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Bengals, Dalton have target-rich environment


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The Bengals are ranked in the middle of the league in passing offense, but with their depth in those who can catch the ball, they are on pace for rare territory.

It is possible that by the end of the season, the Bengals could become the second team in league history to have six receivers with 500 yards or more. The only other team to accomplish that was the 2011 Saints.

Only twice have the Bengals had four players reach 500 receiving yards or more in the same season – 1981, when the franchise reached its first Super Bowl, and 1986.

“We feel like we’ve got a lot of weapons. So for me, it’s just getting the ball to the guys. You saw what they can do once they have the ball in their hands,” said Andy Dalton on Wednesday after being named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. “You don’t know how it’s going to happen each week.

“Some weeks it’s going to be one guy, some weeks it’s going to be – shoot, eight guys like it was last week. Just kind of depends on the week. But the more versatile we can be, the more we can spread the ball around and get guys the ball, I think the better we’ll be.”

In last Sunday’s 27-24 win over Buffalo, Dalton threw it to eight different receivers, marking the sixth time in 38 regular-season games that he has completed passes to eight or more players.

Against the Bills, all five wide receivers who were active caught passes, along with the two tight ends and running back Giovani Bernard.

In wins over the Patriots and Bills, the passing attack has shown different elements. Against New England it was tight ends Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham combining for nine receptions. Against the Bills, Green got his second 100-yard game of the year while Mohamed Sanu tied a season high with five catches and Marvin Jones had his third three-catch game of the season along with a career-high 71 yards. Bernard had six receptions for the second time in three games.

“You’ve heard the guys talking for a while about how much talent we have in the room,” receivers coach James Urban said. “We have a quarterback who is doing a good job of spreading the ball around. You have progressions, go through them and when you do the right things with the ball it spreads it around.”

One thing aiding in having more options is that the receiving group is more experienced and relatively injury-free. Jones and Sanu started off slow last season, but Jones was slowed by a knee injury in midseason, and by the time he came back Sanu was lost for the year with a foot injury.

Jones, who is averaging a team-best 15.8 yards per catch, was thought to be more of a speed receiver who would excel on go routes, but so far this year he has proven to be adept with all parts of the route tree, with touchdown catches on a corner route (Week 3 against Green Bay) and a comeback last week. He has shown off some of his speed by averaging 18.7 yards on three reverses or end-around runs.

“I know I have a lot to offer and I’m confident in what I can do out there,” Jones said. “I think I’m an all-around receiver and can do it all in terms of short to intermediate routes and screens and going deep. I think I’m pretty well rounded.”

Sanu, who had four touchdowns in the red zone last season, has yet to score a touchdown but had a key 10-yard reception in overtime for a first down near the sideline while being heavily covered. Sanu was also part of a wildcat play during the second quarter.

The Gresham-Eifert duo is tied for second among league tight ends at 43 and seventh in receiving yards with 435. They were held in check against the Bills, but if defenses decide to contain the tight ends, that will open things up for the receivers.

Due to his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, Bernard will remain a constant. His touchdown catches against Pittsburgh in Week 2 and Buffalo last week show what he can do in the open field. At his pace, Bernard would have the third-most receiving yards in a season by a Bengals running back. James Brooks has the record with 686 in 1986.

“He’s throwing it to me for a reason, that I can run away from him,” Bernard said. “Sometimes there are safeties that come down, but most of the times it’s usually linebackers that are a little bit delayed because they have to read so much inside it kind of slows them down, but I’m full speed out of the backfield.”

With the different options, Green is hoping to get more single coverage.

“Definitely having other guys involved, that means more single coverage for me. Playing the way they are on Tyler, Jermaine and Gio, it is going to help me out,” Green said.

The Bengals will face a Detroit pass defense that is ranked 21st, but the Lions are tied for first in interceptions with 10. Dalton has thrown an interception in four straight games, with the last two coming inside the opponent’s 20.

Dalton is 12-7 in road games, including 4-1 against NFC teams.

“It seems like everything is against you when you’re on the road, but you’ve got to find a way to make enough plays to win games. I’ve been fortunate that we’ve done that since I’ve been here, and I hope we keep doing it,” Dalton said.

Setting a record pace

The most 500-yard receivers the Bengals have had in one season is four. They are on pace to join the 2011 Saints as the only teams to have six: 
 

Player Current Proj.

