17 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

381

Stafford..allways had the arm to complete throws wherever.

I'm looking at the stats you posted.suming

I see

28-1 under center.

Is this the best ever??

I look at 18-7 in the gun

That's possibly SB numbers as well

.

Burrow should see this map for the heights he desires to reach..

It is a copycat league and more teams will be studying the Rams offense this offseason as they install their own offenses.

The plan seems to be having Burrow under center more this season. Dan Pitcher says the goal is to have more explosive plays (15 yds or more) on 1st and 2nd downs. In his most recent press conference Burrow also claimed that their goal is to have more explosive plays than they’ve had in the last several years.

Believe it or not, more early down explosive plays occur UC than out of the shotgun even though many fans believe just the opposite. Explosive plays with both the run and the pass games.

It Isn’t as if Burrow hasn’t had success UC in games before. In the 2023 road game against a tough 49ers defense, Burrow was UC for 22 out of a total of 61 total snaps. On the opening TD drive he was UC for 4 out of 10 plays. On the 2nd TD drive he was UC for 4 out of 6 total plays. Burrow finished 28 out of 32 for 283 yards for a 134.8 passer rating. He also gained 43 yards on 6 carries. Mixon also had a big rushing day against the 49ers.

3 hours ago, dex said:

It is a copycat league and more teams will be studying the Rams offense this offseason as they install their own offenses.

The plan seems to be having Burrow under center more this season. Dan Pitcher says the goal is to have more explosive plays (15 yds or more) on 1st and 2nd downs. In his most recent press conference Burrow also claimed that their goal is to have more explosive plays than they’ve had in the last several years.

Believe it or not, more early down explosive plays occur UC than out of the shotgun even though many fans believe just the opposite. Explosive plays with both the run and the pass games.

It Isn’t as if Burrow hasn’t had success UC in games before. In the 2023 road game against a tough 49ers defense, Burrow was UC for 22 out of a total of 61 total snaps. On the opening TD drive he was UC for 4 out of 10 plays. On the 2nd TD drive he was UC for 4 out of 6 total plays. Burrow finished 28 out of 32 for 283 yards for a 134.8 passer rating. He also gained 43 yards on 6 carries. Mixon also had a big rushing day against the 49ers.

makes sense that conceding the run on early downs limits opportunities to throw downfield.. no one is worried about a draw play.

they should remind the other team that our guys are offensive geniuses so they can have their defense at least pretend to care about a handoff five yards behind the line

are we sure this guy isnt secretly calling the plays?

Paul Dehner & The Athletic:

Andrew Whitworth indicated last year that Joe B. would need to change his style of play to stay healthy. Whit’s point is that any offensive line would struggle to keep Joe safe under the current scheme and Joe’s mentality. The team invested to create a contending team this year. Do you think Joe changes his style with an eye on less risk and better health? The best ability is availability. — Patrick J.

Whit authored one of my favorite conversations from all of last season in the wake of Burrow’s toe injury in Week 2. We talked about the Bengals’ investments in the offensive line, difficulties inherent in this system and Burrow’s propensity to find big plays when things break down rather than ensure he lives to play another day.

It’s a fascinating piece to go back and read now after what transpired last season and the excitement over the offensive line this offseason.

Keep this in mind before we dive deeper. The vast majority of quarterbacks in the NFL can cook from a clean pocket. With Burrow not pressured and Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the field the last two years, his EPA/dropback is an electric 0.37, which would rank top five in the league. The more the Bengals create those conditions, the better the chances of leading the league in offense, obviously.

Here’s the ranking over the last two years of the top quarterbacks in EPA/play when pressured (min. 250 plays). It shows where the real money gets made in the NFL.

1. Josh Allen: -.03
2. Patrick Mahomes: -.04
3. Joe Burrow: -.10
3. Brock Purdy: -.10
5. Lamar Jackson: -.11

What separates Burrow into Tier 1 of the NFL is his ability to ensure that the pressured plays still have production and avoid disaster. Those bury lesser signal-callers weekly..

Coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher spend much of their time figuring out the balance between finding more explosive plays, maintaining efficiency and keeping Burrow healthy. Taylor, Pitcher and Burrow have specifically referenced adding more explosiveness as a theme of the offseason agenda.

