Cincy Jungle - Preseason Week 1: Bengals beat Giants 23-10Who Deyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48495/cincyjungle_fave.png2015-08-17T18:15:02-04:00http://www.cincyjungle.com/rss/stream/88913402015-08-17T18:15:02-04:002015-08-17T18:15:02-04:00Giants vs. Bengals: Rookie Report
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<p>Wrapping up the rookies work impact in the Bengals pre-season bout with the New York Giants. </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> handled the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">Giants</a> on Friday resulting in a 23-10 victory. It was the first pre-season game and most of the starters spent less than three minutes on the field, but they looked stellar. Let’s take a look at how the rookies spent their precious moments on the field trying to prove their worth.</p>
<p>It’s important to keep in mind both <span>Cedric Ogbuehi</span> and <span>Jake Fisher</span> did not see the field and they are the first and second round draft picks the Bengals selected this year. Ogbuehi is on the NFI list and recovering from a torn ACL, suffered during his final collegiate game and Fisher was held out for undisclosed reasons, which may have to do with a shoulder injury.</p>
<h4>OFFENSE</h4>
<p><span><b>Mario Alford</b></span></p>
<p>We’ve been hearing about his game changing speed all through camp and we got to see a little of his lighting in a bottle on Friday during a 23-yard reverse and a 13-yard snag from backup quarterback Josh Johnson. Although his time as a receiver could very well be limited this season, his biggest impacts will come from returning kicks on special teams. On Friday, he had a marginal night of receiving one kick return (brining it out for 21 yards) and two punt return, one of which had a gain of eight yards while the other went nowhere.</p>
<p><span><b>Terrell Watson</b></span></p>
<p>Watson, the undrafted running back looking for a spot on the Bengals’ roster got some extended looks as he was handed the ball seven times and amassed 52 yards, but it included a burst run of 26-yards, inflating his statistics. This very well might be the best look we’ll see of Watson in the preseason contests, but the DII product will no doubt continue to strive for playing time and a job with the Bengals. Check out this great video featuring Watson.</p>
<p><span><b>C.J. Uzomah</b></span></p>
<p>Uzomah caught 2 passes for a combined total of 13 yards. He missed a few opportunities and looked lost on the field more than once. On one blocking play, he shoved a Giants player in the wrong direction right into the Bengals running back who was looking for a path.</p>
<p><span><b>Jake Kumerow</b></span></p>
<p>Kumerow had two targets with one four yard reception. He didn’t get many opportunities to shine and was well covered on the play in which he didn’t make the catch.</p>
<p><span><b>Tyler Kroft</b></span></p>
<p>Kroft was thrown to once, but had no catches last night, although he did lay out a key block on the James Wilder touchdown.</p>
<h4>DEFENSE</h4>
<p><span><b>Marcus Hardison</b></span></p>
<p>Hardison had a good night and stood out among the defensive ends. He nabbed three tackles (which led all Bengal rookies), and even got through the line and logged his first professional sack. This is a good sign for the 135th draft selection who was nabbed to compliment <span>Geno Atkins</span> as a solid interior rusher. Let’s hope the progress for the ASU product continues.</p>
<p><b>P.J. Dawson</b></p>
<p>In his first professional game, Dawson had two tackles including one for a loss as he played 21 of the 59 defensive snaps. Dawson has been heating up in training camp and as the preseason moves forward we look forward to getting better looks at the ‘Burfict style’ play Dawson is said to have.</p>
<p><span><b>Josh Shaw</b></span></p>
<p>He was on the field the longest as far as Bengal’s rookies are concerned (53 downs) and grabbed 2 tackles and 2 assists.</p>
<p><b>DeShawn Williams</b></p>
<p>Williams is another undrafted player who did well on Friday and has been receiving praise in training camp. Williams grabbed the only other sack of the night and logged a tackle in his limited time on the field.</p>
<p><span><b>Derron Smith</b></span></p>
<p>Smith recorded two tackles on the night while playing in 34 snaps.</p>
<p><b>Erik Dargan</b></p>
<p>The undrafted rookie didn’t get many opportunities on Friday night but did have one tackle and one pass defended.</p>
<h4>SPECIAL TEAMS</h4>
<p><span><b>Tom Obarski</b></span></p>
<p>Brought in to compete against <span>Mike Nugent</span>, Obarski went three for four on field goal attempts including a 46 yarder. He was also a perfect 2 for 2 on extra points. This could develop into an actual position battle as Nugent struggled a bit last season and Darrin Simmons feels he can compete against the veteran kicker for the full time position. Though, missing even one field goal in the preseason is not going to help Obarski’s chances.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/17/9165199/giants-vs-bengals-rookie-reportArt Bidwell2015-08-17T14:01:02-04:002015-08-17T14:01:02-04:00Bengals vs Giants: What We Learned
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<p>For the next six months, there won't be a single weekend devoid of football...and that is a good thing. The Bengals and Giants kicked off their 2015 season on Friday night in the Queen City and here is What We Learned. </p> <p>It is hard for a preseason opener to go any better than how we saw the Bengals' preseason opener go for them. The Bengals controlled the game from the opening kick and helped calm the nerves of fans. Below is what we learned from the Bengals' first fake football game:</p>
