So...will we actually use our new weapons?

[*SHRacerX*]

(05-06-2017, 06:54 PM)Joelist Wrote: I think we all agree that our offense got a big infusion of speed in the draft. However, as always with Marvin you wind up wondering if we'll actually see that speed put out on the field and used right away.

For instance, will we put Ross out there right away and draw up plays where he can use his speed to burn a defense? Or will we see LaFell out there as the coaches claim Ross needs to "absorb the entire offense"?

And will we see Mixon out there and running plays designed to let him burn the defense with his jets? Or are we going to see Hill out there running for 2 and a cloud of dust while we get claims from the coaches that he needs to show in practice he knows the offense?

I don't think Marvin is extended beyond this upcoming season and that can only help them put their best team on the field.  

Plus, they did use Uzomah and he was only a 5th round pick with very limited experience.  He played well, and would have seen more playing time if not for an injury early in the season.  

Conversely, they didn't use Sexy until they really had no other options.  I don't know if that was intentional so they could sign him to an extension for less than starters money, but regardless he didn't get many opportunities.  

This is just my two cents, but it seems to me that the Bengals thought they could be successful on offense with AJ on one side, Lafell on the other, and Boyd (another rookie) in the slot playing a sort of nickel-and-dime offensive scheme.  AJ would help stretch the field, and Lafell and Boyd could work underneath.  They knew they wouldn't have Eifert in the beginning, but had no idea they would lose healthy versions of Kroft, Hewitt, and Uzomah so early.  Those losses really compounded their problems in the red zone. They were moving the ball with this strategy (Dalton had 366 yards passing in each of the first two games, Jets and steelers) but struggled to convert in the red zone.  

The defense was awful in those first few games.  They looked old and out of shape.  Check downs to backs, TEs, and WRs were easy pickings on our LB corps....and it was low-risk, high-% stuff.  The Bengals generated very few turnovers on defense.  

By the time the defense began to get in to playing shape, the offense was down to zero healthy TEs and Eifert's return netted just three games where he was on the field with AJ Green.  The offense looked better against Cleveland (who doesn't), and decent against the Redskins and Giants.  Then, AJ goes down at the very beginning of the Buffalo game and the season is pretty much over at that point.

This lengthy recap was supposed to illustrated the impact of a player like AJ (the vertical speed) and how we didn't necessarily replace Marvin Jones, but went with a more conservative approach.  If teams could double AJ, there was nothing else that could scare them down the field and it made it easier to defend them.  No TEs was a fluke.  The Bengals have four (one is technically an H-back) TEs that they feel very strongly abount, and Ross will help every aspect of the offense by forcing teams to keep both safeties back.  Even Cody Core accomplished this somewhat at the end of the season.  

I have been hearing that the Bengals will be lining up Ross at slot and outside.  Good.  Can you imagine a formation with AJ on one side, Ross in the slot, and Core or Josh Malone on the other side?  I think these young burners will bring a presence to this team they haven't had since the days of TJ, Chad, and Henry.  Ironically, I see Ross has taken #15.

The Bengals also saw that the offensive line looked respectable with TJ Johnson at LG as Boling had been playing through a shoulder injury, and Fisher at RT, for the final game of the season.  How much of that was the RB play of Burkhead?  How much was the better performance of the line?  It was surely a mix of both (see what I did there) and I don't think Mixon will rot on the bench while Hill putters along for less than 3 YPC.  His ability to catch the ball and blitz pickup makes him a more logical three-down starter over Hill right from the get go.  Hill will probably be used to spell him and maybe short yardage.

Combining the new offensive weapons at WR and RB with a healthy TE corps, this offense will be leaps and bounds better than last year and has the potential to have an Atlanta-type explosion this year.