12-03-2024, 01:18 PM
It is a "perfect" combination of the following:
1) Bad Drafts:
-2021: Ossai (3), Sample (4), Shelvin (4), Hubert (7)
-2022: Hill (1), CTB (2), Carter (3), Anderson (5)
-2023: Murphy (1), Turner (2), Battle (3), Ivey (7)
-2024: Jenkins (2), Jackson (3), Newton (5), Johnson (6), Anthony (7)
Not a single difference maker drafted drafted over the past 4 drafts despite using 2x 1st round picks and 3x 2nd round picks. We're not even getting any solid production. Maybe Jenkins. Maybe Hill and Turner were looking ok before injury. Murphy can't see the field. Everyone seems to have regressed. Tobin constantly not drafting value. The fact that a couple guys in their basement as a side job (Locked On crew/Goodberry/Sans) can assess these guys WAY better than Tobin is wild.
2) Bad Front Office management/Bad Free Agents:
We all know we let Bates walk thinking that was too much for safety and drafting his replacement in Hill. We then let Reader walk due to concerns of age/injury. We replaced with Stone, Bell, and Rankins who have been horrendous. These are all downgrades to a defense that wasn't really good to begin with (See #3).
3) Coaching:
Defense was never really "good" under Lou. Here is how the defense ranks in yds/g over the past 4 years. Even the best year was still average.
-2021: 18th
-2022: 16th
-2023: 31st
-2024: 27th
4) Age/Injury:
Hubbard, Pratt, Hilton all seem slow and stiff. Sample injury. How bad must the young guys be to not be able to see the field is staggering, which goes back to #1.
To summarize, BAD drafting + BAD free agents + BAD Coaching + Injury/Age = the disaster known as the 2024 Bengals Defense.
1) Bad Drafts:
-2021: Ossai (3), Sample (4), Shelvin (4), Hubert (7)
-2022: Hill (1), CTB (2), Carter (3), Anderson (5)
-2023: Murphy (1), Turner (2), Battle (3), Ivey (7)
-2024: Jenkins (2), Jackson (3), Newton (5), Johnson (6), Anthony (7)
Not a single difference maker drafted drafted over the past 4 drafts despite using 2x 1st round picks and 3x 2nd round picks. We're not even getting any solid production. Maybe Jenkins. Maybe Hill and Turner were looking ok before injury. Murphy can't see the field. Everyone seems to have regressed. Tobin constantly not drafting value. The fact that a couple guys in their basement as a side job (Locked On crew/Goodberry/Sans) can assess these guys WAY better than Tobin is wild.
2) Bad Front Office management/Bad Free Agents:
We all know we let Bates walk thinking that was too much for safety and drafting his replacement in Hill. We then let Reader walk due to concerns of age/injury. We replaced with Stone, Bell, and Rankins who have been horrendous. These are all downgrades to a defense that wasn't really good to begin with (See #3).
3) Coaching:
Defense was never really "good" under Lou. Here is how the defense ranks in yds/g over the past 4 years. Even the best year was still average.
-2021: 18th
-2022: 16th
-2023: 31st
-2024: 27th
4) Age/Injury:
Hubbard, Pratt, Hilton all seem slow and stiff. Sample injury. How bad must the young guys be to not be able to see the field is staggering, which goes back to #1.
To summarize, BAD drafting + BAD free agents + BAD Coaching + Injury/Age = the disaster known as the 2024 Bengals Defense.
