Bengals bungal, as usual.

[Shake n Blake]

(01-15-2018, 12:13 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Folks can point to scheme change all they want but the bottom line is that Mixon started out terrible and got better. He was trying to be a "patient runner" and that's not easy to do with a line that has a hard time holding blocks.

I cannot remember the game (ironically enough I think it was Jags Jags) but there was a play where Mixon got tackled behind the LOS by a dude lying on his back in the open. Big Dre had pancaked dude and was moving to the second level to lead the way. Mixon ran right into the dude that Dre had put on his back.

Of course an offensive line has a lot to do with a running back's success, but guess what just might have a little more to do with it. I was hard on Mixon this past year because he was performing poorly, acted like he'd won the Superbowl every time he gained 2 yards, and was handed the starting job when Gio was more deserving.

I think he bought a little too much into the "you're great" hype. Hopefully this season humbled him and he comes back ready to use his incredible size and speed. He is our RB of the future (if he matures), he just wasn't our RB on the present.

1. For the first time in 23 years, we changed our o-line coach, who Hobs himself said coordinated the run game and scheme.
2. Hobson and direct quotes from coaches have alluded to a change in scheme from the Browns game forward.
3. Before this change, Gio averaged 3.5 YPC. After, he averaged 4.7. Mixon averaged 2.9 before and 5.0 after.

If you want to say Mixon didn't use his size enough, fine. If you want to rip him for hitting a woman or celebrating too much, I'm with you. He didn't show enough "humble" for my taste, after what he did. It kinda pissed me off, actually. But to act completely dismissive of the run blocking and scheme is kinda goofy. The facts are all there for any who want to see them. 

The change that happened with BOTH backs was like night and day. I only regret that poor Jeremy Hill wasn't able to take advantage of the switch himself. He also had a poor YPC under the old scheme. You can either believe all 3 of our talented (2nd round) backs were awful at the same time, or you can look at all the facts and realize that the o-line played a MAJOR role.