10-21-2022, 02:16 PM
(10-21-2022, 12:31 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: I do understand your position, and agree with parts of it. I will still contend that if Mixon were cut today, pushing Perine into the starting spot, the overall production would largely be the same. Now, part of what I prefer is that Perine not be a feature back but part of a committee. I don't want a feature back - run Perine, Evans and ??? out there. Or, remove Perine and run another ??? out there. I don't care. The Bengals do not have elite talent in their RB room currently and can get this production elsewhere.
It's impossible to know whether "production would be the same." The top two backups are Perine (3D) and Evans (change of pace). Neither has assumed even a by-committee workload since the past FIFA World Cup of Soccer (Evans, 2018- it was so long ago that he spent a year as a dishwasher/carpenter/janitor in the meantime). That is an enormous jump. Mixon is gobbling up 70-80% of NFL snaps today where teams game-plan for him specifically.
For his part, Perine's "production" comes with the largest asterisk known to man. Don't take it the wrong way but I am so tired of fans thinking 3D stats can be extrapolated into anything more than what they are. Perine eats the clock for eight carries behind 12 and 13 personnel against the Jets and now our captain has no value-add? Bollocks. Who's to say Mixon wouldn't have done the same? Then we get this complaint driven around his "vision"- where did this come from? More importantly, are we saying that Perine has superior "vision"?! We're just making things up as we go along lol
As for blocking, that's sort of Perine's job. He'll come in on third and long. If he's not going to get the ball in the flat or on a screen, he's there for pass pro. He can focus on that niche like Gio did. What's more, he fails too. He misread a blitz in the 4th quarter at NO that didn't get noticed only because Burrow got away.
I'm all for new ideas. But I stop short of thinking we know better. Be careful what you wish for. If the guys were more useful they'd be on the field. The Bengals are not paying Mixon $10 million and Perine $1.5 by accident. They are both known commodities and valued accordingly.