A healthy, returning offensive line that played well down the stretch last season will go a long way to helping all those factors.

Additionally, there’s a playing style tweak available that you’ll probably see them lean into. That could involve more under-center with play action, which has been a popular topic seemingly every offseason the last three years. Cincinnati utilized that corner of the playbook exponentially more when Joe Flacco took over last year. UCPA plays averaged an 18.4 percent explosive rate in the NFL last year. For reference, the average explosive rate on all plays was 10.9 percent. The Bengals just haven’t lived under center, ranking 31st in under-center plays the last two years. The Rams were first and Matthew Stafford just won MVP and went to the NFC Championship Game.

That could be part of the solution, but Burrow’s not suddenly going to abandon the fast-processing shotgun approach that made him great.

Perhaps we’ll see an increased willingness to throw the ball away or at least be more cognizant, specifically on early downs, but that hasn’t been a major problem in recent years.

All that said, Burrow’s style of play is inherent to what makes him elite. You’ll never really take that out of him, nor should you want to. It’s more a matter of tweaking those percentages of plays where he’s in harm’s way than Burrow changing his style. I’m sure some version of change will be coming, but don’t look for the Bengals to be giving away too many of those secrets right now.

Thanks, Griever. Interesting article from Ben Baby.

Just shows how poor the offensive production was last season in a couple of critical areas. While they were great on 3rd and 4th downs, they were pretty awful on 1st down situations. Among the worst in the league.

As for explosive plays - 10-plus rush yards or 20-plus receiving yards - who would guess that a team with Chase/Higgins/CBrown would have only the 27th most in the league? Only 5 teams with fewer? Yikes!

Just goes to show that the Bengals had real weaknesses on both sides of the ball last season.

1 hour ago, dex said:

Thanks, Griever. Interesting article from Ben Baby.

Just shows how poor the offensive production was last season in a couple of critical areas. While they were great on 3rd and 4th downs, they were pretty awful on 1st down situations. Among the worst in the league.

As for explosive plays - 10-plus rush yards or 20-plus receiving yards - who would guess that a team with Chase/Higgins/CBrown would have only the 27th most in the league? Only 5 teams with fewer? Yikes!

Just goes to show that the Bengals had real weaknesses on both sides of the ball last season.

To be fair, Jake Browning started 5 games last season and Flacco started 6 (which like 3 of which he was playing with a bad shoulder). I think that has more to do with the above stat than anything else.

And why did he use it as a the explosive plays as a % of plays? My AI search says they were one of the tops in the league in actual # of explosive passing plays. The Bengals threw the ball 645 times last year which was 2nd most to only the Arizona Cardinals. Due to the defense being absolute ass and needing to keep pace and just the nature of their offense. Bills threw it 495 times and Bears 574. The Rams had the NFL MVP at QB and threw it 598 times and are not in the top 10 below.

Tee Higgins has been mentoring Colbie Young, according to Hobson:

Not now at the Bengals' voluntary spring practices, where Higgins has embraced his role as mentor to Young as if he were pulling down one of his patented 50-50 balls he has turned into 90-10. Where, just on Wednesday, quarterback Joe Burrow joined in after clicking on a deep fade with Young and told the kid, "That's where we're going to make our money for sure."

"I see a lot of me in him. From my rookie year for sure," Higgins says. "He's quiet. That's how I was. Quiet guy, but he speaks when he needs to. He's got raw talent … He's got all the tools … Good hands. He's a really good route runner. Just a few things that I see. What he can work on. I saw that in myself when I was his age."

Hey, it's not like Higgins is headed to the cornfield. The man is a mere 27, is coming off two hellacious seasons of double-digit touchdown catches and is only a year into one of the richest deals in the game.

But for a man who was able to play with his idol for a year, Bengals Ring of Honor nominee A.J. Green, it means something. He remembers how open and accessible "Dream," was and six short years later he's doing the same.

(By the way, it looks like, someday, Higgins is also going to follow Green to that list, since he needs just five more touchdowns to join Green, Chad Johnson, Carl Pickens, Isaac Curtis and his sidekick Ja’Marr Chase as members of the 50-TD catch club.)

"I've been playing at a high level for a long time," Higgins says. "It's been a blessing. Him being able to watch me growing up and then for me being on this team, and being able to teach him a few things like it was with A.J."

