11-08-2022, 02:24 PM
(11-08-2022, 02:59 AM)kevin Wrote: I put it more on Zac Taylor. He has had games such as at Cleveland where he calls the pass all game. If Zac refuses to call run plays, then there will be no run blocking or run game. It is silly for Zac Taylor not to call run plays, even when team has Chase, Higgins, Boyd. The Bengals can run the ball if Zac would only call more run plays as he did against Panthers. You can not run the ball only 5 or 6 times in a game and blame low rushing yards on blockers and Mixon. The Bengals have a good Defense, a good running game, a good passing game and a good kicking game. Sometimes however, Zac goes into a mood where he calls the pass all game long, and that loses ball games. I hope Coach Taylor can be more like Panthers game, and call as many run plays as pass plays going forward, because that is when Bengals look their best. Do not get so into Chase, Higgins and Boyd that you forget to use Mixon, Perine and the run game. There have been games the O line was run blocking just fine, but Coach Taylor got pass happy all game. The Ravens, Browns and Steelers can all run the ball, and so must the Bengals, Coach Taylor needs to remember the importance of the run game in The AFC North.
So I see the lack of a run game has mostly been the lack of Coach Taylor to call run plays. The run was always there, Coach Taylor just got pass happy and had games he refused to call running plays and Bengals lost. If passing every play won, it would be fine, but passing every play does not win. Bengals are better when Coach Taylor remembers to call run plays also.
It's much easier to call more running plays when the O-line is allowing Mixon to run for 7 yards a carry like he did against the Panthers vs 3.4 ypc against the Browns.
I have to disagree with the run always being there. It hasn't been. There were many games where the Oline was just overpowered and the running lanes were clogged or even worse, Mixon was hit in the backfield before he could even make it to the line of scrimmage. To keep trying to run the ball in these situations is not the answer. The problem wasn't we were not running the ball enough. The problem was we couldn't run the ball effectively because of poor O-line play.
