Pitcher to take control of offense

[CrashDavisSports]

Zac Taylor says he’ll "take a step back this spring" and allow Dan Pitcher to "take ownership in the direction of the offense"

Cincinnati’s offense looks different so far in camp.

www.cincyjungle.com

Sounds like the playbook has been over hauled, and Pitcher is going to be fully in control of the offense.

 

[cincygrad]

Zac Taylor says he’ll "take a step back this spring" and allow Dan Pitcher to "take ownership in the direction of the offense"

Cincinnati’s offense looks different so far in camp.

www.cincyjungle.com

Sounds like the playbook has been over hauled, and Pitcher is going to be fully in control of the offense.

Most of our fans are obsessed with playcalling duties - I didn't seen anywhere in that article where Taylor said he was hanging up that part of the offense.

 

[DanBengalfan]

buck still stops with the HC I think.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Most of our fans are obsessed with playcalling duties - I didn't seen anywhere in that article where Taylor said he was hanging up that part of the offense.

I guess I just read that as Pitcher taking over the offense. My bad if that is not the case.

 

[cincygrad]

I guess I just read that as Pitcher taking over the offense. My bad if that is not the case.

I think it could mean that..... But I thought it was odd that it wasn't mentioned. I remember Lap saying that if Calahan wasn't given a HC position that he would be the play caller this year. And Lap normally doesn't say shit randomly..... So, maybe it's possible?

I will say this - If Pitch is the playcaller and the offense reaches levels it never has under Burrow, you can guarantee that he'll be a one-and-done coordinator. He'll be a head coach before we know it.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I think it could mean that..... But I thought it was odd that it wasn't mentioned. I remember Lap saying that if Calahan wasn't given a HC position that he would be the play caller this year. And Lap normally doesn't say shit randomly..... So, maybe it's possible?

I will say this - If Pitch is the playcaller and the offense reaches levels it never has under Burrow, you can guarantee that he'll be a one-and-done coordinator. He'll be a head coach before we know it.

I think that is a very good possibility. If I was Taylor, I would be very careful with this as the reason I think I remember him saying he was going to be the play caller at first was that he maintained control over the offense in case there is turnover. He wanted to give his QB consistency. If he is smart, he would stay integrated in that side of the ball just in case Pitch is one and done I think.

You have a good point.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Says that Taylor is taking a step back this spring...we'll see if it continues.

The better news is this section from the article: The Bengals’ playbook has changed more this offseason than it has in any offseason since Burrow’s rookie year. In 2024, the Bengals are interested in lining up more under center, using the play action passing game more, and marrying their run game, their screens and their drop back passing game more than they have over the last few years.

The Bengals offense under Taylor has worked because Burrow, Chase, and Higgins are elite. However, there is no doubt that under Taylor the scheme has been pretty stale and predictable. There have been numerous advanced stats on types of calls, how they've worked (or not worked) and how often they do certain things in certain situations that lead to many plays being recognized by the defense before the snap is ever made....I can recall when the Bengals lost to Pitt early in the season, one of the DL (Heyward I think) mentioned how easy it was to dissect the plays before the snap because nothing had changed from the previous seasons in the offense.

We'll see how this works out, but changing things up can be a really good thing for this offense. Every year there should be some changes to keep things from getting stale and looking at what works, what doesn't work - and how you can build off the plays that did work with countering plays to keep defenses off balance and honest. I think this has been a major area of concern/issue under Taylor for the offense.

 

[cincygrad]

Says that Taylor is taking a step back this spring...we'll see if it continues.

The better news is this section from the article: The Bengals’ playbook has changed more this offseason than it has in any offseason since Burrow’s rookie year. In 2024, the Bengals are interested in lining up more under center, using the play action passing game more, and marrying their run game, their screens and their drop back passing game more than they have over the last few years.