<p><b>The difference between a 6-10 team and a 10-6 team in the NFL is a very fine line. Apparently the difference between a 6-10 team and a 10-5-1 team is a canyon. </b></p>
<p>At this early point in the season, I don't know how many "strings" the Bengals and Giants have on their respective depth charts, but every "string" the Bengals have was significantly better than every "string" the Giants have. Tom Coughlin was clearly frustrated by his first team, so much so he let them play much longer than most first units play in a first preseason game. The good news for the Bengals was how the second string was dominating the Giants' first string as well.</p>
<p><b>The Bengals first teamers looked dominant.</b></p>
<p>The Bengals first team offense and defense dominated the Giants - especially the defense. The Giants first three drives - against the Bengals first and second teamers - netted five total yards and zero total points. On offense, it took the Bengals first team offense just six plays to march 52 yards for a touchdown. The drive was perfect in every aspect: Jeremy Hill had two runs for 15 yards, Dalton was three for three for 31 yards through the air, had a nice six yard scramble, and capped the drive with a nice three yard touchdown toss to Sanu. The drive was so impressive, Marvin Lewis let the first team offense hang up their pads after the two minute and 55 second drive.</p>
<p><b>Geno Atkins is back to being "Geno Atkins." And as Marvin would say, that is a good thing. </b></p>
<p>We have been hearing it all offseason how Atkins was "back," but seeing it in shorts and t-shirts is one thing; seeing it in pads against a real opponent is a whole different story. Atkins looked like a disruptive force again on the defensive line, much different from the way he looked most of 2014. As a result, the whole line looked better.</p>
<p><b>If the Bengals can stay healthy on offense (especially Tyler Eifert), this is a top 5 offense...and they can be scary good.</b></p>
<p>In 2014, the Bengals never had Marvin Jones and had Eifert for just two drives. In fact, Jeremy Hill has never been on the field with Jones or Eifert. Well, all three started the game on Friday night and it took the Bengals just six plays on Friday night to march 52 yards down the field for a touchdown. The drive lasted all of two minutes and 55 seconds and it appeared as though the Bengals were doing a simple seven on seven drill; carving up the defense at will. The Giants struggled to stop the run - two runs for 15 yards - they struggled to stop the pass - Dalton went three for three, 31 yards and a touchdown - and on the touchdown, they couldn't figure out who to cover - Mohamed Sanu or Eifert. If the offense can stay healthy in 2015, this could be a very entertaining offense.</p>
<p><b>The Bengals offense is better when Jeremy Hill is in the backfield.</b></p>
<p>Giovani Bernard is exciting, a great change of pace back and can be dangerous coming out of the backfield as a receiver, but as we saw during the last nine games of 2014, this offense is simply better and more efficient when Hill is the lead back. Splitting carries between Hill and Bernard is a great idea and will keep both backs fresh, but the split should be about 70/30 in favor of Hill. If Hue Jackson does that, Hill will be a top five back, Bernard will be more effective and the Bengals offense will be better.</p>
<p><b>James Wilder Jr. is a physical specimen and looks like an NFL player, but does not look ready to take the fourth running back position. </b></p>
<p>No one has been a big proponent of Wilder than I have been. In fact, I have stated multiple times on our Inside the Jungle Podcast that he should be the fourth running back instead of Cedric Peerman. While it was just one preseason game, and yes, Wilder did lead the Bengals in carries (14), yards (53) and had the only Bengals rushing touchdown, his YPC was just 3.8 and his 20 yard run was a well-designed misdirection toss that saw 20 yards of open space before Wilder confronted anyone in a Giants uniform. Take away that run and Wilder had 13 carries for 33 yards, or 2.5 YPC. Wilder looks like he is chiseled from marble, but he still runs very upright and has problems making that first guy miss. At this point, he is a two yard and a cloud of dust type guy. For my money, Terrell Watson was the better back on Friday night.</p>
<p><b>Marcus Hardison, Will Clarke and DeShawn Williams impressed on the defensive line. Devon Still did not. </b></p>
<p>Aside from Geno Atkins, the most impressive defensive linemen I saw on Friday night were Hardison, Clarke and Williams. With the injury to Michael Johnson, it was nice seeing Clarke play well because he will likely see more playing time at the start of the year. If he keeps playing like he did on Friday, he will earn more playing regardless if Johnson is healthy or not.</p>
<p>Hardison showed exactly why the Bengals used a fourth round pick on him and he played well with the first teamers and dominated all of the Giants' backups. He and Clarke are all but locks on the 53-man roster and they could be important role players in a eight or nine man rotation on the line.</p>
<p>Williams, on the other hand, is not a lock for the roster, but has been receiving rave reviews from coaches and media alike and we saw why on Friday. The Bengals defensive line is going to be a hard nut to crack for an undrafted rookie free agent, but you can bet if Williams is cut, he won't be unemployed long. He will either be picked up by another team or land on the Bengals practice squad.</p>
<p>On the disappointing side of things was Devon Still. There isn't a better story in sports and all off season we have heard how Still has finally been able to focus on football and recapture the form which won him the 2011 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award and catapulted him to a second round draft pick. Unfortunately, I didn't see what the coaches have been talking about on Friday. Instead, I saw a guy who seemed to be easily pushed around by backups and appeared to be one of the least affective defensive lineman on the field. Unless Still picks it up, he is not going to find a spot on this crowded and talented line.</p>
<p><b>If you're not concerned about the Bengals' backup quarterback situation, you either aren't paying attention or you are electing to play dumb. </b></p>
<p>Jason Campbell retired. Terrelle Pryor is using his bad hair to try and catch passes in Cleveland as a wide receiver and Josh Johnson proved again that if he is the answer, you don't want to know the question. No worries though, right? All summer long, we have been hearing how great A.J. McCarron looks and how excited the team is about him as the backup. We have heard talking heads from the NFL Network try to convince us that he may be the starter before the year is done.</p>
<p>I am here to tell you, if McCarron starts a game this year, the Bengals are in trouble. Maybe he turns into Tom Brady one day, but as of today, we are talking about a guy who has been in the NFL for 15 months now, has been injured for approximately 14 of those months, has practiced minimally during those 15 months and has exactly zero throws in an NFL game - preseason included. At this point, Keith Wenning has five more NFL passes and two more NFL completions than A.J. McCarron. If you keep just two quarterbacks - which is exactly what the Bengals will do - and your backup quarterback is injury prone and has zero NFL experience, that is a risky move.</p>
<p><b>No Bengals punt/kick returner gave the team reason to cut Brandon Tate.</b></p>
<p>For those of you wanting to see the end of the Tate era - myself included - Friday's punt return audition was disappointing. Three players not named Brandon Tate returned five punts on Friday - Giovani Bernard, Denarius Moore, Mario Alford - and they managed an average of just 2.4 yards. For purposes of comparison, in his four years with the Bengals, Tate has averaged 10.7, 8.9, 9.3 and 9.7 YPA respectively. The Bengals only took one kickoff out of the end zone (Alford) and like Tate, Alford was tackled short of the 20 yard line. While Tate's spot on the roster is far from safe, after one preseason game, no one has shown they offer anything more than Tate.</p>
<p><b>Tom Obarski is not un-seating Mike Nugent.</b></p>
<p>Kicking positions in the NFL are the hardest position from which to crack a roster. Good kickers stay for a long time and that is why we constantly have 40+ year old kickers in the league. Therefore, if you are going to unseat a solid veteran kicker like Mike Nugent, the only way to have a <i>chance</i> is to have an absolutely perfect preseason. Obarski missed a 27-yard field goal. That is anything put perfect. Throw in the fact that PATs will now be from 32 yards out and Obarrski all but sealed his fate.</p>
<p><b>Nothing is more difficult to judge in the preseason than special teams.</b></p>
<p>As disappointed as we all were with the lack of success of the Bengals' return game - and at times, the return coverage - special teams are so difficult to judge in the preseason. If one guy is out of his lane or doesn't know his assignment, plays blow up (good or bad). In the preseason, especially in Week 1 when rosters still have 90 guys, a special teams play may blow up simply because a guy who will never see an NFL field was playing on that play. Was that why the Bengals return game sucked on Friday? For our sakes, let's hope so.</p>
<p><b>Mohamed Sanu wears a <a href="https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gcfRnbl3bVvebV4iGkuNhOj2JUY=/0x68:3917x2679/730x487/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46968634/usa-today-8748225.0.jpg">dickie</a>.</b></p>
<p>A simple observation and something someone on the Bengals staff needs to talk to him about.</p>
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/17/9162713/bengals-vs-giants-preseason-week-1-what-we-learnedScott Bantel2015-08-17T10:00:04-04:002015-08-17T10:00:04-04:00Bengals rookies Hill and Shaw graded highly by PFF
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<p>Could Troy Hill be this year's Bengals undrafted free agent to make the 53-man roster? </p> <p>There's no debate as to who the Bengals' top four corners will be for the 2015 season.</p>
<p>As long as <span>Adam Jones</span>, <span>Darqueze Dennard</span>, <span>Dre Kirkpatrick</span>, and <span>Leon Hall</span> are healthy, they'll occupy the majority of the cornerback snaps. After that though, several players are vying for playing time, and Cincinnati's preseason opener saw Troy Hill and Josh Shaw make strong cases for roles in the defense.</p>
<p><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641763&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.profootballfocus.com%2Fblog%2F2015%2F08%2F15%2Fgrades-for-giants-bengals%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincyjungle.com%2F2015%2F8%2F17%2F9162957%2Ftroy-hill-josh-shaw-shine-bengals-debut-pff" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">The guys at Pro Football Focus</a> loved what they from Hill and Shaw Friday night, grading them as two of the five best players in the game (Hill 2nd, Shaw tied for 5th) if you include <a href="https://www.bigblueview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Giants</a> players as well. On the Bengals, Hill was the highest graded player and topped the rest of the defense by more than a full point.</p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bengals</a> may have themselves a future player in undrafted Rookie CB <span>Troy Hill</span>. He allowed three catches on seven targets for 27 yards.</p>
<p>-Along side <span>Troy Hill</span>, Rookie Joshua Shaw played 31 snaps in coverage and only allowed 12 yards on those snaps.</p>
<p>-Neither backup QB, Joshua Johnson or <span>Keith Wenning</span>, showed much in the passing game. Johnson, though recorded the highest run grade for the Bengals.</p>
<p><strong>Top 5 graded players:</strong></p>
<p>Troy Hill (+3.3)</p>
<p><span>Greg Little</span> (+3.0)</p>
<p><span>Josh Shaw</span> (+1.9)</p>
<p><span>Chris Lewis-Harris</span> (+1.8)</p>
<p><span>Tyler Eifert</span> (+1.5)</p>
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<p>This was exactly the kind of game Hill needed to have to put himself in a position to make the final 53-man roster. Assuming the team keeps fourth-rounder <span>Josh Shaw</span>, that leaves five cornerback spots locked up. As you can see in the above grades, Chris Lewis-Harris isn't about to give up his No. 6 spot up without a fight.</p>
<p>That said, Lewis-Harris is more expendable with him being on the final year of his contract, whereas Hill has three years and a restricted free agent year left on his. If the two play close to the same level, Hill should be the man for the sixth corner spot if the Bengals keep that many.</p>
<p>As will be expected of him, Hill is already showing he's a capable tackler on special teams:</p>
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<p>Even on the few plays Hill was beat, he put himself in position to make the play:</p>
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<p>Hill's best play of the night came on a key deflection in the fourth quarter to prevent a touchdown:</p>
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<p>Hill will be one of the most interesting players to watch for the rest of the preseason. At this rate, another team will almost certainly claim him if he's waived during final cuts. When you have as deep of a roster as the Bengals, talented players like Hill are sometimes unfortunate casualties.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/17/9162957/troy-hill-josh-shaw-shine-bengals-debut-pffJason Marcum2015-08-17T09:00:04-04:002015-08-17T09:00:04-04:00Bengals Preseason Week 1 MVP Award
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<p>We take a look at the nominees for Bengals Most Valuable Player in their win in the preseason opener versus the Giants. Cast your vote and sound off!</p> <p>It was a good start to the 2015 season for the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cincinnati Bengals</a> after their domination of the <a href="https://www.bigblueview.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Giants</a> in the preseason opener. The end score was 23-10, but it could have been far more lopsided had Cincinnati taken further advantage of red zone and third down opportunities.</p>
<p>Regardless, there were some high-profile performers worthy of MVP nominations. Here are our nominees--cast your vote and sound off on who received your vote!</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span>Andy Dalton</span>, QB: </i>Though the starting quarterback only played one series, it was crisp and set the tone. Dalton hit all three of his passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. All three completions went to three different targets, and included standard drop-backs and rollout options.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;">James Wilder, Jr., RB: </i>He was the leading rusher on the day with 53 yards, including a 20-yard scamper. Wilder grinded for tough yards on many of his other carries and had a touchdown run in relief of the injured <span>Cedric Peerman</span> and <span>Rex Burkhead</span>.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span>Terrell Watson</span>, HB: </i>When it came time to ice the game and put it away, Watson was the guy. He was just beat out for the rushing lead by Wilder, adding his own 52 yards on seven carries. He also had a 26-yard run, which was nice to see from a 240-pound back.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span>Mohamed Sanu</span>, WR: </i>One catch, one touchdown--not bad production, right? It was only for three yards, but Sanu ran the route to perfection, juking out the defensive back and capped an incredible opening drive.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span>Greg Little</span>, WR: </i>The veteran had an impressive night and led the team in receiving yards with 65. His 42-yard grab was a thing of beauty and Little really made a case to make the squad.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;">First-Team Defense: </i>The first unit, which quickly became scattered with backups, were stout against Eli Manning's offense. Manning was held to 4/8 completions for only 22 yards, mostly gained on a dump pass to a running back. They pressured, swatted away passes and frustrated the Giants.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span>Marcus Hardison</span>, DL: </i>The rookie was impressive in his debut, displaying his size and versatility. He often lined up outside at end, as he did in college, but also was seen inside at times. He had three tackles and a sack on a night during which the defense only allowed 10 points.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/awards/2015/8/17/9159489/preseason-week-1-bengals-most-valuable-player-versus-giantsAnthony Cosenza2015-08-16T15:30:02-04:002015-08-16T15:30:02-04:00Geno Atkins impacting the field and rookies
