Offense

[CrashDavisSports]

So Browning's first game as a starter he plays Pittsburgh. We plug Browning into the same offense as Burrow has been running. He looks like an average backup QB at best. Next two games, we start implementing the running attack, move guys around, put Browning under center, now all of a sudden he is destined to be a starting QB next year on another team. He is putting up stellar numbers and the offense is averaging about 33 points a game the last two weeks.

Is there a reason Burrow can't line up under center a lot more? Plus, that goaline play with Mixon and Brown in the backfield together.....thing of beauty. Where has this creativity been all year? Is Burrow causing our offense to look this pedestrian because of his restraints on the coaching staff and what they call and do?

Don't get me wrong, there isn't a world where I choose Browning over Burrow, but is it unreasonable to want to see Burrow run this offense instead of the one he has been running?

 

[cincygrad]

So Browning's first game as a starter he plays Pittsburgh. We plug Browning into the same offense as Burrow has been running. He looks like an average backup QB at best. Next two games, we start implementing the running attack, move guys around, put Browning under center, now all of a sudden he is destined to be a starting QB next year on another team. He is putting up stellar numbers and the offense is averaging about 33 points a game the last two weeks.

Is there a reason Burrow can't line up under center a lot more? Plus, that goaline play with Mixon and Brown in the backfield together.....thing of beauty. Where has this creativity been all year? Is Burrow causing our offense to look this pedestrian because of his restraints on the coaching staff and what they call and do?

Don't get me wrong, there isn't a world where I choose Browning over Burrow, but is it unreasonable to want to see Burrow run this offense instead of the one he has been running?

Yes and no. The Burrow offense is the same one that shredded the 49ers. He likes the field spread, likes living in shot gun, throwing quick passes and then hitting shots when the D gives in. It was clearly broken when he was injured, but it was back after those first few games. I'd say the one thing that has been missing has been a change of pace type back that can put more pressure on the linebackers and underneath coverage. If Burrow has Chase Brown in the game, the middle of the field is going to be more open and he's going to pick you apart. I suspect that will play out a lot next year.

As for lining up under center.... They'll do it with Burrow, but he doesn't like it. That doesn't make him any different than Manning or Rodgers - It just doesn't play to his strengths. But I do hope he picks up some things from watching - There is no reason why they can't evolve on offense and use some of the stuff that has been effective the last 2 weeks.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

The Bengals did work a lot over the offseason installing plays for Burrow to run under center. Then he hurt his calf and he wasn't able to run those plays. As soon as he was healed the Bengals started running that part of the playbook and the offense started looking great(49ers game). This was the plan all along.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

Bengals, Joe Burrow spotted installing under-center looks

A new wrinkle to the offense before the Bengals take on the 49ers?

bengalswire.usatoday.com

 

[jbuck]

yea...my opinion of Taylor is going up after his adjustments. when burrow was under center, Mixon was effective.

 

[jbuck]

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/chase-brown-second-fastest-ball-carrier-54-yard-touchdown?fbclid=IwAR1HV7gr0AnO5-cRsaf0JZSjomhXqAx6QKOF4XH_kcMyWAnj4F0_10u9f9E

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

DVOA Offense

The Cincinnati Bengals have gone from -9.1% (21st) in Weeks 1-7 to 18.3% (fourth) in Weeks 8-14.

https://www.ftnfantasy.com/articles/FTN/111748/week-14-dvoa-49ers-now-an-all-time-top-5-team

 

[Cincyfan78]

DVOA Offense

The Cincinnati Bengals have gone from -9.1% (21st) in Weeks 1-7 to 18.3% (fourth) in Weeks 8-14.

https://www.ftnfantasy.com/articles/FTN/111748/week-14-dvoa-49ers-now-an-all-time-top-5-team

Put this in the other thread, but weeks 1-5, 3-out rate was 32%.

Next 9 weeks 22%.

Last 3 games 15%.

 

[Cincyfan78]

The Bengals are 7-6. Browning clearly has shown he has the capabilities to be a top tier backup (Maybe fringe starter, but that's neither here nor there at the moment).

