A good mix is to have as many running plays as pass plays. It would cut down on the pass rush on Burrow and when Burrow does pass he will have more plays Down Field. The Run sets up The Bomb.

Of course this will never happen because Zac Taylor likes to pass every play. Of course no O Line can pass block every play and The O Line gets blamed for the Sacks and Joe Burrow gets blamed for the Sacks, but nobody blames Pass Happy Zac Taylor for the Sacks.

Meanwhile Mixon is wasted on a team where the head coach refuses to call running plays. OK, they throw to Mixon, but again it is Burrow getting hit as Zac Taylor is into Pass on every play of the game.

So my wish for around 50 % Runs and 50 % Pass will not happen, because Zac is more 10 % Run and 90 % Pass.

I am not alone on now being a critic of Zac Taylor game plan and play calling. On CBS the Sunday Game Day Staff were talking about The Bengals a week or two ago. Esiason liked the Bengals and Cowher liked Bengals Defense but Phil Simms said he was not sold on the Bengals yet, because he thought the Bengals plays and play calling were not up to speed.

After the F Grade game Bengals turned out in Cleveland, I am now positive that the #1 Problem with The Bengals in 2022 is The Game Plans and The Play Calling and maybe even The Play Book. So in 2022 Zac Taylor is the Problem. Not the O Line. Not Mixon. Not Burrow. The Problem with the Offense is ZAC TAYLOR. I agree now with Phil Simms on how predictable the Bengals Offensive Plays are. If every single play is Shotgun Pass, that is way too predictable against Well Coached NFL Defenses.

So I finish this where I started. I would like to see a lot more RUN plays. When Zac came in, he had some nice Power Sweep plays of Pulling Guards that created Running Lanes for Mixon. Then Zac drafted Burrow and Zac wants to go Touch Football Pass on every play. It is NOT working at 4-4 and 0-3 in the AFC NORTH. To WIN in the AFC NORTH, you HAVE to RUN THE BALL. So I wish Bengals would get back to half of the plays being Running Plays to help set up the 50 % Pass Plays.

i know it will not happen. Zac Taylor will be Pass Happy against Panthers and every other game rest of season. Zac refuses to call running plays. The problem is passing every play may work in Madden Video Game or Touch Football or The Arena League, but it does not work n The NFL. As the Bengals played Pass Happy Madden Video, The Browns beat the stuffing out of them with SMASH MOUTH NFL FOOTBALL.

If all Zac is going to do is call The Shotgun Pass every play, then they should have Traded Mixon. Many teams would have gave up a pass catcher to get Mixon, and Mixon is being wasted by a head coach who Refuses to call running plays. Calling running plays only a few times a game is NOT calling running plays. For those Fans who LOVE the shotgun pass every single play, 4-4 and 0-3 in the AFC NORTH shows it is Not working. DEFENSES are ALL over it. If you do not mix in The Run with The Pass, The Defense will be all over your receivers and clobber your QB. So it is NOT the O Line or Burrow, it is indeed Zac Taylor calling shotgun pass just about every single play of the game that is the Problem in 2022.

Now in 2021, Zac knew Burrow was back from surgery with the leg brace, and Zac ran the ball more to try to keep Burrow healthy. Bengals went to Super Bowl. Now in 2022, Zac is back to his 2020 nonsense of passing on every play, and that doesn't win in the AFC NORTH. It's like Zac has this dream of a team that passes every play, but he must have picked that up in Arena Football, because that garbage doesn't work in the NFL. Good teams can Run and Pass in The NFL. Every Dynasty Team ever had a good Mix of RUN and PASS.

The Bengals are 30th in rushing YPC.
Joe Mixon is 50th in rushing YPC (out of 53).

If the Bengals are rushing 50% of the time and it's not due to them already having a 30 point lead from passing a ton and just trying to run the clock out, they will finish the season 4-13.

(11-03-2022, 03:54 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: The Bengals are 30th in rushing YPC.
Joe Mixon is 50th in rushing YPC (out of 53).

If the Bengals are rushing 50% of the time and it's not due to them already having a 30 point lead from passing a ton and just trying to run the clock out, they will finish the season 4-13.

Yep definitely. I definitely understand OPs sentiments about staying unpredictable and mixing it up, for a defence to respect your run game... or at least have to defend it. But there is no way we should drastically take the ball out of Burrow's hands, to give it to Mixon so he can run for another 1.6 yards. He definitely shouldn't have the ball on 50% of the snaps.

Run it a little more than we are and be unpredictable with when you do so though, I'd absolutely be in agreement with that.

(11-03-2022, 06:34 AM)TheCincinnatiKid Wrote: Yep definitely. I definitely understand OPs sentiments about staying unpredictable and mixing it up, for a defence to respect your run game... or at least have to defend it. But there is no way we should drastically take the ball out of Burrow's hands, to give it to Mixon so he can run for another 1.6 yards. He definitely shouldn't have the ball on 50% of the snaps.

