Divisional Weekend: Bengals @ Oilers

[membengal]

Really great read to start the day

 

[ArmyBengal]

I can’t fucking wait

[AMPHAR]

A lot of talk on Titans boards and other places about SOS.   I can not stress enough about how unimportant that conversation is.   NFL is a closed looped system.  All 32 teams pick from the same pool of players all play each other.    It eliminates the point of SOS that you see in college athletics.  

A deeper dive shows from 2019 til today the Titans have played 7 games against AFC North opponents.   That includes playoffs.   They are 2-5.  Their impressive W/L record and playoff qualifications have not come at the expense of beating AFC North teams, it comes from other opponents.

Also last year the Bengal played the Titans and had a 17 point lead in the 4th quarter and this important.... the bengals DID NOT shut down Henry or the Titans offense to do it.    They rushed for over 200 yards and 7.5 average the offense in total went for 414 yards.

The difference in the game was Joe Burrow being Joe Burrow and our skill guys just running all over them.   I think they cut J. Joe shortly afterward.   Gio had a good game (wish we had him still) and there was no Mixon.  Also this was a game we had wholesale line changes the week leading up to the game and gave 0 sacks (Burrow worked some magic to make that stat line happen though).

The Titans are tough opponent have several realistic keys to victory and are a deserving favorite.    Joe Burrow gets it going it may not matter.   Henry had a very good game last year against a bad Bengals D.   17 points down in the 4th.

 

 

[Stripes]

Schedule doesn’t matter. Last year’s game doesn’t matter. Running backs barely matter. Fans will always engage in self-serving analysis to build their confidence throughout the week.

Clearly both of these teams are good and capable of winning.

[membengal]

Quote

 

On the day before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the NFL pre-draft circuit and turned the entire scouting process virtual, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan was at Clemson, and linebackers coach Al Golden was at Wyoming.

In March 2020, Callahan was watching wide receiver Tee Higgins’ Pro Day. Golden was watching linebacker Logan Wilson. On that day, the NFL coaches on the road were openly wondering what would happen if the scouting process came to a halt due to the pandemic.

One day later, the country shut down and Callahan, Golden and the rest of the Bengals coaches and scouts were called off the road. It could have been a major obstacle for Cincinnati’s draft prep. Instead, the Bengals changed course and built one of the most important NFL draft classes in franchise history. 

“You had to try to find a way to win the virtual war,” Golden said. “The world changed, and our evaluation game changed. If you didn’t adapt, you were going to die. It’s as simple as that. We found different ways to evaluate the guys, and we were fortunate enough to hit on all of them.”

When the Bengals face the Titans on Saturday, Cincinnati will start four players from its 2020 draft class. For the first time in the last 50 years, the Bengals have a playoff team with four second-year players in the starting lineup.

There haven't been many Bengals draft classes that have been so transformative so quickly. In the 2020 NFL draft, the Bengals got their franchise quarterback in Joe Burrow. They got a 1,000-yard receiver in Higgins. With Wilson, the Bengals got their leading tackler and their leader in interceptions. 

Hakeem Adeniji is the Bengals starting right guard. Defensive end Khalid Kareem is one of the first players off the bench, and he made one of the most important defensive plays of the season with a forced fumble in Denver. 

Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither was a third-down staple before a season-ending foot injury. Seventh-round pick Markus Bailey stepped up at linebacker when injuries hit the room in December and recorded 12 total tackles in wins over the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Even though the Bengals assembled this draft class in the middle of a pandemic, they went 7-for-7 with their selections.

"I think it's just a tribute to the whole organization, Duke (Tobin) and his crew upstairs,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “It felt like we were able to be as productive as anybody, just because of the way we were able to problem solve and get stuff done.”

The Bengals have a few unique aspects to their scouting process. In 2020, the Bengals coached the Senior Bowl. Also, the Bengals coaching staff plays a much greater role in scouting compared to most other franchises.

Due to those two factors, the Bengals coaches had a significant head start. Callahan and Golden had been tracking Higgins and Wilson extensively before March, which gave the Bengals an edge when the scouting world shut down.

“In Cincinnati, it’s a collaborative approach,” Golden said. “The position coach truly has a real, real voice in terms of what you’re looking for in your room. That all translated here.”

When the Bengals hired head coach Zac Taylor in 2019, he set the expectation that football intelligence and leadership ability would be priorities in the scouting process. Even after the pandemic began in 2020, the Bengals coaching staff kept up with prospects to better evaluate those two areas.

Former Bengals defensive line coach Nick Eason said he had a Zoom meeting  with 30 defensive line prospects before the draft and interviewed them with questions focused to evaluate character and football IQ. Golden said he gave Davis-Gaither a “test of 500-level questions,” and Golden held onto the results because Davis-Gaither’s score was so high.