Now, every day, here's Young, 6-4, 215 pounds, drafted in the fourth round out of Georgia 15 years after the Bengals went there to take the 6-4, 210-pound Green with the fourth pick, working with and listening to the 6-4, 220-pound Higgins.

Crazy, because all last season in Athens Young watched tape of Higgins and Drake London. And he's been watching Higgins and Chase a lot longer than that.

"When you have two of the best receivers, and you play receiver, you've got to tune in or you won't learn from the game," says Young, who turns 24 just before training camp and has lived a lifetime through COVID, junior college and Miami before Georgia. "People pay for this and, honestly, I'm getting it for free."

It is Higgins who is "the similar receiver in build," and has counseled him how to put fear into cornerbacks.

"The body demeanor," is what Young says Higgins is talking about. "Come out like you're running a go ball every time. They're already afraid of our size and speed, so make it look like you're going vertical every time.

some people are in love with Parker on the staff...

Risner who? glad that was a one year deal..

fully expect Karras risner swap for Lew and Parker next year.. curious how Rivers offseason went...

will be fun to see some football the next few weeks of some sort.

More evidence that the plan is for Burrow to go UC more in order to create more explosive plays. this time from the pass game coordinator. If they really commit to this and Chase Brown plays all 17 games, I really think he could rush for 1200 yards. 500 receiving yards is still a possibility too,

GH: Joe Burrow mentioned it last week in his news conference. Getting back to the explosive plays of '21 and '22. How do you do it?

JR: I think a few different ways, but I think the main thing is just finding ways to marry the run and the pass and continue to get the run game going. Plays off the run game, whether it's shots down the field, or movements, keepers, play-action. There are so many ways to marry the run and the pass, but I think for us it's just continuing to find ways to improve. The guys have been open-minded this offseason, worked really hard, and I think there are some new wrinkles that we put in place this offseason that continue to build on what we've done. And we've done some really good things.

GH: When Burrow came into the league in 2020, Zac made him comfortable with a lot of elements from LSU (empty backfield, shotgun, three and four wide receivers), and it paid off in a Super Bowl. As he has evolved the playbook with different formations and going under center more, it seems like Burrow is comfortable in whatever style.

JR: He's the best in the game, and there's nothing he can't do at an extremely high level, right? He's open to whatever we need to do to be more explosive and continue the momentum of the run game, which obviously helps the pass game, and he's excited about it. He's put a lot of work in this offseason. He looks great. We've put in some of those concepts under center, and he looks comfortable. He's got experience doing it. It definitely helps our run game, and being able to get under center is important and a big emphasis for us going forward. We've done a lot of work this offseason working on some of that stuff. It's been something we worked on the past month or so as we've got on the field with the guys and now forward into OTAs and training camp.

To be the best offense in the league, we have the ability to do that. Whether it's playing under center, from the gun, whether it's running the ball 50 times or throwing it 50 times, we have the ability from week to week to be flexible and attack the defense in many different ways

2 hours ago, dex said:

More evidence that the plan is for Burrow to go UC more in order to create more explosive plays. this time from the pass game coordinator. If they really commit to this and Chase Brown plays all 17 games, I really think he could rush for 1200 yards. 500 receiving yards is still a possibility too,

GH: Joe Burrow mentioned it last week in his news conference. Getting back to the explosive plays of '21 and '22. How do you do it?

JR: I think a few different ways, but I think the main thing is just finding ways to marry the run and the pass and continue to get the run game going. Plays off the run game, whether it's shots down the field, or movements, keepers, play-action. There are so many ways to marry the run and the pass, but I think for us it's just continuing to find ways to improve. The guys have been open-minded this offseason, worked really hard, and I think there are some new wrinkles that we put in place this offseason that continue to build on what we've done. And we've done some really good things.

GH: When Burrow came into the league in 2020, Zac made him comfortable with a lot of elements from LSU (empty backfield, shotgun, three and four wide receivers), and it paid off in a Super Bowl. As he has evolved the playbook with different formations and going under center more, it seems like Burrow is comfortable in whatever style.

