Who Dey!?

[DanBengalfan]

Who the frick They!?

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I have my pre-preseason excitement. We will see how the season goes, but right now the season can't get here soon enough. I will be happy to see some of the young guys play in a few preseason games too.

 

[Cincyfan78]

It's good to see that the majority of players plan on attending the off-season activities.

I don't get the players for teams that are 'opting' out - I get that there's still some concern over the 'rona, but across the board numbers are dwindling, and it hasn't been an actual pandemic in months, but I digress. Overall, it just seems like a lot of players who would rather not be doing anything.

It's going to be interesting to see the early season results between teams that have high participation rates in these activities vs teams that do not. One would have to assume that teams with solid participation are more likely to hit the ground running and be further along than those who do not.

For the Bengals, especially with the back-end of that schedule, that could be a major bonus for them if any of those early season teams elect not to participate fully.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

It's good to see that the majority of players plan on attending the off-season activities.

I don't get the players for teams that are 'opting' out - I get that there's still some concern over the 'rona, but across the board numbers are dwindling, and it hasn't been an actual pandemic in months, but I digress. Overall, it just seems like a lot of players who would rather not be doing anything.

It's going to be interesting to see the early season results between teams that have high participation rates in these activities vs teams that do not. One would have to assume that teams with solid participation are more likely to hit the ground running and be further along than those who do not.

For the Bengals, especially with the back-end of that schedule, that could be a major bonus for them if any of those early season teams elect not to participate fully.

I would have to think that early participation would be huge for teams in the early schedule. As you said, hit the ground running instead of trying to build up momentum.

 

[DanBengalfan]

we gonna party like it's 1989

 

[cincygrad]

It's good to see that the majority of players plan on attending the off-season activities.

I don't get the players for teams that are 'opting' out - I get that there's still some concern over the 'rona, but across the board numbers are dwindling, and it hasn't been an actual pandemic in months, but I digress. Overall, it just seems like a lot of players who would rather not be doing anything.

It's going to be interesting to see the early season results between teams that have high participation rates in these activities vs teams that do not. One would have to assume that teams with solid participation are more likely to hit the ground running and be further along than those who do not.

For the Bengals, especially with the back-end of that schedule, that could be a major bonus for them if any of those early season teams elect not to participate fully.

My sense is that the players weren't interested in working out with a bunch of restrictions.... That is, if the league mandates you wear a mask and monitor space, basically change the way you're used to working out, what is the point in doing it when you can do it in your hometown without restrictions? If these league-mandate restrictions are lifted then I think things will be better for the players.

 

[Cincyfan78]

My sense is that the players weren't interested in working out with a bunch of restrictions.... That is, if the league mandates you wear a mask and monitor space, basically change the way you're used to working out, what is the point in doing it when you can do it in your hometown without restrictions? If these league-mandate restrictions are lifted then I think things will be better for the players.

Gotcha - if that is the case, I could understand that.

I'd likely at least change the format, then, to more of a learning based and walk-through based and shorten it. I think anything is better than nothing, and while you may not get any actual live practice (at least with everyone) if you can get everyone there for walk-throughs, that would at least be something.

Those who then don't want to participate in live sessions can go to a meeting room and do more film and walk-through prep.

 

[cincygrad]

I've read a few tweets that have suggested that every Bengals player has been in attendance for OTAs. That's impressive for a club that has been losing a lot of games and has had more than a few rumors of some discord between coaches and players. Good sign for the coming year.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I've read a few tweets that have suggested that every Bengals player has been in attendance for OTAs. That's impressive for a club that has been losing a lot of games and has had more than a few rumors of some discord between coaches and players. Good sign for the coming year.

They are putting the players they want together. Leaders, men that hold each other responsible. Jesse Bates is the new Players Union rep and worked very hard on communicating with fellow teammates and coaches on making this OTA time safe for everyone. He has been a true leader, and with his skill set, he is the type of player the Bengals want to pay to stick around for a long time.

Guys are really stepping up and filling those leadership roles. Communicating with each other. Helping one another. Encouraging one another. I think what Zac is doing here is really good for this organization, he just needs to start putting more wins on the field and I think that will come with Burrow as his QB. I know the line is still an area of concern, but he has surrounded Burrow with talent at the skill positions and he has tried to improve the offensive line this offseason through FA and draft. May not be probowl caliber blockers, but we will see how it pans out. I am excited to see how Carmen and Reiff improve the right side of the line.

 

[jbuck]

I hope they did enough

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I hope they did enough

No More of this....


Hopefully Reiff and Carmen improve this stupidness.

 

[Cincyfan78]

No More of this....


Hopefully Reiff and Carmen improve this stupidness.

I see two things wrong with this clip.

1 - Hart clearly did not engage his primary blocking target. He looks outside, and from this clip it is tough to tell if there was a threat of a blitzer coming from the edge (CB or LB or Safety, etc...). That being said, if he thought there should have been better communication from him to the RG to alert him that he would be passing off his primary blocking target.

