Lou speaks on the state of the defense

[SunsetBengal]

(12-28-2023, 01:48 PM)samhain Wrote: Also wanna say, I think many of us really underestimated the loss of Bates.  Some posters, myself included, expected significant impact, but not anything like this.  My thinking was that there were enough other talented players on the defense that the loss could be sufficiently mitigated.  I think this particular perspective really failed to realize how big of a role he played here.  

People get into the concept of premium positions and where a team should or shouldn't shell out money.  Obviously our bread and butter is in offensive skill guys.  Obviously they needed to plug holes in the gushing dam that was the OL due to horrid talent eval and subsequent drafting.  Even so, a team needs to be able to identify it's key guys.  They've survived stretches without Reader, Hubbard, Wilson, Awuzie, etc.  They've absolutely cratered without Bates.  

I get that it's all but a given that this team doesn't want to pay a safety huge money, but if that particular safety is holding the defense together, then who cares?  You could argue that having that caliber of safety back there allowed them to get by with running the Eli Apples of the world out there for near full seasons.  It allowed CTB to get on the job training and not hurt the team significantly.  That's worth the price if you ask me when a player breaks the bank but allows you to skimp at multiple other spots.

I think our FO does a good job more often than not in the Taylor Burrow era, but this was a rare example of malpractice.  Everyone's view of Bates was shaded by his negotiations and hyper aggressive agent Mulgheta.  The lack of INTs also played a part.  It's unfortunate, but someone in the FO should have recognized the potential weight of his absence and ponied up.  Bates was super dependable in the regular season and a monster in the postseason. Hell, there was a time a few years ago where he was just about the only guy on the team worth paying any guaranteed money.  He was a cornerstone Taylor guy from the start.  Should have locked him up long term then instead of playing the tag game until the clock ran out.

Just like Coach Lou predicted, it indeed has been a dark day for the Bengal defense after Bates and Bell both left the building.  

Personally, I like a team that invests heavily into their Safety position, both in draft capital and cash when necessary.  I buy into the logic that if you build your defense to be strong up the middle, you're going to have it easier as teams are forced to 'feather the edges' to make their gains.  Investing heavily in DT, LB and S can and does effectively 'shut down' the middle of the field weather it be rushing or passing.  Having not one, but a pair of DTs that require double team attention absolutely allows average players to get numbers on the edges, not to mention how much more efficient your LBs will be in filling gaps in the run and being free to cover the underneath zone in the pass.  Just like having a strong set of Safeties, like the Bengals did with Bell and Bates definitely allowed the team to save money at CB, as well as you mentioned allowing for valuable developmental time for CTB.

I get that the team has to manage a cap, and that premium positions cost a lot of money.  However, if your team building philosophy emphasizes for example, elite play at the Safety position over CB, then you've already offset the cost as elite CBs cost more than elite Safeties.  I haven't checked the comparison lately, but I feel like it's about a push as to cost efficiency in going elite at DT over Edge.