Offense: Gio Bernard. Great guy, but for what he is compensated, he has very little impact on the game.

Defense: Burfict. You can claim suspensions and injuries but he had basically no impact this year.

The entire team minus Mixon, Boyd, Hubbard, Bates, Erickson and Bullock. And Dalton and Green before they got injured.

(01-02-2019, 11:18 PM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: This. Here is the list:

Joe Mixon
Sam Hubbard
Tyler Boyd
Jessie Bates
Clark Harris

That is all. 

(01-02-2019, 11:19 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Ain’t that the truth.

Mine would probably look like this...

Mixon
Boyd
AJ
Williams
Bates
Hubbard

Short list.

(01-02-2019, 11:21 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: AJ was playing really well, but I can understand being disappointed by the injury. What about Williams though? He had a fine season.

I agree with all of these.....but I gotta add what Hopkins did at C.  That was pretty surprising to me.  

(01-03-2019, 12:02 AM)lone bengal Wrote: Cordy Glenn

- Offensive line was are biggest need heading into the season and I thought at the time it was a great trade acquiring a veteran LT and filling two holes on the offensive line with one pick. I thought he would be a very solid LT if he was healthy, however he did not impress me this season. Not sure how the draft looks for offensive tackles but if were picking at 11 and the best player on the board only plays left tackle maybe we can draft him and move Glenn to RT.

(01-03-2019, 12:59 AM)fredtoast Wrote: This.

I would tend to agree with you guys.....but you also must consider he played most of the season injured....like Preston Brown.  Near the end of the season, I don't recall which game, Lapham noted that Glenn had an epidural shot to try to crack the active list.  That's pretty bad back pain if you require that.

(01-03-2019, 09:37 AM)SnakeEyez925 Wrote: Definitely agree on Malone.  After the interception in the Carolina game on the ball that bounced off his should pads, he put himself behind Cody Core and we basically never saw him again the rest of the year.  Cody Core! c'mon Josh

Redmond - agree 100%

Burfict - also one of my favorite players   He looks completely finished and hasn't been football "ready" for the start of a season in almost 4 years due to injury or suspension... between concussions and never being in shape, I am stuck wondering how he would've been regarded differently had the '16 playoff collapse ended with his interception of Ben and Jeremy NOT fumbling.  Tez would've been a hero and not the poster boy for thug Bengal football.

Ross - I am still one of the few that have not given up on Ross.  I do not believe we have put him in situations to "win" thus far, though I admit he has messed up enough to not warrant a lot of confidence yet.  They need to understand that his size should make him more of a slot and gimmick threat similar to Tyreek Hill... Hill torched defenses from the slot this year, they attacked deep safeties with him from that spot and were extremely successful.  Get Ross away from the boundary, he is not physical enough and needs to get off of the press and/or bigger CBs.

Lawson did not produce the sacks this yr while he was active but he still rated very highly as a run defender before he blew his ACL.  That goes a long way and I do feel they missed him a lot up front.  Only plus was the emergence of Hubbard.  Really like that kid!

Jackson, I believe will bounce back and be ok.  Consider it his "sophomore" slump imo as '17 was more-or-less his rookie season.  The dysfunctional defense at the onset of the season was as much due to scheme not fitting personnel... or at the very least the scheme being too unfamiliar to our defensive players' instincts and we were left making mental errors and being picked apart while being tentative and out of position.

The one alarming thing with the secondary this year would be the lack of interceptions by any of our starting DBs... absolutely none for our CBs, Williams got one finally in the last game vs. Pitt... only Bates was a true threat to make any plays on balls in the air.  I saw Dennard drop two that hit him in the chest, and another that JuJu took out of his hands that he should've intercepted before busting up his shoulder on that TD.

Jessie Bates is going to be a great FS imo

Shawn Williams led the team in INTs with 5.

(01-03-2019, 10:25 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Offense: Gio Bernard.  Great guy, but for what he is compensated, he has very little impact on the game.  

Defense:  Burfict.  You can claim suspensions and injuries but he had basically no impact this year.

I put that on the coaches.  There is ZERO excuse why this guy doesn't put up the New Orleans Saints era Darrin Sproles numbers.  ZERO.  Jackson and Gruden got good production out of him.  They knew more how to use him, apparently.

(01-03-2019, 11:09 AM)Wyche Wrote: I agree with all of these.....but I gotta add what Hopkins did at C.  That was pretty surprising to me.  

Yep! He should have been kept at C and Price at what he played in college mostly. Forcing it isn't going to force the results you want.

(01-03-2019, 11:19 AM)Wyche Wrote: I put that on the coaches.  There is ZERO excuse why this guy doesn't put up the New Orleans Saints era Darrin Sproles numbers.  ZERO.  Jackson and Gruden got good production out of him.  They knew more how to use him, apparently.

Gio should have been used more as a receiver when AJ went down, he certainly has better hands than Core, Tate, Malone and Ross.

(01-02-2019, 12:52 PM)Big Boss Wrote: Offense: Billy Price
Defense: William Jackson III

Hands down,short and fat Billy Price who is going to struggle at Center,he should be a guard and put trey Hoskins back in,he is far far better than price and I agree William Jackson struggled on defense,we need corners and safetys and big fast ones,not these short dudes that cannot stop the pass to a tall guy.Go get guys that are 6 ft, 3 or 4 and fast as a loco.

Bengals receiver John Ross gets the award for worst wide receiver of the season.

