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Upon Further Review. - TKUHL - 05-01-2017
OK, So ive been kinda bummed out about some of the picks and the way the draft went so I decided it is what it is. I put preferences aside, started over with an open mind to see what we got. Well I must admit, We got FAST. I found this article and it made me a little more excited about this coming season. At the end I was really surprised to that these words came from Marvin's mouth
“It is a lot of competition, and hopefully it opens some eyes,” Lewis said. “It’s good, because no place should be guaranteed. It gives us an opportunity to push to get better. We will get better with speed, playmaking, athleticism.”
Does anyone think Marvin, Zampese and Guenther will know how to use this speed we have. What would you change or do more of this season than we did last season to get the most out of these players. I know all picks wont be playing but I can see half of this draft class getting reps. Of course some more than others. Anyway here's the article. im going to look at the types of fields we play on this season. Turf/Grass etc.
One of the oldest clichés in the aftermath of any draft involves referring to the team getting younger and faster. Every year, those two almost impossible to avoid characteristics attach to a team’s draft analysis.
This year the Bengals got faster. Only, this was not a cliché. This was a referendum.
This is not coming up with a nondescript way to encapsulate the class. By the numbers, the Bengals procured one of the fastest draft classes in the NFL and used it to power what will be the most dramatic roster influx of young talent since the Andy Dalton-A.J. Green reboot in 2011.
The tone set with the first pick and never relented. John Ross broke the NFL Combine 40-yard dash land speed record at 4.22 and enters as the clubhouse leader for fastest man in the NFL.
Among all 11 Bengals picks, Ross ran the fastest overall 40 time, third-round pick Jordan Willis ranked first among defensive lineman and third in the 20-yard shuttle. Fourth-round pick Carl Lawson ranked first among defensive lineman in the shuttle and top 10 in the 40.
Josh Malone ranked third among all receivers with his 4.4 time. Sixth-round pick Jordan Evans would have ranked the fastest linebacker at the Combine had he not been snubbed. Fellow sixth-round pick Brandon Wilson was kept out of the Combine as well, but his 4.36 40 would have ranked third overall.
You learn oodles about how a team truly views its roster during the draft and exponentially so with a whopping 11 picks to tip their hand. The Bengals confirmed what was apparent on the road to 6-9-1, they were no longer fast enough to keep up with the evolving NFL game.
“I don’t know if (speed) was No. 1, but it was a big part of our earlier plan,” Lewis said. “It was important to do. These guys both fit us as position players, and also with their physical measurables. That worked well. That’s part of it with today’s NFL; we measure speed every day on the field. We have to make sure we feel good about it.”
Previous seasons featured a smattering of the fastest at positions. William Jackson ran a 4.37 last year. Seventh-round pick from 2015 Mario Alford posted one of the fastest times of the draft at his pro day. Cornerback Josh Shaw ranked in the top five at his position in 2015. Other speed superlatives are few and far between.
The 40-yard dash certainly doesn’t serve as the ultimate test of speed and doesn’t necessarily project production. In the case of this year’s speed onslaught, however, it does quantify the obvious objective.
“I thought as a defense we needed to get faster at all three levels,” defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “Hopefully, not only does it help us get faster with the guys we selected, but it keeps our older guys fresh and able to go, and maybe take some snaps off those guys. It will be interesting to see, particularly in the front, how we weave these guys in with our group.”
Director of player personnel Duke Tobin and staff didn’t just list everyone’s 40 times and start making picks. That’s one of the primary differences between speed picks this year and many of those from previous seasons. These weren’t late-round projects who only had speed and must be taught the rest. They arrive with significant production due to the blazing times.
Ross caught 17 touchdowns, tied for second in Pac-12 history.
Mixon used his 4.45 speed to not only score 15 offensive touchdowns, but six of them covered 40-plus yards.
Willis racked up a school record 11.5 sacks last year at Kansas State, Lawson added nine for Auburn.
Malone averaged 19.4 yards per reception, breaking Robert Meachem’s Tennessee record for yards per reception in a season (minimum 50 receptions).
Evans not only picked off four passes, but was able to convert two of those into touchdowns.
“I think that’s most important for us,” Lewis said. “The production has to match up with the timed speed. That’s the hardest part. We don’t play football in shorts. We’ve elevated the Combine to such a big, huge deal, and that’s just one part of the puzzle and a confirmation of things. The tape matters so much.”
Tape from four preseason games will now determine who stays and goes in what sets up to be one of the most unpredictable training camps in recent memory. You'll see the arrival of Jackson III and Andrew Billings, both draft picks who didn’t play last year due to injury, along with twice injured defensive lineman Marcus Hardison (fourth round, 2015). Then roll in 11 picks this year as well as the inevitable couple undrafted free agents in the mix for spots and you have potentially about a quarter of the roster having never played an NFL game before.
The spread and speed college game continues to filter up to the pros and the Bengals reacted as aggressively to the trend this year as any.
That means a message to veterans this weekend was delivered in a hurry: Adapt or be left in the dust.
“It is a lot of competition, and hopefully it opens some eyes,” Lewis said. “It’s good, because no place should be guaranteed. It gives us an opportunity to push to get better. We will get better with speed, playmaking, athleticism.”
RE: Upon Further Review. - yellowxdiscipline - 05-02-2017
If Zampese can't put together a top 5 offense with that roster, then he has no business coaching in the NFL
RE: Upon Further Review. - PDub80 - 05-02-2017
(05-02-2017, 08:04 AM)yellowxdiscipline Wrote: If Zampese can't put together a top 5 offense with that roster, then he has no business coaching in the NFL
I didn't care for the offensive play calling last season in several categories. Too many of the previous season's goofy/gimmick formations that ran the same play. Opponents had this figured out from having plenty of tape to go off of. And I thought the redzone playcalls and execution was just pitiful. I'm not sure if it was Zampese or Lewis' fingerprints on that. My knee jerk reaction is that it was Marvin taking back the reigns after Hue was allowed to do his thing. We will never know.
Also, no one is more excited by this draft class than I am. I love every single pick and graded the draft as a whole body of work as an A+, but I don't see a lot of these rookies coming in and just overtaking the vets on the roster this season. The Bengals are too talented, still young, and the coaches (generally speaking) make rookies earn it the long way.
Looking forward to it, though!
RE: Upon Further Review. - Sled21 - 05-02-2017
Paulie has to be salivating thinking of the blitzing he can call up.....
RE: Upon Further Review. - TKUHL - 05-02-2017
Just curious how much of the play book gets changed/tweaked if any at all when we lose an important player like Zeitler and Whit. Especially when you lose that player to a division foe like Cleveland.
RE: Upon Further Review. - grampahol - 05-02-2017
If they can really open up the running game with both Hill and Mixon in the fold it'll definitely open up the passing game. If teams are forced to stack up against the run to account for Mixon and Hill they're picking their poison against AJ and Ross. Unfortunately we're limited to 11 players on any given play because I'd hate to have to face AJ, Ross, Eifert, Mixon and Hill and tack on Boyde.. It's going to be formidable..