The Offense

[WeezyBengal]

Look, I'm happier than hell just like all of you that we won Sunday...but let's talk about the offense.

I'm still concerned. We are lucky that our defense turned over the Steelers and gave the offense really good field positioning Sunday because we couldn't move the ball for shit otherwise.

Is it just me, or does this offense perform BETTER when they are up against the clock and playing more up tempo? You saw it at the end of the Bears game and you saw it this week right before halftime with a minute left. I truly think we need to open it up and just cut them loose. Now I know there are a lot of variables to this (trying to protect Joe, trying to be a "running team", etc) but airing it out IS our identity. It's like we keep running away from it and trying to make it something it's not (being a running team).

I hope I'm not coming off as a downer after a big/fun win but I just think this offense still leaves a lot to be desired of and I think it can be taken to a whole new level with the skill players we have.

[*SHRacerX*]

(09-27-2021, 09:23 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Look, I'm happier than hell just like all of you that we won Sunday...but let's talk about the offense.

I'm still concerned. We are lucky that our defense turned over the Steelers and gave the offense really good field positioning Sunday because we couldn't move the ball for shit otherwise.

Is it just me, or does this offense perform BETTER when they are up against the clock and playing more up tempo? You saw it at the end of the Bears game and you saw it this week right before halftime with a minute left. I truly think we need to open it up and just cut them loose. Now I know there are a lot of variables to this (trying to protect Joe, trying to be a "running team", etc) but airing it out IS our identity. It's like we keep running away from it and trying to make it something it's not (being a running team).

I hope I'm not coming off as a downer after a big/fun win but I just think this offense still leaves a lot to be desired of and I think it can be taken to a whole new level with the skill players we have.

I think right now the positive about the offense is they are being efficient.  Joe got 5 YPC.  Burrow had 9 YPA.  They scored 24 points really in three quarters and then tried to play kill the clock.  I was actually glad they sort of took the foot off the gas (I know that is contrary to everything I usually say) because with the short week, I wanted Mixon to get some rest and have the team healthy.

I was hoping they would go two TE with an extra OT and just pound the ball with Perine once they got up 24-7.  When I saw empty, I was like:  "WTH?", and a near INT the first snap and almost no time off the clock made me really wonder about the plan there, but the defense stayed focused and didn't give the pig and room to catch up.

I think that play where Burrow called his own number was very significant.  Teams will have to account for him.  The scramble on 3rd and 10 where he avoided a sack seemed to give him the confidence in his leg (he said as much in his pressor) and I feel like that was a huge "turn the page" game for him.

If they can take care of business against the Jags, they will be 3-1 at the quarter pole (although 17 games kind of ruins the even quarters, but I digress).  This is the part of the schedule where they need to get these wins.  It won't get any easier.  

This young team is starting to believe and it could be a really fun season.  You are right, though, the offense isn't quite there yet, but they are showing signs of improvement, and that is a good thing.  

[WeezyBengal]

(09-27-2021, 09:38 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I think right now the positive about the offense is they are being efficient.  Joe got 5 YPC.  Burrow had 9 YPA.  They scored 24 points really in three quarters and then tried to play kill the clock.  I was actually glad they sort of took the foot off the gas (I know that is contrary to everything I usually say) because with the short week, I wanted Mixon to get some rest and have the team healthy.

I was hoping they would go two TE with an extra OT and just pound the ball with Perine once they got up 24-7.  When I saw empty, I was like:  "WTH?", and a near INT the first snap and almost no time off the clock made me really wonder about the plan there, but the defense stayed focused and didn't give the pig and room to catch up.

I think that play where Burrow called his own number was very significant.  Teams will have to account for him.  The scramble on 3rd and 10 where he avoided a sack seemed to give him the confidence in his leg (he said as much in his pressor) and I feel like that was a huge "turn the page" game for him.

If they can take care of business against the Jags, they will be 3-1 at the quarter pole (although 17 games kind of ruins the even quarters, but I digress).  This is the part of the schedule where they need to get these wins.  It won't get any easier.  

This young team is starting to believe and it could be a really fun season.  You are right, though, the offense isn't quite there yet, but they are showing signs of improvement, and that is a good thing.  

Agree 100% with this. 

[jwalker3853]

(09-27-2021, 09:23 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Look, I'm happier than hell just like all of you that we won Sunday...but let's talk about the offense.

I'm still concerned. We are lucky that our defense turned over the Steelers and gave the offense really good field positioning Sunday because we couldn't move the ball for shit otherwise.

Is it just me, or does this offense perform BETTER when they are up against the clock and playing more up tempo? You saw it at the end of the Bears game and you saw it this week right before halftime with a minute left. I truly think we need to open it up and just cut them loose. Now I know there are a lot of variables to this (trying to protect Joe, trying to be a "running team", etc) but airing it out IS our identity. It's like we keep running away from it and trying to make it something it's not (being a running team).

