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Monday musings: Hue checkmates Rex


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Monday musings: Hue checkmates Rex

Posted 1 hour ago

 

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A few musings in the aftermath of the Bengals’ 34-21 victory in Buffalo on Sunday:

-Amazing that about the only exposure the Bengals get nationally is when they’re literally exposed on NFL Network.

-Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson got the last word on Bills head coach Rex Ryan. Whether it was gamesmanship or whatever on Ryan’s part when he A.) signed former Bengals quarterback Josh Johnson earlier in the week and then B.) made him a captain for the game even though he’d been in Buffalo slightly longer than Sunday’s snow squall, who knows?

But it didn’t work because people are beginning to talk in Western New York. Not many forget the Bills hired Ryan at the 11th hour instead of Jackson after Jackson had pledged to keep defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Bills sack artist Mario Williams apparently questioning the defense in the postgame was a nasty juxtaposition.

Ryan pointed out the Bengals’ 355 yards were under their second-ranked average, but the Bills were at sea most of the day against the changeups Jackson pumped at them. Just take a look at the first two drives of the second half that won the game and where 11 of the 20 plays were run out of no huddle.

-In the first one, the Willie Mays Hayes Memorial thanks to wide receiver Marvin Jones’ four catches for 66 yards in the drive, the big plays unfolded mainly out of formations consisting of two tight ends, two wide receivers and a running back. But only after the Bengals started the drive with three receivers on one snap and three tight ends on another and the providing a wrinkle.

(By the way, the triple tight end set birthed tight end Ryan Hewitt’s first catch of the season.)

The Bengals switched up to the 2-2-1 on the sixth play of the drive and the Bills blitzed middle linebacker Preston Brown and safety Corey Graham on second-and-eight from the Bengals 42. Running back Giovani Bernard got in the way long enough to allow Jones’ Say-Hey catch right over the top of his head for 42 yards.

When Jones made his big catch-and-run 10-yard TD two snaps later, it was also out of a 2-2-1. But there were no backs; Bernard was split wide left with Hewitt in the slot and tight end Tyler Eifert at the end of the line. Jones and wide receiver A.J. Green were split wide right with Green in the slot. They ran a screen to Jones coming back from the perimeter, Green got a good block, and center Russell Bodine motored out of nowhere to clean out cornerback Stephon Gilmore at the goal line to make it 24-14.

-The Bills were clearly back on their heels and Jackson ramped up the no huddle on the second series, but did it largely with three wide receivers, one tight end, and a back. On third-and eight the Bengals had Eifert and Bernard next to Dalton to protect against the blitz, but the Bills dropped both safeties and it allowed slot receiver Mohamed Sanu to run past nickel back Nickell Robey for 24 yards.

 

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Then they no huddled to the line with that personnel and Buffalo had to call timeout when they saw Green, Jones, and Sanu lined up behind one another on the far right and they had only 10 men on the field.

The Bengals stuck with three receivers and they ran out of no huddle four straight times against five DBs with Hill twice for 13 yards and then Bernard for 13 more.

-That set up Jackson’s piece de resistance from the 4. They rolled out four tight ends with rookie left tackle Jake Fisher one of them, Hewitt lined up in front of Bernard and when Eifert split out right to be isolated on safety Bacarri Rambo, rookie tight end Tyler Kroft came in motion the other way. Eifert was no match for Rambo in the end zone.

Bengals, 31-14 with 1:42 left in the third quarter.

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Monday-musings-Hue-checkmates-Rex/1d000922-6af2-4d14-9d29-d05878565422

 

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Updates from Hobnob:

 

EVERYONE HEALTHY:  We still have to wait on Pro Bowl WILL linebacker Vontaze Burfict to know if he’ll practice next week when the Bengals prep to play the Stealers Nov. 1 in Pittsburgh. But head coach Marvin Lewis said Monday anybody that played in Sunday’s win in Buffalo is going to be ready to play the Stealers.

So that means a pair of defensive starters who left with ankle injuries in the second half, right end Michael Johnson and WILL backer Vincent Rey, should be fine after the bye. It sounded like Lewis is giving the team  Wednesday through Sunday off after Tuesday’s practice.

HUE WANTS MORE FROM HILL: Bengals running back Jeremy Hill is tied for second in NFL scoring with six TDs and he caught his first NFL touchdown  pass Sunday in Buffalo, where he rushed a season-high 16 times for 56 yards.

But Jackson indicated he’d like to see a little more north and south and a little less east to west.

“I thought he played better yesterday, but he still doesn't play like I want him to play yet, I'll be the first to tell you guys that. I'm not going to run from that, he can't run from it either,” Jackson said. “I mean, there's another level for him and he'll get there and I believe that with my whole heart. . . . He scored a touchdown yesterday, he had some good strong runs but I know the player he can be so I'm going to keep pushing him to get there. I mean, we need him. He's going to be a huge part down the stretch run once we get back here.”

 

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HUE WANTS MORE FROM HILL: Bengals running back Jeremy Hill is tied for second in NFL scoring with six TDs and he caught his first NFL touchdown  pass Sunday in Buffalo, where he rushed a season-high 16 times for 56 yards.

But Jackson indicated he’d like to see a little more north and south and a little less east to west.

“I thought he played better yesterday, but he still doesn't play like I want him to play yet, I'll be the first to tell you guys that. I'm not going to run from that, he can't run from it either,” Jackson said. “I mean, there's another level for him and he'll get there and I believe that with my whole heart. . . . He scored a touchdown yesterday, he had some good strong runs but I know the player he can be so I'm going to keep pushing him to get there. I mean, we need him. He's going to be a huge part down the stretch run once we get back here.”

 

Hue is not alone.

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Monday musings: Hue checkmates Rex

   Geoff Hobson Editor Bengals.com

 

-Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson got the last word on Bills head coach Rex Ryan.

 

Ryan pointed out the Bengals’ 355 yards were under their second-ranked average,

It would be more-appropriate to say that Hue got that last word on Dennis Thurman (D-coordinator) or that Marvin got that last word on Rex.

 

355 yards...that's all they needed.  They were given a lot of short fields to work with due to Buffalo self imploding (penalties), good special teams return yardage, and an interception.  With the way the Bengals' offense was clicking, does anyone really think they couldn't have gotten another 10-15 yards per possession if they needed it?

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