It Really Ain't That Hard

[HairOnFire]

If Cedric Benson is going to keep talking, and it seems he is, his remarks deserve their own thread. So here's a snippet of Benson from Joe Reedy's latest.

When asked if he thought is comments ruffled anyone’s feathers, Benson said: “I want to win games just like everyone else. I’m trying not to step on any toes. I’m just calling it like I see it. It’s the exact same things I said after the New England game. It’s all it is.”

Benson though is not the only one frustrated with the offense. At this point everyone is and one reason for that is a lack of identity. Last year everyone knew that this was a running team. Right now no one knows if this is still a running team, or a passing team or combination of both.

“I think everyone’s frustrated because it really ain’t that hard. It’s not difficult at all. It’s really easy,” Benson said. “It can be made difficult by just people trying to make it difficult. It’s all about execution. You can make anything happen if you execute and not override the system.

“We should have an identity right now, we’ll work it out. Things are going to get straight after this weekend.”

[HairOnFire]

IMHO everytime Benson has bothered to speak out since joining the Bengals he's been blasted by fans for being selfish, as I'm sure many will do now. So imagine my suprise and pleasure to read this reaction from Kirk at CincyJungle...

"Still, Benson has a point and if the team rights the ship over the weekend, he could quickly become a greater leader with this team, labeling problems, addressing them and then ultimately leading the team over them."

[HairOnFire]

And this from Merril Hoge....

"I thought they ran it much better against the Ravens than they did the Patriots. They went back to what they do," Hoge says. "They didn't run it like they did last year with six offensive linemen, misdirection counters and power runs. (But) you have to have different phases to your game. The more phases you have, the more difficult you are. It's like the Bengals began to deteriorate when they lost the vertical phase.

"Sometimes it takes coaches awhile to get used to the new guys and you've got a new tight end and two new receivers," Hoge says, "and you're trying to take advantage of that while not losing the identity of your team. They got back to that last week."

And Hoge says for Benson not to despair.

"If the offense continues to be inconsistent, (the running game) is something they'll gravitate to," he says.

When asked to put his finger on the offensive struggles stretching back to late 2006, he says it is simple.

"The offensive line has been inconsistent. That's where it begins and ends," he says. "They're not real athletic. They're fighters. They're power football and they do a good job with that."

[COB]

The Panthers are just what the doctor ordered. Get them down quick, then trample their heads with the running game.

[ArmyBengal]

I don't have any concerns with what Benson said due to the fact I believe he's right about this team not having an identity at this point.

However, I think that will right itself as time goes by. T.O. came in to the mix late and him and Carson have been working on timing, almost to a fault, since then. With this being week #3 and them not having to face the Pats and Ravens, I'm hoping to see some improvement. With said improvement, maybe we won't have to worry about hearing players say how the team doesn't have an identity.

[HairOnFire]

Get them down quick, then trample their heads with the running game.

"Take their breath away!" - Marvin Lewis, circa 2005

[membengal]

I don't mind Ced talking, altho I do note that if it were certain other Bengals, there would be complaining about it.

As for what he said, I still think the balance was fine. They just need to run it and throw it better.

[Stripes]

As for what he said, I still think the balance was fine. They just need to run it and throw it better.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

I still read it as "if we want to win, we have to commit to the run", and not "I want to make a lot of money next year, so give me the damn ball". To some extent, I agree with him. However, his beef is with the OL that can't open holes more than it is with Brat, as much as we all like to abuse him.

[HairOnFire]

As for what he said, I still think the balance was fine. They just need to run it and throw it better.

It's not the balance so much as how they're doing business now. Running out of a 3-wide front rather than 2-TE. And when they do go 2-TE it's no longer supports the running game as strongly. The move TE is now a viable, if not primary, receiving threat. And while it's obvious Gresham is going to be very good some day...he's not there yet. His route running has already resulted in one Pick6 and his blocking is very hit or miss.

As for playing better when running and throwing? The failure in the passing game impacts the running game far more than the reverse. Because the more you pass the less physical you can be, and this teams offensive line is built for the power game short-area maulers, phone booth guys, and whatever Andre Smith is on any given week. Plus, Cedric Benson is a full grown man who thrives on work. Give it to him. The fat guys upfront will appreciate it. And so will the defense. Finally, in an offense that struggles to make big plays in the passing game I'd say Bernard Scott deserves more touches than he's getting, running and receiving. What was all of that talk from Brat about giving Scott a bigger role on 3rd down?

[Sea Ray]

I still read it as "if we want to win, we have to commit to the run", and not "I want to make a lot of money next year, so give me the damn ball". To some extent, I agree with him. However, his beef is with the OL that can't open holes more than it is with Brat, as much as we all like to abuse him.

I think the O-line has opened up pretty nice holes for him. Like any other RB he just needs more carries in order to break down the defense and increase his chances for a big run.

To me the issue here is Palmer. His game is not suited to a 40 run/20 pass game plan. He's at his best when he gets into a rythm passing the ball much like they did in 2005, 2006. This is a quandry for the Bengals to work out.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

I still read it as "if we want to win, we have to commit to the run", and not "I want to make a lot of money next year, so give me the damn ball". To some extent, I agree with him. However, his beef is with the OL that can't open holes more than it is with Brat, as much as we all like to abuse him.

I think the O-line has opened up pretty nice holes for him. Like any other RB he just needs more carries in order to break down the defense and increase his chances for a big run.

I'm seeing more meetings in the backfield than I'd like. Admittedly you have to be able to fight through that in the first quarter when the fatties on the DL are fresh to get to the second half when they're not. Still, so far it's seemed like he's been forced to do more on his own than he had to last year.

I could be crazy. And if there were ever a good opportunity to run the hell outta the ball, it should be today. So we'll see.