Agreed. I think the Bengals have boxed themselves into a one dimensional offense here..Originally Posted by Todd Gack
No TE.
Always from shotgun formation.
Burrow not mobile right now.
Those three things are the problem. I know they'll figure out how to adjust to compensate for it. They've done it before.
They better hurry though.
"Lemonade requires a significant amount of sugar. Otherwise, you've just made lemon juice."
Kingspoint (09-21-2023)
Couple that in with 0 pass rush going back to last season...it's an absolute recipe for a disaster in the making.
If you have a losing record at Reds games, please stop going.
It's hard to tell though if the one dimensional offense is a coaching issue or just all they can do with Burrow's calf right now. It seems like this is two years in a row where they've gone into camp with a plan to introduce more under center plays and some aspect of the McVay offense, and then Burrow has missed all practice time. If they can combine McVay motion with Burrow's elite shotgun play, they'll be impossible to defend.
It seems like they found something yesterday. The loss hurts, but they played well enough to beat a very good team. Yesterday was a great example of how 1 or 2 plays are the difference. If JaMarr came down with that back shoulder catch in the end zone, or Burrow hadn't thrown that awful INT, the Bengals likely would have won. Instead, the Ravens made the huge plays and the Bengals stars came up short in those moments.
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I'm trying to remember how I felt last year after the Bengals started 0-2. I think I was probably more concerned last year because I was worried they might be a one year wonder.
I always felt like there was a chance they could start 0-2 this year, so I'm disappointed but not shocked. I think Burrow is going to be able to play through this calf issue, and as long as he plays like he did in the second half yesterday, that'll be good enough to beat a lot of teams. He wasn't really mobile yesterday before he tweaked the calf. It'll probably hurt more the next few weeks, but I'd imagine he'll be fine for the most part.
The concerning thing is that going into the season a lot of people thought the Rams could be the worst team in the league, but they look actually good. Defense is going to have to step up. The next 4 are very winnable.
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I mean, it's entirely possible that being under center aggravates Burrow's calf too.
RiverRat13 (09-18-2023)
This start isn't great, but I am not all surprised by it. This is what happens when you play the preseason like Taylor did/does. I wasn't able to watch the 2nd half of the game, but it looks like the offense got a little bit better. Burrow will probably be dealing with that calf for a large part of the season, and he needs reps because he didn't get many in camp.
The OLine has been somewhat disappointing so far, I do wonder if it is taking them time to gel or if they just aren't that good.
We will see how the season plays out. The TE position may be a problem if Irv Smith can't get it done. I don't think RB will be an issue. If Mixon is shot, they should be fine with Brown and or Evans.
OL was terrible to start the year last year too. I actually feel fine about them. Again, I still think the playcalling and philosophy is a bigger issue.
My daughter plays soccer and the games are always right in the middle of the Bengals game so I don't get to watch a ton of them until her season ends.
Philosophy is one thing I don't think you are going to change with Taylor. And to be honest, I don't necessarily disagree with it. In the first half I was watching Lamar take off, and take a couple of hits he really shouldn't have taken. Sure on a warm September day, two weeks into the season, those hits don't matter. But as you enter the grind of the NFL season, those hits add up. The Bengals under Taylor have had some pretty good injury luck. You aren't going to changes things like Burrow's ACL or your run of the mill NFL injury, but come November and December, the Bengals seem to be in better shape than most. Does Taylor get credit for that?
I think the roster building could be an issue. This is the second straight season they let a TE go and found one on the cheap. Same thing with RB, Mixon should have been cut and they should have tried to find a new lead back. Unless you are elite (and I don't think Mixon ever was) you don't draft them high and you don't extend RB's. I was high on Brown at RB, I want to see what happens with him throughout the year.
I don't have much of an issue with Taylor's play calling. He isn't Andy Reid, but he has gotten them pretty far the past two years.
The parallels between last year's start and this year's start are certainly there. I'm confident the offensive line and playcalling/scheme issues will be resolved in the upcoming weeks. The two issues I'm bearish on our Burrow's calf injury and the defensive line's ability to create pressure.
Regarding the latter, I was happy the Bengals opted to go defensive line with their first pick in the draft since I thought this would be an issue with how many miles are on our front four. First year pass rushers don't normally do all that well, but I was hoping Murphy could have shown more than he has at this point. Other than the return of Ossai, I feel this may be an issue all season long.
Clearly, the biggest question mark is Burrow's injury. Last year, Burrow started the season with no camp and underweight. As the season went on, he was able to get experience and gain back the weight so any ramifications from the appendix surgery were no longer an issue. That won't be the case with the calf strain, since that will linger the remainder of the season. How Burrow responds to this nagging injury is anyone's guess, including Burrow himself since we're in unchartered waters on this front. As long as Burrow can persevere through this injury, then I'm still cautiously optimistic on this season. On the calf strain front, I keep hearing comments saying this could lead to an Achilles tear ala Kevin Durant. From reading an article on this from the Warriors' physician, that doesn't seem to be the case. So I guess if you're trying to find a silver lining, there's always that?
https://abc7news.com/kevin-durant-kd...ByLiz%20Kreutz
Yes I think it does. They're clearly trying to have him move as little as possible, which is limiting. Burrow is great, but he's also a great playmaker out of structure, and he does not have that part of his game right now.
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As expected, the Chiefs are restructuring Mahomes' deal to make him the highest paid QB again. The whole "Burrow should take less like Mahomes did" argument was never going to stand the test of time. Mahomes signed a record-breaking deal when he signed it, it just also turned out to be a very bad deal for him in general. That now seems to have been corrected.
Kingspoint (09-21-2023)
Burrow being evaluated by docs...status for Monday up in the air. I think they ultimately bite the bullet and sit him for 2-3 weeks. They can't run the offense like they want to with him hobbled like this.
Not sure you can run Browning out there for 2 games though...rock meet hard place.
If you have a losing record at Reds games, please stop going.
Kingspoint (09-21-2023)
I think it's more Burrow should take less like Brady did.
Mahomes ended up losing his top receiver because of his contract.
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OTOH, running Burrow out means possibly exposing him to a more serious injury.
On the bright side, he's only been sacked three times this year.
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Kingspoint (09-21-2023)
Had plenty of chance to upgrade RB and TE in the offseason and choose not to do so. A hammer at RB and a tough TE would fit well with Zac's predictable offense and Joe reading defenses and throwing guys open. Chubb is done as a Brown after Fitzpatrick puts a helmet into his knee. Egad
Kingspoint (09-21-2023)
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