“Football intelligence in the NFL is such a vital component here, and it can’t be overlooked,” Golden said. “This is Week 21 for these men, and it’s 21 different game plans. Not only do they have to be smart, but they have to be able to think on their feet, especially at linebacker. If you have all those elements, we’re mitigating risk.”

In addition to their film study, the Bengals coaches sought out new video wherever possible. Whether it was on Youtube, Instagram or sent via a personal text message, the coaching staff tracked how prospects were physically progressing during the pandemic. 

Golden said this information was a crucial piece of the Bengals' decision to draft Bailey, who was coming off a knee injury. With every video, Golden gained more confidence in Bailey's progress and his health.

Eason said he tried to put each defensive lineman through a “virtual visit” where he watched prospects do sled drills, get out of a three-point stance and practice changing direction quickly. 

It was more data that made Eason a believer in Kareem’s potential.

“That’s all we had to go on, so most kids had to use their phone to market themselves,” Eason said. “There was no video guy available to shoot these prospects’ Pro Days, so they did it themselves."

he decision to draft Burrow in the first round was the obvious choice. Even though the Bengals met with him in person for only 18 minutes and Taylor didn’t get to see Burrow in a Pro Day environment, Burrow was still the clear No. 1 pick. 

Heading into the second round, the Bengals had the No. 33 pick in one of the deepest wide receiver classes in recent memory with Higgins, Denzel Mims, Laviska Shenault and Michael Pittman all on the board.

Callahan said the Bengals were looking at a second-round receiver. A.J. Green was about to play his final season with the franchise, and former first-round pick John Ross III was also in a contract year. 

Based on the previous five months of scouting work, Higgins was a clear enough pick for the Bengals to hold onto their selection at No. 33.

“We felt really good about what he looked like, how he ran in person and his personality,” Callahan said. "Rave reviews down there from everybody at Clemson on what kind of person he was. And his tape obviously showed all the skills that we would need to see from him.”

“With Higgins, you look at it like how was he still on the board?” said Eason, who played at Clemson and now coaches for the Tigers. “He was a dynamic receiver with the tools to be a Pro Bowler, and he’s having a great career. We knew he had the chance to change the dynamic of the team

The Bengals had a strong middle of the second round grade on Wilson. Golden said the entire second round was one of the most stressful experiences he has had in the NFL as he waited to see if he'd stay on the board. 

While Golden didn’t directly coach Wilson in the Senior Bowl, he went to the other team’s practice to watch Wilson and a few others. And Golden thought highly enough of Wilson to travel to Wyoming in March.

“Clearly, we were hoping he would be there at the start of the third,” Golden said. “We had a feeling we would go defense. We were just hoping when we got to round three that there was a chance he’d be there. It’s so hard to find a linebacker with size who can play all three downs.” 

Heading into the fourth round, Golden had Davis-Gaither’s famous pre-draft test on his mind. Golden saw a standout athlete for a linebacker position, a potentially great special teams player.

Davis-Gaither filled that exact role when he was healthy this season.

Heading into the fifth round, Eason also had experience with Kareem that he could draw from. Eason met with Kareem at the NFL combine and they kept up conversations via Zoom. Kareem was also one of the players who had been sending Eason videos before the draft, keeping the Bengals up-to-date with his progress.

“I was just nervous,” Eason said. “We knew Khalid fit what we were trying to do, and you’re hoping he’s still going to be there. We weren’t the only team looking at him, and we knew he had so many tools to become a really good player.”

In the sixth round, the Bengals tapped into their Senior Bowl advantage and picked Adeniji. His standout traits were his athleticism and his versatility, which gave Adeniji the potential to play four positions on the offensive line. 

Then in the seventh round, Golden felt the Bengals had a better update on Bailey’s health than some other teams because of the constant communication they had before the NFL draft. Following that selection, the Bengals had seven key contributors for a future playoff team.

Since it was all virtual, the Bengals had one of their most stressful draft war rooms. But the coaching staff, the front office and the scouting department had the right tools to build one of their strongest drafts in recent memory.

“You’d get a text, you’ve got to be ready to rank these guys, and we’ve got to talk about these guys in case this scenario happens,” Golden said. “We were doing Mock Drafts, and we were doing it all by Zoom. It was cumbersome, but we found a way to be effective and communicate.”

“The checks and balances between Zac, our defensive staff and in the front office, that obviously has led to all the draftees who will be out there on Saturday night,” Golden added. “It’s a very collaborative approach here, and you actually got to present your position.”

 

 

[HoosierCat]

Good thoughts from Ace.

 

[HoosierCat]

Also good thoughts.

 

[HoosierCat]

Attn skyline

 

[ArmyBengal]

2 hours ago, AMPHAR said:

Also last year the Bengal played the Titans and had a 17 point lead in the 4th quarter and this important.... the bengals DID NOT shut down Henry or the Titans offense to do it.    They rushed for over 200 yards and 7.5 average the offense in total went for 414 yards.

This was previous point. Who gives a shit that they are the #1 seed? Who cares if Henry plays? Who cares who they have healthy again?

