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Vikings at Bengals Game Week News/Notes/Chatter - 2021 Season Week 1


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Bengals coaches, players, scouts, insiders on who they think will break out this season – The Athletic

 

Morrison's annual piece:

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Every year I like to canvas those closest to the Bengals to find out who opened eyes and looks ready to take a significant step in their production.

 

This isn’t about finding the best players, it’s about pinpointing the rising players. Whether from a D-player to a C-player, B to an A or A to an A-plus, I sought opinion on players prime to jump.

 

They don’t always pan out. Besides Jessie Bates as one of the top picks last season, the list essentially serves as an explainer for 2020 failure.

 

In many ways, this list can define the Bengals season. If half of the names on the list live up to the hype, the Bengals’ picture looks much rosier. Another hit percentage like last season and, well, everyone remembers what last season looked like.

 

Here are the players brought up most, on and off the record, from scouts, coaches, players and insiders asked who is ready to take the leap.

 

The funny thing was, this list was almost unfair this year because of two obvious answers that have had everyone talking.

 

Oh yeah, Joe Burrow, the player whose projected leap is the most critical element of this season, was not an allowable answer.

 

Tier 1 (Nearly unanimous)


Logan Wilson

 

Status: 2020 third-round pick, projected three-down linebacker, first year wearing communication helmet relaying the plays.

Last year: 343 snaps, two starts, two interceptions in a part-time role.

 

Tight ends coach James Casey: “From watching practice, Logan Wilson is the guy. He’s a dang good player who has a chance to have a really good season. There’s so many variables involved with guys having great seasons, but I think he’s got a chance to not only have a great season, but a great career. Being a former player and understanding how a rookie year is just so tough, and especially with last year being so strange with the COVID stuff, I know how hard it was for him last year. Especially with tight end and linebacker being the two toughest positions to me, because they’re the ones where the physicality from college to NFL is just so much different, and you’ve got so much you need to know as a tight end and a linebacker, and I’ve just watched him in practice and have seen how his confidence has grown and he’s playing so much faster now that he knows the defense better and what offenses are trying to do to him. He has a great understanding and his instincts have really been showing up this camp. He reacts so fast to run plays and fits and in coverage.”

 

Quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher: “Logan, he’s been really impressive. Germaine has been really impressive. A couple of young linebackers, they are playing smart and they are playing fast. It shows up in the pass game when there’s a couple of throws underneath and zone coverage that used to be easy completions where, we might be completing them, but those windows are closing fast. They are matching underneath patterns very quickly whereas it might not have been that way.”

 

Director of college scouting Mike Potts: “I’d look at Logan Wilson as a guy to ascend and have a productive season this year. Year 2 in the system and coming off a rookie year with no offseason/preseason. Also had more veterans mixed in the linebacker room last year who helped groom him but also ate into valuable reps. Really talented player with a high ceiling.”

 

Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson: “You talk to enough people in the building and you get the sense they feel like this guy is going to emerge as a top-of-the-line NFL player in the middle of their defense. He is what the other guys have had the last few years in the middle. He marries his safety background with a modern backer brew of speed (4.6 in the 40), instincts (two interceptions and a sack as the Bengals’ first rookie to mark in both categories in 15 years) and brains worthy of wearing the defense’s communicator. As their sixth middle linebacker in seven opening days, they see a long-term solution in the jump from year one to year two.”

 

My thought: The first defensive name used by nearly everyone. Wilson fits the profile as a top draft pick who showed progress throughout his rookie year at a position typically associated with jumps in the second and third seasons. Germaine Pratt’s name was often attached to Wilson as they’ve combined to infuse the most hope regarding linebackers in a long time. The Bengals might have finally hit after endless swings and misses on third-round linebackers.

 

Tee Higgins

 

Status: Starting wide receiver, 2020 second-round draft pick.

 

Last year: Nearly touched 1,000 yards and would have broken the Bengals’ rookie record for catches if not for injury.

Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan: “If Tee Higgins ends up doing what I think he’s capable of doing, I think he’s going to be a phenomenal player.”

