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Bengals Add More Muscle To Team Strength

This year, the Bengals not only had their scouts and coaches in Mobile, AL for the Senior Bowl – defensive end Wallace Gilberry took the opportunity to check out the best NFL draft prospects as well.

“They practice not too far from my house,” Wallace told me.  “So I like to go over and get involved.”

As a result, when Cincinnati drafted DE Margus Hunt from SMU with the 21^st pick of the second round (#53 overall), Gilberry knew exactly who – and what – the Bengals were getting.

“I saw him down in Mobile and the kid is huge,” said Gilberry with a laugh.  “He looks like he is out of place he’s so big.  Once I saw that we had drafted him, I was excited to get the kid in here.  He probably doesn’t remember me, but I definitely remember him.”

Andy Dalton remembers Hunt too.  He faced the 6’8”, 277 pound lineman with 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash in Dalton’s final two seasons at TCU.

“He’s a freak athletically,” said Dalton.  “To be so big, and so strong, and so fast – I think he is a great addition for us.”

But not exactly at a position of need.

“We knew that we didn’t have to push him in there right away,” said defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.  “We have a good group of defensive lineman and he can learn from them and we can look for ways to incorporate him into the defense as we get going.”

Hunt joins a position group that is arguably the most dominant in the NFL.  Last year, the Bengals defensive line accounted for 40 of a franchise-record 51 sacks and all seven lineman who accounted for that total are under contract for this season.

“Why not add more weapons?” said Carlos Dunlap.  “The defensive line is the strong point of our team right now and why not bring in a guy who you think can add another aspect to it.”

“You can never have too many big men,” said Domata Peko.  “It’s hard to find quality defensive linemen so we’re going to welcome him with open arms to our group.”

“We’ve got a lot of different guys that are big, high-motor guys and drafting Hunt just adds to that,” Dalton told me.  “I guess you can’t have too many defensive linemen in the rotation.”

Margus Hunt isn’t the only promising addition up front.  Keep in mind that last year’s second round pick – Devon Still – and one of the team’s third round picks – Brandon Thompson – barely played as rookies.

“I can’t wait to see these kids get on the field,” said Gilberry.  “I got to practice the whole year with Devon and Brandon and just look at them – they’re hungry, they understand the game, and they’re ready to play.  I can’t wait to see what happens when they take the leash off of them.”

Hunt, Still, and Thompson give the Bengals young depth behind Geno Atkins, Robert Geathers, Michael Johnson, Peko, Gilberry, and Dunlap.  The battle for playing time should be fierce.

“We’ve got a strong rotation,” Dunlap told me.  “Everybody plays and everybody gets to eat.

“This year we want to raise it up another level.  I don’t feel like I contributed as much as I could have last year (6 sacks), so I’m challenging myself to get up there with Mike (11.5 sacks) and Geno (12.5 sacks).”

Dunlap and Atkins are entering the final season of their four-year contracts, and the Bengals kept Johnson this year by using an $11.175 million franchise tag.  By continuing to spend high draft picks on defensive lineman, the Bengals protect themselves against the possibility of losing somebody in free agency.

“You’ve got to understand where the front office is coming from too,” said Gilberry.  “The only thing we can do down here is take care of ourselves and play football.”

“You can’t worry about who they are going to bring in.  Hell, I could be gone tomorrow.  It’s just that kind of business.”

Gilberry and Geathers don’t appear to be going anywhere after signing three-year extensions in March.  The only significant contributor on the defensive line who isn’t back is run-stopper Pat Sims who signed a one-year deal with Oakland.

“Defensive line is one of the strengths of the team, so we’re really excited that they were able to keep us together and add a little more firepower to it,” said Peko.

“When I first got here, guys wanted to get out of this locker room,” said Geathers.  “Now guys want to stick around and we like the direction of the team.  Guys want to be a Bengal and want to retire as a Bengal.”

Andy Dalton is a long way from retirement – and happy that the only time he has to face the Bengals defensive line is at practice.

“I get to wear a different colored jersey so I don’t have to worry about these guys coming after me,” he said.

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net

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Brian Kelly Gives Bengals And Eifert A Rave Review

When Brian Kelly was still the head coach at Cincinnati, he tried to convince Tyler Eifert to play for the Bearcats.  The tight end chose Notre Dame instead, only to have Kelly take over as head coach when Charlie Weis was fired before Tyler’s sophomore year.

“We were looking for this kind of player in our offense at Cincinnati and it just worked out that when I took the job at Notre Dame, he and Kyle Rudolph fell in my lap,” Kelly told me.  “They made me look pretty good.”

Rudolph was named the MVP of the Pro Bowl this year following his second season with the Minnesota Vikings.  The former Elder High School star was one year ahead of Eifert at Notre Dame and a more obvious NFL prospect.

