Why exactly do we need John Ross to be good?

[*SHRacerX*]

(09-26-2018, 03:52 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I mean seriously, why does he need to be good for this offense and team in general to be good?

This offense has plenty of weapons without him. AJ Green, Tyler Boyd, Tyler Eiffert (who is healthy and is starting to play really well), Joe Mixon, Gio.

Any team would salivate to have those options. Any production from John Ross is icing on the cake as far as im concerned. Can you even name any other teams third option at wide receiver or does any team get production out of their third receiver like we expect Ross to get?

The top 5 offenses in the league are:

Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh
LA Rams
New Orleans
LA Chargers

Name the third option at wide receiver for those teams. Ill wait...

You want to know who Tampa Bay's third option at receiver is? A guy named Adam Humphries. He has 6 catches for 57 yards this year.

You can't tell me that our offensive skill players: AJ Green, Tyler Boyd, Tyler Eiffert, and Joe Mixon are that much worse (or worse at all) than Tampa Bays: Mike Evans, Deshean Jackson, OJ Howard, Peyton Barber.  

My point is is that this team isn't going to be a good team based on John Ross' production. They don't need him to be good. They need other parts of their team to be good (linebackers, offensive line, defense in general) to be a good team overall.

We all need to stop bitching about Ross because at the end of the day it doesn't matter. Let's start bitching about some parts of the team that are actually going to make a difference between the Bengals winning and losing.

While this makes sense, you have to have other options for when you run in to a really strong defense  (LAR, Jags) that can take away at least your two best options.  A defense that doesn't need to send extra players to get pressure on your QB and will have 7 in coverage.  Then you will need targets that can spread a defense out and force them to cover a larger field.  

Ross will still be a contributor.  I predicted that he will win the Bengals two games with big plays.  He has had a very poor start and now I worry about his (apparently) fragile mental state.  I still have hope, but a part of his failures I put at the feet of Lazor.

I have no idea why they aren't giving him quick hitches, screens, end-arounds, and jet sweeps.  He needs to have the ball in his hands to use his skills.  He is not just a deep threat.  If people think that is all he is, I advise them to look back at his college tape.  Most of his deep balls were so poorly underthrown that he would come back, catch it, and then have to make defenders miss after they overran the play trying to catch up.  

I know you didn't intend for this to become a "sell me on Ross" thread.  And I don't mean to sound like that, but he is still an important part of what makes our offense work.  Ditto Eifert.  Defenses have to adjust to him.  I am thrilled that Dalton has taken what defenses have given him and targeted Boyd so much, and even Uzomah and Kroft and getting involved.  

The bottom line:  The more a defense has to worry about the more successful we will be.