 

Pitcher: “The easy one is Tee. For Tee to do what he did last year just showed me he’s a natural as a football player. Then he came back and he looked like a different guy physically when he showed back up in April. So we combine what we already know about him which was damn near 1,000 yards as a rookie and made all these improvements in himself. You just tell from his approach and his confidence, I just know I’m really excited every time the ball is going in his direction I light up a little bit.”

 

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo: “I’d say Tee Higgins. The way he carries himself, the way he goes about his business, he’s a big man with great athletic ability, and he’s impressed me a ton. I would not be surprised to see his game fly to another level. He was on his last year, and he’s even better this year.”

 

Burrow: “I’m excited to watch Tee. Tee had a great offseason. You can tell he really put in the work and really grinded the whole year and came in looking great. He looks more explosive, looks bigger, stronger, catches the ball better. I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do.”

 

Head coach Zac Taylor: “Tee has always been very confident since he got here in his own abilities. I think now he’s more confident because he’s been through a whole NFL season and he knows what’s going to be thrown at him. He knows the type of competition he’s going to face, the elevated steps he has to make in his game coming from Clemson to the NFL. He’s done a remarkable job attacking that in this offseason, getting in great shape, playing really fast on every single snap, being consistent, going up and making plays down the field. You really saw that on the backstretch of last season, because he struggled with that early on, really before the bye. You look at games in the last stretch of the season he was making every 50-50 play whether it was in bounds or out of bounds, he would go up and make that play. We’ve seen a lot of progress with Tee.”

 

My thought: Higgins always made sense as the answer when people would ask who will have the biggest year of the receivers. His big-play ability was underrated because when he really came on making plays down the field, the offense wasn’t doing much with backup quarterbacks at the helm. For the millionth time I’ll trot out this stat: In the eight games Higgins and Burrow both started and finished last year, they racked up what in a 16-game season would have equaled 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. There’s the expectation.

 

Tier 2 (Mentioned multiple times)


Joe Mixon

 

Status: First-time captain, fifth season.

 

Last year: Played six games, missed rest of season with a foot injury.

 

Linebackers coach Al Golden: “There are so many guys on offense, but Joe Mixon has looked great. He’s running really strong and has had a really good camp. He’s a big guy, and when he’s running that hard, look out.”

 

Linebacker Logan Wilson: “I think it’s going to be really nice to have Mixon back in the backfield. He was hurt some last year, which is tough. As much as it sucks to say, that’s part of football. It will be nice to have him back there.”

 

Jay Morrison: “I’m not going to disagree with the majority who are picking Tee and Logan, but I’m going to go in a different direction and pick Joe Mixon. It’s not that he wasn’t hungry before, but I think losing most of a season to injury, the way Mixon did with his foot last year, has a way of reinvigorating guys. And he just looks bigger, stronger and faster this year. I predict we’ll see him set career highs in both rushing yards and receiving yards. And yes, I know this line isn’t great, but it’s better than it’s been the last couple of years. And the line wasn’t great when Mixon led the AFC in rushing in 2018. He has a way of making those around him better, and that, coupled with his endless enthusiasm, is a big reason why his teammates voted him a captain this year. There is so much focus on what the passing game can be with all the weapons Joe Burrow has, and there is a lot of validity to that. But I see that enhancing Mixon’s production, not detracting from it. Obviously, he’ll have to stay healthy, but if he does, I foresee Mixon leaping into the conversation as one of the elite backs in the league.”

 

My thought: Mixon’s been discounted by those focused on his injury and inefficiency when he did play. I do think you will see a jump from last year’s 3.6 per carry and his added involvement in the passing game should only rev his motor harder. I’m buying the connection with offensive line coach Frank Pollack storyline. The two times he enjoyed the most success in this league were not just with him in 2018, but the second half of 2019 when the new staff went reverted to many tactics used the year before to revitalize his production. You can absolutely see that happening here.

 

Jonah Williams

 

Status: Starting left tackle, third year, 10 career games played, all last season.

