Coach Lou pretty much affirming everything that many of us have been thinking and saying for much of the season.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-future-is-today-bengals-dc-lou-anarumo-says-young-secondary-needs-to-grow-up-now/ar-AA1m7GSS?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=19ce5a2f6c274788b2207901ccd40b05&ei=77

Quote:Fifteen games into a 17-game season, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo doesn’t want to talk about the youth in his secondary being the reason for another explosive performance by an opponent, this one an offensively challenged one that had just benched its backup quarterback for its third-string guy.

The first pass Pittsburgh’s Mason Rudolph threw as a starting quarterback in more than two years was a five-yard slant that wide receiver George Pickens, with help from the Cincinnati defense, turned into an 86-yard touchdown on Saturday afternoon.

And things somehow only got worse for the Bengals as Pickens burned them for a 44-yard reception to set up a field goal at the end of the half and a 66-yard touchdown early in the third quarter of Pittsburgh’s 34-11 win.
Why Is the Cincinnati Bengals’ Defense Getting Burned So Much?
“I don’t want to make excuses for anything, but we can’t win a football game if we give up 200 yards on three plays. We can’t,” Anarumo said Wednesday.

“I told them the other day, I said, ‘We are what we are right now. These things have to stop in order for us to be a consistent defense. These are things that have not shown up in a long, long time, but they’ve shown up this year. So whatever the reasons are, we will keep working at it like we’re doing, but they can’t continue.’

“We got punched right in the lip,” Anarumo added. “We’ll bounce back, but we have to stop these big plays. Let’s call it what it is.”

The Bengals have given up 59 completions of 20 yards or more this season. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed more (62). Since the NFL went to the 17-game schedule in 2021, the most allowed in a season is 74 by the 2021 Baltimore Ravens. The 2021 Bengals are third on the list with 65, and this year’s 59 ranks 11th.

Cincinnati’s offense offset the 65 chunk plays in 2021 with its own explosives, but that’s been missing in 2023 with Joe Burrow playing through a calf injury for most of the year and backup Jake Browning starting the last five games following Burrow’s wrist injury.

A secondary coach before he became the Cincinnati defensive coordinator in 2019, Anarumo has stayed away from playing rookies most of his career, but this year’s defense features one safety who is a rookie third-round pick in Jordan Battle and another who is in his first year starting in Dax Hill.

Rookie second-round pick DJ Turner II has started 11 games at corner, and 2022 second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt is in his first full season as a starter after taking over at midseason last year.

“A lot of firsts,” Anarumo said. “Some of it is still lessons that these guys are learning, and we will be better for it in the future. I keep saying that, but unfortunately, the future is like today. And we have to get better at these things immediately.

“We try to stay calm and settle them down on the sideline and [saying] just keep fighting and playing with the technique the coaches are teaching you,” he continued. “They want to be good. They’re great listeners. They’re very willing participants. It’s just a matter of tightening it down on every little detail of what their jobs are. We’ve got to get better, and that includes myself.”

There’s something to be said for staying the course and remaining calm, but there also comes a time when a point needs to be driven home.

We saw that Saturday night when Anarumo called the entire defense together on the sideline after falling in a 14-0 hole.

Asked how many times he’s done that, he said, “Never.”

Tack on another one of those “firsts” for the 2023 Bengals defense.

“I just felt like we were out of sorts,” Anarumo said of the impromptu group meeting. “Didn’t like the way things were going, obviously. I just called them up, and I said, ‘We’ve got to settle down and get back to doing what we do.’ I wanted to make sure they heard from me before we got to the locker room at halftime.”

The Bengals are disappointed by the amount of explosive plays they’ve allowed this year, and this week’s opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, probably feel the same way about the uncharacteristically few they have produced.

Anarumo said he expects Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to come out firing on Sunday to try to break out of their funk that has led to three losses in the last four games and four in the last six as the Chiefs have yet to clinch a playoff berth.

“I know this: They’re the world champs,” Anarumo said. “They’ve got arguably the best quarterback in our league for a long time. They’re a prideful group, and they’re going to look to get back on track and do what they do well.

“They’re just gonna chuck it down the field even more, in my opinion. I see them just being really aggressive, and it’s not going to surprise me one bit. I really think that’s how they’ll come out.”

