Bengal TE strategy

[fredtoast]

The following post is a compilation of different comments and stats from ProFootballOutsiders.

Taylor has a specific offensive scheme that he likes to employ. Last year no team in the league used 3+ WR more often than the Bengals, and only one team used multiple RBs less often. So it will be interesting to see how Taylor uses his TEs in the 2020 "Burrow Offense". At LSU Burrow threw over half his passes to slot receivers, but in the LSU offense that included TE Thaddeus Moss.

Last year Eifert had 64 targets while Uzomah had 40. While they were both listed as "TE", they were used in completely opposite manners. Seventy-five percent of Eifert's targets came when he was lined up in the slot or out wide. That was the 4th HIGHEST percentage among all TEs in the league (min 25 targets). On the other had only 15% of Uzomah's targets came when he was slot/wide and that was the 5th LOWEST rate among all TEs in the league.

So even though Eifert played almost half of the offensive snaps last year (491) he was mainly a slot receiver or even a WR. Uzomah played 644 snaps, but he was much more of a traditional TE. So how will Taylor replace the snaps that Eifert had? Since Burrow loves to look at the slot/TE so often I wonder if we will just use an extra WR instead of Eifert. Or will Uzomah get more snaps lining up in the slot or out wide. Or will Sample get the snaps when the TE moves out to the slot/wide position?

Thoughts?

[TJHoushmandzadeh's Shiny Shoes]

Auden Tate seems a likely replacement for Eifert - not as a TE but as the big WR that Eifert was often used as.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(07-29-2020, 03:15 PM)TJHoushmandzadehs Shiny Shoes Wrote: Auden Tate seems a likely replacement for Eifert - not as a TE but as the big WR that Eifert was often used as.

Not a bad idea. Or even Higgins. I think Higgins will be the 3rd WR. Whether they use him in the slot or outside with Boyd in the slot I’m not sure.

Does Taylor’s offense feature a TE, FB, or H back if they use 3 WRs?

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(07-29-2020, 02:48 PM)fredtoast Wrote: The following post is a compilation of different comments and stats from ProFootballOutsiders.

Taylor has a specific offensive scheme that he likes to employ.  Last year no team in the league used 3+ WR more often than the Bengals, and only one team used multiple RBs less often.  So it will be interesting to see how Taylor uses his TEs in the 2020 "Burrow Offense".  At LSU Burrow threw over half his passes to slot receivers, but in the LSU offense that included TE Thaddeus Moss.

Last year Eifert had 64 targets while Uzomah had 40.  While they were both listed as "TE", they were used in completely opposite manners.  Seventy-five percent of Eifert's targets came when he was lined up in the slot or out wide.  That was the 4th HIGHEST percentage among all TEs in the league (min 25 targets).  On the other had only 15% of Uzomah's targets came when he was slot/wide and that was the 5th LOWEST rate among all TEs in the league.

So even though Eifert played almost half of the offensive snaps last year (491) he was mainly a slot receiver or even a WR.  Uzomah played 644 snaps, but he was much more of a traditional TE.  So how will Taylor replace the snaps that Eifert had?  Since Burrow loves to look at the slot/TE so often I wonder if we will just use an extra WR instead of Eifert.  Or will Uzomah get more snaps lining up in the slot or out wide.  Or will Sample get the snaps when the TE moves out to the slot/wide position?

Thoughts?

Nice thread Fred. It was a bit peculiar to me that with the injuries to AJ and Ross that we didn't use the TE's and RB's more in 
the passing game instead of going about it the way Taylor did. I suspect since Taylor used a 2nd round pick on Sample that he 
will be used more, much more this year. Especially with Burrow, as you say, he likes to throw to the Slot Receiver, TE's and RB's
much more than what we have been used to. I have found it to be a tragedy in the way we don't use Mixon in the passing game.

Bottom line is we need to adapt to more of that LSU/Saints type of Offense with Burrow which uses the TE and RB much more 
in the passing game. Much more shotgun and running it out of the shotgun.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

The Sample pick just gets curiouser and curiouser.

[fredtoast]

(07-29-2020, 03:15 PM)TJHoushmandzadeh Wrote: Auden Tate seems a likely replacement for Eifert - not as a TE but as the big WR that Eifert was often used as.

If we use a 4th WR size does not matter.

With a TE on the field the opposing defense still has to be prepared for him to line up as a TE.  They would not do that with Tate.  He may be a big WR but he is nothing like a TE.

However some people think Tate is our 4th best WR anyway.

[BrownAssClown]

Shame we didn't resign Eifert, would like to see him and Burrow on the field together. Maybe make Ross the slot receiver like T.J. Houshmandzadeh used to be?