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<p>"They call me ‘Baby Geno' in the locker room, but I haven't done anything yet to reach that status," said Williams via Bengals.com. "I try to learn from him each and every day. Just to have an All-Pro in your room - you get star struck and I've got nothing but praise for him."</p> <p dir="ltr">Praise for Geno Atkins this spring and summer have included buzz words like "<a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/6/9/8754809/bengals-coaches-impressed-with-geno-atkins-this-spring">scary</a>", supplemented by powerful descriptions like "<a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/14/9153007/bengals-training-camp-praise-for-geno-atkins-continues">he's our best player</a>" from his defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther. Many who have watched Atkins during training camp are no longer surprised about his offseason development, or his resumption towards greatness, preached by coaches, teammates and/or a conservative sport media. We've seen it, been awed by the resumption of his familiar quickness and the unsuspecting strength that justifiably earned accolades as a three-time pro bowler and a one-time all-pro player.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Many fans finally got their first look during Cincinnati's preseason opener on Friday. "Hey, he looks great". "I know!" Despite only playing six snaps against the Giants, the totality of two possessions that each resulted in three-and-outs, Atkins made the highlight reel with 10:15 remaining in the first quarter. Guard Jerry John had no shot counteracting Atkins' quickness of the ball, bullying his way through the A-gap and penetrating the trenches before running back Andre Williams could reach the line of scrimmage.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Of the six snaps that Atkins played Friday night, four were pass against New York's quick passing game where the sixth-year defensive tackle couldn't, by the known laws of universal physics, generate any pressure. Regardless, Pro Football Focus graded Atkins with an overall score of +1.2, which ranked fifth among the team's defensive players and first on the defensive line.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"His quickness off of the football — and not only that, but also it's the mental part of it. The fact he understands the offense, he understands the formations, and things that occur that they're trying to do to block him and run plays. He's able to take advantage of his quickness and do some good things," said head coach Marvin Lewis following Cincinnati's Friday night win.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"He's our best player," Guenther said in the aforementioned praise. "He's come back in great shape. He's responded. When he came back in the spring, the quickness was back. You could see he was Geno again."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Indeed, his return to form, notably his production from ‘12 and ‘13 (before his injury), is not unlike the combined enthusiasm people are expressing when factoring how Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert impacts the offense.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Though he played the entire year last season, it's documented (and opinionated) that Atkins' season was in relative declined because he spent the entire offseason rehabilitating from a torn ACL during Halloween night in 2013. If Atkins were any other player, the pro bowl season he had last year might seem justified. However, Atkins at the top of his game is arguably the best interior pass rusher in the NFL; and he clearly wasn't last season.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The good news is that these impressions are returning to the general lexicon, as Atkins spent the offseason training and improving, generating significant buzz for a defense desperately needing his pre-injury production.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition to his "return", Atkins is becoming the unintended mentor to a pair of rookies; Marcus Hardison and DeShawn Williams, each of whom generated a sack during Cincinnati's win Friday night.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"They call me ‘Baby Geno' in the locker room, but I haven't done anything yet to reach that status," <a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/14/9153007/bengals-training-camp-praise-for-geno-atkins-continues">said Williams via Bengals.com</a>. "I try to learn from him each and every day. Just to have an All-Pro in your room - you get star struck and I've got nothing but praise for him. He's a wonderful teammate. I've never met a guy like Geno. He's just a freak of nature man. One day I hope I can reach his status but it's going to take some work."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Williams is generating enough buzz to make an argument for the 53-man roster; especially for a defensive line with significant competition. Hardison probably creates a stronger argument, due to the belief that drafted players are automatically given favor in comparison to college free agents. Regardless, it would seem practical to prognosticate both players being on Cincinnati's roster, in one of form (53-man roster) or another (practice squad).</p>