 

Last year: Pro Football Focus ranked him 27th out of 59 qualifying tackles in pass-blocking grade.

 

Callahan: “Jonah Williams, potentially he’s a cornerstone left tackle. Even as an undersized tackle, he’s been so good this training camp and preseason games that if he can play like he’s played in camp, we are all going to be really happy.”

My thought: Quietly drawing as much buzz as anyone. A truly critical year for the 2019 first-round pick. More than anything, he has to stay healthy after two injury-riddled seasons. If he does and builds on the foundation of last season, it won’t be long until he’s thinking about extensions like the Vikings’ Brian O’Neill and Denver’s Garett Bolles signed. Without question, tens of millions of dollars hang in the balance if he can take this leap in the two seasons.

 

Chidobe Awuzie

 

Status: Four-year starting cornerback for Dallas, acquired in free agency.

 

Last year: Struggled for the first time in his career after three strong seasons; injury and a discombobulated Dallas defense were contributing factors.

 

Burrow: “I think Chido is going to have a big year. I’m excited. He’s a tough guy to go against every day in practice. There are no easy ones with Chido. He’s on his stuff, understands the weaknesses of a coverage and leverage and what receivers are trying to do with releases. He’s going to be a big part of this team and I’m excited to watch him.”

 

Anarumo: “Really impressed. He’s been so consistent.”

 

My thought: Every day during camp, I found myself writing down his number for breaking up a pass or forcing an incompletion. No matter who he went up against, Awuzie lived on their jersey. His reputation for not always making a play on the ball will be the thing to watch during the games because we’ve seen plenty of him staying sticky. While that would be a jump from last year, it would more be a return to the caliber corner he was his first three seasons.

 

Tier 3 (Solid testimonial)

 

LB Akeem Davis-Gaither

 

Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons: “Has a chance to be a really good special teams player this year. Great understanding of what I want and how I want it done. He was good in that regard last year but made a big jump again this offseason and preseason.”

 

CB/PR Darius Phillips

 

Golden: “I think Darius Phillips is going to surprise people. He’s been doing a really nice job. He’s been great coverage-wise and is really attacking the ball. He’s got some versatility, and I think he’s had a really good camp.”

 

Tier 3 (Honorable mentions)

 

DT D.J. Reader, DE Trey Hendrickson, TE Drew Sample, TE C.J. Uzomah, DT Larry Ogunjobi, WR Tyler Boyd

 

Taylor: “I think the guy that goes unspoken is Tyler Boyd. He just goes out there and makes the plays and everyone sees it and it’s not always 80-yard touchdowns. He has been as consistent as any receiver I’ve ever been around in my life this training camp. He’s a guy that Joe, I know, has an extremely high degree of confidence in. We all do as a staff. He kind of goes unnoticed sometimes, because we talk about the first-round pick and we talk about the second-round guy who is in his second year and had a great end of season, but TB is just consistent as a player. That shows why he was a captain. He wasn’t a captain our first year or even last year, but just how much I’ve seen him grow as a professional, not that he was ever negative in any way. He truly has become a captain who has earned that right. He is consistent every day. He’s exactly what we’re looking for and it’s critical to have that type of leadership in the receiving room.”

 

 

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Lessons from my visit with Joe Burrow of Cincinnati Bengals: Why he hasn't lost any confidence, and what to expect in 2021 (espn.com)

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Lessons from my visit with Joe Burrow of Cincinnati Bengals: Why he hasn't lost any confidence, and what to expect in 2021

 

Dan Graziano

ESPN Staff Writer

 

CINCINNATI -- The first time I asked to interview Joe Burrow, in early August, the answer was no. This was a point in training camp when Burrow was, by his own admission, struggling with some stuff.

Working to return to the field following last season's significant knee injury, the Cincinnati Bengals' second-year quarterback was wrestling with some psychological aspects of his recovery.

 

By the second time I asked, a couple of weeks later, all of that stuff was an eye-roll-inducing memory.