A neutered offense versus an exploited defense after each unit has represented the AFC in the last two Super Bowls. Wounded pride. Desperation. Playoff hopes are on the line.

It’s not where everyone expected the Bengals and Chiefs to be in Week 17 when the schedule came out in May, but as has been the case in each of their four meetings since January 2022, a lot is on the line — both in terms of playoffs, and just sheer pride.

“The NFL is a very humbling league,” Anarumo said. “You can have a great week or two, you can have a great year or two, and then all of a sudden you get kicked right in the face.

“There’s not a guy in [our] locker room that’s not feeling good about, ‘Hey, we got a chance to go out there and do what we know we can do.’ But it’s not about talking about it, it’s about doing it.”

A lot of growing pains back there. I think there is plenty to be optimistic about in regard to the secondary but it'll hurt for a moment. Battle had a bad look on the 60+ yard TD to Pickens down the sideline where he stopped running as the ball was arriving which allowed Pickens to separate further from him after he caught it. Dax wiped out Turner on the slant because of a bad angle. I'll be hoping to see more from these guys next year.

If Awuzie jams Pickens at the LOS
It's possible those big gains by Pickens
Never happens. It's the little things
If you can disrupt the route of the WR
Then it throws the delicate timing of the play off

(12-28-2023, 10:56 AM)KillerGoose Wrote: A lot of growing pains back there. I think there is plenty to be optimistic about in regard to the secondary but it'll hurt for a moment. Battle had a bad look on the 60+ yard TD to Pickens down the sideline where he stopped running as the ball was arriving which allowed Pickens to separate further from him after he caught it. Dax wiped out Turner on the slant because of a bad angle. I'll be hoping to see more from these guys next year.

I could be wrong and I’m no Synic or Joe Goodberry or even a Killer Goose in X’s and O’s but I’ve been worried about Battle. Not worried about his tackling or smart football IQ. It makes up for his lack of speed but it worries me. Lou had a personal relationship with Jordan . Not convinced he’s the answer or maybe as he gains more experience his lack of football speed is diminished by great instincts

(12-28-2023, 11:17 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I could be wrong and I’m no Synic or Joe Goodberry or even a Killer Goose in X’s and O’s but I’ve been worried about Battle. Not worried about his tackling or smart football IQ. It makes up for his lack of speed but it worries me. Lou had a personal relationship with Jordan . Not convinced he’s the answer or maybe as he gains more experience his lack of football speed is diminished by great instincts

Yeah, I wonder if everyone is in the ideal role for their skill set back there.  I feel like there really isn't a true FS in the group.  There's definitely not one that can play centerfield like Bates did, but that's the case on a lot of teams.  I feel like Dax would be a pretty excellent replacement for Bell.  Maybe even Hilton eventually.  I'm just jot sure he's rangy or smart enough to man single high alone.  The smarts can come later, but the range likely will not.

I'm not indicting anyone, either.  Lou is using the guys he has.  A great FS isn't walking through the door any time soon.  He knew this was coming.  It's real easy to say that he should have planned for it, but replacing near elite talent like Bates isn't as simple as moving some guys around and drafting some guys.  The prospects have to pan out, and even if they do it takes time.  Bates wasn't current Bates straight out of Wake Forest.

We've all had our eyes on the offensive attrition that would come with the Burrow deal and eventually the Chase deal.  Now we see the other problems that come about with losing major talent.  The offense is due some early picks in 2024, but in reality, this team needs at least a FS and one, maybe 2 DTs.

(12-28-2023, 11:45 AM)samhain Wrote: Yeah, I wonder if everyone is in the ideal role for their skill set back there.  I feel like there really isn't a true FS in the group.  There's definitely not one that can play centerfield like Bates did, but that's the case on a lot of teams.  I feel like Dax would be a pretty excellent replacement for Bell.  Maybe even Hilton eventually.  I'm just jot sure he's rangy or smart enough to man single high alone.  The smarts can come later, but the range likely will not.

I'm not indicting anyone, either.  Lou is using the guys he has.  A great FS isn't walking through the door any time soon.  He knew this was coming.  It's real easy to say that he should have planned for it, but replacing near elite talent like Bates isn't as simple as moving some guys around and drafting some guys.  The prospects have to pan out, and even if they do it takes time.  Bates wasn't current Bates straight out of Wake Forest.

