(10-10-2022, 06:55 PM)PhilHos Wrote: Good news! We don't have to play the Bengals this year!

(10-10-2022, 03:33 PM)JaggedJimmyJay Wrote: You know that team that has hosted four AFC Championship games in a row? The same one our Bengals beat twice last season? Let's take a look at how their 2021 season started:

Beat Cleveland by 4 (1-0)
Lost to Baltimore by 1 (1-1)
Lost to LAC by 6 (1-2)
Beat Philadelphia by 12 (2-2)
Lost to Buffalo by 18 (2-3)
Beat Washington by 18 (3-3)
Lost to Tennessee by 24 (3-4)

They opened 2-3, and two of those losses were very close.

How about all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes in those first five games? He threw six interceptions. The Chiefs very publicly struggled through the first half of 2021 as defenses played with two safeties deep to force Mahomes to be patient and sustain long, methodical drives. It led to him making mistakes at an inordinate rate, and they were very slow to get out of that funk, even with Hall of Fame offensive mastermind head coach Andy Reid in command. Eventually they did (they won every other game not listed above apart from their two games against the Bengals). Hell, even as the Chiefs started winning, Mahomes himself was still struggling throughout the middle portion of the season against cover two. He finished with seven overall games under 7 yards per pass attempt.

There are clearly parallels here. How about another one?

~ They opened 2021 with three new starters on the offensive line (Thuney, Humphrey, and Brown) after their previous unit got pushed around in the Super Bowl.

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This isn't all to say that the 2022 Bengals are the 2021 Chiefs. But they sure as hell can be. These Bengals are also much better on defense than those Chiefs were. My point is that the struggles the Bengals have had so far this year should look familiar, because a team with a very similar build to ours (excellent quarterback with a million weapons, an offensive head coach, a defense with questionable pass rush but strong fundamentals, etc) just went through a lot of the same problems and still found themselves.

Indeed, I think the Bengals problems on offense are symptomatic of larger trends league-wide: scoring is down in general. Defense has been ahead of offense across the NFL for the first five weeks. There are exceptions here and there, but this is the trend. It's very easy to look at our arsenal of offensive talent and scream WTF, but it seems to me that the Bengals are not alone in this struggle (and neither is Zac Taylor). Their chances this season will likely depend on their ability to break free from the malaise faster than most other teams manage, and their willingness to follow the blueprint laid before them by the Chiefs.

(10-10-2022, 03:41 PM)Wyche Wrote: Yes, but in another part of that post, he pointed to 3 new olinemen to start the year for KC. 

(10-14-2022, 09:48 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I referred to the Chiefs of 2021 in another post, but without as much detail.  Nice post.

I think it also illustrates a similar path in QB development.  Mahomes was very frustrated with teams taking away deep plays and he kept trying to force the issue.  When he got the RB involved in the passing game more (they have a guy more like Evans than Mixon) as well as shallow crossers to his WRs while Kelce and Hill took the proverbial top off the defense, it all started to click.  

One big difference, Andy Reid is the KING of misdirection, play-action, and motion.  We have Burrow stand on one place FAR too often and it makes him a sitting duck for pass rushers.  

Hoping it all gets turned around this weekend and they can go on a nice run and start playing like they are having fun again.  

(10-10-2022, 03:45 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: calm down, Francis. I admitted I was wrong

tell you what though, Collins doesnt look good at all

(10-10-2022, 03:58 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: The Chiefs have Andy Reid.

(10-10-2022, 04:03 PM)Whacked Wrote: OP:  They have a totally different coach though.

*Edit - someone beat me to it lol

(10-10-2022, 04:11 PM)JaggedJimmyJay Wrote: One player that I think would excel working underneath against cover two spam is Trent Taylor. I don't think he'll get the opportunities, but if he did I would expect good things. Tyler Boyd is getting those opportunities, and unfortunately it hasn't been panning out yet -- even with Burrow increasingly willing to check it down lately.

(10-14-2022, 09:55 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Obvious truth, but a good point.  I will also point out that last year, Anarumo got the best of him....twice.  

(10-10-2022, 08:14 PM)JaggedJimmyJay Wrote: What I am saying, that I probably haven't communicated clearly enough, is this:

We know that Andy Reid faced this cover two problem last year with an absolutely loaded offensive roster. About 9-10 games into the season, the Chiefs seemed to settle into a rhythm and ended up third in the league in total yards when the season ended.

We also know that Zac Taylor faces a similar problem right now with a similarly loaded offensive roster. Through 5 games, we have seen inconsistent signs of improvement, but it looked bad last night.

We don't know yet whether the Zac Taylor offense will manage to turn it around like Andy Reid and the Chiefs did. Just predicting they *won't* on the basis of "Zac Taylor" strikes me as incredibly pessimistic and even unrealistic given the talent on the roster. Even an all-time great coach had trouble with this, and it took him longer than five games to get it sorted. We won't know whether Zac Taylor is the world's biggest doofus (or at least less successful than Andy Reid in solving this particular issue) until he has had at least as much time as Andy Reid had. It just so happens that the schedule will be softer for a while, so the opportunity for stacking wins is ripe for the taking.

I don't know if they'll do it, but I think it's plenty realistic that they can do it. We'll see. If after 10 games the offense is still stinking up the place and the team is sputtering around under .500, then by all means. Hurl those pitchforks.

(10-14-2022, 09:52 AM)higgy100 Wrote: Agree here. Never could understand not getting Burrow out on the edge more to buy a little more time. It also shortens throwing lanes and also not as many batted balls by the DL.

(10-14-2022, 01:45 AM)SladeX Wrote: And yet Zac Taylor beat us last game….

(10-14-2022, 10:00 AM)higgy100 Wrote: Yep and Andy Reid looked like our current version of Zac Taylor for both of those 2nd half goose eggs. Where was the outcry that Reid should give up play-calling duties or share those? Reid isn't getting paid huge $$ to beat the Texans in week 4 by 20 points. He's like Ryan Day or Nick Saban as it's all about getting into the playoffs and advancing to the top prize.

(10-14-2022, 10:08 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Yep.  Someone charted Burrow's dropbacks in one game (not sure if it was Baltimore) and it showed something like all but two (so around 95%) had him at the same depth behind the line, and right in the middle.  When you only have to aim for one spot as a pass rusher, it makes your job easier.  Less read and react, and too much just teeing off.  

(10-14-2022, 10:16 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I've been wondering the same thing myself ? Why don't they do more rollouts? Why doesn't he shuffle left and right more? He's shown the ability to move in the pocket and throw on the run very well in the past.

But it seems at times during games they're/he's just determined to do a 5 step drop or stay cemented in the shotgun to the center of the pocket. Like you say an easy target point.

I hope they get the offense figured out against the Saints. It's torture to set and watch them struggle like the dickens when we know they're so much more.

(10-10-2022, 06:55 PM)PhilHos Wrote: Good news! We don't have to play the Bengals this year!

(10-14-2022, 10:16 AM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I've been wondering the same thing myself ? Why don't they do more rollouts? Why doesn't he shuffle left and right more? He's shown the ability to move in the pocket and throw on the run very well in the past.

But it seems at times during games they're/he's just determined to do a 5 step drop or stay cemented in the shotgun to the center of the pocket. Like you say an easy target point.

I hope they get the offense figured out against the Saints. It's torture to set and watch them struggle like the dickens when we know they're so much more.

(10-14-2022, 10:11 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I am not positive, but I think Bienemy calls the plays, FWIW.  But I get your point.