I hope I'm not coming off as a downer after a big/fun win but I just think this offense still leaves a lot to be desired of and I think it can be taken to a whole new level with the skill players we have.T

The Offense is definitely a work in progress for sure.   It's almost like our offensive unit are learning/gaining confidence together vs. jumping out there and attacking.   I will say that seeing our OLine not give up a sack during the game was very nice (even though Watt was out) and it seemed they were playing with attitude all game long.   How long has it been since we saw the Bengals be physical and really wear down the other team's lines over the course of the game.    
Seeing more uptempo would be a good thing.    That is something we seem to be pretty good at and given our weapons, we can really cause some match up problems.  Given our kicker, we should be able to walk away with at least 3 the majority of the time - if not 7.   It would be interesting to see more of it where Burrow is given the reigns, runs uptempo, calls the play at the line and just pushes the ball up-field.  
I do agree that we are starting to play better and and people are starting to take some notice.   How many times did we hear the announcers during the game say that these aren't the Bengals people are used to seeing (or something along those lines)?   it was good to hear, particularly given who we were playing.  

[lone bengal]

Agree, no one thought this defense would be this good so it’s frustrating at times to watch the offense. My thing is big picture I want Zac to be the guy because we’ve invested a ton in him and the time to win is now with Burrow on a rookie deal and the defensive rebuild way ahead of schedule. His play calling still concerns me. Mixon had a huge long run to midfield and on 1st and 10 we run Mixon for 1 yard and then run Perine up the middle on 2nd and 9 for no gain. Like what’s the thinking behind that play calling zero creativity and it made no sense to me.

[Luvnit2]

(09-27-2021, 09:23 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Look, I'm happier than hell just like all of you that we won Sunday...but let's talk about the offense.

I'm still concerned. We are lucky that our defense turned over the Steelers and gave the offense really good field positioning Sunday because we couldn't move the ball for shit otherwise.

Is it just me, or does this offense perform BETTER when they are up against the clock and playing more up tempo? You saw it at the end of the Bears game and you saw it this week right before halftime with a minute left. I truly think we need to open it up and just cut them loose. Now I know there are a lot of variables to this (trying to protect Joe, trying to be a "running team", etc) but airing it out IS our identity. It's like we keep running away from it and trying to make it something it's not (being a running team).

I hope I'm not coming off as a downer after a big/fun win but I just think this offense still leaves a lot to be desired of and I think it can be taken to a whole new level with the skill players we have.

The offense still has alot of work to do, that is a fact. The good news is they have 14 games to get better, hopefully better each week. We don't want to peak in September, we want to peak in December and January. I would argue the Bengals offense played better this week than they did against Da Bears, so progress. Also have to factor in, they only run 42 offensive plays. The Packer ran 33 or 34 plays in one half last night.

[Au165]

The offense was actually quite efficient. The cumulative numbers aren't gaudy but they didn't have to be. 5 yards a rush for Mixon and 9.6 a throw on 77.8% passing is really good.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Huh?

The offense put up great numbers and was super-efficient all day; they only ran 40 plays or so and STILL put up the numbers they did.

It was a total, complete team win and complete game, yesterday (save for Phillips; he still has horrendous vision as a returner).

EDIT* AU beat me to it lol

[*ochocincos*]

(09-27-2021, 10:03 AM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Huh?

The offense put up great numbers and was super-efficient all day; they only ran 40 plays or so and STILL put up the numbers they did.

It was a total, complete team win and complete game, yesterday (save for Phillips; he still has horrendous vision as a returner).

EDIT* AU beat me to it lol

It was 47 plays, 22 of which were passes, 25 of which were runs.
Pretty balanced.
The offense didn't produce big numbers yardage wise, but the offense was able to capitalize on some short fields thanks to some turnovers.

Regardless, the team played better than I expected them to.
It was a good win, even if the Steelers aren't that good this year.

[Rubekahn29]

(09-27-2021, 10:05 AM)ochocincos Wrote: It was 47 plays, 22 of which were passes, 25 of which were runs.
Pretty balanced.
The offense didn't produce big numbers yardage wise, but the offense was able to capitalize on some short fields thanks to some turnovers.

Regardless, the team played better than I expected them to.
It was a good win, even if the Steelers aren't that good this year.

And even though I was super nervous the whole 4th quarter, this is the first time we beat Pitt by more than 10 points since 1995. That’s huge.

[MileHighGrowler]

The offense appears to be bipolar from week to week. I'm not sure the cause without a larger sample size. I'm hoping it's just a matter of them all getting their feet under them for the season. I do think it's somewhat funny considering everyone was most excited about the offense this year, and they've kind of been all over the map.

But hot damn that defense is looking great. Granted the Steelers aren't a prime o-line and Ben should have retired two years ago. But still, hoping the surge in confidence from being so dominant continues to propel them.

Definitely a happy Monday morning even with questions still lingering about the offense!

[Fan_in_Kettering]

Right now the best part of the Cincinnati offense is the defense; consistently giving the offense great field position against the Steelers was literally a game changer.

It’s a fact the Bengals’ offense is all or nothing at the moment and the play calling is highly suspect. Having an almost shutdown defense gives Zac Taylor the luxury of being able to experiment with a myriad of offensive schemes throughout the first part of the season. However, the offensive scheme needs to be solidified before facing teams like Baltimore and Green Bay. Not only are their defenses solid but their offenses tend to score a lot of points.

