Sanu, Jones looking for better down the stretch

[Bengals1181]

CINCINNATI – Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones have been linked ever since they arrived in Cincinnati. The two wide receivers were selected in last year’s NFL Draft and tagged with the responsibility of giving opposing defenses someone else other than A.J. Green to be concerned with in the Bengals’ passing attack.

Sanu was taken in the third round, Jones in the fifth. They each flashed a glimpse of what they could do as rookies but rarely did they do it on the field at the same time. They only played in the same game four times last season because of various injuries, including a foot fracture that ended Sanu's season at this same point a year ago. 

This season has been different. Sanu has started 10 of the Bengals’ first 11 games opposite of Green and is third on the team with 36 receptions. Jones has played in every game, is second to Green in receiving yards and leads the team with seven touchdown catches. 

Yet neither has played as well or as consistently as they expect or is expected of them.

“Obviously we could be better but we’ve been doing good and we’re glad how far we’ve come,” said Jones, “but there is always room for improvement and we’re looking to this week to take another step.”

The Bengals return from their bye week seeking to replace the inconsistent offense of November with the one more resembling October’s efficient machine. Sanu and Jones are like everyone else on the offense: they’ve been pretty good but they can be better. 

“We’ve just got to continue to work on our consistency from our route discipline standpoint, protection standpoint, quarterback throw standpoint,” said offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. “Everybody can be a little bit more consistent. We had a chance to go back and look and see whatever tendencies we had or didn’t have and continue to build off of what we’ve been doing.”

The NFL bye week is one of those all-magical elixirs for teams. At least it is hoped to be. It’s a time for self-assessment and self-scouting. And healing up.

The Bengals are positioned well after their off week. They’re 7-4 and in first place in the AFC North by two games over Pittsburgh and Baltimore, teams that play each other on Thanksgiving night in Baltimore, and have a shot at controlling their postseason fate in the next five games. 

The biggest question facing them at the beginning of the season hasn’t changed through the first 12 weeks of games: how quarterback Andy Dalton fares is going to determine how far this team goes. Dalton was the AFC Player of the Month in October as the Bengals went on a four-game winning streak, passing for 300-plus yards in three of the games and tossing 11 touchdowns against just three interceptions.

October seems like a distant memory as Dalton has thrown eight interceptions against five touchdowns the last three weeks. 

As important as Dalton’s play is to the Bengals’ success, it’s not all on him. The running game is averaging just 3.7 yards per game, which is No. 27 in the league. They have converted just six of 35 third-down chances in the last two games against Baltimore and Cleveland. Green’s 67 catches for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns make him Dalton’s favorite target but Dalton has tried to spread the ball around as much as possible.

Dalton has thrown Green’s way 123 times, well above any other receiver. Sanu is second with 59 targets, followed by tight end Jermaine Gresham with 53 targets and then the trio of Jones, tight end Tyler Eifert and running back Giovanie Bernard with 50 targets apiece. 

Sanu and Jones played in just four games together last season as rookies and it’s only been the past three games – since the return of Andrew Hawkins from the injured reserve list – that the Bengals have had their full complement of offensive weapons. 

“We haven’t really been together, all of us, at one point,” said Sanu, who caught his first touchdown pass of the season against Cleveland. “It should be interesting to see how the last few weeks play out with all of these guys. We have to do a great job of executing and being available for Andy and contributing to this offense, making sure we move the ball well.”

Last year provided glimpses of what Sanu and Jones could do; Sanu had 16 catches for 154 yards but four of those receptions were for touchdowns. He also completed the only pass he attempted for a 73-yard touchdown to Green at Washington when he lined up at quarterback in a Wildcat formation. He completed a 25-yard pass to Bernard last week against the Browns, dropping the pass into a tight window despite good coverage by Browns linebacker Barkevious Mingo.

Jones had 18 catches for 201 yards and one touchdown as a rookie. He’s shown to be an explosive player this season, averaging 14.9 yards per reception. He set a franchise record with four touchdowns against the New York Jets on Oct. 27 as part of an eight-catch, 122-yard performance but he’s had just six catches for 77 yards and no touchdowns since. He did have a would-be 50-yard touchdown pass against Miami called back because of a penalty.

“He's doing fine. He's had great practices up to the games. Just sometimes in the course of the game, some people will get shut out, so to speak, not because of their lack of playing good, it's just maybe the ball's not going there,” said Gruden. “We like where Marvin's at. He's a solid No. 2 for us right now, him and Mo both. I think all the receivers behind A.J., they've all shown flashes of being very good. It's just we have a lot of guys that are kind of in that mode where a different guys can help us each week, that it might not be the same guy each week.”

