What is it with this team and tackling?

[Joelist]

It's positively weird. This issue predates Lou and thus predates Zac. In fact the last time the Bengals D consistently tackled reasonably well was under Zimmer. We're 0-3 and both the loss to the Pats and this fiasco can be laid at the feet of terrible tackling. We should be at least 2-1 if our defense actually can bring itself to do fundamentals like tackling.

[Emphasis]

The defense plain sucks right now and the coaching is suspect.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

If you prepare for the season soft, and you practice soft, you're going to be soft. Zac even said last offseason he was going to do things differently, but then when time to put up came around Myles Murphy got hurt in one of those stupid joint practices and he absolutely shut the preseason down. That's not their only problem but it certainly didn't help like it hasn't helped every single year of Zac.

[jj22]

Tackling left with the Oklahoma drill.

Defenses came out the gate physical after those camps. 

[Bilbo Saggins]

Perhaps their opponents have been doing something like this before playing the Bengals for the past ~30 years:

https://youtu.be/Y_IphvasWo8?si=gopxJdvbrOhi4HBG 

[R3stangs]

This seems to be a trend in the NFL across the board. Guys are so obsessed with trying to knock the ball loose and create a fumble they run with the ball carrier for 2-5 yards trying to punch it out instead of tackling. Its frustrating to watch. That being said we are bad on a whole other level.

[Fan_in_Kettering]

The defensive players are out of position on almost every play. The scheme is not working. If you’re in the wrong place, it doesn’t matter how you tackle.

[Goalpost]

I'm going to say this is part of scouting. Players have strengths and weakness's. And for a defender, tackling is a quality graded.

Just because someone is a great athlete, doesn't make them a great tackler.

[*Synric*]

(09-24-2024, 10:45 PM)jj22 Wrote: Tackling left with the Oklahoma drill.

Defenses came out the gate physical after those camps. 

They came out of camps more NFL ready because they got more live reps. The NFLPA have cut live practice reps to pretty much none. Now starters may get a couple series in pre-season compared to the 1 series pre-season week 1, 1 quarter week 2, 1 half week 3, and rest week 4. 


The major reason OL play has been declining is because even at the college level the amount of live practice reps is minimal. Also why we are seeing an uptick in WRs and Corners is because the emergence of 7 on 7 spring leagues. (Which hurts WR technique in a way.)

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(09-25-2024, 09:58 AM)Synric Wrote: They came out of camps more NFL ready because they got more live reps. The NFLPA have cut live practice reps to pretty much none. Now starters may get a couple series in pre-season compared to the 1 series pre-season week 1, 1 quarter week 2, 1 half week 3, and rest week 4. 


The major reason OL play has been declining is because even at the college level the amount of live practice reps is minimal. Also why we are seeing an uptick in WRs and Corners is because the emergence of 7 on 7 spring leagues. (Which hurts WR technique in a way.)

Agreed, and it was mentioned by Rocky Boiman on wlw yesterday. 

[SunsetBengal]

(09-25-2024, 09:57 AM)Synric Wrote: They came out of camps more NFL ready because they got more live reps. The NFLPA have cut live practice reps to pretty much none. Now starters may get a couple series in pre-season compared to the 1 series pre-season week 1, 1 quarter week 2, 1 half week 3, and rest week 4. 


The major reason OL play has been declining is because even at the college level the amount of live practice reps is minimal. 

Weird that it feels like the lack of reps is affecting the Bengals defense a lot more than I observe from other teams.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(09-25-2024, 10:35 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Weird that it feels like the lack of reps is affecting the Bengals defense a lot more than I observe from other teams.

Because the Bengals defense is just bad to start with, IMO. You couple that with what Synric is talking about and it's a recipe for disaster.

[*Synric*]

(09-25-2024, 10:35 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Weird that it feels like the lack of reps is affecting the Bengals defense a lot more than I observe from other teams.

I agree alot of youth on the defense and tackling is affected by live reps. I just mentioned OL because of the decline in OL play over the last decade. OL need to live reps because they have to latch, stay on blocks, and finish which are all hard to practice when you're only going 75%. Bengals OL are mostly vets besides Mims so it hasn't shown up there. 

[SunsetBengal]

(09-25-2024, 10:51 AM)Synric Wrote: I agree alot of youth on the defense and tackling is affected by live reps. I just mentioned OL because of the decline in OL play over the last decade. OL need to live reps because they have to latch, stay on blocks, and finish which are all hard to practice when you're only going 75%. Bengals OL are mostly vets besides Mims so it hasn't shown up there. 

Not to tangent completely to OL in a thread on tackling, but I think that part of the increased "bust" rate on early round OL selections is that in many instances the player is put into a starting role much too soon. I feel like many good prospects are thrust into a starting role that they are simply not ready for, their confidence gets shattered and in some instances they just never recover from it.

But definitely more live reps before the start of the season for the OL and DL units. Even if you run the starting OL with the #2 QB and skill players to keep them safe from injury, the OL and DL need the work, even if it's just for the first half of preseason games.