We've all had our eyes on the offensive attrition that would come with the Burrow deal and eventually the Chase deal.  Now we see the other problems that come about with losing major talent.  The offense is due some early picks in 2024, but in reality, this team needs at least a FS and one, maybe 2 DTs.

Solid remarks. Especially about Bates was not Bates straight out of Wake Forest. Not so sure Lou didn’t contribute a lot to his progression. What this team really needs is to have some draft picks pan out or elevate. It’d be great if Yoshi and Charlie Jones could replace Tee and Tyler. It’d be great if Chase Brown would replace Joe Mixon and find a bigger back for power running and third down blocking. It’d be great if Zach Carter came through for Reader ( boy that’s a dream). If we had all that salary cap room we could get a great OT for Jonah. We could get a great DT & safety in FA.

Yes there's been some growing pains with the young safeties and it was expected... What was not expected was how bad the highly paid front 6 has been against the run. Bengals are allowing 4.7 yards per carry and 125 per game average. I know some of that is on the young secondary as well but damn the run defense has been just awful and they have so much invested in the DL and LB through Cash and the Draft.

(12-28-2023, 11:17 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I could be wrong and I’m no Synic or Joe Goodberry or even a Killer Goose in X’s and O’s but I’ve been worried about Battle. Not worried about his tackling or smart football IQ. It makes up for his lack of speed but it worries me. Lou had a personal relationship with Jordan . Not convinced he’s the answer or maybe as he gains more experience his lack of football speed is diminished by great instincts

The highest-graded rookie safety in the NFL this season... ? pic.twitter.com/G6a3ZH7ZZh

— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) December 28, 2023

(12-28-2023, 12:00 PM)Synric Wrote: Yes there's been some growing pains with the young safeties and it was expected... What was not expected was how bad the highly paid front 6 has been against the run. Bengals are allowing 4.7 yards per carry and 125 per game average. I know some of that is on the young secondary as well but damn the run defense has been just awful and they have so much invested in the DL and LB through Cash and the Draft.

One of the biggest issues I can see with run D is the first guy in usually goes for the ball instead of the tackle and the runner gets an extra 2-4 yards before the next man gets in.  

(12-28-2023, 12:16 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote:

The highest-graded rookie safety in the NFL this season... ? pic.twitter.com/G6a3ZH7ZZh

— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) December 28, 2023

That could be telling but I’d also need to see his ranking amongst all safeties. And I’m sure not bagging on him or criticizing him. I agreed about him being a rookie and that Bates was not Bates as a rookie either. I mentioned his instincts may make up for his lack of speed. But our safety play hasn’t been as good. It’s a major discussion is it not? Not that we shouldn’t have expected it. I remember arguing with Nate there’d be a drop off but he had full faith in Lou. But in fairness to Nate he’s always seeing the best in everybody except Joe Mixon lol.

The answer is simple, we lost key players in Defense that left a huge hole. 11 pts only to the steelers should be the biggest headline and issue here.

(12-28-2023, 12:00 PM)Synric Wrote: Yes there's been some growing pains with the young safeties and it was expected... What was not expected was how bad the highly paid front 6 has been against the run. Bengals are allowing 4.7 yards per carry and 125 per game average. I know some of that is on the young secondary as well but damn the run defense has been just awful and they have so much invested in the DL and LB through Cash and the Draft.

Yup, the run defense is shockingly bad and the pass rush is largely Hendrickson and Hendrickson only (he has more sacks than the 2nd-6th sack guys on the team COMBINED). Wilson has taken a step back in coverage, and Pratt is being used as a 3-down LB this year so he's been exposed to a lot more coverage and has gotten exposed.

There's just way too many problems to be explained simply by the safeties being young.

The scheme among those problems. Even with all the guys here last year they were still the 16th overall defense, the only time they've been above-average in it for 5 years with Lou and that's the literal minimum they could be while not being below average. Even the SB year they were below average in both yards allowed and points allowed.

(12-28-2023, 12:55 PM)Bengalitis Wrote: The answer is simple, we lost key players in Defense that left a huge hole. 11 pts only to the steelers should be the biggest headline and issue here.

