Atkins and Dunlap Frustrated with Being Phased Out

[Wes Mantooth]

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2020/10/19/cincinnati-bengals-geno-atkins-carlos-dunlap-frustrated-roles/3707697001/

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Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, two patriarchs on the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense, are being phased out of the team’s defensive game plan.

According multiple sources, Atkins and Dunlap are frustrated with their lack of playing time. Atkins and Dunlap are miffed by the team’s defensive philosophy and approach. They have basically been demoted to third-down specialists.

“He played on third downs,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Atkins after Sunday's 31-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. “He was in there on third downs, I know that.”

Atkins was on the field for 18 snaps and Dunlap was in for 28 defensive plays in the Week 6 loss. Dunlap was the only one of the two to appear in the stat column. He registered one tackle.

The Bengals started defensive tackle Xavier Williams over Atkins and defensive end Amani Bledsoe instead of Dunlap in Week 6. Williams was just signed by the team last week and Bledsoe began the year as a practice squad player. Williams logged 34 snaps and Bledsoe was in for 29 plays.

Sources told The Enquirer, the Bengals coaching staff approached Dunlap and Atkins and said their limited role is “what’s best for the team” going forward. Multiple players inside the locker room are wondering why Dunlap and Atkins have been relegated to situational players. The two veterans have combined for 10 Pro Bowls.

Atkins was invited to his eighth Pro Bowl as recently as last year. His eight career Pro Bowls are the most ever by a Bengals defender. Dunlap was twice named AFC Defensive Player of the Week in 2019. Dunlap is one sack shy of tying the Bengals’ franchise record.

Dunlap started the first four games of the regular season. He had nine tackles in Week 3 and one tackle and a pass deflection in Week 4. Leading up to the Week 5 tilt in Baltimore, Dunlap was first told of his demotion and publicly voiced his disapproval. He’s played a backup role ever since.  

Atkins made his season debut in Week 5 after missing the first four games due to a shoulder injury. He played in just 19 snaps versus the Ravens despite Cincinnati being thin at defensive tackle. The 11-year veteran has been on the field an average of 30% of the team’s defensive snaps in two games.  

Even though the Bengals have reduced the roles of both Atkins and Dunlap, the team is reluctant to trade either of them at this point, per sources. The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 3. A more likely scenario is the team moving on from the two during the offseason if there's no resolution. The Bengals would save $9.6 million if they released Atkins before June 1 and $11.25 million if they cut ties with Dunlap before June 1.

Dunlap’s contract expires after the 2021 season. Atkins’ deal is complete following the 2022 season.

Cincinnati’s defense allowed 430 total yards to the Colts in Sunday’s loss. The Bengals defense currently ranks in the bottom half of the league. Atkins and Dunlap are on the other side of 30, but it’s perplexing that the two defensive stalwarts aren’t heavily involved in the 1-4-1 Bengals’ game plan.

[*bfine32*]

Wins are also being phased out under Zac

[J24]

Don't blame them

[MasonDT70]

Atkins at 75% of what he was is still better than any of our other dts currently active. Don't understand why he'd be limited. Just against the ravens I recall a play where he took on a double team to let a lb come.in and make the tackle. No reason he shouldn't be playing at least 50% of defensive snaps

[WhodeyRay]

So these idiots would rather move on from them after the lost year than trade them for even a late round pick. This makes Bill Obrien look like a football genius. What absolute incompetent morons these fast food drive-threw worker are

[Wes Mantooth]

(10-19-2020, 02:34 PM)WhodeyRay Wrote: So these idiots would rather move on from them after the lost year than trade them for even a late round pick. This makes Bill Obrien look like a football genius. What absolute incompetent morons these fast food drive-threw worker are

You have to remember, Mike Brown isn't in the business of making other teams better.  (Forget his team, that doesn't matter.)

[*Nately120*]

(10-19-2020, 02:27 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Wins are also being phased out under Zac

I'd say that's brutal, but in all fairness something has to exist before it can be faded out...ZT lost 11 games before he won a single game so winning was never a thing TO be phased out.

That's like me saying I'm phasing out sleeping with super models and living in mansions.

[*Synric*]

Dunlap isn't happy because he is a Linebacker in odd fronts and he really isnt suited for it. Problem is most teams are rotating between odd and even fronts now.

[Sled21]

This is another of those schizophrenic episodes, so you'll have to keep me up. Have we gone from "cut or trade Dunlap, Atkins and Green because they are shells of their former selves, and give the young guys a chance" to "Poor Carlos, Geno and AJ aren't getting enough playing time because Zac is being mean, and they should play more just because they are veterans". It's so hard to keep up....

[jj22]

That's why you typically trade (or cut) the vets before a rebuild.

Although to MB defense, he probably thought they wouldn't complain about getting paid 10's of millions for minimum snaps.

[Gdale_Bengal]

Really should have moved on from them last year if they aren’t going to play them significant snaps for how much they are being paid this year.


Really hurts the team

[Sled21]

(10-19-2020, 02:41 PM)Gdale_Bengal Wrote: Really should have moved on from them last year if they aren’t going to play them significant snaps for how much they are being paid this year.


Really hurts the team

I would agree with Dunlap, maybe AJ, but you wouldn't have gotten anything for AJ. Geno, on the other hand, was still playing well before injuring his shoulder this year and was voted to the pro bowl last year. We could have cut or traded him, and then it would be another Whitworth whinefest with the 20/20ers when Geno tore it up on another team this year. Then again, when Dunlap got healthy at the end of last season, he was playing well. He is not motivated anymore.

