Game Thread: Bengals vs. Jags - MNF

[Cincyfan78]

Ok, serious note. If the Bengals are really serious about making a push, IMO, 2 things have to happen. Non-negotiable.

Brown is the starting RB. The difference between him and Mixon is night and day. Oil and water. Brown is so much more fluid, strong looking, and is able to make guys miss. Mixon has his bursts, but just does not have that extra gear anymore, and is still tripped up way too easily. He's a nice backup RB, but Brown is clearly the better of the 2. Not Mixon's fault. He had his run. Father time has just come for him.

Hudson has to be TE#1. The guy just produces. Burrow, Browning, it doesn't matter. He gets open, he gets yards, and he can block. The Bengals could do a lot worse than signing this guy to be, no worse, than TE#2 over the next 2 seasons.

Defensively - I think Lou is going to have to take a hard look at his "bend but don't break" style. He doesn't have the ability to do that at the moment, and missing CBT is a big hit because Cheeto has lost a step and a half. The line is still struggling to get constant pressure when only rushing 4. Need more Hilton off the edge, need a bit more help in the rush department, but overall...I think there needs to be a slight change in philosophy - if you are going to give up big plays when trying not to give up big plays...might as well get aggressive. The big plays are happening, might as well hedge your bets with some extra pressure packages and see if you can get lucky.

 

[jbuck]

Mixon catches everything thrown his way. But I like the new guy too. I guess evans and williams take a back seat

 

[Cincyfan78]

Mixon catches everything thrown his way. But I like the new guy too. I guess evans and williams take a back seat

Sounds like a good 3rd down back, then...

In all seriousness...Mixon is just...past his prime. Brown is in it. The holes that Mixon is able to get 5-6-7 Brown is able to get 12-13-14.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Mixon should only be doing 3rd down duty. it's nice to have his experience, but we need to develop Brown and help him to succeed.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Mixon should only be doing 3rd down duty. it's nice to have his experience, but we need to develop Brown and help him to succeed.

It doesn't hurt that Brown just looks like the better runner, either...

 

[cincygrad]

FFS...they can't even lose right to get better draft picks....LOL

That's a Cincinnati tradition though. Remember all of those meaningless December wins in the 90s? Good times. It's still hard for me to believe that we somehow lost that 2019 game in Miami after we came back off the mat and seriously threatened our shot at picking Burrow.

 

[cincygrad]

Mixon should only be doing 3rd down duty. it's nice to have his experience, but we need to develop Brown and help him to succeed.

Brown was terrific. But I noticed that the coaches stopped using him late in the game. So, either they exhausted all of the plays they had prepared for him or they didn't trust him to hold onto the ball during a critical juncture of the game. In the latter case, I can understand.... Mixon has fumbled the ball less than a handful of times in his entire career. Brown had some issues in college. So, we'll see if he keeps expanding his role.

 

[Tubbs1518]

Brown was terrific. But I noticed that the coaches stopped using him late in the game. So, either they exhausted all of the plays they had prepared for him or they didn't trust him to hold onto the ball during a critical juncture of the game. In the latter case, I can understand.... Mixon has fumbled the ball less than a handful of times in his entire career. Brown had some issues in college. So, we'll see if he keeps expanding his role.

My guess is they didn't trust his fumbling/pass pro and did trust Mixon.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Maybe ball security was a concern, but Brown is a heck of a RB - I don't believe blocking was listed as a weakness in his draft profile. I really think it comes down to the fact that this staff on offense is very slow to change. Smith is still TE1...it should be Hudson. It's been clear since the first few weeks when Smith missed time and Hudson put up the same stats in 2 games that Smith did in 4 or 5. Volson is still at LG. He's one of the worst graded OG's in the NFL. Sure, he's still young, but sometimes you need to pull a guy and let someone else give it a shot. Both to see if it helps the team, but also sometimes you learn on the sidelines a bit when you've been pulled as a starter.

 

[cincygrad]

Maybe ball security was a concern, but Brown is a heck of a RB - I don't believe blocking was listed as a weakness in his draft profile. I really think it comes down to the fact that this staff on offense is very slow to change. Smith is still TE1...it should be Hudson. It's been clear since the first few weeks when Smith missed time and Hudson put up the same stats in 2 games that Smith did in 4 or 5. Volson is still at LG. He's one of the worst graded OG's in the NFL. Sure, he's still young, but sometimes you need to pull a guy and let someone else give it a shot. Both to see if it helps the team, but also sometimes you learn on the sidelines a bit when you've been pulled as a starter.

I think the strategy at TE is changing. Sample played almost twice as much as any other tight end the other night, but they did play 4 different guys. I think Sample adds a lot to the run game, as a pass protector and in the boots and other under center stuff that they like with Browning. I expect we'll see a bunch of him down the stretch. While he is clearly limited as a pass catcher, it's pretty clear that protection goes much better with him in the game.

