Some odds & ends:
-- In 7 games last year, Drue Chrisman punted 28 times, averaged 42.6 net yards, and dropped 13 punts inside the 20.
Through 6 games, Brad Robbins has 32 punts, is netting 39.4 yards a kick and has dropped 6 inside the 20.
If Drue Chrisman sucks, Brad Robbins blows.
-- First round pick Myles Murphy has 4 tackles and 1 sack though 6 games. I continue to harp on this not because I don't like Murphy. I think he's coming along fairly well given that he's getting like one out of every 9-10 defensive snaps a game. I continue to harp on it precisely because of that snap count. Last April, the Bengals thought they were so stacked that they could spend a first round pick on a guy who would barely play. Just want to keep a pin in that.
-- Last season, No. 2 RB Samaje Perine was averaging about 6 carries and 3 targets per game. This season No. 2 RB Trayveon Williams has 5 carries and 6 targets all year (so far). The rushing numbers are bad enough but I don't think enough attention has been paid to the passing numbers. Perine had 38 receptions last year, 11 of which went for first downs and 4 that were TDs. In 6 games Williams has 4 catches, no first downs, no scores.
And don't even look at the numbers for Chase Brown and Chris Evans, you will just get depressed. Bottom line, no one has stepped up to replace Samaje and I think this offense really misses him right now
— in similar vein, and as Army already noted, Hurst is also sorely missed. All of our TEs combined are on pace to equal about three-quarters of Hayden. And that’s just looking at yards. Hurst had 26 first downs all by himself last year. This year all our TEs have 3 combined so far
I think you can make a strong case that the falloff in offensive production that isn‘t attributable to Burrow’s calf can largely be blamed on the failure to replace Hurst and Samaje.