WR A.J. Green 464 1,237

TE Tyler Eifert 225 600

WR Mohamed Sanu 218 581

TE Jermaine Gresham 210 560

RB Giovani Bernard 201 536

WR Marvin Jones 190 507

 

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131016/SPT02/310160204/Bengals-Dalton-have-target-rich-environment

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On 'scary' Bengals offense, other tidbits

 

 

 

 

 

CINCINNATI -- For three weeks, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has opined about how much further his unit has to go before he will confidently say it has arrived. 

 

It was just after last month's 17-6 loss at Cleveland when he even offered his rather controversial but honest assessment on his offense: It was lacking identity. In the weeks since, as the Bengals have become more dedicated to the run and have gone away from primarily targeting receiverA.J. Green, they have started drawing significantly closer toward revealing a true identity. 

We'll get to a little more on that specifically in a later post. 

Back to the strides on offense. Gruden isn't the only one reserving judgement. Receiver Marvin Jones wants us all to exercise a little patience when discussing it, too. 

"You saw a glimpse of it [at Buffalo], but there's a lot more," Jones said. "We're still scratching the surface and we still have yet to put a whole game together. We have to attack and we still have to just put our foot on the pedal more." 

When the Bengals learn how to do that, Jones said, "it's going to be scary." 

If their offensive numbers at this point in the season are any indication, the Bengals may live up to the wideout's nightmarish prophecy. Nightmarish for whom, you ask? Opposing defenses. 

Consider these facts about the potentially "scary" scheme. Cincinnati's offense ranks:

 

 

 

  • 4th in time of possession
  • 6th in rushing attempts
  • 7th in yards after the catch
  • 8th in third-down conversion percentage
  • 8th in completion percentage
  • T-8th in red zone efficiency
  • The Bengals also are on pace to have six 500-yard receivers this season. Only one other team has had that many 500-yard receivers in NFL history: the 2011 New Orleans Saints

Against the Bills on Sunday, Cincinnati picked up 243 yards after completed passes from quarterback Andy Dalton. He also completed passes to eight players, bringing his ability to get the offense going in a versatile and diverse fashion into focus. 

"We feel like we've got a lot of weapons," Dalton said. "So for me, it's just getting the ball to the guys. You saw what they can do once they have the ball in their hand. You don't know how it's going to happen each week. Some weeks, it's going to be one guy. Some weeks, shoot, it's eight guys. A lot like it was last week. It just kind of depends on the week. But the more versatile we can be and the more we can spread the ball around and get guys the ball, the better we can be." 

Here are a few extra tidbits from Dalton's news conference Wednesday, and locker room availability:

 

 

 

 

  • Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth was asked about Cincinnati's top-4 time of possession ranking. While there are few statistics -- aside from sacks and rushing yardage -- that can measure how well a line truly performs, time of possession is one of them that gives a glimpse into just steady a line can be. On average, the Bengals have the ball about 33 minutes each game. "When you use the running game and pound away at people -- we have two great complement backs -- when you are able to do that and possess the ball you also put the pressure on [the opposing] offense ... all of a sudden, you may put them in a situation where they are starting to panic, they are starting to worry about things they don't have control over," Whitworth said.
  • Last week, a video of a longtime Bengals fan being given tickets to his first NFL game popped up on on the internet. Virally, the man in the video has come to be known as "Bengals Dad." He's a father, and Ohio native, who has been a Bengals fan since the team arrived in 1968 but has never been to a game. Earlier this month, his son gave him tickets to next week's Bengals-Jets game in Cincinnati, and also awarded him with a signed Dalton jersey. The father's reaction was recorded and posted online. Dalton spoke about the video: "It shows the impact that players have. It shows the kind of platform that guys in the NFL, guys that play professional sports, that they have. It shows that you can make a positive impact on people. So for him to see how excited he was for getting him to come to a game, to get my jersey, it's special." Dalton said he's made sure the team does something special for Bengals Dad and Son when they come to the game.

http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/1894/bengals-offense-scary-scratching-surface-tidbits

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the next step for this offense is to finish drives.  Off the top of my head, I can think of 5 turnovers inside of the opponents 30 that took points off the board.  The INT off Greens hands in Chicago, Sanu's fumble in Chicago, Dalton's NE INT, Dalton's Buffalo INT, turnover on downs on BJGE run in Cleveland.  

 

That's conservatively 19 points left on the field.  

