2014 Injury Revisited - Miracle to get to playoffs

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(11-05-2015, 06:00 PM)TSwigZ Wrote: Someone copy and paste the article for me pleaseeeee

 Sando wrote this article.

The Cincinnati Bengals spent four seasons hoping quarterback Andy Dalton could operate like the badass he has become during their 7-0 start to this season.
You want leadership backed by performance?
There was Dalton against Seattle in Week 5, moving up and down the sideline telling teammates the improbable truth, that the Bengals could win a game they'd trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter if they only played their game. There was Dalton at Pittsburgh last week, fleeing a chaotic pocket with purpose instead of panic before flipping the ball to Giovani Bernard for a 23-yard gain to sustain the winning fourth-quarter touchdown drive. There Dalton is now, ranking with Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady among the 2015 leaders in Total QBR, a neighborhood he has visited on occasion in the past without establishing anything beyond temporary residency.
The first seven games of this season have shown the Bengals what Dalton can be at his best. By now, they've seen enough to uncross their fingers and dare to dream how far they can go with their reborn quarterback. With nine regular-season games remaining, including an AFC North date with Cleveland on Thursday night, it's important to keep in mind why Dalton is playing like a top-tier quarterback -- and what must happen for the Bengals to avoid another January disappointment.

Andy Dalton and the Bengals are 7-0 headed into a Thursday night game vs. the Browns. Andy Lyons / Getty Images
Weaponry fully restored
Dramatic changes to the Bengals' wide receivers and tight ends explain why Dalton is in position to succeed this season. The 2014 Bengals lost tight end Tyler Eifert in Week 1 and never had receiver Marvin Jones, a player they hoped would enjoy a breakout season. Eifert has played more than 96 percent of the snaps this season, while Jones has played more than 80 percent. Top receiver A.J. Green has gone from 60.9 percent playing time last season to 91.5 percent this season.
Coaches from other teams have noticed Dalton forcing the ball to Green over the years, and the numbers back up those observations. Dalton has 37 touchdowns and 31 interceptions when targeting Green. He has 77 touchdowns and 39 interceptions when targeting everyone else. Green caught the Bengals' go-ahead touchdown pass on third down against Pittsburgh last week. He's obviously the best wide receiver on the team and a dynamic threat, but Dalton has less reason to force the ball to him when the Bengals possess a full contingent of talented alternatives. He has three touchdowns and two interceptions when targeting Green this season, compared to 12 TDs and two picks when targeting others.
The chart below ranks the Bengals' receivers and tight ends by percentage of offensive snaps played this season. Their 2014 playing time, listed in the middle column, illustrates how different the personnel has been for Dalton in 2015. Jermaine Gresham is out and replaced by Eifert, who ranks second to Rob Gronkowski in Pro Football Focus grading at the position this season. (Gresham, now with Arizona, is 84th.) PFF ranks Green eighth among receivers, with Jones 38th and Mohamed Sanu 53rd.
Bengals WRs/TEs by percentage of snaps
2014 percentage
2015 percentageTyler Eifert
0.8%
96.4%
A.J. Green
60.9%
91.5%
Marvin Jones
0% (IR)
81.4%
Mohamed Sanu
92.5%
64.3%
Ryan Hewitt
44.3%
37.4%
Tyler Kroft
not on team
15.7%
Brandon Tate
45.7%
0.2%
James Wright
17.3%
0% (IR)
Jermaine Gresham
82.3%
not on team
Dane Sanzenbacher
18.5%
not on team
Kevin Brock
15.1%
not on team
Greg Little
12.6%
not on team
Alex Smith
1.4%
not on team
Keeping this core group healthy will be the No. 1 variable for Dalton to maintain a high level of performance through the regular season and beyond.
Leadership talk rings true
The Bengals opened training camp with coach Marvin Lewis saying veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth had "passed the baton" of leadership to Dalton. The coaching staff encouraged Dalton to become more vocal. Dalton said he planned to push a message of accountability when a receiver ran a sloppy route or someone missed an assignment.
It sounded great, but would it mean anything if Dalton himself failed to perform well? That's a question the Bengals haven't needed to ask. The way Dalton overcame rough stretches to lead comeback victories over Seattle and Pittsburgh would give any quarterback credibility. The Bengals will hit rough stretches. Teams usually do. But Dalton now has more equity than ever to weather them.
Running game a small concern
The Bengals will always lean on the ground game as long as Hue Jackson is their coordinator. They have run on 42 percent of plays, the seventh-highest rate in the league (37.8 is average). Cincinnati has not been a power running team, however. Top back Jeremy Hill is averaging only 3.3 yards per carry. The much smaller and shiftier Bernard leads the team in rushing yards while averaging 5.6 per attempt. The Bengals have been more inclined to spread the field and run from those formations.
Look for the Bengals to re-emphasize the power running game as the weather turns less favorable for passing. Facing the Browns could get the ball rolling in that direction. Cleveland ranks 28th in yards allowed per rush (4.8) and 32nd in rushing yards allowed after contact (2.1).
Where Bengals could be vulnerable
When Cincinnati lost to Houston in the 2012 playoffs, the Texans controlled the ball for more than 38 minutes, amassing 158 yards on the ground. The Bengals currently rank 31st in yards allowed per carry (5.0), so a similar situation could be a concern if Dalton and the offense suffer through a rough day. Such a scenario was playing out against the Steelers last week, but Pittsburgh lost running back Le'Veon Bell to injury in the second quarter. The Steelers finished with 19 carries for 116 yards, a 6.1-yard average, but Bell had only 10 rushes before departing.

The Bengals' formula for winning has evolved. The team ranked third in defensive expected points added (EPA) during Dalton's first three seasons, enabling the Bengals to post a 30-18 record despite ranking 18th in QBR (no team ranked lower than the Bengals in QBR over that stretch managed to win more than 24 games). Last season, the Bengals were 18th in QBR and only 15th in defensive EPA, but going 3-1 against the weak AFC South helped them finish 10-5-1 anyway.
The current Bengals are fourth in QBR and 10th in defensive EPA. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict's recent return from injury figures to make them less vulnerable against the run as the season progresses.
For the Bengals, these concerns are much preferred to wondering whether they were smart in signing their quarterback to a six-year deal averaging $16 million per season. Teams would pay much more than that for the production Dalton and the passing game are providing.