Bengals' coaching staff deserves props for key change on offense
National chain sports shows catch a lot of fire on social media these days. And it's easy to understand why. Instead of legit football analysis, these talk shows are filled with hot takes, senseless debates, and jaw-dropping comments. But every once in a while, the hosts bring the fire with tremendous analysis, especially when they're […]
National chain sports shows catch a lot of fire on social media these days. And it's easy to understand why. Instead of legit football analysis, these talk shows are filled with hot takes, senseless debates, and jaw-dropping comments.
But every once in a while, the hosts bring the fire with tremendous analysis, especially when they're former football players and provide insight only they can. That's exactly what happened on an ESPN NFL Live segment earlier this week when the crew analyzed under-center looks.
When comparing both worlds of offensive football (and what it means for the opposing defense), analyst Mina Kimes used the Cincinnati Bengals as a prime example to illustrate the conversation.
Dan Orlovsky started the segment by asking Marcus Spears about the difference between facing a quarterback who's under center and one who's in the gun. Bengals fans were likely interested in the answer from the get-go since it's been a widely discussed topic for Zac Taylor's offense this season.
"When you're under center, everything is available to you. You get zone stretch game, play-action game, screen game, toss," said Spears. "When you get in shotgun there are only a few things you can do."
"When you're under center you have so much you can do and so much looks the same," added Ryan Clark.
The Bengals' offense has struggled at times for this very reason. Zac Taylor's scheme has often been criticized for its predictability when Joe Burrow goes under center. At times, opposing defenses have been able to sniff out plays because Cincinnati's running and passing concepts were not necessarily tied together.
Just think of T.J. Watt obliterating Joe Mixon in Week 1 when the Bengals went under center and everybody knew the run was coming.
That's why Mina Kimes used the Bengals as an example for the conversation. The analyst pointed toward the team's struggles to begin the season.
"They can't run the ball well and when they're in the gun, defenses have known Joe Burrow is going to pass it, so they're facing a lot of two-high looks," said Kimes.
She then hit the nail on the head by pointing out a tremendous stat that sheds light on what the Bengals are trying to do to solve their issues. Here are the percentages of plays in which they have lined up in under-center formations per week:
- Week 1, 3.8%
- Week 2, 16.7
- Week 3, 22.8%
- Week 4, 25.8%
"They recognized the run game and the pass game need to look more like each other so we can get more of those tasty single-high looks."
The Bengals are not what they want to be just yet. They're getting there though, and the above numbers are evidence that this coaching staff is trying to right the ship by acknowledging its own mistakes.
No one is doubting the talent in Cincinnati's roster. But for this to be the season fans have been dreaming about, this is the kind of stuff that will make the difference. Props to Zac Taylor and company for adapting midseason.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports
