Scouts, Inc: Bengals rushing offense is a weakness
by Josh Kirkendall on Jun 4, 2009 12:54 PM EDT
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PrintScouts Inc, by way of ESPN, writes that the Bengals biggest weakness is the team's running game. Matt Williamson makes his case in that Cedric Benson's numbers are inflated after beating up on the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs.
Benson accumulated that yardage against the hapless Browns and Chiefs in the final week of the season. In Benson's three appearances against the Steelers and Ravens, he carried the ball 30 times and mustered only 104 yards. The Bengals lost those three games by a combined score of 99-23.
Williamson goes to write that the Bengals are very weak with their depth with Brian Leonard, Kenny Watson, DeDe Dorsey and Bernard Scott.
While I understand where Williamson is coming from, I think a more accurate forecast would simply be "unknown". Sure, Benson struggled against the better teams, but rushing the ball was quickly an after-thought after the Bengals were forced to come from behind with double-digit deficits. Then there's the blocking issues. Now? If you read the reports, the impressions of Carson Palmer, Benson this year will be vastly improved over the Benson of last year. Leonard. Scott. Unknown commodities. Where will they play? What will their contributions be?
Either way, I can understand the conservative view that the Bengals rushing offense is a weakness. However, there's so much unknown, so much changing (including the team's playbook and an easier schedule), that I wouldn't be surprised if the team's rushing offense becomes a strength.
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No, I think the assessment is quite accurate. 1. Not one of our backs has a track record of sustained success in the NFL. 2. Drafting 1 starter and promoting backups doesn’t come anywhere close to guaranteeing a solidified line.
We like to play the “what if” game to death, but the guys at Scouts Inc. are paid to make an assessment on track record and what we have right now. And before we get the pants tents out over Cedric Benson, what did you think of him before the last 2 games of the year, and when has Carson Palmer said anything negative about anyone? Of course Benson is looking “great” and the young wide receivers are putting on a show.
Akili Smith: “Ron Dugans and Peter Warrick are poised for big years!”
I've got to disagree on the Benson front
Yeah, Carson’s not going to say anything negative but he’s not exactly known for saying anything about anything- until recently. I take both his backhanded bitchslapping of Chad and his praise for Cedric as being reflective of how he honestly feels. And, yes, before the last two games last year I was pretty much already sold on Benson. His shortcomings up to that point owed far more to his supporting cast and, initially, a basic unfamiliarity with this offense than any lack of skill on his part. Prior to the KC and Cleveland games, he showed flashes of a powerful, quick, tough back who seemed legitimately glad to be here and playing. His poleaxing of Polamalu was the highlight of an otherwise forgettable season. Is he Barry Sanders? Of course not. He isn’t gonna be able to create something out of nothing like Sanders did behind his horrible offensive lines. So, his future success is going to be largely determined by this reconfigured line of ours. I’m just saying that I’m confident that, if the holes are even partially there, Cedric will have a fine season.
by IgnatiusJReilly on Jun 4, 2009 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, come on. If Carson was one to truly speak his mind he’d most likely trash Mike Brown and the entire organization for the lousy team they built around him from 2006-2008. It’s not like the dude is an absolute idiot and gung ho chipper over everything Cincinnati Bengals. He’s a class act and will do his best to put the team in a positive light no matter what garbage is going on around him. So what exactly happened to Benson between the time he wasn’t good enough to play for the Bears and him getting picked up by the Bengals? The 3.4 YPC says not much. We’ve been so lulled to sleep by Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry tiptoeing through the hole we forget what a real bruiser looks like. Watch Corey Dillon tape(you remember his terrible o-lines?). Watch Marion Barber run. Benson isn’t awful, but he’s not the tank you make him out to be, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any non-Bengal fan that says he’s a top-20 back. Now if Bratkowski surprises me and revamps his Tecmo Bowl playbook into something semi-fresh, the running game could be adequate. I just don’t expect us to run over Pittsburgh or Baltimore with a gang of castoffs.
LMAO...Tecmo Bowl playbook!!!
I think that’s what I’m calling it from now on…
by TheWalrus1971 on Jun 4, 2009 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions
What's it gunna be?
The ’Ol Run #1 or Run #2, Coach Brat?
by JohnCockToastin on Jun 5, 2009 8:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Benson also has some improvement with Fullbacks this seaosn too.
Who was punching holes through the secondary for Benson last year?
I like Fui Vakapuna for this job.
March 24 of this year "The Cincinnati Bengals are hosting BYU running back (really a full back) Fui Vakapuna a week before the draft, writes Carlos Holmes. Vakapuna, who is ironically a cousin to Naufahu Tahi, finished his career with 1,181 yards rushing, 14 touchdowns on 249 attempts in 42 games played. He’s roughly in the 250-pound range, under six-foot tall and with a 40-time of 4.68 at BYU’s Pro Day, where he “posted a 34-inch vertical and knocked out 29 reps on the bench press.” In other words, a brick with strength. "
Not Just the Run ...
