This defense is a major concern...

[Essex Johnson]

(10-02-2018, 07:36 PM)Tlawsonmariat82 Wrote: I  feel like we have better defensive personnel than most of those teams that's having defensive issues,I feel like our defensive woes are coaching related honestly..

i feel our defense can play better but many other teams with good defense are struggling.. i believe the NFL is on pace for record points scored for a season.. also the handcuffs put on the defense with rule changes is playing into the offense hands

[J.Moore]

Makes me wonder if the new rules are causing our guys to play too soft, afraid to draw the 15 yd flag. What do they do? go 110% and possibly draw a penalty or go 90% play it safe and get beat by a step? Gotta be tough on all defenses around the league.

And the "give up short gains but not a TD" doesn't work either. All those short gains put the other team in Bengals territory real quick. I don't think Burfict  is the total answer either, he will no doubt help. They cannot keep giving up 30 points a game.

Second half Sunday was better, must have made some adjustments as Falcons scored 12 pts vs. 24 in 1st half. What did they do different?

[Joelist]

Stop playing soft zone. Get up tight and jam the receivers at the line to throw the timing off.

[J.Moore]

(10-02-2018, 09:08 PM)Joelist Wrote: Stop playing soft zone. Get up tight and jam the receivers at the line to throw the timing off.

Seems like a good plan but we are always 10-15 yards away. 

[Atomic Orange]

At this point i'll settle for bad. Like 'only' give up 23 points a game bad.

It's that bad.

[wolfkaosaun]

(10-02-2018, 07:44 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: I truly believe that WJ III is directly affected by Austin's scheme.

It wouldn't surprise me. Players are playing very off the receivers and there's been more soft zone than press coverage. Each of those slant routes for the TD against WJIII, no press. He played off

(10-02-2018, 08:33 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I agree Wolf it's been awful

On the last Atlanta TD dre get roasted alive ! He bites on a stutter step and the receiver takes off and dre is left grabbing air. I don't know if he was expecting help over the top or what ?

I bring this up because many times after a play you can see the DB's looking dazed and confused staring at each other with those giant question marks in front of their faces.

I hear people blaming it on the new rules but is that really what it is ??? Our pass rush hasn't been getting that much pressure anyways. And how does the new roughing the passer rule affect the lack of coverage right from the start of the play ? You see guys running uncovered off the LOS because two DB's are running with the same receiver.

I think our problems lay more with confusion in coverage than they do the rules.

I think he got beat. It seemed like they had single safety help over the top, but he was near the middle of the field. Dre got beat on that, hard.

For sure. I remember the first game where Ebron got behind the defense and there was no safety there, just him against the LB. And you saw the frustration on that play.
This week there were similar issues. There was one play where no one was on Sanu in the slot on a crucial 3rd down play.

I'm not sure if it's scheme or miscommunication, but something needs to change soon.

[lone bengal]

We hired Marvin because he was supposed be a defensive guru from the Ravens. Can't Marvin figure out how make the defensive adjustments needed or give Austin suggestions ? He's been a head coach for 16 years and defense is supposed to be his thing.

[bengaloo]

I'd be lying if I said I wasnt a little worried, but getting Burfict back could end up being a big difference maker. I'm sure some of it is due to penalties, but at the same time its hard to see our secondary get shredded like they have been. Its still early. Maybe we will work some stuff out for Sundays home game. Austin has some stuff to prove at this point no doubt though.

[CornerBlitz]

(10-02-2018, 08:36 PM)Bengalfan4life27c Wrote: 2 reasons im not overly concerned yet.
1 we have faced 4 high octane offenses 3 on the road
2 our QB on defense is returning in vontez burfict

I'd have to agree with this.  Did we really expect to stop ATL on the road?  

Yes our defense is playing like crap but it's early. I'm more concerned about specific players not playing up to their potential like WJ. 

[Passepartout]

Yeah as need work on. And in the ugly the win was. It was a win. Just need to keep on working on defense. They win games.

[Tlawsonmariat82]

The dbs don't jam receivers off the Los even when they are up in supposed press coverage instead what I'm seeing is more of a bailout technique and that's from all of our dbs...

[sloSTI]

If the defense caught a couple of the INTs that hit them in the hands, that would change the defensive numbers around a bit I think.

[*Go Cards*]

Really believe like others that the talent is there and Austin might not be cutting it.

But offense stats have been off the charts all around the league.

Burfict is returning as well, so not giving up yet.

Have to stop letting QB's play pitch and catch with their best WR like we did with Julio Jones Sunday though.

[J24]

(10-02-2018, 08:25 PM)BengalsRocker Wrote: I don't think Iloka played well unless Nelson was on the team.

Nelson was the brains of the duo.  He just got old.

He still made a crucial play for the Raiders against the Browns last game.

While nelson was a better playmaker of the two Iloka was the  "brains of the two". He was the one that made all of the adjustments and lined up the back 7.

[grampahol]

IDK.. As much as it pains me to say it I have a hunch Austin might be able to fix this D.
For once I really hope I'm right. Are we forgetting about Daronte Jones, the secondary coach? 

[sonofstat]

(10-02-2018, 08:32 PM)McC Wrote: Austin is afraid to get shot in the head but he's okay having pieces sliced off and just hoping he won't bleed out. 

He depends on turnovers since he can't figure out how to just plain stop somebody.  And I wholeheartedly agree with everyone who says our personnel is better than this.

My problem with Austin is I can't work out what he wants to be, or focus on.

Turnovers was the one thing pre season and after only one game .v. Colts perhaps we thought that was enough and would carry on...now i'm not sure.

I remember Guenther always saying he was not bothered about giving up yards and it was scoring defense that mattered to him.  

Thus we never tended to be blitz heavy and were fundamentally sound , everyone knew the scheme (both a carryover from the initial work zimmer did) and the ethos seemed to be we are gonna try and make them go the whole way up the field.  But that approach was backed up by a good red zone defense and when the pass rush was going well we got off the field on 3rd down more often then not.

It may not have been the most dynamic and exciting approach but at least you could see if influencing the scheme and playcalls and by in large Guenther (and Zimmer) had consistently good defenses.

With Austin I have no clue.....its neither one thing or the other....e.g. he's not aggressive, blitz heavy and therefore creating masses of turnovers but sometimes giving up big plays and yards.   But on the other hand he's neither giving up yards, but fundamentally we are sound and not giving up points.

I'm hopeful for this week as I do not rate Miami and Burfict will help but again thats not directly linked to the job Austin is doing

[Socal Bengals fan]

The scheme sucks. We know Dre sucks but when WJ3 is looking like poop it’s definitely the coaching. We need to fire this guy n somehow start over. This zone defense sucks

[Catmandude123]

Well it sure makes it easy on the QB when he knows he can stand in the pocket til the last second and not be punished by 300 pound linemen. I think all defenses are trying to figure out ways to adapt. Although it isn't what the football purists want the injury to Rogers last year set off a whirlwind that has probably changed the game forever.

[Sled21]

What's our record again????

[Au165]

Offense throughout the league is on a historic pace, which means the defenses everywhere are bad we are just a little worse than most.

*3,030 points scored is most through Week 4 in NFL history (2,986, 2012)

*344 touchdowns are most through Week 4 in NFL history (332, 2015)

*228 touchdown passes are most through Week 4 in NFL history (205, 2013).