Run it a little more than we are and be unpredictable with when you do so though, I'd absolutely be in agreement with that.

Agree with all said here

 Until the Bengals have at least an ok rushing attack then taking the ball out of Burrows hands is a mistake and not the best plan.

Athough Bengals do need to increase the runs a little as you suggested and they need to figure out how to get better production from running.

Whether it's switching backs, doing a rotation of backs, or changing scheme I'm not sure but it needs to be figured out.

  

This is a real problem. All you need to do is look at how they beat the Steelers in 2020 with Ryan Finley. They had no choice but to run the football cause Zac knew Finley had a noodle arm and they wouldn't be able to beat anybody throwing consistently.

We'll see if ZT and Callahan are smart enough to figure this out. Probably not (insert definition of insanity here). 30th in rushing is ridiculous with the free agents they brought in.

(11-03-2022, 08:15 AM)Go Cards Wrote: Agree with all said here

 Until the Bengals have at least an ok rushing attack then taking the ball out of Burrows hands is a mistake and not the best plan.

Athough Bengals do need to increase the runs a little as you suggested and they need to figure out how to get better production from running.

Whether it's switching backs, doing a rotation of backs, or changing scheme I'm not sure but it needs to be figured out.

  

We will never know if they "have at least an ok rushing attack" because they won't commit themselves to running the football.  Sprinkling in 15 running plays a game because you have a stud QB is pure stupidity.  As good as Brady was in his prime New England was never this pass happy.

Zac wants people to believe the short dump off's to Mixon are an extension of the running game.  That's great in theory but not in practice because the defensive line doesn't react the same.  They still come up field exposing your QB to more hits.  

And why know screens?  Lot's of problems with these strategies and they all point back to the same place: Coaching

(11-03-2022, 08:33 AM)Daddy-O Wrote: This is a real problem.  All you need to do is look at how they beat the Steelers in 2020 with Ryan Finley.  They had no choice but to run the football cause Zac knew Finley had a noodle arm and they wouldn't be able to beat anybody throwing consistently.

We'll see if ZT and Callahan are smart enough to figure this out.  Probably not (insert definition of insanity here).  30th in rushing is ridiculous with the free agents they brought in.

...The defense forced 3 turnovers, including giving the Bengals the ball at the Steelers 38 and 26 for 14 points. That's.... not something you can use as a blueprint.

agree if we cant run Defenses will just continue to pin their ears back and attack burrow.

and the OL doesnt seem capable of playing at that level... so more balance is needed

I think Zacs ego prevents this team from running the ball more.He wants to be known as this offensive
Aerial genius. He wants to be on the Mt.Rushmore
Of bright young coaches.and presenting physical
Downhill football running the ball doesn't do that.

The best thing for this offense is change the pass run
Ratio. It keeps Joe upright more and you can own
The clock. Let's face it. Jonah Williams isn't going
To get better this year. Everytime Joe sets up in the
Pocket, there's a chance Jonah will fail to negate
The DE and JB is out for the year

I don't comprehend why Pollack and ZT aren't more
Dedicated to running the ball. Maybe cause Sample was
Their best run blocker at TE and they don't trust Hurst.
I watched Kevin Stefanski go heavy on one side
And outmatched the Bengals at the point of attack
How come ZT can't replicate the same ?

I doubt there is much we can do/change to fix the run game this year. I think we can take an RB early in the draft next year which would help. We also may need to just adjust the run scheme; depends on the RB they get. Currently I think we are run blocking OK, but Mixon is just not finding the holes/breaking any tackles, and (when under center) we seem to telegraph our runs. They need to do something though, 30th in rushing is pathetic.

(11-03-2022, 03:18 AM)kevin Wrote: A good mix is to have as many running plays as pass plays.  It would cut down on the pass rush on Burrow and when Burrow does pass he will have more plays Down Field.  The Run sets up The Bomb.

Of course this will never happen because Zac Taylor likes to pass every play.  Of course no O Line can pass block every play and The O Line gets blamed for the Sacks and Joe Burrow gets blamed for the Sacks, but nobody blames Pass Happy Zac Taylor for the Sacks.

Meanwhile Mixon is wasted on a team where the head coach refuses to call running plays.  OK, they throw to Mixon, but again it is Burrow getting hit as Zac Taylor is into Pass on every play of the game.  

So my wish for around 50 % Runs and 50 % Pass will not happen, because Zac is more 10 % Run and 90 % Pass.  

I am not alone on now being a critic of Zac Taylor game plan and play calling.  On CBS the Sunday Game Day Staff were talking about The Bengals a week or two ago.  Esiason liked the Bengals and Cowher liked Bengals Defense but Phil Simms said he was not sold on the Bengals yet, because he thought the Bengals plays and play calling were not up to speed.