Hey, let’s not forget, before Palmer got hurt last year he was (I think) the lowest rated QB in the League, or close to worst. The passing game was beyond miserable. So, with Ocho Idioto being an unknown, the loss of TJ, and all that unproven youth at WR, you’d have to say the passing offense is as weak as the running game … at least until they prove otherwise.
Palmer became a bad QB all of a sudden?
Come on Zilla,
It’s pretty obvious that Carson was playing hurt beginning last season, and even the most conservative Analysts are still putting him in the top ten of QB’s in the league. Expect to see the Bengals passing game bounce back, but we have to realistic expectations. It won’t be like it was in ’05 and ’06, but there will be a HUGE improvement from last season.
This is our year!
Carson wasn't hurt
until the Giants game. The offense with him at the helm struggled mightily from the first preseason game. The O-Line, at the time, was the same one that had given up just 17 sacks the year before.
by IgnatiusJReilly on Jun 4, 2009 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Carson
Point taken. However, we also can’t forget that those two games before the Giants game were against the Ravens and the Titans. So I don’t think that anybody can tell me that they expected big numbers from Carson in those two games.
I realize the Bengals offense has other problems, such as the O-Line and the running game, but I would be shocked if running game doesn’t improve with an improved passing game. Let’s just wait until the preseason before we write this team off.
This is our year!
Last year’s offense was terrible, but….with all the starters out on both sides of the ball w/injuries what would one expect?
Their qb missed 12 games, they had no FB, they cut their best OT, they cut their best RB, their pass catching TE got hurt, their obnoxious WR was mostly injured, their OL was a mess with injuries from the get-go outside of their Center who was more of a turnstile than a blocker.
And that’s just the offensive side of the ball. Not to mention the injuries on defense that meant that opponents kept the ball longer, keeping the Bengal’s offense from getting back onto the field.
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.
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Pre-Season projection:
O-Line slight improvement?
They replace S Andrews w/A Smith at RT ~
They replace L Jones w/A Whitworth at LT +
They replace A Whitworth w/N Livings at LG -
They replace E Guysuck w/K Cook at C +
QB big improvement
They replace R Fitzpatrick w/ C Palmer +
RB slight improvement
They keep C Benson as a starter over C Perry +
They add better depth w/Leonard & Scott +
They likely will cut Watson, but they don’t play him anyway -
WR / TE slight improvement
They replace injured C 85 w/healthy C 85 +
They replace TJ w/L Coles ~ or -
Young WR’s Caldwell & Simpson get experience +
Add 2 pass catching TE’s in B Utech and C Coffman +
D-Line improvement
Add M Johnson as rush DE +
Add C McDonald & T Johnson as penetrating DT’s +
LB improvement
Add R Maualuga +
DB slight improvement
Add R Williams +
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.
So overall, the O-Line isn’t much better and neither are the RB’s or WR’s. So it can seem like the rush offense is not much better…..
But add a top caliber QB and the defense has to play back.
And add the improvements on an already improving defense and the offense gets the ball more. Overall, the rush offense will be improved, even if the RB isn’t great, nor the O-Line overall improved much.
He’s right. Benson had a good game at the end, but prior to that he was useless. I still don’t understand why people got excited about that one long run he had, 47 yards or whatever it was.. he fumbled at the end. It was literally an unintentional punt. That’s not something to get excited about. And looking good against the Chiefs? In week 17?!? Grandma could do that and she’s old.
OK now what?
I think Benson is going to be OK. Not great – just OK. Tel me what other choice do we have? There were no good RBs out there as far as I could tell. We had so many holes to fill that we couldn’t address RB in the draft.What good RBs were out there whose signing wouldn’t have left us unable to address Tank and Coles? It is unrealistic to expect any team to fix all of the problems we had in one year. This is the first time in 10 years we had a really pro style off season if we can do that again next year we can be really good. If they fall back on old habits – well it will be the same old Bengals – but I will still watch and enjoy.
Everything affects everything in the NFL. It all hinges on the Oline and without a deep threat option the Opp D stayed in the box and stuffed the run. The run doesn’t just set up the pass – the pass also sets up the run. TJ and Chad were both injured coming into the season and then Carson went down. If we can bring a healthy team into the season I like our chances better than any time in recent memory. BTW we need to stop listening to all of these pundits. None of them predicted the Cardinals run. They know little more than we do and we have been the rented mule of the NFL for so long that they are not going to give us any credit. We should will have a very competitive team. 8-10 wins IMO.
" My enemy said "Love your enemy". I obeyed and loved myself." Gibran
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