https://www.bengals.com/news/quick-hits-bengals-defense-flexing-top-ten-muscle-saturday-night-live-for-inspir

Lou's greatest gift to Bengaldom is he just gave every Defensive Co-0rdinator the blueprint for shutting down the Ravens. Every team going forward that puts an "L" on Baltimore helps us. This article on the home page has some very interesting quotes.

Quote:They also left a template for everybody else to stop what had been the NFL's fourth best offense.

"Coach Lou put together a great game plan and also as well as the rest of the coaching staff on the defensive end. It was definitely different for us," reflected cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on Monday. "There were a lot of questionable faces around on the defense. Playing Lamar you have to change things up. You have to do a different type of defense so it was a game plan that throughout the week we got more comfortable with and by the time the game hit all the questions had been answered. I think it was a result of guys really buying into the game plan and getting real comfortable with the things we had to do."

It may have been inadvertent, but this statement by Chido is a direct shot at you, Carlos Dunlap and WJIII. Lou asked this defense to do things they didn't understand and did not usually do. The difference is that THIS group bought in and did what they were asked, and were rewarded with a resounding beatdown of the Ratbirds.

Quote:But in the end, a lot of it fell to the edge players and they responded. On the left side, Sam Hubbard had his best game in his four seasons as Bengal with 2.5 sacks. On the right side, Trey Hendrickson continued his pursuit of the Bengals sack record with one that gives him 6.6 already.

Yet it won't show up in the stats (Hubbard had five tackles, Hendrickson one), but it was what they didn't let Jackson do as opposed to what they did.

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice your individual (stats)," Anarumo said. "Hey, I can go get a sack here, but you leave the B gap wide open if I go too far afield. We have unselfish guys who want to do what's best for the team."

This is absolutely a direct shot at you Carlos Dunlap. You refused to be a team player and only wanted to chase your individual stats.

(10-26-2021, 10:37 AM)Sled21 Wrote: https://www.bengals.com/news/quick-hits-bengals-defense-flexing-top-ten-muscle-saturday-night-live-for-inspir

Lou's greatest gift to Bengaldom is he just gave every Defensive Co-0rdinator the blueprint for shutting down the Ravens. Every team going forward that puts an "L" on Baltimore helps us. This article on the home page has some very interesting quotes.


It may have been inadvertent, but this statement by Chido is a direct shot  at you, Carlos Dunlap and WJIII. Lou asked this defense to do things they didn't understand and did not usually do. The difference is that THIS group bought in and did what they were asked, and were rewarded with a resounding beatdown of the Ratbirds.


This is absolutely a direct shot at you Carlos Dunlap. You refused to be a team player and only wanted to chase your individual stats.

Seems we were just discussing this in another thread..... 

Anarumo's greatest gift is convincing ownership to spend so much of the cap on the defense.

Lou actually had a similar gameplan
Vs the Ravens last year. So I think the
Foundation was quietly being laid last year

(10-26-2021, 11:41 AM)impactplaya Wrote: Lou actually had a similar gameplan
Vs the Ravens last year. So I think the
Foundation was quietly being laid last year

He did, but I believe the whole league just took note of this beatdown....

(10-26-2021, 10:37 AM)Sled21 Wrote: This is absolutely a direct shot at you Carlos Dunlap. You refused to be a team player and only wanted to chase your individual stats.

Dunlap did not care about individual stats. He cared about winning.

Nothing Lou did last year had anything to do with winning.  He benched Dunlap below inferior players and the defense suffered because of it.

(10-26-2021, 11:30 AM)ochocincos Wrote: Anarumo's greatest gift is convincing ownership to spend so much of the cap on the defense.

I have no idea if Lou had anything to do with it but the improved talent on the field is why our defense is better.

They actually did some fascinating stuff. They were playing a weird "sticks" shell on longer passing downs I have never seen that allowed the defenders to not have to turn their backs to the QB for the first 7-10 yards which means they could rally to Lamar if he took off. Awuzie alluded to that after the game when he said they didn't want to give away the game plan but they had more eyes on Lamar. What that essentially did was allow them to send pressure and if he threw fast they rallied, if he took off they rallied and they took away the deep shot with the "sticks" off look.

I haven't seen anyone else implement this but I wonder if we will see others try it on him.

(10-27-2021, 11:29 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Dunlap did not care about individual stats. He cared about winning.

How can you make that claim?  Is he a personal friend of yours?  Are you a mind-reader?

His obvious lack of effort (at the end) was pretty damning evidence that he did not care about winning.

Come on man, I normally have no problem defending you, but this is just... bad.

(10-27-2021, 11:46 AM)Tomkat Wrote: His obvious lack of effort (at the end) suggested that he did not care about winning.