Imagine if the Bengals had just sat Burrow for the first 4 week. Prepped Browning the rest of the pre-season as if he was going to be the starter for at least 2-3 games.

I'd wager the Bengals likely pull out that Browns game. That game was putrid by Cleveland's offense until late in the 3rd and early 4th where, due to the lack of Bengals offense, the Browns running game finally took over. Bengals score 10-14 points more - that game turns out way different having to lean on Watson against this defense.

Maybe they still lose to the Ravens...no shame there, but I think they could have also beaten the Titans. 2 more wins put this current team (If all else had stayed the same) 9-4. Even just 1 more win would have positioned them so much better than where they are now, and would be 8-5.

I know it's a lot of "what if-isms" but again, hard not to think about how this staff continues to consider games 1-4 pre-season.

 

[cincygrad]

The Bengals are 7-6. Browning clearly has shown he has the capabilities to be a top tier backup (Maybe fringe starter, but that's neither here nor there at the moment).

Imagine if the Bengals had just sat Burrow for the first 4 week. Prepped Browning the rest of the pre-season as if he was going to be the starter for at least 2-3 games.

I'd wager the Bengals likely pull out that Browns game. That game was putrid by Cleveland's offense until late in the 3rd and early 4th where, due to the lack of Bengals offense, the Browns running game finally took over. Bengals score 10-14 points more - that game turns out way different having to lean on Watson against this defense.

Maybe they still lose to the Ravens...no shame there, but I think they could have also beaten the Titans. 2 more wins put this current team (If all else had stayed the same) 9-4. Even just 1 more win would have positioned them so much better than where they are now, and would be 8-5.

I know it's a lot of "what if-isms" but again, hard not to think about how this staff continues to consider games 1-4 pre-season.

I don't think it's that easy.... You figure that Browning needed at least one real game to figure what he wanted, so I'd say that Cleveland game would have been the same as that Pittsburgh game we lost this year. By the time week 2 came around, we all figured Burrow was healthy - And he was pretty damn close in that game until the end when he re-injured himself. So, I think Burrow starts week 2 regardless. And then I think he starts week 3 because we needed to win..... Anyway.

Also, it would be interesting to know how effective Browning would be if Chase Brown wasn't playing the last two weeks. That addition has significantly changed the offense. And I still don't understand why the coaches didn't open the season using him.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

Put this in the other thread, but weeks 1-5, 3-out rate was 32%.

Next 9 weeks 22%.

Last 3 games 15%.

That would heavily factor into DVOA.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I don't think it's that easy.... You figure that Browning needed at least one real game to figure what he wanted, so I'd say that Cleveland game would have been the same as that Pittsburgh game we lost this year. By the time week 2 came around, we all figured Burrow was healthy - And he was pretty damn close in that game until the end when he re-injured himself. So, I think Burrow starts week 2 regardless. And then I think he starts week 3 because we needed to win..... Anyway.

Also, it would be interesting to know how effective Browning would be if Chase Brown wasn't playing the last two weeks. That addition has significantly changed the offense. And I still don't understand why the coaches didn't open the season using him.

Agreed, but Browning also would have had all pre-season to get more work in and, it would have meant, likely, getting other starters reps because Browning would have needed those reps with the starters he would be playing with.

Again, I know it's a lot of "What-if" type thing...just food for thought.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

The Bengals are 7-6. Browning clearly has shown he has the capabilities to be a top tier backup (Maybe fringe starter, but that's neither here nor there at the moment).

Imagine if the Bengals had just sat Burrow for the first 4 week. Prepped Browning the rest of the pre-season as if he was going to be the starter for at least 2-3 games.

I'd wager the Bengals likely pull out that Browns game. That game was putrid by Cleveland's offense until late in the 3rd and early 4th where, due to the lack of Bengals offense, the Browns running game finally took over. Bengals score 10-14 points more - that game turns out way different having to lean on Watson against this defense.

Maybe they still lose to the Ravens...no shame there, but I think they could have also beaten the Titans. 2 more wins put this current team (If all else had stayed the same) 9-4. Even just 1 more win would have positioned them so much better than where they are now, and would be 8-5.

I know it's a lot of "what if-isms" but again, hard not to think about how this staff continues to consider games 1-4 pre-season.

You have to also factor that those first four weeks we had two lineman that were either new or playing a new position. We had another two that didn't finish the year last year. It takes time for an offensive line to gel. Offensive line continuity is a major factor in how well an offense line performs. We saw it last year as our line really started playing well in the 2nd half of the season as they all started to get used to each other. Then the injuries came. Once again we have started to figure it out in the 2nd half of the season. If we keep 4 out of 5 guys next season it will be the lowest turnover this line has seen since Taylor took over.

Browning may have struggled those first couple of games when the line didn't have things figured out. We don't know. But yes I have also wondered what it would have been like had Browning started those first couple of games.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

We didn't see Brown early in the season because we gave Traevon one last chance. He stunk, he didn't line up correctly on a couple of plays.. I think I recall Burrow yelling at him to move one time. Then Brown went on IR in November with hammy issues.

 

[Cincyfan78]

You have to also factor that those first four weeks we had two lineman that were either new or playing a new position. We had another two that didn't finish the year last year. It takes time for an offensive line to gel. Offensive line continuity is a major factor in how an offense will a line performs. We saw it last year as our line really started playing well in the 2nd half of the season as they all started to get used to each other. Then the injuries came. Once again we have started to figure it out in the 2nd half of the season. If we keep 4 out of 5 guys next season it will be the lowest turnover this line has seen since Taylor took over.

Browning may have struggled those first couple of games when the line didn't have things figured out. We don't know. But yes I have also wondered what it would have been like had Browning started those first couple of games.

True... if you knew you were starting a brand new QB, possibly for 2-3 weeks...I'm going to guess those starters would have gotten some game reps to be ready with the new QB. Would have made zero sense to play Browning to prep him for starting and not having him get at least *some* reps with the starters.

Again - it's a what-if-ism...and nothing ever stays static when you change things...it was just food for thought on resting Burrow - not having him chuck it 900 times the first 4 weeks when he was clearly compromised...and how much just 1 more win in that stretch could mean as this team positions itself down the stretch.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

True... if you knew you were starting a brand new QB, possibly for 2-3 weeks...I'm going to guess those starters would have gotten some game reps to be ready with the new QB. Would have made zero sense to play Browning to prep him for starting and not having him get at least *some* reps with the starters.

Again - it's a what-if-ism...and nothing ever stays static when you change things...it was just food for thought on resting Burrow - not having him chuck it 900 times the first 4 weeks when he was clearly compromised...and how much just 1 more win in that stretch could mean as this team positions itself down the stretch.

Browning did spend the preseason working with them. He should have been getting at least 50% of the 1st string reps during the preseason(Semian maybe the other 50%). That might be why we are so well prepared for this right now.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Browning did spend the preseason working with them. He should have been getting at least 50% of the 1st string reps during the preseason(Semian maybe the other 50%). That might be why we are so well prepared for this right now.

He got zero snaps with starters in pre-season games.

 

[BurrowDeep2Chase]

He got zero snaps with starters in pre-season games.

I just meant during practice.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I just meant during practice.

Right, but I think we can all agree - there's only so much a practice, even inter-team scrimmages, can provide.

You need to get out there and get in a real, even if pre-season, game atmosphere. Jonah was the only offensive starter to take a snap this off-season, and he talked about the benefit of getting out there and going through that process and playing. Even if not a "real" game, there's a different speed than you see in practices and inter-scrimmages.

Again - this is more just a what-if-ism. The reality is always...if they think Burrow can play...he's playing.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Well, based on the way Browning and Siemein were playing in preseason, no one was thinking about starting them. No one knew how bad Burrow was until he started against Cleveland. Once he started against Cleveland, we all realized, the dude is hurt. He needs to sit out. He plays week 2 and looks so much more like himself, but once again aggravates it. So Browning wouldn't have been playing until week 3, but how bad had Burrow aggravated it? Too hard to tell. He didn't look great against LA, but he looked decent, so you are thinking, he didn't aggravate it that bad. Then we play Tennessee and we got the crap kicked out of us because Burrow was a statue. He looked like himself mostly again in week 5. So what do you do?