<p>"They're learning from one of the best (in Geno Atkins), so that's really good for them to go out there in the fourth quarter (and play well)," said defensive tackle Domata Peko.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/16/9161709/geno-atkins-impacting-the-field-and-rookiesJosh Kirkendall2015-08-16T14:01:02-04:002015-08-16T14:01:02-04:00Bengals offensive grades from win over Giants
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<figcaption>Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A lot of positive grades for the Bengals offense for their performance Friday night. </p> <p>Following the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a>' 23-10 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">Giants</a> in their preseason opener, here are our grades for each offensive position for their performance Friday night.</p>
<h4>Quarterback</h4>
<p><span>Andy Dalton</span> looked as sharp as ever in limited work against the Giants. All three of his passes were on point and hit receivers in stride so they could pick up yards after the catch. The only play that Dalton was pressured on saw him scramble out of danger and pick up six yards. He finished his only drive by hitting <span>Mohamed Sanu</span> for a three-yard score to give the Bengals a lead they never relinquished.</p>
<p>Once Dalton came out, there was a clear drop-off between he and Josh Johnson. With <span>AJ McCarron</span> sitting out vs. the Giants, it was a great chance for Johnson to make up ground in the race for the backup QB spot. Instead, Johnson struggled and only hurt his case for the job.</p>
<p>He did enough to lead the Bengals on three scoring drives in about three quarters of work before <span>Keith Wenning</span> took over. Wenning completed just two passes, but threw two more good ones, one which <span>Jake Kumerow</span> couldn't hall in, and another that rookie <span>C.J. Uzomah</span> dropped, which could have been an easy touchdown. Wenning threw a bad interception on the next play, but he did enough to show there's some promise in him.</p>
<p><b>Grade: B+</b></p>
<h4>Backfield</h4>
<p>Bengals running backs played outstanding throughout this game. Jeremy Hill got things started with a pair of runs for 15 yards on Cincinnati's opening touchdown drive.</p>
<p>Once he went out, so too did many of the starting lineman, which helped contribute to Giovani Bernard's four rushes for five yards. He only played seven snaps along with Hill's six snaps. This was a night for the backup backs to shine, and they did that and then some.</p>
<p>Rex Burkhead showed why he's been so hard to defend in training camp. He picked up 23 yards on just four carries as he blazed past Giants defenders. He didn't get to show off his pass-catching skills though as he didn't get even a single target. Cedric Peerman also shined with 11 yards on three carries to go with an 18-yard reception before injuring his knee.</p>
<p>With Rex also leaving with a neck injury, that meant more snaps for James Wilder Jr., who ran for a game-high 53 yards and a score on 14 carries. Terrell Watson came in and ran for 52 yards on just seven carries.</p>
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<p>Bengals backs finished the night with 182 yards and a score on 35 carries (5.2 yards per carry). Considering how bad the blocking was at times once the starters came out, it was a great effort overall by this unit.</p>
<p><b>Grade: A-</b></p>
<h4><span>Tight End </span></h4>
<p>Tyler Eifert left his mark on Friday's game with two big catches for 30 yards, which led to Bengals scores. Though it was brief, Eifert showed why the 6'6" tight end is uncoverable against most defensive backs or linebackers tasked with defending him.</p>
<p>Once Eifert came out though, the production from this position was close to non-existent. Tyler Kroft didn't catch a pass and C.J. Uzomah caught two for 13. However, it was Uzomah's dropped touchdown in the fourth quarter that stuck out most. To be fair to them, they were in the game for much of the night with Josh Johnson. As mentioned above, that's not a favorable position to be in.</p>
<p>Still, this position needs to show more going forward, even when Eifert isn't in the game.</p>
<p><b>Grade: C+</b></p>
<h4>Wide Receivers</h4>
<p>The Bengals got off to a fast start thanks to a 16-yard grab by A.J. Green that was followed up by a three-yard score by Mohamed Sanu.</p>
<p>Once Dalton came out though, it became harder for the receivers to show what they were made of with Johnson at QB. Denarius Moore looked good on his one catch for 30 yards, as did <a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/14/9158283/greg-little-stretches-out-for-great-catch-vs-giants-video" target="_blank">Greg Little with his highlight-reel catch</a>. Little actually had a game-high 65 yards on three catches and has made this an even harder position to determine who will be on the final 53-man roster.</p>
<p>Rookie Mario Alford looked good with one catch for 13 yards and an end-around run for 23 more. Marvin Jones looked good in his return with one catch for 16 yards and had another play where he should have scored if Johnson had thrown a better pass.</p>
<p>Overall, this was a great effort by the receivers after a poor 2014 season for anyone outside of A.J. Green. It looks like there's now several other viable pass-catches to help upgrade the offense.</p>
<p><b>Grade: B+</b></p>
<h4>Offensive Line</h4>
<p>The starting line looked great in pass protection and opening up holes for Jeremy Hill on the game's opening drive. Center Russell Bodine did get pushed back into the backfield on two occasions, which led to Dalton being pressured on one play and a tackle-for-loss on the other.</p>
