05-15-2019, 09:02 PM
(05-15-2019, 04:29 PM)Yojimbo Wrote: Hopefully the scheme change helps. Last year while Austin was running things, it appeared the d-line was held to doing mush-rush. Basically rush the passer within your lane and don’t let the QB break contain. I’d like to see guys like Dunlap, Lawson and Hubbard have more freedom to improvise and use multiple moves.
(05-15-2019, 05:51 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: This is outstanding. +1!
I love the “mush-rush” description because it’s true. Watching talent like Geno Atkins basically wrestling offensive linemen was so frustrating because defensive line play has developed far beyond the standard bull rush scheme of yesteryear. I can sort of see where Teryl Austin came from because coaching Ndamukong Suh and Ziggy Ansah in Detroit, both of whom are Justin Smith-esque bull rush guys, isn’t the same as mentoring Geno or especially Carlos Dunlap.
Geno is more of a leverage player and Carlos needs to learn spin moves, etc, which take advantage of his height and speed. The Bengals haven’t actually run defensive line stunts since Mike Zimmer was here, either.
Go on YouTube and look at some of the highlights from the Bengals defense when Mike Zimmer was here. The difference between then and now is shocking. Have a barf bag handy.
(05-15-2019, 06:41 PM)BoomerFan Wrote: Exactly. Zimmer had those defensive stunts where the DTs would swap AB gaps -- almost always confused the offensive line and led to huge pressure and sacks. I miss those days.
Right on
Especially the first half of the season we played the most vanilla defense ever to take an NFL field ! No stunting linemen, no last second shifts, basically no blitzing and on and on. Even the first couple games under Marvin were pretty mundane.
A defense just by pure nature has to have aggressiveness to it, you can't rope a dope the entire game.