The Browns season opening home game against the Bengals will be an excellent gauge of how well the coaches and players have done in this shortened and bizarre offseason. Like the Browns, the Bengals installed a new west coast offense and experienced high roster turnover from last season. However, the Bengals are adding a rookie quarterback into the mix with a new offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden (Chucky's brother.)
The Bengals are likely still reeling from losing some key veterans on both sides of the ball and also dealing with missing their starting right guard, Bobbie Williams from a league suspension for illegal substances. The Browns are also reeling from losing starting left guard, and former Bengal, Eric Steinbach for the season. The Bengals will be starting rookie Clint Boling in William's place - the Browns will start either rookie Jason Pinkston or veteran journeyman Artis Hicks for Steinbach.
The Bengals made a flurry of moves at the cut-down, perhaps the biggest was signing New England wide receiver Brandon Tate and cutting Quan Cosby. Cosby was the franchise's all time leading punt returner after just two seasons. Tate will immediately step into the kick and punt return spots.
The Bengals said goodbye to Ocho Cinco, Dhani Jones, Jonathan Joseph and Carson Palmer (unofficially) this offseason. Like the Browns, the Bengals are starting a new era with a new core of young players. Also like the Browns, the Bengals are starting the season with a group of young, unproven wide receivers. However, the Bengals drafted speedy receiver A.J. Green, a player many had the Browns pegged to take. Green's size and speed must be accounted for, but few rookie receivers make a big impact in their first NFL game.
Given all the similarities between the Browns and Bengals right now - how well the Browns perform on Sunday will be very telling. We will know which coaching staff has done a better job with installing new systems, teaching and developing young players with an abbreviated offseason. We'll also see how the Browns' young players compare to the Bengals'.
The Browns should have a slight edge with Colt McCoy at QB since he has benefited from real game experience last season against some of the best defenses in football. However, the Bengals still have the same defensive system from a year ago - so they don't have the complete transition the Browns are dealing with on both sides of the ball.
History is also on the Browns' side come Sunday: according to the Elias Sports Bureau, a rookie quarterback winning on the road on opening day has only happened four times since the 1970 merger. The early reviews on Andy Dalton are that he shows promise but is having his struggles as a rookie learning a new system along with his young receivers. The absence of OTA's and minicamps curtailed his repetitions and likely slowed his development.
With a rookie at QB, expect short, quick throws early and often from the Bengals' offense. The coaching staff will look to get Dalton in a rhythm and establish some confidence early. They'll also want to keep him upright as much as possible by getting the ball out of his hands early. Also expect to see plenty of running from Cedric Benson, who has had pretty good success against the Browns (like most teams running the ball against the Browns lately). The Bengals got away from the tough running and solid defensive identities that won the AFC North two seasons ago. Expect them to try to get back to that sooner than later.
When glancing at the Bengals' depth chart - there are still many recognizable names from the past good teams they've had, but just fewer than before. They have enough play makers to stay in games, but likely not quite enough to win the close games this year. They'll need a few key young players to step up this year and another strong draft in 2012 - just like the Browns - before they'll contend again.
As a side note - it is interesting that both the Browns and Bengals are rebuilding with youth and speed and switching to a west coast offensive system. They say the NFL is a copy-cat league and after watching Green Bay dismantle the Steeler's defense in the Super Bowl, the blue-print was set. Both Pittsburgh and Baltimore have aging defenses and a rapidly closing windows on winning another championship. The Bengals and Browns are rebuilding at the right time with the same system in hopes of turning the AFC North balance of power upside down.
No comments:
Post a Comment