JR: He's the best in the game, and there's nothing he can't do at an extremely high level, right? He's open to whatever we need to do to be more explosive and continue the momentum of the run game, which obviously helps the pass game, and he's excited about it. He's put a lot of work in this offseason. He looks great. We've put in some of those concepts under center, and he looks comfortable. He's got experience doing it. It definitely helps our run game, and being able to get under center is important and a big emphasis for us going forward. We've done a lot of work this offseason working on some of that stuff. It's been something we worked on the past month or so as we've got on the field with the guys and now forward into OTAs and training camp.

To be the best offense in the league, we have the ability to do that. Whether it's playing under center, from the gun, whether it's running the ball 50 times or throwing it 50 times, we have the ability from week to week to be flexible and attack the defense in many different ways

When he talks about "continuing the momentum of the run game" or "running the ball 50 times" he sounds flat out delusional. Zac simply does not call that kind of game. They've been one of the most pass-wacky offenses in the NFL since he got here.

Why the bullshit? What purpose does it serve when the numbers are right in front of us?

4 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Zac simply does not call that kind of game. They've been one of the most pass-wacky offenses in the NFL since he got here.

Why the bullshit? What purpose does it serve when the numbers are right in front of us?

While it is true that for the last several years they have been talking about “marrying” the run-pass game, it isn’t as if they want to become a run heavy team. They are simply looking for better ways to open up the offense for more explosive plays. So far Taylor, Pitcher, Burrow and now Justin Rascati has talked about finding new ways to create more explosive plays for their playmakers.

Most of those coaches have mentioned the LARams as the sort of offense they have been studying. They aren’t the only ones of course. That looks to be the next big thing in NFL offenses - under center on early downs, with inline TEs instead of spread formations. But you need a healthy, mobile Burrow to be able to spend a lot of time UC for play action.

The closest that Cincinnati has come to being the type of diverse offense they want to be came in the first half of the 2024 season. Between games 3-9 that year, they rushed for at least 120 yards. Maybe the most balanced game they have played in the Burrow era was week 4 at Carolina. They threw the ball 31 times and ran the ball 31 times for 141 yards.

So what was different with the rush game in early 2024? They had a healthy Burrow and a healthy Erick All. Even though he got cleared late in training game and was eased into the lineup more after the first couple of weeks, All was so strong so fast that he soon became TE1. In fact, they used All and Sample often together with Gesicki or Iosivas then replacing Sample on obvious passing downs.

But once All went down in 2024, they basically abandoned the run and multiple TEs formations and just reverted back to virtually all shotgun.

3 hours ago, dex said:

While it is true that for the last several years they have been talking about “marrying” the run-pass game, it isn’t as if they want to become a run heavy team. They are simply looking for better ways to open up the offense for more explosive plays. So far Taylor, Pitcher, Burrow and now Justin Rascati has talked about finding new ways to create more explosive plays for their playmakers.

Most of those coaches have mentioned the LARams as the sort of offense they have been studying. They aren’t the only ones of course. That looks to be the next big thing in NFL offenses - under center on early downs, with inline TEs instead of spread formations. But you need a healthy, mobile Burrow to be able to spend a lot of time UC for play action.

The closest that Cincinnati has come to being the type of diverse offense they want to be came in the first half of the 2024 season. Between games 3-9 that year, they rushed for at least 120 yards. Maybe the most balanced game they have played in the Burrow era was week 4 at Carolina. They threw the ball 31 times and ran the ball 31 times for 141 yards.

So what was different with the rush game in early 2024? They had a healthy Burrow and a healthy Erick All. Even though he got cleared late in training game and was eased into the lineup more after the first couple of weeks, All was so strong so fast that he soon became TE1. In fact, they used All and Sample often together with Gesicki or Iosivas then replacing Sample on obvious passing downs.

But once All went down in 2024, they basically abandoned the run and multiple TEs formations and just reverted back to virtually all shotgun.

along with a healthy, mobile Burrow (that they need regardless) they also need an inline TE that moves a little faster than continental drift. All looked capable but IDK if his body will cooperate. maybe the rookie? otherwise for all the good they do it may as well be a 3rd OT out there.

On 5/24/2026 at 10:50 AM, Jamie_B said:

The best way is to unlock a 3rd pass catching option. If Eric All is able to return to what he was becoming, that's the answer.

We finally got a little Erick All clarity today. I will ignore Hobson's bad headline pun this time, since he smartly noted All's very real impact on the offense in a sadly small 2024 sample size.

