Wow. I thought this year was different. This team was built
to win in the playoffs, and despite Marvin and Dalton’s playoff track record, I
thought this year would be different. I did not expect to be writing this
article after this week.
The Good
BJGE – One of
just two Bengals players that played well on Sunday was BJGE (8 carries for 42
yards; 5.3 YPC), which begs the question of why Gruden did not use him
more…especially on 3rd and 1 on their second drive of the game.
Marvin Jones – When
no one seemed willing to step up, the Bengals second year #2 receiver did. With
8 catches for 130 yards, Jones now has 11 catches for 164 yards and one 100+
yard receiving day in 2 playoff games… that is 2 less catches, 33 more yards
and 1 more 100+ yard day than Green has in 3 playoff tries. Most notably was
his 49 yard catch down the sideline on a nice throw by Dalton. Jones has turned
into a very nice #2 receiver this year.
The Bad
This game was so bad that most things that went wrong were
too terrible to just be considered “Bad” and ended up in the laundry list of
“Ugly.”
The Invisible Playoff
WR Named AJ Green – Maybe it’s the game plan. Maybe it’s Dalton. Maybe it’s
what the defense did. But, no matter what, when you are an elite receiver like
Green, you have to find a way to make an impact. Part of that is on the
quarterback, a large part is the OC, but down 20-10, Dalton threw a great pass
down the sidelines that Green should have caught and would have put the Bengals
inside the 10 with a chance to make a late comeback. In 3 playoff games, Green
now has 13 catches for 161 yards and 0 TDs. In 2 of those games, Green had less
than 50 yards (47 and 34), and in none of those games did he have more than 80
yards. That is disappointing.
Jermaine Gresham – I know he had a TD catch and a few
other good catches, but he continues to hurt the team more than he helps the
team. Gresham had yet another holding penalty and he nearly cost the Bengals a
scoring chance at the end of the half by using the football to brace his fall…who
the hell uses the football to brace their fall? Honestly, have you ever seen a
player do that? Does he not recall the game tying TD that was taken away from
him 2 years ago in Baltimore? Everyone else does. These are the type of things
Gresham does that would never cross the mind of a football player of normal
intelligence. Unfortunately, Gresham does not fit the “football player of
normal intelligence” mold. Unfortunately, Gresham has one more year on his
contract, but the Bengals can’t resign Gresham after 2014. Doing so would
simply be a waste of good money. With Eifert as their #1 tight end, they can go
with Alex Smith, Orson Charles or hell, anyone not named Gresham. As long as
the guy doesn’t fumble 3-5 times a year and rank in the top 5 in the NFL in
penalties, it is an improvement. If the Bengals could trade Gresham in the
offseason, I would do so…especially if they don’t intend to keep him after
2014. If any team in the NFL wants Gresham, I am offering to drive him to their
stadium.
Zoltan Mesko – For
the most part, the guy did ok, but in the first drive out of the half, the
Bengals are forced to punt from their own 50 and Mesko puts it 50 yards into
the endzone for a Net punt of 30 yards. As a guy that spends all day practicing
the art of punting, how can you not punt the ball to land within the 20 yard
line from the 50? That is 20 yards of leeway. From the 50, any punter should be
able to put it high in the air and either force a fair catch or give his
coverage team a chance to down the punt. It was as if it was a preview of what
was to come. San Diego took the touch back and went 80 yards for a 14-10 lead
and never looked back.
Jeff Triplette and
His Crew – How the hell did this guy get a playoff game? On the Gresham
sideline catch, Gresham got knocked out of bounds with about 15 seconds left
and then the Bengals spiked the ball. After the review, the clocked should have
either been stopped at 2 seconds (because of the spike) or about 10-12 seconds
should have been placed back on the clock. It ended up not mattering, but just
one more example of how bad Triplette is.
The Ugly
“Bad” Andy the
Quarterback – There are two Andy Daltons’ 1) “Good” Andy and “Bad” Andy and
I said it in my What to Look For article before the game:
“[the Bengals] are ranked 25th in turnovers (30). 24 of
those 30 turnovers (80%) have come via Andy Dalton (20 INTs, 4 Fumbles). The
Bengals will sink and swim with Dalton and his ability to protect the ball. If
the 20 interception Dalton shows up in the playoffs like he did the last 2
years (0 TDs, 4 INTs), the Bengals will have a quick stay in the playoffs
again. If the 33 touchdown Dalton shows up, this could be your AFC Champion,
and possibly, your Super Bowl Champion.”