The Bengals offense under Taylor has worked because Burrow, Chase, and Higgins are elite. However, there is no doubt that under Taylor the scheme has been pretty stale and predictable. There have been numerous advanced stats on types of calls, how they've worked (or not worked) and how often they do certain things in certain situations that lead to many plays being recognized by the defense before the snap is ever made....I can recall when the Bengals lost to Pitt early in the season, one of the DL (Heyward I think) mentioned how easy it was to dissect the plays before the snap because nothing had changed from the previous seasons in the offense.

We'll see how this works out, but changing things up can be a really good thing for this offense. Every year there should be some changes to keep things from getting stale and looking at what works, what doesn't work - and how you can build off the plays that did work with countering plays to keep defenses off balance and honest. I think this has been a major area of concern/issue under Taylor for the offense.

To be fair to Taylor, one of the biggest issues is that they were trying to play too many different types of offense and the personnel did not fit what they wanted to do. When Taylor came in, it was assumed he would build an offense around a zone running scheme - Probably with smaller, athletic linemen, and a good cut-back runner like Mixon. They even drafted Jonah who would be a good fit for that type of scheme. Once they got Burrow though, they had to pivot to more shot gun sets and let Burrow excel at what he does which is process the D, elite decision making and pinpoint accuracy. Then they go and get Chase and a big part of his game is that he can be versatile - He's a great outside receiver but he can also play out of the slot where you can scheme him open..... But, your third receiver is Boyd, who can only be a slot receiver.

Fast forward to 2024. They've leaned into huge tackles, man-on-man and duo schemes for blocking, flexibility with the 11 personnel (you can use a guy like Burton outside or inside, Gesiki can be a tight end or slot, etc), and a good one-cut runner in Moss. No matter who is designing it or calling it, this can finally be the true Joe Burrow offense that they want to play.

 

[Cincyfan78]

To be fair to Taylor, one of the biggest issues is that they were trying to play too many different types of offense and the personnel did not fit what they wanted to do. When Taylor came in, it was assumed he would build an offense around a zone running scheme - Probably with smaller, athletic linemen, and a good cut-back runner like Mixon. They even drafted Jonah who would be a good fit for that type of scheme. Once they got Burrow though, they had to pivot to more shot gun sets and let Burrow excel at what he does which is process the D, elite decision making and pinpoint accuracy. Then they go and get Chase and a big part of his game is that he can be versatile - He's a great outside receiver but he can also play out of the slot where you can scheme him open..... But, your third receiver is Boyd, who can only be a slot receiver.

Fast forward to 2024. They've leaned into huge tackles, man-on-man and duo schemes for blocking, flexibility with the 11 personnel (you can use a guy like Burton outside or inside, Gesiki can be a tight end or slot, etc), and a good one-cut runner in Moss. No matter who is designing it or calling it, this can finally be the true Joe Burrow offense that they want to play.

I think those are all fair points - but why does it take year 5 of Burrow to get to this point?

You can still make small changes, and keep things versatile in many ways - as well as just change up formation looks to keep defenses off balance. When teams that face you year in and year out (AFCN mainly) are calling out your plays because there's not adjustment from year over year - that is a major issue.

Not to mention - Taylor sometimes just can't help himself with play calling. Multiple times after a game he's mentioned making a bad decision in a critical moment (Hey, that happens to all of us) - but then we'll see the exact same thing play out next week, or the week after in the same situation.

Don't get me wrong - I like Taylor. I think he's a hell of a Head-Coach. I think he's perfect for running the big picture of the team - but I think when he gets into the weeds of things, he struggles a bit. The offense has been at its best when Burrow has been running things on the field - or when Taylor has taken some steps back at times to allow Callahan to have more direct input on the play-calling.

We'll see how this year goes - but I am a big fan of Pitcher - and I think his closeness with Burrow is going to shine through with a lot of different looks this year.

 

[cincygrad]

I think those are all fair points - but why does it take year 5 of Burrow to get to this point?

You can still make small changes, and keep things versatile in many ways - as well as just change up formation looks to keep defenses off balance. When teams that face you year in and year out (AFCN mainly) are calling out your plays because there's not adjustment from year over year - that is a major issue.

Not to mention - Taylor sometimes just can't help himself with play calling. Multiple times after a game he's mentioned making a bad decision in a critical moment (Hey, that happens to all of us) - but then we'll see the exact same thing play out next week, or the week after in the same situation.