After the F Grade game Bengals turned out in Cleveland, I am now positive that the #1 Problem with The Bengals in 2022 is The Game Plans and The Play Calling and maybe even The Play Book.  So in 2022 Zac Taylor is the Problem.  Not the O Line.  Not Mixon. Not Burrow.  The Problem with the Offense is ZAC TAYLOR.  I agree now with Phil Simms on how predictable the Bengals Offensive Plays are.  If every single play is Shotgun Pass, that is way too predictable against Well Coached NFL Defenses.

So I finish this where I started.  I would like to see a lot more RUN plays.  When Zac came in, he had some nice Power Sweep plays of Pulling Guards that created Running Lanes for Mixon.  Then Zac drafted Burrow and Zac wants to go Touch Football Pass on every play.  It is NOT working at 4-4 and 0-3 in the AFC NORTH.   To WIN in the AFC NORTH, you HAVE to RUN THE BALL.   So I wish Bengals would get back to half of the plays being Running Plays to help set up the 50 % Pass Plays.  

i know it will not happen.  Zac Taylor will be Pass Happy against Panthers and every other game rest of season.  Zac refuses to call running plays.  The problem is passing every play may work in Madden Video Game or Touch Football or The Arena League, but it does not work n The NFL.  As the Bengals played Pass Happy Madden Video, The Browns beat the stuffing out of them with SMASH MOUTH NFL FOOTBALL.

If all Zac is going to do is call The Shotgun Pass every play, then they should have Traded Mixon.  Many teams would have gave up a pass catcher to get Mixon, and Mixon is being wasted by a head coach who Refuses to call running plays. Calling running plays only a few times a game is NOT calling running plays. For those Fans who LOVE the shotgun pass every single play, 4-4 and 0-3 in the AFC NORTH shows it is Not working.  DEFENSES are ALL over it.  If you do not mix in The Run with The Pass, The Defense will be all over your receivers and clobber your QB. So it is NOT the O Line or Burrow, it is indeed Zac Taylor calling shotgun pass just about every single play of the game that is the Problem in 2022.

Now in 2021, Zac knew Burrow was back from surgery with the leg brace, and Zac ran the ball more to try to keep Burrow healthy.  Bengals went to Super Bowl.  Now in 2022, Zac is back to his 2020 nonsense of passing on every play, and that doesn't win in the AFC NORTH. It's like Zac has this dream of a team that passes every play, but he must have picked that up in Arena Football, because that garbage doesn't work in the NFL. Good teams can Run and Pass in The NFL.  Every Dynasty Team ever had a good Mix of RUN and PASS.

The only teams in the NFL that have a 50/50 mix or close are teams with stud RB's(Browns/Titans), running QB's(Philly), or terrible QB's(Atlanta).  We are not in any of those situations.  

Sure, let’s take what this team can’t do and do it 50 percent of the time? Good lord.

I don’t know what happened to Mixon, but he is NOT the same guy, and he is absolutely abysmal in picking up blitzes. The guy looks washed to me. Perine has outperformed him in every way, and it’s not even close.

This team’s only chance to win is to throw it as much as possible. Unfortunately, their biggest weapon is on the shelf right now with a bad hip.

(11-03-2022, 03:54 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: The Bengals are 30th in rushing YPC.
Joe Mixon is 50th in rushing YPC (out of 53).

If the Bengals are rushing 50% of the time and it's not due to them already having a 30 point lead from passing a ton and just trying to run the clock out, they will finish the season 4-13.

This. We don't run because it doesn't work. It worked in LV last year, and they ran a lot. There haven't been many of those games.

A team with Tee, Chase and Boyd should not want to run 50% if the time

It’s ok to have poor balance if you are ballin

I don't feel like the volume of plays that they run on the ground versus pass through the air is as nearly important as being effective when they do run the ball. Right now, defenses don't feel any threat of the Bengals rushing the ball, they just get ready to rush the passer.

Bengals are only averaging 3.5 YPC, which is 30th in the league.
Mixon is averaging less than 3.3.

Wanting the Bengals to run more just for the sake of it won't magically make it more effective.

One thing I will agree with is that we need to run the ball better and the only way we can do that is to do it more in real game situations.

(11-03-2022, 11:17 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I don't feel like the volume of plays that they run on the ground versus pass through the air is as nearly important as being effective when they do run the ball.  Right now, defenses don't feel any threat of the Bengals rushing the ball, they just get ready to rush the passer.

You beat me to it.

I get where you're coming from Kevin but it's not going to happen. And I'm with you Sunset, that's the real problem. It's not the volume of our running plays. It's the basically total lack of production.

If we ran it 18X at 5 yards per carry we'd be in there.

Did I miss a trade for a top 10 kind of back?

Here we go. Back to 1985 again.