While the offense' lack of production can largely be attributed to injuries to Joe Burrow (21.1 pts/game 4831 total yards), it simply cannot be ignored that the defense has given up 22.9 pts/game and 5751 total yards.

(12-28-2023, 11:17 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I could be wrong and I’m no Synic or Joe Goodberry or even a Killer Goose in X’s and O’s but I’ve been worried about Battle. Not worried about his tackling or smart football IQ. It makes up for his lack of speed but it worries me. Lou had a personal relationship with Jordan . Not convinced he’s the answer or maybe as he gains more experience his lack of football speed is diminished by great instincts

I need to watch more tape and focus on the defense. I have watched a lot of All-22 but focusing on the offense. From what I have seen of the defense, they are utilizing Battle very similarly to Vonn Bell. They are splitting him pretty evenly between the box and free safety. I haven't been impressed with his time at FS and I'm not sure he feels comfortable there. Walked up into the box he has done fine, I think. 

(12-28-2023, 11:59 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Solid remarks. Especially about Bates was not Bates straight out of Wake Forest. Not so sure Lou didn’t contribute a lot to his progression. What this team really needs is to have some draft picks pan out or elevate. It’d be great if Yoshi and Charlie Jones could replace Tee and Tyler. It’d be great if Chase Brown would replace Joe Mixon and find a bigger back for power running and third down blocking. It’d be great if Zach Carter came through for Reader ( boy that’s a dream). If we had all that salary cap room we could get a great OT for Jonah. We could get a great DT & safety in FA.

They'll have to do more with fewer resources, no doubt.  I feel like Tee is getting tagged and Ja'marr is getting an extension.  A lot of the money is going to evaporate quickly.  Even though the extensions don't kick in immediately, the big deals will still make it really tough to sign fa's long term.  They will fill a hole or two, but it probably won't be with premium talent as in the past.  

I feel like the offense also plays a role in the defense's downfall. They have practically zero ability to play ball control when needed.  This team has, under both qbs, and under Burrow both when obviously injured and relatively healthy, gone through consistent dormant periods on offense.  Like from after the opening scripted plays to the beginning of the 4th quarter sinkholes.  That's a hell of a lot to ask of any defense no matter how talented.  There were games where the offense could barely manage a first down for 2 quarters.  They time of possession got skewed horribly and the defense got gassed in the 2nd quarter.  Browning has moved the ball fairly consistently, he just gives it away too much.

You just get the feel watching these games that the bengals were getting physically handled on both sides of the football.  Houston and Tennessee both stick out here.  The division games go without saying.  The team has become the stereotypical finesse, quick strike dependent group that just doesn't hold up over 4 quarters in the trenches.  

The Houston game was stomach-churning.  Terrible rush offense.  Like among the worst in the league.  Then they ran it directly down the Bengals' throat all afternoon.  If you watch a lot of football, you get a really bad feeling watching a team execute that plan.  It feels like no matter who your qb is or who has the best skill talent, that you're going to lose and get dog-walked for 60 minutes.  

Also wanna say, I think many of us really underestimated the loss of Bates. Some posters, myself included, expected significant impact, but not anything like this. My thinking was that there were enough other talented players on the defense that the loss could be sufficiently mitigated. I think this particular perspective really failed to realize how big of a role he played here.

People get into the concept of premium positions and where a team should or shouldn't shell out money. Obviously our bread and butter is in offensive skill guys. Obviously they needed to plug holes in the gushing dam that was the OL due to horrid talent eval and subsequent drafting. Even so, a team needs to be able to identify it's key guys. They've survived stretches without Reader, Hubbard, Wilson, Awuzie, etc. They've absolutely cratered without Bates.

I get that it's all but a given that this team doesn't want to pay a safety huge money, but if that particular safety is holding the defense together, then who cares? You could argue that having that caliber of safety back there allowed them to get by with running the Eli Apples of the world out there for near full seasons. It allowed CTB to get on the job training and not hurt the team significantly. That's worth the price if you ask me when a player breaks the bank but allows you to skimp at multiple other spots.

I think our FO does a good job more often than not in the Taylor Burrow era, but this was a rare example of malpractice. Everyone's view of Bates was shaded by his negotiations and hyper aggressive agent Mulgheta. The lack of INTs also played a part. It's unfortunate, but someone in the FO should have recognized the potential weight of his absence and ponied up. Bates was super dependable in the regular season and a monster in the postseason. Hell, there was a time a few years ago where he was just about the only guy on the team worth paying any guaranteed money. He was a cornerstone Taylor guy from the start. Should have locked him up long term then instead of playing the tag game until the clock ran out.