Don't get me wrong - I like Taylor. I think he's a hell of a Head-Coach. I think he's perfect for running the big picture of the team - but I think when he gets into the weeds of things, he struggles a bit. The offense has been at its best when Burrow has been running things on the field - or when Taylor has taken some steps back at times to allow Callahan to have more direct input on the play-calling.

We'll see how this year goes - but I am a big fan of Pitcher - and I think his closeness with Burrow is going to shine through with a lot of different looks this year.

I think you are asking the million dollar question.... Why was Zac so stubborn in 2022 to make changes to the offense? They made them mid season and things improved drastically. But then during last offseason, when they had a chance to change personnel to better fit the team, they held onto a restructured Mixon and pushed Jonah to the right side. In hindsight, the way the offense is currenly constructed could have happened a full year or two earlier and saved some cap space. I do think he wanted to run the same principles they had in LA and it was never going to be a fit with Burrow and the offensive line choices.

 

[redskinsfan1963]

Zac Taylor says he’ll "take a step back this spring" and allow Dan Pitcher to "take ownership in the direction of the offense"

Cincinnati’s offense looks different so far in camp.

www.cincyjungle.com

Sounds like the playbook has been over hauled, and Pitcher is going to be fully in control of the offense.

has,nt the pitcher always?

 

[CrashDavisSports]

has,nt the pitcher always?

Taylor and Brian Cllahan the new HC of the Titans ran the offense together and Taylor called the plays. Supposedly, Pitcher is being given more control from what I understand and Taylor may take more of a back seat to his new Offensive Coordinator.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Burrow is just going to audible out of the stupid play calls more often as he grows. otherwise call a time out.

stupid decisions by these coaches are at times a liability.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Burrow is just going to audible out of the stupid play calls more often as he grows. otherwise call a time out.

stupid decisions by these coaches are at times a liability.

I really wish they would let Burrow run a bit more with the reigns. I mean, have a game plan, have some structure, but if Burrow is seeing things, then just let him cook. There aren't many QB's who can read defenses the way he can and go wherever he wants with the ball. Especially this year with Chase, Higgins, Gesicki, Burton and then Moss/Brown out of the backfield...

One of the biggest gripes I've had with the offense under Taylor - there are far too many drives of 3 plays and punt. This offense is too good to not at least get 5-6-7 plays on the majority of their drives.

 

[DanBengalfan]

I really wish they would let Burrow run a bit more with the reigns. I mean, have a game plan, have some structure, but if Burrow is seeing things, then just let him cook. There aren't many QB's who can read defenses the way he can and go wherever he wants with the ball. Especially this year with Chase, Higgins, Gesicki, Burton and then Moss/Brown out of the backfield...

One of the biggest gripes I've had with the offense under Taylor - there are far too many drives of 3 plays and punt. This offense is too good to not at least get 5-6-7 plays on the majority of their drives.

yes! he is no longer a rookie.

 

[cincygrad]

I really wish they would let Burrow run a bit more with the reigns. I mean, have a game plan, have some structure, but if Burrow is seeing things, then just let him cook. There aren't many QB's who can read defenses the way he can and go wherever he wants with the ball. Especially this year with Chase, Higgins, Gesicki, Burton and then Moss/Brown out of the backfield...

One of the biggest gripes I've had with the offense under Taylor - there are far too many drives of 3 plays and punt. This offense is too good to not at least get 5-6-7 plays on the majority of their drives.

I have a sense that they will eventually get to that point by default. Pitcher's name has been on multiple 'coaches to watch' lists over the last couple of years. If he unlocks a new dimension with this offense this year, he will be gone. As we saw during the Marvin era, you can generally replace one guy internally (like when we went from Jay to Hue), but when you do it too many times (Hue to Zamp) things start getting watered down. I would suspect if Pitch is gone after this year, we'll start transitioning into the Manning/Rodgers type of model where Burrow will run the offense he wants and have about as much command of scheme and play call as you'll find across the league.