Reflecting back 2009

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(09-25-2020, 07:57 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The 2009 season was one of anxious anticipation, as Carson Palmer was returning from a second debilitating injury.  His movement was limited, his confidence was low.  The team needed to come up with a solution.  Somehow, the Bengals managed to sweep the division that year, and advance to the playoffs.

How did they manage to do that with a crippled QB and much uncertainty surrounding the OL?  They brought in a hero.  Yes, they enlisted a 3rd Tackle to present an unbalanced line.  Not only did they present that look, they rode the jackhammer Cedric Benson hard, to the tune of keeping a poor defense off the field as long as possible.  That method worked them into the playoffs, only to be undone by the team that they had faced the week before, the Jets.

Amongst that story of an unprobable trip to the playoffs is an unsung hero.  That hero is none other than Dennis Roland.  His unselfish service to the team allowed them to keep the ball away from opposing high powered offenses, thus permitting the Bengals to win games that they might have otherwise lost.  We salute you, Dennis Roland for your unwavering service to the team!

Now, why would I bring this up, after 11 years?  Because with the current state of the Bengals OL, I feel like they might be able to establish enough of a running game to actually give Dead Eye Joe a chance to win.

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Palmer had a broken nose and a F'd up elbow in 2008. There was nothing wrong with his legs.

He actually had career highs in rushing yards (93), rushing TDs (3), and rushing 1st downs (13)... the next highest for those numbers? Rushing yards (50 in 2010), rushing TDs (1 in 5 different years), and rushing 1st downs (7 in 2012). So not only were they career highs, they were significantly more than his second best year.

His yards per attempt/yards per completion were lower that year than his career average, but also that year the Ravens had the 3rd ranked defense and the Steelers had the 5th ranked defense and he was simply asked to do a little less because of the Bengals' 4th ranked defense requiring less offense to win.

That's the thing that you are overlooking in your thread here. Why were they able to grind out the 9th ranked running game even though they were 19th in yards per carry? Because Zimmer was overseeing the 4th ranked (6th scoring) defense that year. 

The Bengals had the 24th overall (22nd scoring) offense that year. Roland was a minor footnote in the 2009 season's formula for success because that offense wasn't very successful. Defense, defense, and defense were the top 3 reasons. 4th might be Quan Cosby being 5th in average punt return (and 1st in total punt return yardage) allowing the Bengals D to dominate the field positioning game.