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Cincinnati Bengals 2014 Thread of Frustration

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Awesome game. Our two best players (arguably) go down and we still easily win the game against what appears to be a pretty good Atlanta team. We have excellent game planners on both sides, very good depth at many positions, and an elite defense. It is only two games but we are exhibiting the characteristics of a VERY good NFL team early on.
 
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Honor&Glory said:
hope none of these injuries are serious...hopefully a few can rest next week, enjoy the bye and get ready for New England.
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AJ Green will likely be out next week, but ready for NE after the bye week.

Zeitler and Whitworth are the two injuries that worry me the most.

Also might be a good idea to sit Burfict out a game. He may have passed the concussion tests, but he looked sluggish to get up after his tackles today. I don't know if they'll really need him much against the Titans.
 
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Injuries are very troublesome and I agree, the injuries on the line are scary...we don't exactly have great depth on the OL, particularly at tackle. I like Newhouse on the interior but not really at tackle...this is where not having Collins could hurt us (although I agree in not paying him what Tampa did). WR I am not too worried about, the longest Green will be out is Week 5 against NE (if that) and Sanu, Sanz, and Tate actually performed well in their place. More problematic is not having Eifert or Smith at TE, Gresham is going to get his work in for sure. All in all, I think Hue will utilize the guys we have, lean on the run, and get the ball to our RBs in the screen game like last week. This just dawned on me though...think about how good this offense will be in Week 5 when we should have Green, Marvin Jones, and our OL all in tact. Plus we should have Eifert back Week 8. This offense could be one of the best in the league in the second half of the year if those guys are healthy, especially with Hill proving me wrong and dominating out there. It really looks like most of our young guys have taken that next step and became solid veterans.

As for the defense, I think we will be just fine. Even aside from our talent, I think Guenther has called gameplans equally or more impressive than Zimmer...very creative on 3rd downs and even though we seem to bring the house, the DBs hold up their end and allow us to blitz like that. Our DL is one of the tops in the game, Atkins is getting healthier as he goes along, and our secondary might be the equivalent of the Legion of Boom if they keep it up...they basically shut down the best WR tandem in the league and a hot Matt Ryan. Iloka is emerging as a star back at safety, Nelson is always solid, then the trio of Jones, Hall, and Newman have been flat out dominant...Sunday was the best DB play I've ever seen in Cincy. Seems like we have good depth at LB too, Lamur and Rey have been very impressive to me...considering that, I hope they sit Burfict next week so he has two weeks to shake off the concussion symptoms.
 
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I love the fact that our secondary is finally good/deep enough to bring the blitz when we need to. Really helps in opening up options with the defensive play calls. Terrence Newman was lights out yesterday, but he was the one that had me most worried after Week 1.
 
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TooTallMenardo said:
I love the fact that our secondary is finally good/deep enough to bring the blitz when we need to. Really helps in opening up options with the defensive play calls. Terrence Newman was lights out yesterday, but he was the one that had me most worried after Week 1.
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Exactly, having 5 lockdown DBs gives us a ton of flexibility to be aggressive. Agreed completely though, I thought Newman was going to be well past his prime and though Dennard might supplant him eventually. Instead, he has played the best football I have seen him play in Cincy so far...what he did against Rody White was downright impressive.
 
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It'll be exciting to see Dennard get thrown into the mix as the season moves on. This defense is scary good, and if Atkins returns to his beastly form, this is a top 3-5 defense. Scary that I'm saying that about the Bengals, but I truly believe it.
 
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TooTallMenardo said:
It'll be exciting to see Dennard get thrown into the mix as the season moves on. This defense is scary good, and if Atkins returns to his beastly form, this is a top 3-5 defense. Scary that I'm saying that about the Bengals, but I truly believe it.
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Absolutely, he can definitely contribute but not having to throw him to the wolves immediately will be tremendous for his development. I was thinking the same rewatching the game today with Atkins. He is not where he was but everyone knew his return to elite status would be gradual over the season by easing him in. I was thinking our DE play is phenomenal with Dunlap, Gilberry, and Hunt. DT play is very good against the run with Peko (hopefully Thompson is ok) and Atkins, but we need a little more interior pass rush to really be a top 3 defense. I think it will come along as Atkins gets healthy, we just need to stay healthy there.
 