<p>This unit began struggling more in pass protection once the backups came in. Josh Johnson was sacked twice, both times were on the line.</p>
<p>The backups were opening up good holes though for seemingly every Bengals back to gain big yardage. You have to remember that neither Andre Smith nor Jake Fisher played in this game, so that helped play into the pass-protection struggles.</p>
<p>In the end, this unit did about as good as you would expect in these circumstances. While the pass-blocking needs work, Bengals lineman were mauling Giants all night in the run game, and that was a big reason why Cincinnati won with relative ease.</p>
<p><b>Grade: B</b></p>
<h4>Summary</h4>
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Position</strong></td>
<td><strong>Grade</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>QB</td>
<td>B+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Backfield</td>
<td>A-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>WR</td>
<td>B+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>TE</td>
<td>
<p>C+</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>OL</td>
<td>B</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/16/9160715/bengals-offensive-grades-from-win-over-giantsJason Marcum2015-08-16T12:45:01-04:002015-08-16T12:45:01-04:00Marvin Jones feels good after preseason debut
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<p>Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones, who missed the entire 2014 season, returned to the field for the first time since Cincinnati's wild card loss to San Diego in 2013.</p> <p dir="ltr">After navigating through training camp soreness and <a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/6/9110383/marvin-lewis-gives-update-on-marvin-jones">condemnation from head coach Marvin Lewis</a>, wide receiver Marvin Jones reached a milestone during Cincinnati's preseason win over the New York Giants. "It felt good to get out there and get extended playing time and get back into things," <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/174643/bengals-wr-marvin-jones-feels-good-after-first-game-in-19-months">Jones said via ESPN</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Indeed, Jones hasn't played a game (preseason, regular season, or postseason) since Jan. 5, 2014, when the Bengals hosted the San Diego Chargers during the wild card round of the 2013 NFL playoffs; foot and ankle injuries wiped out his season last year.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jones, who missed several practices due to reported hamstring soreness, played 25 snaps on Friday with the second-team unit led by quarterback Josh Johnson, who had targeted Jones on back-to-back plays midway through the second quarter. Johnson under threw Jones down the left sidelines, hitting Giants defensive back Chandler Fenner with 6:35 remaining.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Johnson immediately went back to Jones with 6:28 remaining in the second quarter. His long completion, a 17-yard gain, converted a difficult third-and-11 to the Giants 20-yard line. It was his lone catch Friday night. Cincinnati scored their second touchdown to take a 17-7 lead later during that position.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Clearly, having Jones return significantly improves Cincinnati's offense and all you have to do is glimpse at Andy Dalton's production.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In 2013, when Jones, A.J. Green, and let's include tight end Tyler Eifert, played all season, Dalton broke the team's franchise mark in touchdown throws (33) and yards passing (4,293). During the following season, with Jones missing the entire year, Eifert missing all but eight snaps and A.J. Green sitting for a handful of games, Dalton scored a miserable 19 passing touchdowns and matched his rookie yardage mark (3,389), currently his lowest mark in his career.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"It was great for Marvin Jones to play through the second quarter like he did and feel good about it," Lewis said. "He did a nice job catching the ball [on the lone reception], avoiding the first tackle and turning up the field and running. It had to feel good for him."</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/16/9161431/bengals-wr-marvin-jones-feels-good-after-preseasons-debutJosh Kirkendall2015-08-16T11:30:03-04:002015-08-16T11:30:03-04:00Bengals defensive grades from win over Giants
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<figcaption>Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A lot of good grades to go around for the Bengals defense after shutting the Giants' offense down. </p> <p>A suffocating effort by the starting defense helped pace the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> to a 23-10 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">Giants</a> in their preseason opener.</p>
<p>Here are our grades of each position group following the win.</p>
<h4>Defensive Tackle</h4>
<p>The defensive line in general was solid throughout the night, but the starters played lights out. <span>Geno Atkins</span> led the way for the defensive tackles as he looked like the pre-ACL injury Geno who no one could block one-on-one.</p>
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<p><br>Once Atkins came out, <span>Pat Sims</span> and <span>Brandon Thompson</span> were also sharp and had several tackles-for-loss and stops right at the line of scrimmage.<br><br><span>Devon Still</span> struggled to do much of anything and didn't even record a defensive statistic in 27 snaps and had a dumb offsides penalty.<br><br>Rookie undrafted free agent DeShawn Williams may have had the best night of any DT not named Geno. He was often getting good push and into the Giants backfield. He even picked up a sack to go with a tackle-for-loss and and two QB hits.</p>