Let’s give props to Frank Pollack who has the offensive line playing much better. This opens up more of the playbook so when we start to see new plays and wonder when Zac “became more creative” this will be why.

[northernbengal]

(09-27-2021, 09:23 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Look, I'm happier than hell just like all of you that we won Sunday...but let's talk about the offense.

I'm still concerned. We are lucky that our defense turned over the Steelers and gave the offense really good field positioning Sunday because we couldn't move the ball for shit otherwise.

Is it just me, or does this offense perform BETTER when they are up against the clock and playing more up tempo? You saw it at the end of the Bears game and you saw it this week right before halftime with a minute left. I truly think we need to open it up and just cut them loose. Now I know there are a lot of variables to this (trying to protect Joe, trying to be a "running team", etc) but airing it out IS our identity. It's like we keep running away from it and trying to make it something it's not (being a running team).

I hope I'm not coming off as a downer after a big/fun win but I just think this offense still leaves a lot to be desired of and I think it can be taken to a whole new level with the skill players we have.

Overall the looked very good and were efficient. They were trying to really take the air out of the ball. However, I think you are correct. They look best when the use tempo and attack downfield. I think alot of this is due to playcalling however. As mentioned there were times when Taylor ran it three times in a row with no motion, or other add ons, just a zone run. They really need to open up some play action pass or screens to supplement that and cannot be afraid to sling it. I know alot of people want a balanced attack, but that should look more like 40 run and 60% pass. If we have this much talent at receiver then lets use it.

[thompson19osu]

The office itself I’m not concerned about. What concerns me is the playcalling. It’s too blatantly obvious when we were going to run and when we were going to pass which seems almost completely dictated by the formation we are lined up in. There is no misdirection, play action, screens to speak of. It’s relying on the offensive players to beat their man.

[Au165]

(09-27-2021, 11:36 AM)thompson19osu Wrote: The office itself I’m not concerned about. What concerns me is the playcalling. It’s too blatantly obvious when we were going to run and when we were going to pass which seems almost completely dictated by the formation we are lined up in. There is no misdirection, play action, screens to speak of. It’s relying on the offensive players to beat their man.

I'm not sure it is. Yesterday a LOT of the 1st down runs were checks, you can tell because of the kill call (Hands to head by burrow and skill players). It actually appears Zach often sent them to the line with a 1st down passing play that got killed into a run because of the defensive alignment...and it worked with Mixon running for 5.0 yards a carry.

[*Synric*]

(09-27-2021, 11:46 AM)Au165 Wrote: I'm not sure it is. Yesterday a LOT of the 1st down runs were checks, you can tell because of the kill call (Hands to head by burrow and skill players). It actually appears Zach often sent them to the line with a 1st down passing play that got killed into a run because of the defensive alignment...and it worked with Mixon running for 5.0 yards a carry.

My biggest gripe is the massive amount of empty sets. I don't mind empty sets but they are running them ALOT more than any other team in the NFL. The Bengals play action numbers are way down because of it and it limits targets to Joe Mixon as a receiver. 

[Whacked]

Mehh

Love the win. Love the D. But the O still seems to be operating
well below what we know they are capable of; based on the crazy
amount of talent and weapons we have.

I think Burrow is being held back. I get it. He is young but our
play-calling seems rather pedestrian overall - relative to having
all of these play-makers on the team.

Call me greedy but we can do much better than this.

[thompson19osu]

(09-27-2021, 11:46 AM)Au165 Wrote: I'm not sure it is. Yesterday a LOT of the 1st down runs were checks, you can tell because of the kill call (Hands to head by burrow and skill players). It actually appears Zach often sent them to the line with a 1st down passing play that got killed into a run because of the defensive alignment...and it worked with Mixon running for 5.0 yards a carry.

If that’s the case I’m OK with that I would like to see some play action dialed up though especially when the running game is working so well

[*PhilHos*]

I'm of the mind that the playcalling has been the way it was because of protecting Burrow and the question marks of the offensive line. With how well the OL did yesterday, coupled with Burrow really starting to look like the QB he was last year, I think in coming weeks, we'll start to see the offense open up even more. Maybe to the point where we're wishing Zac would stop calling so many pass plays, etc. I'm not sure we'll see it against Jax because of the short week, but don't be surprised to see more deep passing attempts and long developing plays if the OL continues to play well.

[lone bengal]

The plan was to bring in Taylor as an offensive guru and then draft all these weapons like Chase so Taylor could exploit matchups with his creative play designs creating a dynamic offensive attack. I feel like the play designs are basic and when we score it’s because are play makers are so talented they just overcome the coaching. Half are scoring plays are Chase TD’s and he just beats a guy on pure talent. Even the Boyd TD there was nothing elaborate Boyd just made a great play. Even when Higgins plays he just high points and boxes out a DB on a simple route. The playmakers bail out Taylor making him look way better versus Taylor putting them in successful situations.