Well, unfortunately for the Bengals, their fans and the city
of Cincinnati, “Bad” Andy showed up for the 3rd year in a row
(29-51, 56.8% comp, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 1 fumble lost, 14.2 QBR and 67.0 rating…and 2
botched snaps!). The Bengals can overcome “Bad” Andy against non-playoff teams.
They cannot overcome him in the playoffs. While Dalton did get his first
playoff TD in his career, does it matter? Dalton now has 1 TD to 7 turnovers (6
INTs and 1 fumble lost) in 3 playoff games. I don’t care how good your defense
is, they cannot overcome those turnovers. Thanks to amazing stands by the
defense, Dalton’s fumble and 1st interception lead only to 2 FGs
(6pts). His 2nd INT did not lead to San Diego points, but likely
cost the Bengals a FG or possibly a TD. By my simple math, his turnovers alone
cost the Benglas 9-13 points in a game that was within 10 points for most of
the day. If you count his failed 3rd and 1 pass to Bernard, that is
another 3-7 points. I have supported Dalton a lot this year and you have to
give him credit. He overtook a 2-14 team and has lead them to the playoffs in
all 3 of his seasons. He has three 20+ TD seasons, a 4,000+ yard season and a
30-18 regular season. As amazing as it has been that he has lead the team to 3
straight playoff appearances, it is equally amazing how brutal he has played
once in the playoffs (56.9% comp, 1 TD, 6 INTs 1 fumble lost, a 5.84 YPA and a
56.2 rating). A team cannot win with their quarterback playing that way. The
sad part is, this Bengals team has the most talent on offense in the NFL -
Green, Jones, Sanu, Hawkins, Bernard, BJGE, Eifert and Gresham – and a defense
that is championship caliber. How much longer can they give Dalton? At this
point, nothing he does in the regular season matters or answers any questions.
The Bengals have a Super Bowl caliber team except at the quarterback position.
I hate the term “Game Manager,” but if Dalton could just be a “Game Manager”
and not hurt his team, this team could win a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Dalton
has proven he cannot be a “Game Manager” nor can he be a “Game Changer” when
the lights are brightest. Tom Jackson of ESPN said it best when he said at some
point, people inside the locker room and inside the organization will start
losing trust in the quarter back and start to doubt him and when that happens,
that is tough (if not impossible) to overcome. Dalton has reached that level of
distrust with the fans. I believe he may be getting there with his teammates.
“Bad” Andy the Leader
– We all know it, quarterbacks get too much of praise when things go well and
too much of the blame when things go bad. That being said, Andy Dalton is the
leader of this team and good leaders take blame…especially when it was their
own play and their own mistakes that lost the game. There were plenty of
reasons why the Bengals lost that game and while Dalton didn’t have much help
from his mates, the glaring reason for the Bengals going home early (yet again)
were Dalton’s 3 turnovers. A good leader needs to own that. When the leader is
one of the glaring reasons for a loss, as good leader says “I” didn’t play
well, not we. Andy didn’t play well. In fact, he played terrible. He was the
glaring reason for the loss. Yet he made a conscious effort, time and time
again, to use the word “we” when talking about not playing well, “we” when
talking about mistakes. There was no “we” on that fumble Andy. There was no
“we” on either interception. Those were “you,” not we. The only thing worse than
Andy’s play on Sunday was his avoidance of owning it.
