(01-02-2017, 11:48 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I tend to agree with your overall analysis of the situation.  I also like your mention of Dalvin Cook.  He is a true, all purpose back.  He is fast, agile, has good hands, as well as enough ass to handle running between the Tackles.

(01-02-2017, 02:29 PM)Whacked Wrote: Curiously - was REX's YPC avg?

(01-02-2017, 02:29 PM)Whacked Wrote: Curiously - was REX's YPC avg?

(01-02-2017, 02:22 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Your post reads like a brochure trying to sell Cook.

Call me stubborn, but I'm not convinced Hill is as much a part of the problem as you let on. For one, his YPC was dragged down severely by playing these last few games hurt before they finally shut him down. Earlier in the season - even outside of the Cleveland games - his YPC was nearly identical to Gio's, and either way you want to slice it...Gio's YPC was bad.

Once again, we finished 20th or worse in YPC, which has happened every year from 2006-present outside of Hill's rookie season. So this isn't just a one year thing. It's a decade long problem. I couldn't care less about Hill anymore. Go ahead and replace him, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see a Fournette or a Cook get labeled a bust in this system with this blocking.

(01-02-2017, 02:47 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: His was 4.6...easily better than Hill's or Gio's, but keep in mind that (a) he was totally fresh late in the season and (b) small sample size. He earned a shot at a bigger role, but if you give Burkhead 200 carries, I'd be willing to bet that his YPC would come tumbling down. Just as everyone else's has over the last decade. You might see some small spurts of quality running/blocking (BJGE in '12, Hill in '14, Rex in '16), but they've all wound up being anomalies.

Does anyone here really believe Rex is better than Gio?

(01-02-2017, 02:54 PM)J24 Wrote: The problem is with the system not Hill. He is a north south runner that needs a full back. It's like if we had Jim Brown and Barry Sanders on the same team and asked both of them to run the same style of offense then wonder why one of them is struggling.

(01-02-2017, 02:22 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Once again, we finished 20th or worse in YPC, which has happened every year from 2006-present outside of Hill's rookie season. So this isn't just a one year thing. It's a decade long problem. I couldn't care less about Hill anymore. Go ahead and replace him, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see a Fournette or a Cook get labeled a bust in this system with this blocking.

(01-02-2017, 02:47 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: His was 4.6...easily better than Hill's or Gio's, but keep in mind that (a) he was totally fresh late in the season and (b) small sample size. He earned a shot at a bigger role, but if you give Burkhead 200 carries, I'd be willing to bet that his YPC would come tumbling down. Just as everyone else's has over the last decade. You might see some small spurts of quality running/blocking (BJGE in '12, Hill in '14, Rex in '16), but they've all wound up being anomalies.

Does anyone here really believe Rex is better than Gio?

(01-02-2017, 11:39 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I thought this might be a fun way to address off-season needs and the draft by analyzing the position groups one-by-one.  I don't want to do one every day, so I will give a few days for this subject (RB) and once it appears to be a dead thread I will start a new position group.

Here goes the first one:  I choose RB because it should be fresh in everyone's mind what we just saw out of Rex.  

I look at the Bengals current stock of running backs (Hill, Gio, Rex, Peerman...Tra Carson, last game PS acquistion) and I immediately question why in the hell the Bengals running game is so poor.  Before everyone begins shouting obscenities at Ogbuehi and Bodine, I think it is much more than just that.  

Sure, the lack of good blocking on the offensive line was a contributing factor, but it is only a piece of the puzzle.  I look at the RBs and I see two players with a similar skill set, a special teamer, and Hill.  Hill stands out because he is a "bigger back" and should be able to hit the hold hard and get the tough yards on third and two, but he simply isn't that player.  He has seemingly lost his burst and before anyone quotes the YPC for Hill and Gio being similar, if you take away the performances against Cleveland where I think any of the RBs could have had a field day, Hill likely averaged under 3 YPC.  That is just awful.

Hill is also not a very good route runner, unlike Gio and Rex.  Hill also struggles in picking up the blitz.

This isn't meant to be a 'Hill-bashing" post, but here is what I am trying to illustrate and here is my solution:  When Hill is on the field, it is usually going to be as a rushing threat.  Much more than as a receiver.  The defense knows that.  With Gio and Rex, they can be either a rush threat or a significant downfield receiving threat.  That predictability can be solved by replacing Hill with another back similar to Gio and Rex.  Rotate all three of them to keep them fresh, and the playbook should not be limited when those three would be in the game.  Peerman is obviously just special teams (and a damn good one at that) but he doesn't enter game plan discussions as a RB.  One other way to help with the offensive line issues with players already on the roster is more utilization of two TE sets, where one TE can stay in to help block, but must be accounted for as a potential receiving target.  A healthy Uzomah, Croft, and Eifert could all be very effective used in this role.  

If the big 3 of DEs are gone by selection #9.  Should the Bengals draft Delvin Cook?  

Remember, the running game is probably the Bengals single greatest weakness.  This would solve it essentially overnight.  

Furthermore, I like the idea of getting Rex and even Gio some snaps at WR when Cook would be on the field.  It just creates more mismatches against LBs.  

Thoughts?

(01-02-2017, 05:44 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: Another way to say this is that Hill doesn't fit our system.