 

 

They also had another drive in Cleveland stall on the 7yd line, and a a drive in Buffalo stall on the 6yd line (that ended in a missed FG).  Also a drive against NE that stalled on the 21.

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Which offense are\were you guys more confident in putting points on the board?

 

A. 2005 offense (Carson, Chad, TJ, Rudi)

B. 2013 offense (Dalton, AJ, Eifert, Gresham, Sanu, Jones, BJE, Gio, etc) - this is ridiculous talent

 

 

As crazy as our talent is this season.  I had more faith in the 2005 to put up big numbers.

 

I know it doesn't matter, just a talking point.  With this offense we should be putting 28+ on the board every game. 

 

In 2005 we averaged - 26 a game

 

2011 - 21

2012 - 24

2013 - 20

 

Dalton's third year and the most talent on O that we have had ever, and statistically PPG is the lowest.  Thoughts?

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As crazy as our talent is this season.  I had more faith in the 2005 to put up big numbers.

 

 

 

Big numbers, maybe.  But that offense was in it's stride and our guys have barely reached a trot.

 

Either way, though, I'd much prefer a ball-control offense that can spread it around, mix it up, and dominate the LOS than one that simply "puts up points."  Especially now that we have the Defense we do. 

 

The TOP numbers can be a little misleading.  It helps to have a D that is constantly squashing opponents drives with three and outs (I don't know the stat but we must be near the top there).  Zimmers boys perform best when they are well rested and can pin their ears back (last week, being an exception, they also play well with a lead).

 

Those two things come together and no one can beat us.  Not even Manning.  How can he when he's riding the bench the whole game?

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Which offense are\were you guys more confident in putting points on the board?

 

A. 2005 offense (Carson, Chad, TJ, Rudi)

B. 2013 offense (Dalton, AJ, Eifert, Gresham, Sanu, Jones, BJE, Gio, etc) - this is ridiculous talent

 

 

As crazy as our talent is this season.  I had more faith in the 2005 to put up big numbers.

 

I know it doesn't matter, just a talking point.  With this offense we should be putting 28+ on the board every game. 

 

In 2005 we averaged - 26 a game

 

2011 - 21

2012 - 24

2013 - 20

 

Dalton's third year and the most talent on O that we have had ever, and statistically PPG is the lowest.  Thoughts?

Meaningless. I imagine this six game stretch will be our lowest scoring 6 game stretch of the year due to the Cleveland and NE games. That 2005 team had a stretch of 6 games where they averaged 20.3 points. So not all that much different. If we end up averaging 20 points a game for the entire season then we can talk about it.

 

Also, you conveniently left out Chris Henry and Perry as offensive weapons at the time. If you don't think Bengal's fans were at least as excited about Perry and Henry as they are now about guys like Sanu or MJ, you're crazy.

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Which offense are\were you guys more confident in putting points on the board?

 

A. 2005 offense (Carson, Chad, TJ, Rudi)

B. 2013 offense (Dalton, AJ, Eifert, Gresham, Sanu, Jones, BJE, Gio, etc) - this is ridiculous talent

 

 

As crazy as our talent is this season.  I had more faith in the 2005 to put up big numbers.

 

I know it doesn't matter, just a talking point.  With this offense we should be putting 28+ on the board every game. 

 

In 2005 we averaged - 26 a game

 

2011 - 21

2012 - 24

2013 - 20

 

Dalton's third year and the most talent on O that we have had ever, and statistically PPG is the lowest.  Thoughts?

 

 

I agree that this current offense should be putting up more than it has, but that 2005 team also had a better oline, and 2 WR's in their 4th years.  This current group has a 3rd year WR, 2 2nd yr WR's, a rookie RB, and rookie TE among others.  Rudi was also a better back than BJGE.  And Reggie Kelly was a superb blocking TE.

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Meaningless. I imagine this six game stretch will be our lowest scoring 6 game stretch of the year due to the Cleveland and NE games. That 2005 team had a stretch of 6 games where they averaged 20.3 points. So not all that much different. If we end up averaging 20 points a game for the entire season then we can talk about it.
 
Also, you conveniently left out Chris Henry and Perry as offensive weapons at the time. If you don't think Bengal's fans were at least as excited about Perry and Henry as they are now about guys like Sanu or MJ, you're crazy.


The Chad in his prime, TJ, and Henry trio was unbelievable.

There's no possible way to defend all three of this guys at any given time.
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Which offense are\were you guys more confident in putting points on the board?
 