Jay Gruden – According
to reports, Jay Gruden is a candidate for at least 4 NFL head coaching jobs
(Tennessee, Washington, Minnesota and Detroit) and considered a leading
candidate for the Redskins job. I am not sure these teams have watched the film
on the Bengals or not, but if they would like to hire him, I would thank him on
his way out the door. While you have to give Gruden credit for taking Dalton as
a rookie and getting him prepared to the point that Dalton led the Bengals to 3
straight playoff appearances, you also have to objectively look at how the offense
has, or hasn’t, performed in the playoffs. Dalton is 0-3 with 1 TD, 7 turnovers
and 2 botched snaps in the playoffs. AJ Green has never been a factor in any of
the games – 13 receptions for 161 yards, 1 game over 50 yards (80), 0 100+ yard
games, and exactly 0 TDs. How can Gruden, with the plethora of weapons the
defense has to focus on, not find a way to get Green involved. Meanwhile, in
Indy, where T Y Hilton is the only weapon they have and the only player the
defense focuses on, the OC finds a way to get him 13 receptions, 224 yards an 2
TDs in one game…or as many receptions, 63 more yards and 2 more TDs that what
Gruden has been able to get Green in 3 playoff games combined. In those 3
playoff games, Gruden’s offense has scored a total of 26 points (2 TDs and 4
FGs). I hate to say it, but in his 2
playoff games, Bratkowksi generated 17 and 14 points respectively – or 2 more
TDs than Gruden in 1 less game and with far less weapons. Gruden may be a great
interview, but as an OC, Gruden is your classic “over thinker” and for the 3rd
year in a row, Gruden called a head scratcher of a playoff game. My issues with
Gruden on Sunday (in no particular order) were: 1) Green being targeted on just
5 of the Bengals 12 drives – how does that happen?; 2) BJGE getting 8 carries
to Bernard’s 12 when BJGE was averaging 5.3 YPC to Bernard’s 3.8; 3) speaking
of BJGE, I would love to hear Gruden’s explanation for not running on 3rd
and 1 from the SD 45 and electing instead to go with a swing pass to Bernard –
sure he was open and Dalton threw a terrible pass, but why make it harder than
it needs to be? 4) down 20-10 with 5 minutes to play, the ball at the SD 41, the
game still not out of reach and the Bengals facing 4th and 3, he
goes with the lowest percentage play call, a deep ball to Jones? Incomplete.
Game over. Drive safely.; 5) lack of urgency – in the 4th quarter
and down 10, the Bengals seemed to have no urgency, still huddling, running the
ball, not calling timeouts. I think everyone was screaming at their TV to “hurry
up,” but not Gruden; 6) where was Eifert? Maybe he wasn’t healthy, but with him
being dressed we have to assume he was, why did we not see him until the 4th
quarter? 7) not getting Dalton comfortable early – Dalton’s day is dependent on
how he starts. Get him comfortable early, he plays well. Don’t get him
comfortable early and things oftentimes spiral out of control; 8) on Sunday,
the Bengals punted 3 times inside SD territory and had 2 other drives end in
downs in SD territory – if they simply get FGs out of just 3 of those drives, it
is an entirely different game.
Mike Zimmer – We
all love Zimmer, but at times we give him a pass. Since joining the Bengals as
DC in 2008, Zimmer has made the defensive calls in 4 playoffs games (2009,
2011-2013). All 4 years Zimmer had a top 10 defense. And though the offense has
put the defense in bad positions, Zimmer’s defense: gave up 171, 188, 158 and
196 yards rushing; they have surrendered an average of 25.3 PPG; they lost to
two rookie QBs (Mark Sanchez and TJ Yates) – neither of which still start; they
gave up ratings of 139.4 (Sanchez), 97.7 (Yates), 83.4 (Schaub) and 118.8
(Rivers); they have given up 3 TD passes to just 1 INT (Schaub); have just 4
sacks (including 0 sacks twice); allowed 5 TD drives of 75+ yards (2 of 80+ on
Sunday); forced just 1 turnover in 4 games; and have surrendered a lead in all
4 games (twice surrendered a halftime lead). Those numbers are every bit as bad
as Gruden’s and Bratkowski’s offenses have been in the playoffs. If his name
wasn’t Zimmer, we would be hammering him – and it is only fair that we do.
Defense – The
offense put the defense in some terrible situations and the defense responded.
But, it was as if they needed the adversity to perform. In 3 drives which
started in Cincinnati territory (including one at the 3), the defense
surrendered just 2 FGs and a punt. In the 5 drives that started at or inside
the San Diego 20, the defense gave up 2 TDs (86 and 80 yards). While the
defense kept the Bengals in the game late, they did not play to the level they
played all year.
a)
Run
Defense – How does a defense ranked 5th against the rush, giving
up just 96.5 YPG in the regular season all the sudden get gashed for 196 yards
and bring Ronnie Brown back to life? That was an embarrassing performance and
would have to rank as reason #2 for why the Bengals lost.
b)
Tackling
– For all but 2 games this year, the Bengals were a very sound tackling team.
