People keep bashing the offense

[The Caped Crusader]

Ironically, I'd consider blocking and tackling to be fundamentals of Football. Both require technique, patience, and work ethic to become best of the best. You can really see it the most in the team's tackling ability. I was always told trying to tackle with your arms was lazy tackling, and well, because it is. That's also in High School and College...NFL? You have Marshawn Lynch, LeVeon Bell, etc...Work horses, giant men that can shed it.

Next game, perhaps not Cleveland's game (I'm sure they will make me eat my words). Watch the initial attack of Cleveland's run, against our defense and our INABILITY to tackle. Most of the time I will give us credit and say initial hits are at the line of scrimmage, or a yard down. Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. We lack proper form, execution and heart (Football's long, incalculable attribute) to make tackles. It was seen all through the Broncos game, with initial hits in the back field becoming multi-yard gains.


Blocking is a slightly different story. All too often our linemen are confused with stunts, primarily ones that require pressuring gaps. Bodine lacks adjustment, Hopkins and Boling don't see it, and it causes the pocket to absolutely collapse. You  see this in passing downs(third and longs), especially when Dalton is waiting for routes to develop...he simply can't(Broncos game when he misses AJ on that long developing post route).

The same goes with run blocking. Different story, but we still lack awareness when hitting holes. You'll see immediate gap penetration because nobody is picking up their man, or simply getting beat silly. A lot of this can be because A, our scheme is ridiculously SIMPLE (Defenses we have played have stated that they can easily identify what we are doing) and B, we aren't getting push on the line of scrimmage.

And this is why I constantly do everything I can to avoid negativity towards Andy Dalton. The offensive line is the pinnacle to an offense. Remove AJ Green. Remove Mixon/Hill/Bernard. Remove John Ross. None of that matters if you cannot establish the trenches, and we fail to do that week in and week out.

These are the TWO biggest issues with our team.