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Thoughts on the season so far:
  1. Have to score in the red zone. The offense has looked borderline unstoppable between the 20s, but keeps breaking down when we get close. We've gotten away with it so far, but it's the kind of thing that loses playoff games. The one piece I don't understand is our tendency to abandon the run/screen game in the red zone in an attempt to make Dalton hit short-to-intermediate passes.
  2. Gio's YPC is down, and I'm ok with mixing Hill in some, but he's looked amazing in the open field again this year and I think he needs to be the clear bellcow at RB. So dynamic.
  3. When did Brandon Tate learn how to run routes?
  4. Bodine has struggled quite a bit so far, our OL as a whole is good enough to cover it up for now but need him to step it up. If either Zeitler or Whitworth's injuries are serious that changes.
  5. Burfict's situation is terrifying, we've basically got one good (and he's elite) LB and I frankly don't know how he was allowed to play/keep playing given how woozy he looked after every tackle. If he misses significant time, I'm worried about how our LB corps would hold up. I've been very vocal about my disdain for Maulauga, Rey and Lamur have looked good but in limited exposure, and I don't know what we have in reserve. Completely supportive of keeping Burfict out this week if it's even remotely a question.
  6. Our cornerbacks were unreal vs. Atlanta after having a decent at best game against Baltimore. Newman especially, I have no idea how he does it given his age, but he was excellent vs. Atlanta and Hall was also pretty unbelievable, hopefully that game was him getting his legs back underneath him.
  7. DL has looked ok, was especially worried about Gilberry because Johnson was such an underrated run-stopper and Gilberry wasn't great last year, but he is playing reasonably well. Still disappointed in the lack of production from Hunt but he's still a little raw and has some time. Geno doesn't have it yet but goodness when he does, I don't know how you attack this defense if Burfict is healthy. All of that being said, we have to figure out how to get some pressure on the quarterback. Geno's return to form will help certainly but need someone else to step up there IMO.
Overally, biggest thing to me so far has been the lack of drop off from losing two coordinators. Gruden and Zimmer are promoted to HC jobs and we're getting arguably better results from their replacements, which surprises me (especially on D).
 
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Great post. Absolutely agree on all points.

It's really scary hearing multiple media outlets claiming the Bengals are Super Bowl contenders.... Let's win a playoff game first before we start throwing out lofty expectations like that. :lol:
 
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Awesome post @BengalsAndBucks, I mostly agree:

1. Agreed with this the most. Wtf are we throwing fade routes to Tate and Sanu on 1st and 2nd downs? It is NOT a high percentage play and it never has been. Pound them with Hill or let Gio get some screens. Hell, a quick out to Sanu. Only complaint on offense as a whole.
2. I like our timeshare so far at RB. They are really utilizing each guy's talents fully and I am more than impressed with Hill (pleasantly)...Hill can really be a force for us if he keeps improving. Really surprised how much he can contribute in the passing game and I think defenses have also been surprised.
3. Right? He still doesn't know how to return a kick/punt though, put Jones or Sanz back there at all times.
4. I think Bodine has had his moments but is also being a rookie at times and needs to adjust. The staff has been thrilled with him, he actually held up ok against Ngata. I think by the end of the year he'll be solid.
5. Agreed on Burfict...sit him this week and let him rest in the bye. No freaking reason to risk it against the Titans this week, look at the long term. As to the others...I've been pleasantly surprised with Rey, Mauluga, and Lamur. I was really worried here but it looks like Guenther has them playing well. Really effective blitzers and they are tackling well in the open field. Now that I think of it, our tackling overall has just been incredible. Now I concede that without Burfict long-term (who I think is the best LB in the league right now) we would be in trouble. Now if we get more injuries at LB, I will be very concerned.
6. I actually thought they played great against the Ravens but had two major lapses that may be more attributable to the DL not finishing off the play. But what they did against Atlanta (i.e. see what Atlanta has done to everyone else so far with their WR corps) was flat-out amazing. There is a ton of talent and a ton of depth. Though I am curious to see what Dennard brings, how can you keep any of Hall, Newman, or Jones out with the way they are playing? Plus we get Lewis-Harris back now, who the staff loves. Really excited about Iloka, he is playing out of his mind back there at safety.
7. I think Gilberry has looked great mostly, Hunt needs to step it up and has shown flashes...really needs to finish the play and be more of a force in the rotation, but he is learning still. Dunlap is a stud. Atkins will keep improving and Peko is always solid. Worried about depth though, Thompson being out worries me because Still (albeit talented) has not really shown anything here yet.
 
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