2 - The RG clearly did not have a primary blocking target, but elected to immediately look at doubling down on the DT with the Center, and disengages too late when Hart passes his man off. Now, maybe the RG missed the communication from Hart - it's possible - but the fact that he immediately doubled down on the C means that he either didn't have a line call to adjust for the threat outside (potential) or failed in his pass-pro in reading the defense. My guess here is that he also read the defense wrong because he ended up blocking no-one, just like Hart did.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Can't see above clip at work, but I distinctly remember Hart whiffing on a play and not appearing to try.

that's a little league move. Timmy couldn't block because he got a booger in his eye. I'm reminded of some teen drama shows where the OL lets their QB get sacked because they want to "teach him a lesson" or some BS like that.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Can't see above clip at work, but I distinctly remember Hart whiffing on a play and not appearing to try.

that's a little league move. Timmy couldn't block because he got a booger in his eye. I'm reminded of some teen drama shows where the OL lets their QB get sacked because they want to "teach him a lesson" or some BS like that.

Hopefully a guy making 7 million dollars wouldn't be like that with a new shiny QB.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Can't see above clip at work, but I distinctly remember Hart whiffing on a play and not appearing to try.

that's a little league move. Timmy couldn't block because he got a booger in his eye. I'm reminded of some teen drama shows where the OL lets their QB get sacked because they want to "teach him a lesson" or some BS like that.

In the clip above, Hart "passes" his primary blocking target to the RG - which would have worked IF the RG knew that was happening. Hart clearly didn't communicate this as the RG's first look was to double with the C before looking back to his right, where it was too late.

Also, while the clip isn't wide enough to know for sure, I'm not exactly sure what Hart was seeing that made him want to pass that guy off - if there was an imminent threat of a blitzer, that would make sense, but then the line call from him has to go out to the RG to let him know. As the clip unfolds, no one from the outside appears on screen to engage with Hart, meaning - there wasn't a threat/blitzer...he passes his guy off for no reason.

This is one of the big reasons Hart struggled so mightily - his inability to accurate read a defense led to him not being in proper position far too often. You just can't get out of position as often as he did and get away with it, unless you have supreme talent, and even then....

 

[CrashDavisSports]

In the clip above, Hart "passes" his primary blocking target to the RG - which would have worked IF the RG knew that was happening. Hart clearly didn't communicate this as the RG's first look was to double with the C before looking back to his right, where it was too late.

Also, while the clip isn't wide enough to know for sure, I'm not exactly sure what Hart was seeing that made him want to pass that guy off - if there was an imminent threat of a blitzer, that would make sense, but then the line call from him has to go out to the RG to let him know. As the clip unfolds, no one from the outside appears on screen to engage with Hart, meaning - there wasn't a threat/blitzer...he passes his guy off for no reason.

This is one of the big reasons Hart struggled so mightily - his inability to accurate read a defense led to him not being in proper position far too often. You just can't get out of position as often as he did and get away with it, unless you have supreme talent, and even then....

Reiff and Carmen over there will be a bigger upgrade than I think pundits are giving us credit for.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Reiff and Carmen over there will be a bigger upgrade than I think pundits are giving us credit for.

Agreed.

I think Carman is smart enough, and by all accounts has the work ethic to make the move to guard. This minimizes his weakness while accentuating his strengths. It also allows for him to grow more naturally into an NFL OL, where at some point he may look to show enough to transition out to RT.

Don't sleep on the kid from ECU - I think they got a steal with him. They had a really odd season, but I think he's a guy that is a solid project OT - very much in the same mold as Hudson, who I was very high on...he'll need more work than Hudson, but I like the late round pickup.

 

[cincygrad]

Agreed.

I think Carman is smart enough, and by all accounts has the work ethic to make the move to guard. This minimizes his weakness while accentuating his strengths. It also allows for him to grow more naturally into an NFL OL, where at some point he may look to show enough to transition out to RT.

Don't sleep on the kid from ECU - I think they got a steal with him. They had a really odd season, but I think he's a guy that is a solid project OT - very much in the same mold as Hudson, who I was very high on...he'll need more work than Hudson, but I like the late round pickup.

The kid from ECU is intriguing..... Clear case of COVID causing some unexpected issues - In this case, the guy played about 30 pounds lighter (at least) than necessary. I would assume this would be an easy issue to rectify for an NFL staff - They've made themselves pretty good at taking weight off guys that need it off and putting it on the guys that need to gain it.

The only thing that gives me pause is memories of Stacey Andrews. I remember how much of a steel we thought we had with the athletic freak taken in the 4th rounder that really just needed to learn to play football. We even franchised him one year. He never really caught on.

 

[Cincyfan78]

The kid from ECU is intriguing..... Clear case of COVID causing some unexpected issues - In this case, the guy played about 30 pounds lighter (at least) than necessary. I would assume this would be an easy issue to rectify for an NFL staff - They've made themselves pretty good at taking weight off guys that need it off and putting it on the guys that need to gain it.

The only thing that gives me pause is memories of Stacey Andrews. I remember how much of a steel we thought we had with the athletic freak taken in the 4th rounder that really just needed to learn to play football. We even franchised him one year. He never really caught on.

Yeah, and that goes back to one of my big draft points I've made here - The draft is an absolute crap-shoot - but it's not just the draft that is the issue...it's recognizing that the player isn't going to cut it and moving on as quickly as possible.

This is where the Bengals have really failed - and a lot of it is because of how loyal Brown is to his guys (draft picks included). Missing on a draft pick is bad enough (especially higher ones), but failing to recognize the limited ability of the player and moving on for a replacement is where the real hurt comes.

 

[DanBengalfan]

the new kicker is going to be league mvp