 

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/story/Sanu-Jones-looking-for-better-down-the-s?blockID=966119&feedID=3724

[coup000]

Marvin and Sanu getting open consistently is what could really push this offense over the top and in turn this team. Those guys have to win 1 on 1 and then make the catches.

[WRAPradio]

Marvin and Sanu getting open consistently is what could really push this offense over the top and in turn this team. Those guys have to win 1 on 1 and then make the catches.

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we do fine vs. man coverage, it's when teams play zone we seem to have issues.  That's when receivers are running wrong routes and Andy seems to hold on to the ball just a beat longer than he should.  Off the top of my head it seems like the Jets and Bills played man for most of the games and we tore them a new one on offense.  

[alleycat]

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we do fine vs. man coverage, it's when teams play zone we seem to have issues.  That's when receivers are running wrong routes and Andy seems to hold on to the ball just a beat longer than he should.  Off the top of my head it seems like the Jets and Bills played man for most of the games and we tore them a new one on offense.  

 

If that's true, it could also speak to what I would call a tentativeness from both Andy and the receivers. Also known as communication issues. If they aren't sure where to find the zones, and Andy isn't sure they are going to be there, it could sure explain a lot of the Jeckyll and Hyde quality lately...

[coup000]

I don't know, don't the Dolphins (Coyle) and the Ravens play a lot of man as well?

[Bengals1181]

I don't know, don't the Dolphins (Coyle) and the Ravens play a lot of man as well?

 

 

Miami definitely played a lot of man.  Baltimore seemed to as well.

 

 

Outside of the 3 INT's, that of course can't be overlooked, the passing game was actually pretty productive in Miami.  They had 338yds at a 60.4% clip.  

 

In total the Bengals had 466 total yards in the Miami game.  The Miami D didn't stop them as much as the Bengals stopped themselves.

[alleycat]

 

  The Miami D didn't stop them as much as the Bengals stopped themselves.

 

This single fact has been the one common denominator in all of our losses (and even some of our wins) this season, save for the first Cleveland game where we got flat beat.  It's the biggest reason for concern but also of hope. 

[Big Alice]

 
 
Miami definitely played a lot of man.  Baltimore seemed to as well.
 
 
Outside of the 3 INT's, that of course can't be overlooked, the passing game was actually pretty productive in Miami.  They had 338yds at a 60.4% clip.  
 
In total the Bengals had 466 total yards in the Miami game.  The Miami D didn't stop them as much as the Bengals stopped themselves.

...and,regardless of what Dan Dierdorf said during the telecast, the real story in Baltimore was the wind.

[Bengals1181]

...and,regardless of what Dan Dierdorf said during the telecast, the real story in Baltimore was the wind.

 

 

I think the wind certainly had an effect on the Baltimore game, but its not the reason they lost.  They lost because they failed to adjust to it.  They continually threw downfield into it, and failed to consistently stick with the run that was working in spurts.  Marvin also did a poor job on playing the field position game, which greatly contributed to Baltimore's early lead.

[Bengals1181]

CINCINNATI -- When receiver Marvin Jones set a Cincinnati Bengals franchise record with his four touchdown receptions against the New York Jets five Sundays ago, his name was expected to start coming up more often in the defensive meeting rooms of opposing teams.

 

After all, prior to that game, he had been a mere piece of the Bengals' offense. Few outside Paul Brown Stadium had reason to believe back then that any Bengals receiver not named A.J. Green could have an impressive single-game performance. 

 

When it came to its receivers, Cincinnati had, for the past two seasons at least, appeared committed to getting the ball first and foremost into the hands of its top playmaker and 2011 first-round draft pick. Any catches by other receivers were just bonuses. That particular Sunday, though, the diversity and versatility of the Bengals' offense showed itself in earnest. Jones was quarterback Andy Dalton's leading target, playing a major role in a big midseason victory. 

 

Since then, he has been comparatively forgotten. 

 

"I did a good job of taking advantage of opportunities [before]," Jones said. "The last two games were what they were." 

 

Following his breakout eight-catch, four-touchdown performance against the Jets four games ago, Jones has just six receptions and hasn't been in the end zone. Against Baltimore and Cleveland, he was held to just two catches for 11 yards despite being targeted seven times total. His performances in those contests are what have him looking to be a bigger piece of the offense again. 

