Best way for us to win next year-fix the running game

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-14-2017, 11:03 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I am not a huge fan of taking a RB at 9. I don't know what it is. It just makes me worry. We will only get a top 10 pick once every 5 to 10 years (ideally), so taking a RB in that year really feels like a waste.

An elite RB will last maybe 5 years. 7 or 8 if you're really really lucky.

An elite DE or WR, on the other hand, will last 10 years easy, and up to 15 years.

You can get an exceptional RB outside of the first round pretty easily. The other positions, it's a lot harder to come by outside of the top few rounds.

I know it's not logical and there are RBs worth a top 10 pick. But it's just scary. Especially since RBs are SO dependent on their Oline. A great RB will be rendered useless is running behind a bad line. However, a great Oline can make a bad RB look very good.

I get this.  I really do.  But I also know that the best Bengal teams over the past 10-15 years were when they had a really good back to pair with good receiving threats.  Your point about a great RB being rendered useless behind a bad line isn't entirely accurate, either, if you look at the likes of Barry Sanders.  

The real challenge is to determine which is the bigger issue right now:  the offensive line or the RB?  It is easy to say the offensive line as Dalton got bludgeoned this year, but with Ced benched for Fisher, the line played fairly well.  The season was already pretty much wasted by the time Burkhead got his opportunity, but it wasn't for the Bills, steelers, and Texans when the Bengals played them.  Here is a breakdown of the final 6 games of the season comparing Burkhead and Hill:

                                        SEXY              HILL
Week 12 @ Baltimore:           5/29              12/21
Week 13 EAGLES:                 8/38              23/33
Week 14 @ Cleveland:           9/45              25/111
Week 15 steelers:                 7/32              20/43
Week 16 @ Houston:            12/42              7/8
Week 17 Ravens:                 27/119             OUT

Now, I will grant that Hill was probably experiencing a lot of injury problems in the Houston game, which led to him missing the entire Baltimore game, but you can see the difference between the two during that period.  I don't even remember which game had Ced benched...I think it was Philly.  Rex averaged more YPC than Hill in every game, even the Cleveland game.  Rex is also a much better route runner and receiver out of the backfield as well as a factor in special teams.  This isn't meant to be a Rex commercial as much as it is an indictment on Hill and defense of the offensive line, once Ced was out.  Their scheme is still too predictable.  They still can't seem to get one yard when needed.  But even with Hill's strong rookie season, I think a lot more of that should have been attributed to the offensive line.  

So, if Dalvin Cook is a "once every 5 year talent", should the Bengals take him?  I am starting to think that they should.