07-11-2015, 01:00 PM
Thanks all – and glad I could work the link in that Walkthrough!
Ok – a few things here:
A quick look back on Dalton deep ball consistency – he’s been up and down the last four years. In 2011 he completed 43 percent of his passes of 20+ yards. He’s never hit that level again, and has fluctuated (26-35-27) the last three. To me, he’s shown he CAN do it. After setting a career high in completion percentage last year, even with a horrific percentage of completed deep balls, I would think he bounces back in that area in year two of Hue’s system.
My concern is his apparent tendency to panic and his poor pocket awareness. Ironically from what I'm reading Dalton has a better arm than McCarron, but seems to have better pocket awareness and functions well under pressure.
It’s impossible to know what McCarron is good or bad at – he’s never even played in a pretend professional game yet.
As another question, what is/are the Bengals medical staff doing to address the fact that since 2012 the Bengals have had the most concussions (26) in the league?
Not sure what you can do about that, other than emphasize better tackling techniques. And yes, you can emphasize it and teach it. Up to the guys to put it into practice.
jim, are the bengals training facilities on par with green bays?
From the parts we were allowed to see in GB, simply, no, due largely to the fact that the Don Hutson Center is a huge indoor facility that the team can utilize in any weather situation. The Bengals did upgrade the weight room and added a small indoor field turf area, which some of the players have raved about (you can see this area in a lot of the Instagrams the guys send out) and I know the Packers have an indoor area as well, but we were never allowed to see it. The Packers locker room is larger, but not the locker space, which is all that matters, really. Ray Nitschke Field is outdoor and has Field Turf, along with permanent bleacher seating for training camp. It’s the only outdoor field the team has, whereas the Bengals have three grass fields. I imagine the new player cafeteria inside PBS will be done when camp opens, but from the early construction we saw it looked very spacious and totally modern.
the Bengals needing additional help at WR?
This was a perceived need heading into the draft, but clearly the team feels that Marvin Jones’ 2013 campaign was not a fluke and that he’ll step right back into that type of production. They gave Denarius Moore a shot, and are trying out McCalebb over there, but those aren’t real solutions to be honest. I can see the concerns over banking on Jones being that level of player, and Sanu getting over his issues late last year, but they like this group. Would this preclude them from sniffing around a veteran who is a surprise cut that Hue is familiar with? No. But those top three guys are healthy, so they’re going to roll with them and presumably, they feel they can extend Green and perhaps one or both of the other two. But with the way rookie receivers are impacting the league, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see them look for wideout in the first round next year, considering they’ve stockpiled the depth chart with young guys in the trenches, the linebacking corps and the defensive backfield.
When do you believe that Ugbuehi will see his first game action? Will it be in 2015 or next year?
Good question. Everyone got all excited because Ogbuehi posted an Instagram of him cutting and moving laterally. That is exciting to see, but he’s also just seven months into his rehab. He won’t be the same guy until he hits that year period, to be honest. But, they probably won’t have to PUP him if there isn’t a setback. I could see him being inactive early on, provided there are no injuries to the starters in camp, just to play it safe. As for playing time – he’s the No. 1 pick, but he’s behind Fisher already in terms of development in the system. Provided health across the line, I can see him getting worked into jumbo packages as he learns.
I know it's hard to tell without pads, but how did Dawson look? I heard some good things about Hawk - but not a peep about Dawson. Are they disappointed with him or is there anything they (or you) see that they/ you like?
I've been nervous about both him and Kroft. The Bengals are usually effusive if they see anything good about their rookies.
It is really, really hard to tell anything about contact positions in the camps. All I can say is Dawson is out there. He showed his ability to drop back into coverage and move laterally, but honestly, there’s not much else a linebacker can do. And if he’s in the wrong spot – it’s hard to tell because frankly once the ball is handed off, everyone kind of slows up anyway. We’ll know quickly once the pads are on though.
As for Kroft – dude can move. All three of the tight ends can, to be honest. You see that athleticism. But the rookies definitely struggled at times getting out of the three-point stance into a route, and then holding on to the ball. Chalk it up to nerves, to learning, etc. These guys may be able to play, but right now, Eifert has to stay healthy.
This year’s schedule gives the Bengals a chance to exorcise some demons.
I love stuff like this, but in reality this current team has no idea about anything other, really, than what they’ve done. I mean, they know the generalities – no playoff wins since the 80s, etc. etc. but when it comes to individuals, they won’t know until we bring it up to them. Or, sometimes coaches do say something – Mike McCarthy loved reminding his team that the Lions never win in Lambeau. It’s weird. They care, but not really. I think it’s one of those things where you look for an edge, for a chip to put on the shoulder, for something extra. And sometimes things like this just add that little bit.