(12-28-2023, 01:48 PM)samhain Wrote: Also wanna say, I think many of us really underestimated the loss of Bates.  Some posters, myself included, expected significant impact, but not anything like this.  My thinking was that there were enough other talented players on the defense that the loss could be sufficiently mitigated.  I think this particular perspective really failed to realize how big of a role he played here.  

People get into the concept of premium positions and where a team should or shouldn't shell out money.  Obviously our bread and butter is in offensive skill guys.  Obviously they needed to plug holes in the gushing dam that was the OL due to horrid talent eval and subsequent drafting.  Even so, a team needs to be able to identify it's key guys.  They've survived stretches without Reader, Hubbard, Wilson, Awuzie, etc.  They've absolutely cratered without Bates.  

I get that it's all but a given that this team doesn't want to pay a safety huge money, but if that particular safety is holding the defense together, then who cares?  You could argue that having that caliber of safety back there allowed them to get by with running the Eli Apples of the world out there for near full seasons.  It allowed CTB to get on the job training and not hurt the team significantly.  That's worth the price if you ask me when a player breaks the bank but allows you to skimp at multiple other spots.

I think our FO does a good job more often than not in the Taylor Burrow era, but this was a rare example of malpractice.  Everyone's view of Bates was shaded by his negotiations and hyper aggressive agent Mulgheta.  The lack of INTs also played a part.  It's unfortunate, but someone in the FO should have recognized the potential weight of his absence and ponied up.  Bates was super dependable in the regular season and a monster in the postseason. Hell, there was a time a few years ago where he was just about the only guy on the team worth paying any guaranteed money.  He was a cornerstone Taylor guy from the start.  Should have locked him up long term then instead of playing the tag game until the clock ran out.

Just like Coach Lou predicted, it indeed has been a dark day for the Bengal defense after Bates and Bell both left the building.  

Personally, I like a team that invests heavily into their Safety position, both in draft capital and cash when necessary.  I buy into the logic that if you build your defense to be strong up the middle, you're going to have it easier as teams are forced to 'feather the edges' to make their gains.  Investing heavily in DT, LB and S can and does effectively 'shut down' the middle of the field weather it be rushing or passing.  Having not one, but a pair of DTs that require double team attention absolutely allows average players to get numbers on the edges, not to mention how much more efficient your LBs will be in filling gaps in the run and being free to cover the underneath zone in the pass.  Just like having a strong set of Safeties, like the Bengals did with Bell and Bates definitely allowed the team to save money at CB, as well as you mentioned allowing for valuable developmental time for CTB.

I get that the team has to manage a cap, and that premium positions cost a lot of money.  However, if your team building philosophy emphasizes for example, elite play at the Safety position over CB, then you've already offset the cost as elite CBs cost more than elite Safeties.  I haven't checked the comparison lately, but I feel like it's about a push as to cost efficiency in going elite at DT over Edge.

(12-28-2023, 10:49 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Coach Lou pretty much affirming everything that many of us have been thinking and saying for much of the season.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-future-is-today-bengals-dc-lou-anarumo-says-young-secondary-needs-to-grow-up-now/ar-AA1m7GSS?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=19ce5a2f6c274788b2207901ccd40b05&ei=77

Thanks for this Sunset. I like Lou's mindset here and the way he is taking it on himself. This is the type of leadership a Defense could 
really bounce off of and play much better. We need to tackle better, take better angles, set the edge better against the run and somebody
besides Trey needs to rush the passer better. Hubbard isn't getting it done, our Linebackers aren't getting it done, besides BJ Hill, our DT's
aren't getting it done. Forget about the youth in the Secondary, they should be getting better by now, not worse.

Getting CTB back should really help along with Lou taking accountability here.

We're at or near the bottom in nearly every meaningful team defensive stat. We heed to hit the reset button for sure.

(12-28-2023, 02:40 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: We're at or near the bottom in nearly every meaningful team defensive stat. We heed to hit the reset button for sure.

Time to see what FA and the draft can offer.