Make that 3 now. The defense was missing tackles as often as Dalton was missing
receivers and neither is a winning formula.
c)
Rivers
Completion Percentage – He only threw 16 passes for 128 yards, but he
completed 75% of those passes (12) had 0 INTs, 1 TD and a 118.8 rating, 57.8
better than their PBS average opponent rating.
d)
0
Turnovers – Despite the offense donating the ball to San Diego 4 times, the
game was still within reach and could have been turned with a turnover by the
defense and they just couldn’t get it. For a defense that averaged nearly 2
takeaways a game, they got 0 in the most important game of the year.
Offensive Line – Like they did in San Diego, the Bengals line
dominated the Chargers in the run game to the tune of 113 yards on 25 carries
(4.5 YPC). Unfortunately, despite the game being within range until the 2:17 mark,
Jay Gruden felt the need to run just 25 times to 51 passes (32.9%). On a cold
day with questionable weather and a QB with a poor playoff track record, one of
the most balanced offenses found the need to pass 67% of their plays – or 11%
above their season average. Oh yeah, and they did so despite the pass blocking
being terrible, allowing 3 sacks and 6 QB hits to a defense ranked 23rd
in team sacks. We all know Dalton’s efficiency drops significantly when he is pressured
and Sunday it proved to be true again.
Giovani Bernard –
Bernard had a great year and adds a dynamic element to this offense that I
love. But, as bad as Dalton played, I believe it was Bernard’s fumble just
before the half that turned this game. If he goes down with ball in hand, the
Bengals have 1st and goal from about the 2 with about 1:30 left on
the clock. Chances are they punch it in and take a 14-7 lead into the half, the
crowd behind them and coming out at half getting the ball with a chance to go
up 21-7. Instead, the Chargers make a huge play, bring some doubt into the
minds of the Bengals (and certainly the fans) and take some momentum and
confidence into half. Despite rallying for an end of half FG, the Bengals never
seemed to regain their composure after that and unraveled with 3 more turnovers
in the 3rd quarter. Krumrie’s leg, Billups’ drop, Carson’s knee and
Bernard’s fumble. Add this to the list of Bengals history of playoff “what ifs.”
Marvin Lewis – He
has brought a stability and long term competitiveness that this franchise has
never seen, but at 0-5 in the playoffs (1 loss shy of Jim Mora’s record for
most playoff games coached without a win), can he take the Bengals the next
step? I don’t think he can. He is 0-5 in the playoffs despite having a lead in every
game (3 times having a lead at half). 0-5 in the playoffs despite 3 of the 5
being at home. He is 0-5 in the playoffs despite playing 2 rookie quarter backs
(neither of which starts any more). He is 0-5 in the playoffs and has been
outscored a total of 132-64. He is 0-5 in the playoffs and been outcoached/out
prepared in all 5 games (twice by a coach fired this year – Kubiak). And he is
0-5 in the playoffs and has had only 1 game where the final margin was within 1
possession (2012 vs Houston – 19-13).
The 2013 Season –
Most would see an 11-5 record and division championship as a good season. But
this team’s goals were bigger. They said so themselves before and after the
season. Marvin Lewis, to his credit, has raised the expectations of this team
where making the playoffs is no longer the goal. This was a team that had Super
Bowl aspirations, and they were legitimate aspirations. At the beginning of the
year, if I were to tell you this team would not win a playoff game, you would
tell me that would be a failure of a season. They didn’t. And it was.
Trying to Sell Out
Games in 2014 – Can you imagine being the Bengals ticket office next year?
They had problems selling out a playoff game for a good team that had a lot of
excitement behind it…only to smash the fans hopes yet again. This is a very
fragile and frugal fan base to begin with, and now they are going to try and
sell us the idea of purchasing tickets to watch a coach that is not only
arrogant and smug, but is 0-5 in the playoffs along with a QB that is 0-3 in the
playoffs and looks to freeze in the lights? Good luck. It is almost identical
to the situation the Reds faced. The Reds fired the manager. Don’t expect the
Bengals to do the same.
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