Our entire defense has looked pretty bad, but I think the hardest position to evaluate is LB.

With DBs sometimes you can't tell who has made a mistake in a blown coverage, but you can still see how a guy can cover when he is locked up on a receiver.

It is hard to judge DTs by their raw stats because sometimes they are just required to maintain their run fit assignment or eat up blockers, but you can still see who can shed blockers, hold their ground, and/or beat O-linemen one-on-one.

But LBs often look lost or our of position because of the scheme or their assignment. And a lot of broken tackles are caused by not being squared up in the hole and/or having to attempt arm tackles. Also LBs often get washed out of a play because the D-linemen are not keeping them clean of blockers.

A lot of people want to blame the D-line for most of the problems stopping the run game, but I have seen a lot of plays against the Bengal defense where the yardage gained is due to the RB cutting back into a wide open portion of the field. That is usually a problem with LBs instead of D-line. But again it is hard to say why the LBs are not there to make the tackle.

Other than Bynes we have a very young LB corps. Josh has played the most snaps (71%) but Germaine Pratt, in only his second season is next (61%) followed by two rookies, Logan Wilson (41%) and Akeem Davis-Gaither (28%). Right now it is hard to say if LB is a major need or not because it is hard to evaluate the play of these LBs.

Thoughts?

I think they need a better defensive scheme

Yeah...hard to evaluate. I'm not really a fan of Bynes. They young guys? Wilson has some splash plays from time to time.

The defensive line is so bad, that I'm not sure the Steelers LB's would look great behind it.

(12-08-2020, 02:01 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yeah...hard to evaluate. I'm not really a fan of Bynes. They young guys? Wilson has some splash plays from time to time.

The defensive line is so bad, that I'm not sure the Steelers LB's would look great behind it.

I like Wilson, and think he is a solid starter. Bynes has been unimpressive and I almost puked at his sorry attempt of a tackle on the 4 yard line against Miami on Sunday. ADG not sure, and Pratt hasn't been great. I still think we are a great LB away, but not sure if we address it this year. Think if we address Dline heavily, we may see increased LB play. 

I agree, it's hard to say with the way the line gets shoved around. Bynes was brought here to be the lone veteran. He's kinda like a Vinny Rey.... probably a good back up and spot starter. He's been better than Brown was, so that's a bit of a plus I guess.

I doubt they will see it as a major need in the off-season. Bengals will allow/hope the kids (Wilson & ADG) grow into it.

(12-08-2020, 03:04 PM)masonbengals fan Wrote: I doubt they will see it as a major need in the off-season. Bengals will allow/hope the kids (Wilson & ADG) grow into it.

I think it is an issue of priorities.

Even if they are not that impressed with our current LBs we seem to have a lot more urgent needs at other key positions.

And if you are going to rebuild with draft picks you can't give up on them after just one year.

Again this is a scheme problem. Lou's weird schemes result in constant confusion and players being always out of position. His "hybrid" basically sets everyone up to fail.

I think overall this crop of LBs is very green.
All but one are on rookie contracts.
And the only veteran just came in this offseason and is a journeyman backup.
The ones on rookie contracts are 3rd round picks or later.

What the Bengals probably really need:
- A better defensive scheme
- 1-2 high draft picks (rds 1-2) or proven veterans. I know just because you pick a LB in Rd 1 or 2 won't automatically make them better than what the Bengals have, but the likelihood of getting a good player should increase the earlier in the draft because the player pool is bigger. Some guys I like are Micah Parsons, Dylan Moses, and Nick Bolton. Also would love Matt Milano from BUF if looking at FA.

(12-08-2020, 03:04 PM)masonbengals fan Wrote: I doubt they will see it as a major need in the off-season. Bengals will allow/hope the kids (Wilson & ADG) grow into it.

Basically half of our starters on the roster look like they need replaced. That has to be on coaching/scheme.

Has the D been that bad?

It's gone under the radar but since ditching Dunlap they've kept the opposition to 20 or under in four of their five games. I don't think it's been the strongest opposition but as it stands only one of those teams isn't in the play-offs.

For a D missing the two biggest Free Agents acquisitions in franchise history, lacking any real pass rush and with, since Burrow's injury, an insipid offense unable to move the ball giving them bad field position, they've somehow managed to keep their heads above water. There's a possibility they may not be awful.

Germain Pratt has been a disappointment and I think it’s too early to tell on the ones we drafted last year.

I’m also going to blame the DC and Linebackers coach, they don’t help the situation.

(12-08-2020, 05:24 PM)corpjet Wrote: Germain Pratt has been a disappointment and I think it’s too early to tell on the ones we drafted last year.

Pratt has not made many big plays, but I don't think he is a "disappointment".  

He does not blitz a lot so he is not going to get many sacks.

In pass coverage he only allows 6.6 yards per target which is a pretty good number.

He only plays about 60% of the snaps so he won't put up big tackle number, but when he is on the field he is pretty effective.  For example Vonn Bell is the only player with more tackles on first down.

(12-08-2020, 02:01 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yeah...hard to evaluate. I'm not really a fan of Bynes. They young guys? Wilson has some splash plays from time to time.

The defensive line is so bad, that I'm not sure the Steelers LB's would look great behind it.

Bynes most important role is as a teacher and mentor to all the young guys.  When they have been interviewed the youngster sing his praises.  I'd like to see him move into a role as a true backup and keep him around for his lockerroom and meeting room presence if possible

I like the LBers we have and I think Wilson can be a top 10 Off LB in this league.

1.) LB will always be the hardest to grade from a non-coaching standpoint because we don’t know the responsibilities and it isn’t as apparent as say DE.

2.) I’ve been complaining about Lou Anarumo’s scheme for two years - it’s flawed and gets consistently carved up the same way. Run heavy teams like the Browns and Ravens have an advantage even with Reader on the field - we spent the majority of FA to stop the run and nothing changed.

3.) Lou talked about running a base nickel last year - not a smart idea.

My opinion, drafting and FA have proven we are actively trying to become a better defense (I am actually impressed with the LB so far). But I think Lou is trying to be too pretty on defense - a base 4-3 would be my choice. I question if a standard defense from 10 years ago would still work - it’s possible that today’s defenses are overfit to modern offenses.