A. 2005 offense (Carson, Chad, TJ, Rudi)
B. 2013 offense (Dalton, AJ, Eifert, Gresham, Sanu, Jones, BJE, Gio, etc) - this is ridiculous talent
 
 
As crazy as our talent is this season.  I had more faith in the 2005 to put up big numbers.
 
I know it doesn't matter, just a talking point.  With this offense we should be putting 28+ on the board every game. 
 
In 2005 we averaged - 26 a game
 
2011 - 21
2012 - 24
2013 - 20
 
Dalton's third year and the most talent on O that we have had ever, and statistically PPG is the lowest.  Thoughts?

The 2005 team tho had 31 interceptions by the defense which undoubtably led to some great field position for that offense where as this year's squad is on pace for like 13-14. Just a thought, but I would assume that is a factor in it as well.
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Which offense are\were you guys more confident in putting points on the board?

 

A. 2005 offense (Carson, Chad, TJ, Rudi)

B. 2013 offense (Dalton, AJ, Eifert, Gresham, Sanu, Jones, BJE, Gio, etc) - this is ridiculous talent

 

 

As crazy as our talent is this season.  I had more faith in the 2005 to put up big numbers.

 

I know it doesn't matter, just a talking point.  With this offense we should be putting 28+ on the board every game. 

 

In 2005 we averaged - 26 a game

 

2011 - 21

2012 - 24

2013 - 20

 

Dalton's third year and the most talent on O that we have had ever, and statistically PPG is the lowest.  Thoughts?

Aside from fond memories, though, a big part of the scoring there were the turnovers and the short drives after them.  We don't get as many defensive turnovers now.

 

I looked back at the game scores and didn't see a huge disparity between those scores and those of 2012.  We had some 40 point games in 2005, but last year we had some 38 point games.  We lost a 37 point game in 2005.  

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Which offense are\were you guys more confident in putting points on the board?
 
A. 2005 offense (Carson, Chad, TJ, Rudi)
B. 2013 offense (Dalton, AJ, Eifert, Gresham, Sanu, Jones, BJE, Gio, etc) - this is ridiculous talent
 
 
As crazy as our talent is this season.  I had more faith in the 2005 to put up big numbers.
 
I know it doesn't matter, just a talking point.  With this offense we should be putting 28+ on the board every game. 
 
In 2005 we averaged - 26 a game
 
2011 - 21
2012 - 24
2013 - 20
 
Dalton's third year and the most talent on O that we have had ever, and statistically PPG is the lowest.  Thoughts?



Thoughts? Turnovers.

Look at how many were produced in 2005.

Look at how many they've had through 6 games.

There are too many long scoring drives to decide the offense has peaked at this point in the season.

I think they'll take it upward.
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noticed some interesting stats on the bengals "dink and dunk offense" as some would call it.

 

Number of passes thrown longer than 10yds:

 

 

Dalton - 56

Rogers - 48

Brees - 70

Brady - 64

Stafford - 55

Rivers - 66

Peyton - 59

Flacco - 75

Romo - 55

Ryan - 62

Cutler - 70

Newton - 49

Palmer - 72

Tannehill - 62

Luck - 65

Ben - 58

 

 

 

Perhaps the "the Bengals throw too many short passes" talk is a little overblown, no?

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What do I care how many points they're scoring per game so long as it's more than the other guys?

 

Also, for the record? 2005 was 8 (eight) years ago.  Let it go.

 

It is the mindset of the average Cincy fan.  The defense gives up huge plays to a guy off of the street, no problem.  The offense gains 300 yards passing, controls the clock, but doesn't put up a 50 burger on the Bills and it is a full blown crisis.

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@thewanderer2020 @JoeGoodberry Dalton loves throwing the hitch/curl, not sure if that's a product of playcall or his comfort.

@thewanderer2020 @JoeGoodberry Hitch+Comeback+Out = 76 throws. Slant+Dig = 31 throws. HB dumpoffs = 30 throws. Go = 24.

@thewanderer2020 @JoeGoodberry 4/6 on corner routes for 2 TDs too, interestingly.

 

@thewanderer2020 @JoeGoodberry Also 16 WR/TE screens.

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Green won't suffer in more diverse offense

 

 

 

CINCINNATI -- As the Cincinnati Bengals begin opening up their passing game and directing more balls to more receivers, their star pass-catcher, A.J. Green, should fare better than other receivers who have gone through similar offensive changes on their teams. 

