Bengals OC Brian Callahan expresses candid frustration about offensive issues
Ugly wins and dominant wins count the same in the NFL, but the Cincinnati Bengals need to showcase more dominance on offense in a hurry. Look at whatever ranking you want. Yards per play (31st), offensive points per game (27th), EPA/play (25th), and DVOA (23rd), the Bengals find themselves near the bottom of the league despite […]
Ugly wins and dominant wins count the same in the NFL, but the Cincinnati Bengals need to showcase more dominance on offense in a hurry.
Look at whatever ranking you want. Yards per play (31st), offensive points per game (27th), EPA/play (25th), and DVOA (23rd), the Bengals find themselves near the bottom of the league despite trotting out one of the best quarterbacks in the league, a renowned wide receiver trio, and enough talent at offensive line and running back to form a complete offense.
The results have not matched the talent, and that justifiably frustrates offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
“I was on my couch last night, watching it on my iPad, just fuming,” Callahan told reporters Monday afternoon following the Bengals' 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. “We have too many good coaches, too many good players to not play to our standard that we have set for ourselves. That was addressed. Everybody had their moment in the barrel today.”
If you were to poll 100 Bengals fans their overall thoughts on Cincinnati's offense, the bolded text would be a near perfect match to the No. 1 answer on the board. No bewildered Steve Harvey reaction face would be necessary.
What the Bengals have done offensively in the first six weeks is far below what's been expected, fully healthy quarterback or not. Offensive woes utterly killed their chances at even competing in two of their three losses, and the other defeat didn't exactly feature a high-scoring clinic either.
It would be one thing if a single culprit was the cause of this lack of output, but a multitude of issues are originating from a multitude of a sources. Blame belongs with pretty much every major factor in the Bengals' offense, from the play designers, playmakers, and the play-caller.
When Joe Burrow could hardly play like his normal self, he would hold the passing game back with his physical limitations. When Burrow missed several weeks of practice time, Callahan and his fellow offensive coaches could've done more to account for Burrow's temporary shortcomings, and put together a run game that wasn't as one dimensional.
It's hard to believe any of this is lost on Callahan considering his clear discontent. But as with anyone under the spotlight of culpability, he is but one factor in the equation.
Now that Burrow is moving at a normal pace and his accuracy is (mostly) back, the playbook Callahan has helped construct can be opened up more. Part of that is an increase in under center plays that require added movement from Burrow, which can lead to more opportunities in both phases of the offense.
"There’s an element of the offense that does run through the under-center part of it, Callahan said. "Some of the run-game schemes are better. Some of the play-action is better. That’s part of the evolution of all of it. That’s something that we can hopefully do more of.”
A balance of under center runs and play action passes were a big part of the Bengals' install from offseason programs, and they've been largely abandoned due to Burrow's calf injury. The re-implementation of these concepts provide a glimmer of hope for the offense performing in Callahan's shared image of the unit.
He's saying what everyone has been thinking: Expectations need to be met sooner or later.
Joe Burrow tells it like it is following Bengals’ close win over Seahawks
A win is a win, but there’s much work to be done.