You Dunlap haters need to get your stories straight.

Was it lack of effort or was it going off assignment to generate individual stats.

The game before he was benched he had 9 solo tackles. I don't see how any player could put up such impressive production with no effort.

(10-27-2021, 11:57 AM)fredtoast Wrote: The game before he was benched he had 9 solo tackles. I don't see how any player could put up such impressive production with no effort.

Fair enough, but then...

WHY would a coach bench a player with such "impressive production" unless there was something else going on that we're not privy to?

Perhaps Taylor felt Dunlap wasn't being a "team player?"
REGARDLESS OF THE REASON, if you're getting benched, it's because you're doing something wrong... whether it's "attitude" or whatever is irrelevant.

If you're doing something wrong, it means YOU are the "inferior player."

Dunlap took a petty, childish approach to get his way (and get out of Cincinnati.)
It was pathetic. Don't try to justify or defend it. It happened, it's over, and we're better off just admitting it and moving on.

I'm not even a Dunlap "hater," as I appreciate his accomplishments as a Bengal... I just choose to look at the situation objectively.

(10-27-2021, 12:01 PM)Tomkat Wrote: REGARDLESS OF THE REASON, if you're getting benched, it's because you're doing something wrong... whether it's "attitude" or whatever is irrelevant.

If you're doing something wrong, it means YOU are the "inferior player."

Coaches did not want Dunlap after the 2019 season. Front office did not agree. So coaches misused Dunlap to force front office to get rid of him.

(10-27-2021, 12:27 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Coaches did not want Dunlap after the 2019 season. Front office did not agree. So coaches misused Dunlap to force front office to get rid of him.

...and you know this... HOW?

Remember, you're not an NFL coach or coordinator, so you don't get to decide what "misused" is.

Well Fred has successfully derailed this topic.

Getting back on topic, Lou has prove to be able to scheme up some really solid plans. As I mentioned earlier, I have seen a lot of football and never seen the scheme we saw last week. Maybe it was simply getting the right pieces who trusted his sometime crazy ideas.

(10-27-2021, 12:03 PM)Tomkat Wrote: Dunlap took a petty, childish approach to get his way (and get out of Cincinnati.)
It was pathetic.  Don't try to justify or defend it.  It happened, it's over, and we're better off just admitting it and moving on.

I'm not even a Dunlap "hater," as I appreciate his accomplishments as a Bengal... I just choose to look at the situation objectively.

Same here, in fact, he was and is a long time fave of mine. That said, his exit was handled poorly on his part, I'm not just gonna overlook that. Same with AJ Green. His last season was dogshit. My heart wants to believe he was still hurt, because he sure looks healthy in the desert.

He got benched for a reason.... whether it was effort, or it was not playing within the scheme, he did something that didn't sit well with the staff. 

(10-27-2021, 12:54 PM)Au165 Wrote: Well Fred has successfully derailed this topic.

Getting back on topic, Lou has prove to be able to scheme up some really solid plans. As I mentioned earlier, I have seen a lot of football and never seen the scheme we saw last week. Maybe it was simply getting the right pieces who trusted his sometime crazy ideas.

Yeah, they had me confused as to what they were doing for sure. They also kinda sorta bottled them up in game one last season, but our offense couldn't get out of its own way. The second game was a MASH unit for the whole 22. 

That's what I personally think happened. Lou had some things he wanted done a certain, albeit unorthodox way, and some older players just didn't want to do it or couldn't do it. Because, let's face it, he doesn't look much like a "stupid coach" this year.

I've got to give Lou props. I've been pretty hard on him in the past and I'll eat my crow.

(10-27-2021, 01:07 PM)Wyche Wrote: Yeah, they had me confused as to what they were doing for sure. They also kinda sorta bottled them up in game one last season, but our offense couldn't get out of its own way. The second game was a MASH unit for the whole 22. 

That's what I personally think happened. Lou had some things he wanted done a certain, albeit unorthodox way, and some older players just didn't want to do it or couldn't do it. Because, let's face it, he doesn't look much like a "stupid coach" this year.

That off sticks look was new this year and I think it was because when they sent a +1 rush they knew Lamar was going to have to get it out hot or run and this allowed the secondary to play run support while watching their guys in the 1st 10 yards. It was brilliant, like seriously not trying to be to hyperbolic here but that was an innovative approach to a scrambling QB that I think is going to really catch on. 

A lot of what happened last year was beyond Lou’s control.I give Lou this much,he sure knows how to drive this Defense.He pushes the right buttons at the right time.Just wish Zac could figure out how to drive his Lamborghini of an offense a little more consistently.Some of his play calls are,well,weird.Although,most of them I do like.