Why Brandon Thompson's return could be big for Bengals

[Arkansas Bengal]

Why Brandon Thompson's return could be big for Bengals

October, 22, 2014

Oct 22

7:20

PM ET

By Coley Harvey | ESPN.com

 

CINCINNATI -- You may be unfamiliar with who Brandon Thompson is.

 

That's understandable. He isn't a big-name superstar. He's a backup, in fact, and he plays one of the least glamorous positions on the Cincinnati Bengals' defense.

Be that as it may, Thompson could end up playing a key role in helping the Bengals salvage their season. With the status of the injured interior lineman still in doubt, there has to be hope among Bengals die-hards that he will end up playing again this week, after dealing with a knee injury that has sidelined him since the second week of the season.

Why? Because he could help the Bengals address one of the most glaring issues facing their defense: stopping the run.

"He's a good run-stuffing guy," defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. "He's a key part of what we do and we can't wait to have him back."

Since Thompson went down, teams have rushed for an average 172.5 yards per game. In the two games he has appeared in, they collected just 95.5 yards per game.

It ought to be pointed out that he only saw six plays of action in the second game, leaving with his injury in the first half.

But going back to his rookie year in 2012, Thompson has been a run-stopping maven.

His only tackle his rookie season came on a run, as did nearly half his snaps that season. Last year, 54.4 percent of his 377 snaps came on running plays. Additionally, 20 of his 23 tackles that year came on plays when opposing ball carriers were rushing the ball. All of his four stops so far this season have come when opponents have run.

Part of the issue for the Bengals this past month -- particularly in the last three weeks where they have gone 0-2-1 -- is that they aren't attacking ball carriers very well at the first level. The rushers are bursting easily through the line of scrimmage and subsequently getting by linebackers who aren't taking the best angles to them. In turn, big runs are getting yielded, and prolific rushing performances have become the norm.

Three times in the last four games ball carriers have rushed for 20 or more yards on the Thompson-less Bengals defense.

With the 6-foot-2, 315-pound lineman potentially in the mix again soon, the holes that currently exist at the line of scrimmage may soon collapse. If he returns, you soon may not see those types of breakout runs, thereby limiting the massive rushing totals that have been the Bengals' enemy recently.

 

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/12539/bengals-brandon-thompson-return-big-run-defense