Hue Jackson commits to quarterback Andy Dalton, the running game

For anyone wondering if the Cincinnati Bengals would change their offense with Hue Jackson's promotion as the team's offensive coordinator, it won't.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and Jackson revealed, during Friday's presser to announce the latter's appointment, Cincinnati's offensive terminology and playbook will remain roughly the same; though Jackson will be allowed to "tweak it as a playcaller." However, with a majority of the team's starters returning, Lewis wanted to avoid a complete overhaul, which in reality, wasn't necessary.

That includes quarterback Andy Dalton, who must be relieved that he's not asked to learn a new system. When asked if the Bengals will pick up another quarterback to push Dalton, Jackson said that "I'm going to be the guy that pushes Andy and I think Andy will push himself."

A report surfaced in October that the Bengals coaching staff were babying their quarterback, more than "admonishing him to improve."

Sources say Dalton also routinely produces uneven efforts on the practice field and that coaches, rather than admonishing him to improve, tend to offer primarily positive reinforcement.

One area in Cincinnati's offense that will promote the most evolution is the running game. In two seasons with Jackson calling plays in Oakland, the Raiders running game ranked 2nd (2010) and seventh (2011) respectively. The Raiders averaged 4.7 yards per rush and 143.9 yards rushing per game, with 35 combined touchdowns during that stretch.

Figure a similar philosophy returns to Cincinnati next season.

"What I need to do is unleash these guys. Let them have the opportunity to do that," Jackson said via Bengals.com. "We have a bunch of big, physical men. You want to establish yourself as an offensive football team, you have to be able to put your hand down and block the guy in front of you. You have to be able to attempt to run over the other team. If you can't do that in this league, you have no chance of winning."

Get ready Giovani Bernard, who may see his workload double next season with BenJarvus Green-Ellis having his role defined as it should have been -- between the tackles rather than the silly pitches during Gruden's tenure.