Erick, As Usual, All In

Bengals tight end Erick All Jr., one of the most impactful players they've drafted in this decade despite playing just nine NFL games as a rookie, thinks he'll be playing in his tenth with nearly two years in between games. He wasn't always so sure about that.

"It feels completely stable. It feels like a normal knee," said All after Tuesday's OTA practice he looked sharp with a brace on his right knee. "I can plant on it really good. I can bend it really good. Everything is completely different, and that gets me hyped up. This is the best I've felt (in the pros). I feel like my old self."

But to get there, All had to miss all last season with an ACL he tore on Nov. 3, 2024 during his rookie year. It took that long for what All describes as the doctors rebuilding the knee after it was repaired in Iowa when he tore his ACL in the seventh game of the Hawkeyes' 2023 season.

Even though All says he could play tomorrow, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is ultra-cautious about the next move.

"It's been challenging for him. I think he's handled it really well. Now we're in the progression phase getting back on the field with no contact or anything right now," Taylor said Tuesday after the workout. "We'll assess training camp as it gets closer, but it's been really good to get him on the field, have him back in the walkthroughs. I think mentally for him that's probably been really helpful, just not sitting over there doing the rehab things. He's got an attitude that you just love. He loves football, that's really clear. He's passionate about it. To be able to get him back out there working with the guys has been big for all of us."

How much does he love it? Taylor offered the quote of the offseason as he described All's All-Out style.

"With the word physical in the dictionary is a picture of Erick All," Taylor said. "Trying to put his face though somebody's soul."

All, a fourth-round pick who complements his maniacal blocking with YAC moves in the pass game, allowed Taylor to break his offense out of its three-receiver tendencies in '24 and mix it up with two tight-end sets that kept teams guessing run or pass with All's skill-set on the field.

"However they decide to use me. That's blocking and killing somebody or high-pointing," All said. "I love to hit. If they have me hit, I'm in heaven."

What a great guy to root for

3 hours ago, Sea Ray said:

What a great guy to root for

In a world of spoiled athletes who don't know how easy they have it, you somehow have Erick All who has been to hell and back many times in his life. Seriously, you could make a movie on his life. Not just dealing with his challenging college/NFL medical history filled with ridiculously bad breaks, but he was almost killed in a house fire as a 5-month-old infant.

There is a great 6 minute YouTube video on this story, but I can't get the link to work correctly. Worth seeking out if you've never seen it before. So here is a People article on the story instead.

College Football Star Reunites with Fireman Who Saved His Life as a Baby

Here is the 6 minute YouTube video:

How the life of Michigan TE Erick All has come full circle | College GameDay

If Erick All stays healthy he adds another dimension to this offense.

Please, football gods, let this team stay healthy.

Just stay healthy and they are an inevitability ...

1 hour ago, BlackJesus said:

Just stay healthy and they are an inevitability ...

The time has come today

2 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

  3 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

Just stay healthy and they are an inevitability ...

2 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

  3 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

Just stay healthy and they are an inevitability ...

Means nothing unless he takes them to the SB..

2 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

  3 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

Just stay healthy and they are an inevitability ...

It's up to him.

On 6/6/2026 at 9:10 AM, Jason said:

If Erick All stays healthy he adds another dimension to this offense.

Please, football gods, let this team stay healthy.

He's occured more than one injury to his knees plus a spinal surgery..

Love the kids makeup

Can he hold up?

If All can stay healthy, I would love to see some empty sets, with Jamar and Tee outside, Gesicki and All on the end of the line and a Third wide between Gesicki and Chase. Burrow in the gun with 5 guys that can all catch the ball and six guys that can ALL BLOCK!!👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

On 6/10/2026 at 4:11 PM, kennethmw said:

If All can stay healthy, I would love to see some empty sets, with Jamar and Tee outside, Gesicki and All on the end of the line and a Third wide between Gesicki and Chase. Burrow in the gun with 5 guys that can all catch the ball and six guys that can ALL BLOCK!!👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

Nice idea.

2 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

Burrow in the gun with 5 guys that can all catch the ball and six guys that can ALL BLOCK!!👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

So is Burrow one of the blockers in that scenario? 🤷‍♂️