 

"That was about four days of camp," Burrow told me Wednesday during an interview after the team's morning walkthrough at Paul Brown Stadium. "And everyone wanted to write a bunch of articles about it. And then, you know, the other 25 days of camp, I was back to my old self -- slinging the ball around, reading the coverages, feeling great. Nobody wanted to write about that."

 

Consider it written about. Here are some of the impressions I got from the time I spent with him for a SportsCenter interview:

Burrow, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner and 2020 No. 1 pick, is a young man who's extremely confident in his ability to handle just about anything. Whether it's four days of training camp doubt, 10 months of grueling injury rehab or anything in between, Burrow seems to have the same attitude about everything: Work is work, the job is whatever the job is, and once he figures out what he needs to do, it's going to get done.

 

"I didn't treat rehab any differently than I had the offseason before or the offseason before that," he said. "You know, it was just, come to work every day, get your work in and then go home and rest. I had to put in a little more work than I usually would have, because I would rehab and then I would lift, then throw, so it was more work than usual, but you know... that's what I do."

 

Each of his answers started with what felt like a verbal shrug. Not in an arrogant or dismissive way -- just the matter-of-fact perspective of an unusually mature 24-year-old who doesn't mind not knowing what comes next because he's sure he can handle it. That's what I do.

 

But his confidence is alloyed with enough humility that it's not off-putting. Asked whether he has any pregame superstitions, he says no and then casually mentions he has been wearing his left sock inside-out during games since he was at Ohio State. That's a yes, Joe, and he smiles and admits as much when pressed. But he still doesn't know why he does it. It's just another thing he does and doesn't worry about too much.

 

Concerned at all about rookie receiver Ja'Marr Chase's preseason drops? Shrug. Smile. "You know, he's had great practices the last, you know, week and a half, and he's dropped a few in preseason games, but he's got one-series, two-series games, hasn't had a chance to get in a rhythm yet," Burrow said. "So nobody's really worried about it."

 

Wish you'd had more than three plays in the preseason? Shrug. Nah.

 

"It wasn't so much about those three plays as much as it was about the feeling in the locker room, knowing I was about to go out there and put my body on the line and play a game and have the potential to get hit, get those butterflies out of the way in pregame so I'm ready to roll Week 1," he said.

 

Remember what was going through your mind when you got hurt? Sure. "Um, my knee hurt, first off," he laughed. "And then after that, it was more of, you know, let's get this surgery out of the way so I can get back to work and get back on the field. It was obviously disappointing. We were just starting to get rolling as an offense. I was really starting to understand the system and the defenses that we were going to play.

 

So it happened at an unfortunate time, but it allowed me to go through the process of the rehab and get back to where I'm at now."

 

The two long vertical scars down the sides of his left knee make it clear something significant happened. He'll have to wear a knee brace when he plays for a year, which he's not thrilled about. But again, it just kind of all is what it is.

 

Burrow is hope personified for the Bengals' fan base, and his ability to resume what they desperately need to be a franchise-savior career is the story of Cincinnati's season. A lot of pressure comes with that, but it won't surprise you to know he shrugs at that, too.

 

"You know, I don't really feel the pressure too much," he said. "Pressure's a word that outside people use to describe situations, and as long as I prepare the way I need to, I'm going to play the way I need to and we're going to win football games. So, you know, that's really all it comes down to."

 

Sounds pretty simple, right? Keeping it that way might be the key to the success Joe Burrow has had so far and whatever further success still awaits him.

 

 

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I'm more fired up and ready for this season to start than I have been in many years.

I think they got rid of a lot of dead wood and lard asses and have hungry youngsters

ready to make an impact and some of the young veterans to break out.

I simply can't wait for kick off tomorrow.

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56 minutes ago, High School Harry said:

I'm more fired up and ready for this season to start than I have been in many years.

I think they got rid of a lot of dead wood and lard asses and have hungry youngsters

ready to make an impact and some of the young veterans to break out.

I simply can't wait for kick off tomorrow.

You and me both, totally amped up already. Gonna be tough sleeping tonight, can't imagine how the players feel.

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