I don't understand their resistance to trying something different at LG. I know he's not necessarily a pro bowler, but why not play Scharping? The guy was a starter on a playoff roster with Houston and he has the experience and versatility to pull it off. I don't expect that he would dominate, but I also wonder if he could avoid having his lunch eaten 3 or 4 times a game like Volson does.

I think the Brown stuff has more to do with schemed plays and worries about ball security. If it's about pass protection, I would be really confused....Because anyone that has watched Mixon try to protect the passer already knows that it isn't happening.

 

[DanBengalfan]

The Colts are beatable.

winning would put us with an > .500 record again, possible wild card appearance.

weirder stuff has happened I guess.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I think the strategy at TE is changing. Sample played almost twice as much as any other tight end the other night, but they did play 4 different guys. I think Sample adds a lot to the run game, as a pass protector and in the boots and other under center stuff that they like with Browning. I expect we'll see a bunch of him down the stretch. While he is clearly limited as a pass catcher, it's pretty clear that protection goes much better with him in the game.

I don't understand their resistance to trying something different at LG. I know he's not necessarily a pro bowler, but why not play Scharping? The guy was a starter on a playoff roster with Houston and he has the experience and versatility to pull it off. I don't expect that he would dominate, but I also wonder if he could avoid having his lunch eaten 3 or 4 times a game like Volson does.

I think the Brown stuff has more to do with schemed plays and worries about ball security. If it's about pass protection, I would be really confused....Because anyone that has watched Mixon try to protect the passer already knows that it isn't happening.

Sample has been one of the best graded blocking TE's in the NFL. No shock they've had him in more to help protect Browning. But, if they are going to go with a guy to run some routes and block some, too....Hudson should be 1a behind when Sample is in. Just admit Smith was a miss and play the guys you need to.

Agreed. Play Ford. Play Scharping. Play Carmen. I don't know...but Volson has been extremely bad. They can't keep just shutting their eyes and hoping he gets better. At this point, there would at least be some positives, but to date...no such luck.

Not sure, but Brown is just flat out the better runner at this point. If there's going to be times to get him more experience to see how much they can truly lean on him, now is the time. Again, though...it is the MO of this staff on offense to stick with what they've already decided back in August...which is dumb.

 

[Tubbs1518]

I think the strategy at TE is changing. Sample played almost twice as much as any other tight end the other night, but they did play 4 different guys. I think Sample adds a lot to the run game, as a pass protector and in the boots and other under center stuff that they like with Browning. I expect we'll see a bunch of him down the stretch. While he is clearly limited as a pass catcher, it's pretty clear that protection goes much better with him in the game.

I don't understand their resistance to trying something different at LG. I know he's not necessarily a pro bowler, but why not play Scharping? The guy was a starter on a playoff roster with Houston and he has the experience and versatility to pull it off. I don't expect that he would dominate, but I also wonder if he could avoid having his lunch eaten 3 or 4 times a game like Volson does.

I think the Brown stuff has more to do with schemed plays and worries about ball security. If it's about pass protection, I would be really confused....Because anyone that has watched Mixon try to protect the passer already knows that it isn't happening.

Problem is it doesn't matter that we know Mixon isn't good in pass protection, what matters is that Zac trusts him in pass protection for some reason.

 

[Tubbs1518]

Maybe ball security was a concern, but Brown is a heck of a RB - I don't believe blocking was listed as a weakness in his draft profile. I really think it comes down to the fact that this staff on offense is very slow to change. Smith is still TE1...it should be Hudson. It's been clear since the first few weeks when Smith missed time and Hudson put up the same stats in 2 games that Smith did in 4 or 5. Volson is still at LG. He's one of the worst graded OG's in the NFL. Sure, he's still young, but sometimes you need to pull a guy and let someone else give it a shot. Both to see if it helps the team, but also sometimes you learn on the sidelines a bit when you've been pulled as a starter.

Blocking isn't a weakness per say, but we know teams and coaches don't often trust rookie RB as pass protectors.

 

[cincygrad]

Paul Brown modernized the NFL with his schemes. Bill Walsh built the west coast offense when working for the Bengals. Sam Whyche began the trend of using a no-huddle offense outside of the 2-minute situation....... And now in the modern age, Marvin Lewis perfected the art of 1st and 2nd round corners spending the lion share of their snaps at gunner on the punt team. Followed by Zac Taylor innovating by using a second round draft pick on a tight end that blocks because his linemen can't. The legacy of innovation lives on. LOL.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I think the strategy at TE is changing. Sample played almost twice as much as any other tight end the other night, but they did play 4 different guys. I think Sample adds a lot to the run game, as a pass protector and in the boots and other under center stuff that they like with Browning. I expect we'll see a bunch of him down the stretch. While he is clearly limited as a pass catcher, it's pretty clear that protection goes much better with him in the game.