Ok – a few things here:
A quick look back on Dalton deep ball consistency – he’s been up and down the last four years. In 2011 he completed 43 percent of his passes of 20+ yards. He’s never hit that level again, and has fluctuated (26-35-27) the last three. To me, he’s shown he CAN do it. After setting a career high in completion percentage last year, even with a horrific percentage of completed deep balls, I would think he bounces back in that area in year two of Hue’s system.
My concern is his apparent tendency to panic and his poor pocket awareness. Ironically from what I'm reading Dalton has a better arm than McCarron, but seems to have better pocket awareness and functions well under pressure.
It’s impossible to know what McCarron is good or bad at – he’s never even played in a pretend professional game yet.
As another question, what is/are the Bengals medical staff doing to address the fact that since 2012 the Bengals have had the most concussions (26) in the league?
Not sure what you can do about that, other than emphasize better tackling techniques. And yes, you can emphasize it and teach it. Up to the guys to put it into practice.
jim, are the bengals training facilities on par with green bays?
From the parts we were allowed to see in GB, simply, no, due largely to the fact that the Don Hutson Center is a huge indoor facility that the team can utilize in any weather situation. The Bengals did upgrade the weight room and added a small indoor field turf area, which some of the players have raved about (you can see this area in a lot of the Instagrams the guys send out) and I know the Packers have an indoor area as well, but we were never allowed to see it. The Packers locker room is larger, but not the locker space, which is all that matters, really. Ray Nitschke Field is outdoor and has Field Turf, along with permanent bleacher seating for training camp. It’s the only outdoor field the team has, whereas the Bengals have three grass fields. I imagine the new player cafeteria inside PBS will be done when camp opens, but from the early construction we saw it looked very spacious and totally modern.
the Bengals needing additional help at WR?
This was a perceived need heading into the draft, but clearly the team feels that Marvin Jones’ 2013 campaign was not a fluke and that he’ll step right back into that type of production. They gave Denarius Moore a shot, and are trying out McCalebb over there, but those aren’t real solutions to be honest. I can see the concerns over banking on Jones being that level of player, and Sanu getting over his issues late last year, but they like this group. Would this preclude them from sniffing around a veteran who is a surprise cut that Hue is familiar with? No. But those top three guys are healthy, so they’re going to roll with them and presumably, they feel they can extend Green and perhaps one or both of the other two. But with the way rookie receivers are impacting the league, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see them look for wideout in the first round next year, considering they’ve stockpiled the depth chart with young guys in the trenches, the linebacking corps and the defensive backfield.
When do you believe that Ugbuehi will see his first game action? Will it be in 2015 or next year?
Good question. Everyone got all excited because Ogbuehi posted an Instagram of him cutting and moving laterally. That is exciting to see, but he’s also just seven months into his rehab. He won’t be the same guy until he hits that year period, to be honest. But, they probably won’t have to PUP him if there isn’t a setback. I could see him being inactive early on, provided there are no injuries to the starters in camp, just to play it safe. As for playing time – he’s the No. 1 pick, but he’s behind Fisher already in terms of development in the system. Provided health across the line, I can see him getting worked into jumbo packages as he learns.
I know it's hard to tell without pads, but how did Dawson look? I heard some good things about Hawk - but not a peep about Dawson. Are they disappointed with him or is there anything they (or you) see that they/ you like?
I've been nervous about both him and Kroft. The Bengals are usually effusive if they see anything good about their rookies.
It is really, really hard to tell anything about contact positions in the camps. All I can say is Dawson is out there. He showed his ability to drop back into coverage and move laterally, but honestly, there’s not much else a linebacker can do. And if he’s in the wrong spot – it’s hard to tell because frankly once the ball is handed off, everyone kind of slows up anyway. We’ll know quickly once the pads are on though.
As for Kroft – dude can move. All three of the tight ends can, to be honest. You see that athleticism. But the rookies definitely struggled at times getting out of the three-point stance into a route, and then holding on to the ball. Chalk it up to nerves, to learning, etc. These guys may be able to play, but right now, Eifert has to stay healthy.
This year’s schedule gives the Bengals a chance to exorcise some demons.
I love stuff like this, but in reality this current team has no idea about anything other, really, than what they’ve done. I mean, they know the generalities – no playoff wins since the 80s, etc. etc. but when it comes to individuals, they won’t know until we bring it up to them. Or, sometimes coaches do say something – Mike McCarthy loved reminding his team that the Lions never win in Lambeau. It’s weird. They care, but not really. I think it’s one of those things where you look for an edge, for a chip to put on the shoulder, for something extra. And sometimes things like this just add that little bit.
Beat writer for Cincinnati.com & The Enquirer. Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Periscope.