[lone bengal]

Think it’s more about each teams specific personnel as to why they utilize certain positions like the slot more and run specific formations. For instance Burrow probably threw more to the slot and TE at LSU because Moss and Jefferson the WR who played the slot were LSU’s best offensive players. We have a great slot WR in Boyd for Burrow to go to and when you have Green ,Higgins and Ross as weapons your TE will more than likely be a 3rd or 4th option. Taylor came form the Rams who probably ran 3 WR sets because they had 3 good WR’s in Kupp, Woods and Cooks. When Taylor 1st took over I think he envisioned 3 WR sets with Green, Ross and Boyd before all the injuries. I think we’ll be fine running 3 WR sets because we’re pretty stacked there with Green, Boyd, Ross and Higgins. I think we just need Sample and and Uzomah to be serviceable, block and catch when thrown to.

[fredtoast]

(07-29-2020, 03:49 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: The Sample pick just gets curiouser and curiouser.

It seems pretty clear that the Bengal knew they would not be bring Eifert back.  He stayed healthy for 16 games for the first time in his career and we still did not re-sign him.

[*Synric*]

(07-29-2020, 03:49 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: The Sample pick just gets curiouser and curiouser.

Even if 11 personnel dominant they still run a fair share of 12 and 21. Plus they needed a guy to replace Eifert and talented enough to push a mediocre CJ Uzomah.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(07-29-2020, 03:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: It seems pretty clear that the Bengal knew they would not be bring Eifert back.  He stayed healthy for 16 games for the first time in his career and we still did not re-sign him.

Yeah, but in the 2nd round?

[BrownAssClown]

(07-29-2020, 03:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: It seems pretty clear that the Bengal knew they would not be bring Eifert back.  He stayed healthy for 16 games for the first time in his career and we still did not re-sign him.

I thought Sample was drafted to be a blocking TE, not necessarily for his receiving capabilities. I think when they extended Uzomah, he was the future Receiving TE.

[fredtoast]

(07-29-2020, 03:58 PM)Synric Wrote: Even if 11 personnel dominant they still run a fair share of 12 and 21. 

We almost never ran a 21.  Only one percent of the time.  31st in the league.

We used a 12 scheme 17% of the time.  I don't know where that ranks among the other teams, but it is a significant amount.  So wee need two decent TEs.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(07-29-2020, 03:57 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: Shame we didn't resign Eifert, would like to see him and Burrow on the field together. Maybe make Ross the slot receiver like T.J. Houshmandzadeh used to be?

Nah, that is Boyd all the way.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(07-29-2020, 04:06 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: I thought Sample was drafted to be a blocking TE, not necessarily for his receiving capabilities. I think when they extended Uzomah, he was the future Receiving TE.

Sample catches pretty much everything thrown to him though, just think he needs to get crisper on his routes and most of 
all, stay healthy. Hard to judge him from last year when he didn't get many snaps and got hurt. 

Uzi might be a decent receiving TE if we used him that way, we just haven't much which perplexes me.

Both these guys have the size and athleticism to be good. Heck, is Schreck on the team still?

[*pally*]

(07-29-2020, 03:57 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: Shame we didn't resign Eifert, would like to see him and Burrow on the field together. Maybe make Ross the slot receiver like T.J. Houshmandzadeh used to be?

John Ross does not have the physicality for that position.  It is not even close.  Slot takes away his speed which is supposed to be his biggest weapon

[fredtoast]

(07-29-2020, 04:06 PM)BrownAssClown Wrote: I thought Sample was drafted to be a blocking TE, not necessarily for his receiving capabilities. I think when they extended Uzomah, he was the future Receiving TE.

It is possible that Uzo does take over Eifert's role in the slot or wide while Sample becomes the guy who more often  stays lined up in the traditional TE position.

Sample is not some lumbering lug.  He had decent results in speed and agility drills.

[fredtoast]

(07-29-2020, 04:01 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Yeah, but in the 2nd round?

We have no idea how other NFL teams had him ranked.  If we had not taken him in the second round some other team might have.

I remember that many of the guys who yelled the loudest about us taking Sample in the second wanted us to take Mack Wilson in the second or third and he lasted to the fifth round.

When a team picks a player higher that the "experts" have him rated everyone bashes the team for "reaching", but when when a player gets drafted a few rounds later than the "experts" had him rated no one claims that all 32 NFL teams were wrong.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(07-29-2020, 04:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: We have no idea how other NFL teams had him ranked.  If we had not taken him in the second round some other team might have.

I remember that many of the guys who yelled the loudest about us taking Sample in the second wanted us to take Mack Wilson in the second or third and he lasted to the fifth round.

When a team picks a player higher that the "experts" have him rated everyone bashes the team for "reaching", but when when a player gets drafted a few rounds later than the "experts" had him rated no one claims that all 32 NFL teams were wrong.

When I read your OP the first thing that came to mind was how the Saints used Jimmy Graham. I’m not saying Sample can’t do it, but from the scouting reports that doesn’t seem like a good fit for him. He seems like more of a traditional person inline TE. But, the traditional inline TE doesn’t seem to be what Taylor is looking for. Or is it? That’s why I asked about Taylor’s use of a TE, FB, or H back.

[lone bengal]

(07-29-2020, 04:43 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Nah, that is Boyd all the way.

Yup were good in the slot Boyd is a stud in there. As far as TE we just need solid play we should have enough fire power with Green, Boyd, Higgins, Ross and Mixion, I'm more worried about the offensive line.