McCaffrey RB

[*ochocincos*]

(04-17-2017, 10:05 AM)Au165 Wrote: When you commit to running out of a "power" formation with a FB you can be successful running even with an unproven O line. We did it Andy's rookie year with Cedric Benson and a make shift O line. When you have a bad, or inexperienced, O line run blocking is a far better idea than pass blocking. Having guys fire out into people is a natural thing and easier for most people to do, but when you have to setup and wait for the attacker it is easier to get beat. If we are going to be successful this year, with this line, we need to line up and run straight ahead not work out of shotgun and throw a bunch.

I don't think the Bengals have the same philosophy.
If this were to be the recipe for success with a poor blocking OL, why didn't the Bengals utilize Ryan Hewitt more?
http://www.cincyjungle.com/2016/10/19/13326324/why-ryan-hewitt-is-on-the-bengals-bench-so-often-2016

Quote:The offensive line is what matters, and when it struggles, everyone behind them does as well. So when you have a decent fullback/h-back behind a below average offensive line, he makes no impact.

So maybe you are right in that it's easier, but the Bengals appear not to think so, as they could (and maybe should) have tried to use Hewitt more with the OL struggling, but instead they went with a traditional TE more and threw the ball more often when the OL struggled. This is why I think the Bengals will prioritize a pass catching RB and look for another TE in the draft. Hewitt's days in Cincy could be numbered unless they can fix their OL.