The NFL average was 7.601 yards/target. Without Ross, the NFL average would have been 7.615 yards/target! pic.twitter.com/XDUr94ezCI

— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) January 3, 2019

(01-03-2019, 11:19 AM)Wyche Wrote: I put that on the coaches.  There is ZERO excuse why this guy doesn't put up the New Orleans Saints era Darrin Sproles numbers.  ZERO.  Jackson and Gruden got good production out of him.  They knew more how to use him, apparently.

Spot on. It goes back to a lack of creativity on offense. You have two great pass catching backs. Use them to create mismatches. Put them both on the field at the same time at times. Split them out. Get them matched up on LB's. An offense has to use its weapons. I'm not saying Mixon and Gio could be as good as Kamara and Ingram, but they could certainly be the Bengals version of that.

(01-03-2019, 02:37 PM)Fullrock Wrote: Spot on. It goes back to a lack of creativity on offense. You have two great pass catching backs. Use them to create mismatches. Put them both on the field at the same time at times. Split them out. Get them matched up on LB's. An offense has to use its weapons. I'm not saying Mixon and Gio could be as good as Kamara and Ingram, but they could certainly be the Bengals version of that.

RBs don't "create mismatches" as much as WRs.

Mixon and Bernard are both good receivers as RBs, but they don't work on route running like WRs.  RBs mainly run simple swing, drag, screen, or wheel routes.  Basically they get open by running toward holes in the coverage.  They don't practice getting open by getting in and out of their cuts or work on timing patterns like WRs.

That is why guys like Ingram and Kamara are rarely on the field at the same time.  

(01-03-2019, 02:50 PM)fredtoast Wrote: RBs don't "create mismatches" as much as WRs.

Mixon and Bernard are both good receivers as RBs, but they don't work on route running like WRs.  RBs mainly run simple swing, drag, screen, or wheel routes.  Basically they get open by running toward holes in the coverage.  They don't practice getting open by getting in and out of their cuts or work on timing patterns like WRs.

That is why guys like Ingram and Kamara are rarely on the field at the same time.  

This is not true with the best offenses. The best offensive coaches know how to position players to create mismatches. Take for example New England. I have seen them line up James White in the backfield and Rex Burkhead in the slot on the same play (both good receivers). They motion White to the slot who is followed by a LB and motion Burkhead to the backfield who is followed by a corner. Now you have a CB defending the run in the box with a LB covering White in the slot. Smaller player defending the run, bigger player trying to cover a faster player in the slot. The offense wins. If you have two pass catching threats at RB and deploy them on the field at the same time in a team's base defense you can create mismatches in both the passing and running game.

The Panthers use McCaffrey in the slot all the time. Saints use Kamara in both the slot and out wide. In 2016 Bruce Arians used David Johnson in the slot against all kinds of defenders. They would also line him up tight in the formation and hit him on out routes down the field. The Steelers have used Bell the same way.

When you have good pass catching backs you have to maximize their effectiveness in the passing game with non-traditional ways. The best offensive coaches understand this.

(01-02-2019, 07:24 PM)Socal Bengals fan Wrote: Next year will be John Ross real first season

It'll either be his first season in a new system or it'll be Lazors fault he's no good.  I can already hear the reasons why we won't see Ross clearly until 2020.

Also, I'm totally posting this from the waiting room of an optometrist.

(01-03-2019, 06:39 PM)Nately120 Wrote: It'll either be his first season in a new system or it'll be Lazors fault he's no good.  I can already hear the reasons why we won't see Ross clearly until 2020.

Also, I'm totally posting this from the waiting room of an optometrist.

Well hindsight is 2020 so the excuses will be out the ass!

(01-03-2019, 06:11 PM)Fullrock Wrote: The Panthers use McCaffrey in the slot all the time. Saints use Kamara in both the slot and out wide. In 2016 Bruce Arians used David Johnson in the slot against all kinds of defenders. They would also line him up tight in the formation and hit him on out routes down the field. The Steelers have used Bell the same way. 

When they use these players in the slot the backfield is usually empty.

I will rate them in order based on their compensation:
1. Burfict - he looked slow and soft
2. AJ Green- Surprise to some, but for his salary he is average at best past couple of years. Great players take over big games, he rarely does that so I would love to se us trade him.
3. Dunlap - Just too inconsistent and di not play up to his contract
4. Eifert - He can't stay on the field so any money paid to him gets flushed down the toilet.
5. Glenn - Expected more out of top 10 paid OT
6. Dre K. - inconsistent tackler and cover CB who makes a lot of dough
7. P. Brown - 5 million and could not stay healthy and was not impressive when he did.
8. W. Jackson - was supposed to be a ball hawk and zero interceptions...…….horrible and if made more money would be higher on my list
9. Ced. O. - First round bust who we paid a lot of money to for 4 years, should have been cut long time ago
10. Jake F. 2nd round bust who can't stay healthy and shown nothing when he was healthy

Bonus
J. Ross - he would be higher, but not easy to score TD's in this league. My problem with Ross is the guys can't fight through any contact and falls all of the time on plays others his size make adjustments and catches.

Would like to throw in Jordan Willis and Michael Johnson on the list between them they had 1.5 sacks, 6 TFls, and 7 hits.

Burfict and Preston. I thought we were set at LB. Turned in to our biggest weakness.

Ross. A top 10 WR who has no balance and cant catch. Wtf were we thinking. Maybe our scouts should stop watching the combine. Or better yet. Whatever formula they use to put numbers on it and contribute to a grade for prospects divide it by 10 and quit putting so much stock in non football shit

The last 2 years has Kirkpatrick playin 27 games and 1 interception. I think he makes over 10 million a year. The team spent 30 million on Dre, Taz and Glenn. That’s a big, big waste!