably lose, the Bengals will be competitive. I've seen enough energy from the players, specifically those on the first team, to indicate play will be sufficiently physical which is something Cincinnati has been missing for several seasons.
This will be a good season for the Cincinnati Bengals after some initial hiccoughs, understandable growing pains, and all the rest of the issues which come with almost a complete coaching staff change. Don't get discouraged, keep the faith, and let's enjoy this season.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