Not me… they need to execute their game plan with precision. If they do THAT, they win. They are the better team and I for one feel confident heading into this game.

Fuck You Titans !!!

[AMPHAR]

34 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

Also good thoughts.

 

kinda were I'm at with it.     If you look at last year's game stat lines.   The Titans got exactly what their optimum path for victory looks like minus 1 TO and 1 sack, I think.  They got Henry over 100 yards.  They got over 200 yards rushing.   They got 7.5 yards a carry.     Still found themselves down to a depleted Bengals team with Joe Burrow by 17 points in the 4th quarter. 

I think there is a good chance Henry kicks our ass tomorrow.   If Joe Burrow is Joe Burrow it doesn't matter you are getting the L.

Just like up in Denver.   Broncos   had a wonderful Defense effort.  Bam a couple brilliant throws and couple key scrambles and so sorry but you are getting the "L".    That would have happened to SF if it weren't for Special teams errors.

 

[AMPHAR]

34 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

Attn skyline

 

I'm wondering if the Bengals could get 10,000 plus in the stadium tomorrow?  Seems possible.  Nashville is a town people like and there are tickets available. 

In 2014 vs. Colts there were a ton of Bengal fans that made the trip.  I would guess 10K+.    Tickets were a lot cheaper though. 

[skyline]

40 minutes ago, HoosierCat said:

Attn skyline

 

Oh yeah, I'm aware.  As much as I'd love to go, I'm not going anywhere near that Covid pit, haha.

[HoosierCat]

47 minutes ago, AMPHAR said:

kinda were I'm at with it.     If you look at last year's game stat lines.   The Titans got exactly what their optimum path for victory looks like minus 1 TO and 1 sack, I think.  They got Henry over 100 yards.  They got over 200 yards rushing.   They got 7.5 yards a carry.     Still found themselves down to a depleted Bengals team with Joe Burrow by 17 points in the 4th quarter. 

I think there is a good chance Henry kicks our ass tomorrow.   If Joe Burrow is Joe Burrow it doesn't matter you are getting the L.

Just like up in Denver.   Broncos   had a wonderful Defense effort.  Bam a couple brilliant throws and couple key scrambles and so sorry but you are getting the "L".    That would have happened to SF if it weren't for Special teams errors.

 

Yup. Tennessee’s two big advantages coming in are that they’re at home and coming off a week’s rest. So you hope your d can start strong (which having a week off it should) and with help from crowd noise can hold Burrow in check. Then you look to pull away in the second half by pounding the rock against a Bengals d that hopefully is wearing down. If they can’t contain Burrow tho, nothing else matters.

[HoosierCat]

Also a good point.

 

[AMPHAR]

1 minute ago, HoosierCat said:

Also a good point.

 

Zac and Lou know Tannehill is afraid of clowns.   So expect the Bengals to be introduced pre game via a small car driving out and them all jumping out of it with big red shoes on.

 

[HoosierCat]

https://www.bengals.com/news/trent-taylor-elevated-for-the-afc-divisional-round
 

Trent Taylor bumped up to the 53 for the game

[volcom69]

So the Titans remind me of a Ravens or Steelers team, physical and play dirty! So whatever game plan they had against those two teams we need to see more of that! 

[Earendil]

I guess I have never noticed that the Titans play dirty. Is that really a problem with them? I know they had Haynesworth a few years ago, but he was a headcase and has been gone for ages.

[cincyhokie]

So apparently the Bengals D line is decimated. “The Bengals lost 3-4 starters for this game.” 
 

That’s what all the media is talking about. Larry O is out and he’s our BEST run stopper. But not only that our 4 time All Pro DT Mike Daniels is out. Also, Josh Tupou was killed in a freak accident 2 weeks ago while Trey Hendrickson is out with a recent brain surgery. 

I don’t think we can win, guys.

[Stripes]

3 minutes ago, cincyhokie said:

So apparently the Bengals D line is decimated. “The Bengals lost 3-4 starters for this game.” 
 

That’s what all the media is talking about. Larry O is out and he’s our BEST run stopper. But not only that our 4 time All Pro DT Mike Daniels is out. Also, Josh Tupou was killed in a freak accident 2 weeks ago while Trey Hendrickson is out with a recent brain surgery. 

I don’t think we can win, guys.

I really hope the Titans don’t find out and gameplan for the backyard tryout D-line we’re trotting out.

[Stripes]

I’m starting to get those asswhooping vibes Hokie was feeling last week.

[cincyhokie]

40 minutes ago, Stripes said:

I’m starting to get those asswhooping vibes Hokie was feeling last week.

I was feeling that last week all the way through the 1st half. They took their foot off the gas last weekend. I don’t think they do that Saturday. I expect it to be close but the Bengals pull way in the 4th quarter.

[membengal]

 

[HoosierCat]

 

[cincyhokie]

I don’t disagree.