At least, that's what the numbers, and my personal theory, seem to suggest. 
 

Since the Bengals' Week 4 loss at Cleveland, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has made much more of a concerted effort to make Green just another piece of his offensive puzzle. Instead of honing in solely on Green like he did that ill-fated Sunday against the Browns, Gruden has started looking at other ways to advance the football and getting his team scores. He's still going to Green often, but he's committed to exploring other options, too. 

 

Those options include targeting running backs and receivers 15 times combined against New England two weeks ago (the game before, Green alone was passed to 15 times). Those options also include getting No. 3 receiver Marvin Jones involved in the offense on space plays like his 34-yard end around at Buffalo last week. They also include giving speedy rookie running backGiovani Bernard swing screen or shovel screen pass-catching opportunities. 

Plays like those are part of the "matchup problems" that left offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth regularly discusses. If the Bengals can continue to get other playmakers involved, their offense ought to thrive like it has the past two weeks, and help propel Cincinnati to even more wins. 

"The combination of all of them makes you different," Whitworth said. "How do you match up against all the different guys? If we play to our ability, it will be hard for teams to cover everybody the way they need to." 

It's sort of a trend across the NFL. The days of having one megastar receiver or one megastar running back are over. These days, the league is about versatility, and in Cincinnati, there's a lot of it. 

While Green's overall production should take a hit from its preseason projection because of the Bengals' more diverse offense, that hit doesn't appear it will be as hard as we might anticipate. In fact, in some respects, it'll be hard to detect him taking a hit at all. 

Last season, arguably his best so far, Green, as the Bengals' unquestioned premier playmaking option, caught 97 passes for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also hauled in 61 first-down receptions. 

This season, he is on pace to catch 99 passes for 1,237 yards and 11 touchdowns, while also coming away with 59 first-down grabs. By comparison, that looks like a pretty normal season. But when you consider the fact that Cincinnati might have six players go beyond the 500-yard mark in receiving this year, and have two running backs go beyond the 750-yard rushing plateau, those numbers look rather remarkable. 

Consider this. Last season, Green posted those figures while having a running back who finished six yards shy of 1,100, and just two receivers who went beyond 500-yard receiving mark. In much more statistically diverse offense, he still should shine just as brightly by the end of this season. 

In an effort to try to see if other premier NFL receivers have struggled when faced with changing and more diverse offenses that feature multiple receiving options, we looked at three, somewhat random, players. Since so many teams incorporate different backfield and deepfield options into their offensive arsenals now, we probably could have picked any number of "elite" receivers to detect the pattern of drop-off. But here are the ones we selected: Denver's Demaryius Thomas, Atlanta's Roddy White and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald

In White's case, we looked at his average stats before Julio Jones arrived in 2011 and compared them to his numbers after Jones began playing for the Falcons (they don't include this year's stats). In addition to Jones, White also has played with tight end Tony Gonzalezin that same time frame. 

We did the same for Fitzgerald and the eight years he spent before Michael Floyd arrived, and the one year, 2012 (not counting this seasons' stats), they played together before this year. We also looked at Thomas and his three seasons playing with Eric Decker. Before he was drafted by the Broncos, Thomas was essentially the only receiving threat at the end of his collegiate career at Georgia Tech. 

Green's projections in receptions, yards after catch, touchdowns and targets exceed what White, Fitzgerald and Thomas had once they started sharing pass-catching duties with other top targets. Unlike the one season -- again, not counting this one -- that Fitzgerald spent sharing time with Floyd, White's numbers actually increased across the three years he spent, before this season, playing with Jones and Gonzalez. 

Although Thomas' numbers weren't very high in the three previous years he spent playing alongside Decker and others, they are projected to be much higher, even higher than Green's, this season. Much of that is the function of playing with Peyton Manning in what currently is the NFL's best offense. 

Here's a breakdown of the numbers for Green and others: 

 

(see link for the charts)

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/2012/bengals-a-j-green-diverse-offense-stats

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  1. Dalton is also on pace to generate 4,398 yards passing. At that pace, he'll wipe out Palmer's franchise mark of 4,131 yards ('07)

     
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  2. In '11 and '12 combined, Dalton completed 70-plus % of his passes in 4 games. This year, he's already done it four times w/ nine games left.


Dalton got rid of the football within 2.5 seconds on 66.7 percent of his throws against the Lions, per PFF

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