<p>Overall, this was a great effort from what was one of the Bengals' weakest positions in 2014.</p>
<p><b>Grade: B+</b></p>
<h4>Defensive End</h4>
<p><span>The defensive ends were good for portions of this game, but there were also stretched this unit was a liability and looked like the 2014 unit that finished dead-last in sacks.</span></p>
<p><span><span>Carlos Dunlap</span> played great in his limited snaps, highlights by this tackle-for-loss after reading the play beautifully.</span></p>
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<p><a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/15/9159445/bengals-rookie-dt-marcus-hardison-impresses-against-ny-giants" target="_blank">As our own Josh Kirkendall mentioned earlier</a>, defensive end/tackle <span>Marcus Hardison</span> was impressive in his NFL debut. He did so while lining up across the defensive line and even dropping back into coverage a few times.</p>
<p>Second-year man <span>Will Clarke</span> was the only other end that stood out. He had a productive game with several QB pressures and one hit to go with a QB takedown right at the line of scrimmage that wasn't recorded as a sack, but did force a punt on third down.</p>
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<p>Overall, it was a good day for the ends, especially since neither <span>Margus Hunt</span> nor <span>Michael Johnson</span> played.</p>
<p><b>Grade: B</b></p>
<h4><b>Linebacker</b></h4>
<p><span>Rey Maualuga</span>, Vinny Rey, <span>Emmanuel Lamur</span>, and <span>A.J. Hawk</span> ran with the starters for the first two series with Lamur getting a few snaps thereafter, but those four all had less than 12 snaps in this game. They helped shut the Giants' offense down to start the game and looked good overall. Lamur even had a third-down stuff along with Brandon Thompson on the defense's fourth series to force a punt.</p>
<p>That left younger guys like <span>Nico Johnson</span> to play a lot, and he shined with the extra snaps received. Johnson finished with a game-high 10 tackles and one pass deflection. He was all over the field and definitely helped his case for the final 53-man roster.</p>
<p>Marquis Flowers also looked good on the outside. He chipped in seven stops to go with a pass deflection and had several other plays in which his coverage helped prevent a catch.</p>
<p>Rookie linebacker <span>P.J. Dawson</span> played just 21 snaps, but did get two tackles and one tackle-for-loss:</p>
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<p>This unit performed well in helping the Bengals defense limit the Giants to just 10 points.</p>
<p><span><b>Grade: B+</b></span></p>
<h4>Cornerback</h4>
<p>The Bengals' corners were solid overall in this one and made life hard on whoever was in at QB. Giants QBs combined to complete just 15-of-33 passes for 118 yards and no scores while being sacked twice. <span>Dre Kirkpatrick</span>, <span>Adam Jones</span> and <span>Darqueze Dennard</span> made life miserable on <span>Eli Manning</span>, and Dennard continued to play well when <span>Ryan Nassib</span> came in.</p>
<p>Undrafted free agent <span>Troy Hill</span> got a ton of run once those three were done, and he more than held his own. Hill made two pass deflections and had several other plays he used his body to help keep the receiver from getting to the ball in a legal manner.</p>
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<p>Hill was also good on special teams and made a good tackle on kick-off coverage. Fellow rookie and fourth-round pick <span>Josh Shaw</span> had his ups and downs in this one, but looked good overall.</p>
<p>In the end, this position's play was what really won the game for Cincinnati. They locked down Giants receivers throughout the night and didn't allow a single player to catch more than three passes or record more than 34 yards.</p>
<p><b>Grade: A-</b></p>
<h4>Safety</h4>
<p>Thanks to good games all around in the front seven, the safeties didn't have to do much in this game.</p>
<p>Starters George Iloka and <span>Reggie Nelson</span> didn't have to do much to help the defense force consecutive three-and-outs to open the game. By the time the defense came on for their third series, <span>Shiloh Keo</span> and Shawn Williams were the two safeties. Those two did little to impress, combining for eight tackles while allowing several big receptions in coverage.</p>
<p>To be fair to Williams, he was forced from the game with a hand injury for a brief period before returning. He had a bad night overall though and could be losing ground to rookie <span>Derron Smith</span> as the No. 3 safety. Smith actually played in 34 snaps, seven more than Williams' 27.</p>
<p>Speaking of, Smith didn't get many chances to make a play, but did have two nice tackles in the third quarter. Overall, this unit wasn't asked to do much, but didn't exactly look great in the few chances they got.</p>
<p><b>Grade: C+</b></p>
<h4>Summary:</h4>
<h4></h4>
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Position</strong></td>
<td><strong>Grade</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>DE</td>
<td>B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>DT</td>
<td>B+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>LB</td>
<td>B+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CB</td>
<td>A-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>S</td>
<td>C+</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/8/16/9158555/bengals-defensive-grades-win-giantsJason Marcum