 

"I'm ready to start it off again," Jones said, adding that he's put his past two games well behind him. 

Cincinnati travels to San Diego this weekend for a key AFC clash against the 5-6 Chargers. Last Sunday, the Chargers knocked off nine-win Kansas City, thanks to their own prolific passing attack. In this pseudo-homecoming, Jones, a Southern California native from the Los Angeles suburb Fontana, wants to make sure that he gets his hands on a pass early in order to keep catching others. 

"I'm the type that wants to get into it early. Get the ball in my hands as early as possible," he said. "We have a lot of playmakers, so if it's their day, so be it. That's the beauty of our team and offense. If someone takes away a certain part, there's always someone that is going to produce. But it's good to get all of us in a rhythm early." 

Two weeks ago, it was running back Giovani Bernard and tight end Jermaine Gresham who became the top passing options in the 41-20 win over the Browns. Windy and rainy conditions, along with a big halftime lead, forced the Bengals to mostly scrap their deep passing game. The combination meant Jones wasn't expecting a productive day. 

Shorter passes and one gadget play were among the 14 completed passes the Bengals had. Bernard caught four for 41 yards and Gresham caught two for 27 yards and a touchdown. Bernard's biggest gain, a 25-yard snag along the Browns' sideline, came from receiver Mohamed Sanu, who had the ball as the result of a lateral from Dalton. The 93-yard passing performance Dalton had, combined with Sanu's 25 yards meant Cincinnati was held to less than 120 yards passing for the first time since Week 15 last season. 

One week before the defense- and special-teams-inspired win over the Browns, Green was the receiving star in Cincinnati's 20-17 overtime loss at Baltimore. He had eight catches for 151 yards and a touchdown, marking the fifth straight game he had more than 100 yards receiving. Green followed up that performance with two catches for just 7 yards against Cleveland. 

"I like the diversity. I like keeping people fresh," offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said of his multi-playmaker system. "If you have a number of guys that can help you, then we should never have a guy say he's tired. So we can sub guys in and out and guys can be fresh and playing fast." 

When it specifically comes to Jones, Gruden said nothing has changed about the receiver's play the past three games. Because of the multiplicity of the offense, the ball just hasn't been going his way. 

"He's had great practices up to the games," Gruden said. "Just sometimes, in the course of the game, some people will get shut out, so to speak, not because of their lack of playing good. It's just maybe the ball's not getting there. We like where Marvin's at. He's a solid No. 2 for us right now; him and Mo both. 

"We're happy with where Marv's progress is and we think he's going to have a huge last five games of the year." 

Asked if teams are playing him a little differently since his emergence, Jones admitted that the coverage may be a little tighter and a little better overall, but those changes aren't very drastic. Gruden agreed. 

"The good thing is if they have a marquee corner like [Cleveland's] Joe Haden, [Jones] is usually going to get the second one," Gruden said. "So he should have a matchup that we feel good about every week. … We really feel like Marvin can go up against anybody and have a good day." 

Maybe that day will be Sunday. If not, the Bengals are sure they can snap out of their recent offensive funk by turning to any one of their other playmakers. 

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/3282/cincinnati-bengals-marvin-jones-looking-for-more-production

[Big Alice]

 
 
I think the wind certainly had an effect on the Baltimore game, but its not the reason they lost.  They lost because they failed to adjust to it.  They continually threw downfield into it, and failed to consistently stick with the run that was working in spurts.  Marvin also did a poor job on playing the field position game, which greatly contributed to Baltimore's early lead.

If you take out the whole "run game working in spurts" part, you might have a good point. The Bengals rushing offense was bad that day AND they were still trying to protect Gio's ribs. That would mean you're suggesting they should have continued to feed the ball to Green-Ellis. Fuck that. I'd rather takes chances throwing into he wind.

[Bengals1181]

If you take out the whole "run game working in spurts" part, you might have a good point. The Bengals rushing offense was bad that day AND they were still trying to protect Gio's ribs. That would mean you're suggesting they should have continued to feed the ball to Green-Ellis. Fuck that. I'd rather takes chances throwing into he wind.

 

 

Gio averaged 4.1ypc that day.  Green-Ellis averaged 4.0ypc.  Baltimore was giving up roughly 3.7ypc on the season at that point.

 

 

The rushing offense wasn't bad, it was just abandoned.  23 runs to 55 passes.