I don't understand their resistance to trying something different at LG. I know he's not necessarily a pro bowler, but why not play Scharping? The guy was a starter on a playoff roster with Houston and he has the experience and versatility to pull it off. I don't expect that he would dominate, but I also wonder if he could avoid having his lunch eaten 3 or 4 times a game like Volson does.

I think the Brown stuff has more to do with schemed plays and worries about ball security. If it's about pass protection, I would be really confused....Because anyone that has watched Mixon try to protect the passer already knows that it isn't happening.

The Colts are beatable.

winning would put us with an > .500 record again, possible wild card appearance.

weirder stuff has happened I guess.

Potential playoffs are in our control, we play Indy, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, KC and Minnesota. Indy, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are the current wild card teams, and two of the three currently own tie breakers against us, with the other team ahead of us owning the tie breaker in Houston.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I was sitting there watching the Browning Press conference. I don't know why, but sitting there looking at him, he looks like what you would get if you morphed Zac Taylor's face with Joe Burrow's face, you would get Jake Browning. haha

He is a combination of the best and worst of our offense. hahaha

 

[cincygrad]

I was sitting there watching the Browning Press conference. I don't know why, but sitting there looking at him, he looks like what you would get if you morphed Zac Taylor's face with Joe Burrow's face, you would get Jake Browning. haha

He is a combination of the best and worst of our offense. hahaha

I think there is an interestings storyline that could emerge for the offensive coaches over the next few weeks. If they can continue to win with scheme - Putting Browning in the right position to succeed even if he has some limitations - it changes some of the dialogue about how they function when Burrow is playing. It could point to the idea that they are limited in what they call due to Burrow's preferences for certain looks/schemes. This was a factor for quarterbacks like Rodgers and Manning as well - They had concepts they simply wouldn't do and they wanted the offense tailored to their preferences. I think this is fine if you are Burrow - But it obviously doesn't work when Burrow is limited by injury or another guy just tries to run the same offense.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I think there is an interestings storyline that could emerge for the offensive coaches over the next few weeks. If they can continue to win with scheme - Putting Browning in the right position to succeed even if he has some limitations - it changes some of the dialogue about how they function when Burrow is playing. It could point to the idea that they are limited in what they call due to Burrow's preferences for certain looks/schemes. This was a factor for quarterbacks like Rodgers and Manning as well - They had concepts they simply wouldn't do and they wanted the offense tailored to their preferences. I think this is fine if you are Burrow - But it obviously doesn't work when Burrow is limited by injury or another guy just tries to run the same offense.

I'll keep pointing to the run game, and how it keeps the defense from gearing up to just pin their ears back and get after the QB.

Mixon had 19 runs. Brown 9. They ran a total of 31 times in that game. That's a season high. The only other game that comes close is week 5 @Arizona where the offense, once again, looked really good.

Maybe with Brown healthy now, they can afford to lean more on the run game - Mixon can get his 14-18 and Brown can sub in for 6-10. But, you have to stay committed. The week prior, the Bengals ran the ball just 8 times. Eight. That's been a big issue, IMO, with the consistency on offense. When other teams do not fear the run game outside of shortyardage situations/goal-line situations/or clear run situations...when the team is running the ball just 4 times a game on 1st down....out of 50, 60+ plays....why would you worry about the run? The balance and threat of the run game allows for the middle of the field to open up, allows for more deep shots, and keeps the defense from just crashing down every play.

We'll see how this next game is called, because history shows that after a game like that, Taylor has a tendency to revert back into pass-only mode. Maybe without Burrow, he'll kick that notion, but then again - in game one without Burrow he tried just 8 runs...

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I'll keep pointing to the run game, and how it keeps the defense from gearing up to just pin their ears back and get after the QB.

Mixon had 19 runs. Brown 9. They ran a total of 31 times in that game. That's a season high. The only other game that comes close is week 5 @Arizona where the offense, once again, looked really good.

Maybe with Brown healthy now, they can afford to lean more on the run game - Mixon can get his 14-18 and Brown can sub in for 6-10. But, you have to stay committed. The week prior, the Bengals ran the ball just 8 times. Eight. That's been a big issue, IMO, with the consistency on offense. When other teams do not fear the run game outside of shortyardage situations/goal-line situations/or clear run situations...when the team is running the ball just 4 times a game on 1st down....out of 50, 60+ plays....why would you worry about the run? The balance and threat of the run game allows for the middle of the field to open up, allows for more deep shots, and keeps the defense from just crashing down every play.

We'll see how this next game is called, because history shows that after a game like that, Taylor has a tendency to revert back into pass-only mode. Maybe without Burrow, he'll kick that notion, but then again - in game one without Burrow he tried just 8 runs...

Well, you have to be successful on some runs for the coach to call them too. When you run the ball 8 times for 16 yards, well, doesn't make the coach want to take that many 3 and outs consistently, so you try to get higher percentage plays in the passing game. Pittsburgh was stonewalling our run game. Whether it be our play calls, the blocking of the offensive line, or the vision or strength of the RB, it was not working against Pitt.