[Wes Mantooth]

(10-19-2020, 02:39 PM)Sled21 Wrote: This is another of those schizophrenic episodes, so you'll have to keep me up. Have we gone from "cut or trade Dunlap, Atkins and Green because they are shells of their former selves, and give the young guys a chance" to "Poor Carlos, Geno and AJ aren't getting enough playing time because Zac is being mean, and they should play more just because they are veterans". It's so hard to keep up....

Well, a lot of people wanted to move on from these guys last season.  (Those same people look pretty freaking smart right now.)

And there's a difference between wanting to move from them in the future vs. letting them sit and rot on the bench in the meantime.

But I wouldn't expect you to understand any of this, because you label people with legitimate gripes and frustations as being irrational fans who think the sky is falling.

Simple question (don't expect an answer):  Why pay Geno and Carlos a combined 25 million to play under 40% of the snaps?

Is that not a complete misuse of cap space?  If Geno Atkins is worse than Xavier Williams, and Dunlap is worse than Amani Bledsoe, then doesn't that say something about the front office that kept these guys around?

[Gdale_Bengal]

(10-19-2020, 02:45 PM)Sled21 Wrote: I would agree with Dunlap, maybe AJ, but you wouldn't have gotten anything for AJ. Geno, on the other hand, was still playing well before injuring his shoulder this year and was voted to the pro bowl last year. We could have cut or traded him, and then it would be another Whitworth whinefest with the 20/20ers when Geno tore it up on another team this year. Then again, when Dunlap got healthy at the end of last season, he was playing well. He is not motivated anymore.

I would have understood why they traded Geno and Dunlap. Those extra mid round selections could have given this team more youth at DT and maybe better talent on the OL or even another receiver in that incredible wr class last year.

I mean, they are in the top 5 highest paid players on the team, and they play on third down. That’s a problem.

I feel like Zac doesn’t understand that, which is inexperience, and that’s a problem.

[Trademark]

Taylor has to go, this dude is destroying this team

[Essex Johnson]

(10-19-2020, 02:51 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Well, a lot of people wanted to move on from these guys last season.  (Those same people look pretty freaking smart right now.)

And there's a difference between wanting to move from them in the future vs. letting them sit and rot on the bench in the meantime.

But I wouldn't expect you to understand any of this, because you label people with legitimate gripes and frustations as being irrational fans who think the sky is falling.

Simple question (don't expect an answer):  Why pay Geno and Carlos a combined 25 million to play under 40% of the snaps?

Is that not a complete misuse of cap space?  If Geno Atkins is worse than Xavier Williams, and Dunlap is worse than Amani Bledsoe, then doesn't that say something about the front office that kept these guys around?

I think we know the answer is NOT.. not sure why since it has zero impact on future since they can release them.. but if you are trying to win.. limiting their playing time to Williams and Bledsoe is not the way to go about it. 

[coachmcneil71]

Lou is terrible. Was before he even got to Cincy. This defense went South like a case of the crabs when Haslett was hired. It hasn't been the same since.

[masonbengals fan]

I'm starting to lose faith in this staff just like Geno & Carlos. Not that I expected SB contenders.

[Sled21]

(10-19-2020, 02:51 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Well, a lot of people wanted to move on from these guys last season.  (Those same people look pretty freaking smart right now.)

And there's a difference between wanting to move from them in the future vs. letting them sit and rot on the bench in the meantime.

But I wouldn't expect you to understand any of this, because you label people with legitimate gripes and frustations as being irrational fans who think the sky is falling.

Simple question (don't expect an answer):  Why pay Geno and Carlos a combined 25 million to play under 40% of the snaps?

Is that not a complete misuse of cap space?  If Geno Atkins is worse than Xavier Williams, and Dunlap is worse than Amani Bledsoe, then doesn't that say something about the front office that kept these guys around?

It's pretty simple, a lot of people with "legitimate gripes" change their gripes like their underwear. Pick a grip and stick with it. You either want to play vets, or you want to play best players. 

As for your simple questions of why pay Geno and Carlos... Geno is coming of his 6th consecutive Pro Bowl, his play and limited usage this year is because he is coming off shoulder injury. He's only been on the field for 2 games. His snaps will go up.  Carlos, on the other hand, was hurt early last year and was not productive, but once healthy went on a tear. Nothing in his last 5 or 6 games showed he had any signs of slowing down. So why trade him. Were they supposed to have some magic mirror tell them he would come back this year unmotivated to do anything other than whine about being kicked out of a park? Sure, we could trade them now, but the rest of the league is watching and we won't get crap for them. Better to sit him than to let him just take up space on the field.

[Sled21]

(10-19-2020, 02:53 PM)Gdale_Bengal Wrote: I would have understood why they traded Geno and Dunlap. Those extra mid round selections could have given this team more youth at DT and maybe better talent on the OL or even another receiver in that incredible wr class last year.

I mean, they are in the top 5 highest paid players on the team, and they play on third down. That’s a problem.

I feel like Zac doesn’t understand that, which is inexperience, and that’s a problem.

You are all totally glossing over the fact there's a reason Dunlap got demoted to just 3rd down. He SUCKS this year.