“He came in his freshman year ready to play,” said Eifert.  “I came in at 210 pounds just happy to have a scholarship.  I obviously knew that there was a lot of work that I had to do.”

But Kelly could see Eifert’s pro potential.

“Obviously some kids have to grow and mature and he certainly did,” said Kelly.  “You knew that Kyle was a sure-fire NFL player and then you saw Tyler Eifert and some of the things that he did – I knew immediately that he was going to be a special player.”

Despite not having a catch as a freshman, Eifert left Notre Dame with the school’s all-time record for receptions by a tight end with 140.  When the Bengals contacted Kelly to discuss his tight end before the draft, they received a rave review.

“We was kind of glowing in talking about Tyler and what Tyler meant to their football team,” said Marvin Lewis.  “He really felt like he was able to use him in a lot of ways in a mismatch against the defense and that he would give us a lot of flexibility.”

“I told the Bengals that Tyler is smart – he got his degree from Notre Dame in three-and-a-half years,” said Kelly.  “He’s physically and mentally tough.  And he’s the best pass catcher that I’ve coached – whether it be a wide receiver or a tight end.

“I would think that making the contested catch is probably his strength when you come to all of the intangibles at the tight end position.  He will take the ball away from you when the ball is in the air.  He turns field goals into touchdowns in the red zone.”

Adding a red zone weapon is obviously one of the reasons why the Bengals used their first round draft pick on a tight end despite already having two-time Pro Bowler Jermaine Gresham on the roster.

“I think the Bengals are going to have so many different opportunities with Gresham as the other tight end,” said Kelly.  “Now you force teams to drop down to single safety and single coverage because they have to defend the run.  I think that tight end package is something that a lot of NFL teams have looked at and found that they can get some favorable matchups.  At Notre Dame, we used that a lot last year and really think that it gave us some great opportunities.”

In addition to thinking that Eifert will be a good fit for the Bengals offense, the Notre Dame Coach says that the 22-year-old from Fort Wayne, IN will fit in nicely in Cincinnati.

“He loves country music and will golf every day if he can,” said Kelly with a laugh.  “I told him, ‘You’re a perfect fit for Cincinnati.  If those two things are on your wish list, you can’t get a better city than Cincinnati.’  He’s a pretty casual guy.  Flip-flops and shorts is generally how he is seen around campus.  He’s got a great personality, big smile, but he’s really a laid-back kind of guy.”

And while Eifert hasn’t spent much time talking about Cincinnati with his former college coach, he did discuss his new home with Kyle Rudolph.

“He said, ‘Welcome to the Nasty ‘Nati’ or something like that,” said Eifert.  “He was telling me about the hangouts and he said that his parents live here if I need anything.  I told him that I might just rent from his parents and stay in his room.”

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net

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Harrison Brings Reputation And Rings To Cincinnati Defense

Bengals defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry is like a lot of us:  He learned that five-time Pro Bowler James Harrison had agreed to a contract with Cincinnati on Friday while surfing the internet.

“ProFootballTalk.com,” said Gilberry with a laugh.  “That’s where I get my NFL news – that and Ian Rapoport who I follow on Twitter.  I was excited because at first, they were reporting that the talks weren’t going well and he wasn’t leaning towards here and then the next thing you know we had signed him.”

Andrew Whitworth was at a Reds game on Friday night when he got the news, and the Bengals left tackle said that he expected it.

“I was pretty confident that it was going to happen,” said Whitworth.  “It seemed like a good fit and one that made sense for us and for him.”

Harrison is likely to replace Manny Lawson as the “Sam” or strong side linebacker in the Cincinnati’s 4-3 defense.  It’s different from the role he played in Dick LeBeau’s 3-4 scheme in Pittsburgh, but Harrison’s new teammates are confident that Mike Zimmer will find a way to make good use the veteran’s skills.

“People keep coming up to me any saying, ‘Man, are you happy that you don’t have to play that guy in the division anymore?’” said Whitworth.  “And I tell them, ‘No, because now I’m going to have to deal with him every day at practice when Zimmer is coming up with some concoction in the way that they’re bringing him.’  I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun, and I’m sure Zimmer is excited about having another little piece to add to the stuff that he does.”

Gilberry is a good example of Zimmer’s ability to maximize a player’s ability.  The six-year veteran joined the Bengals in week three last year after he was released by Tampa Bay and he had an immediate impact in Cincinnati.  Wallace finished third on the team with 6.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and recovered three fumbles including one that he returned for a touchdown against the Eagles.

“I think he’ll be fine because he has a lot of talent,” said Gilberry.  “If Coach Zimmer can get me to play at that level in a short period of time – James Harrison will have a full off-season so the sky is definitely the limit for what Coach Zimmer can do with him.”

At the age of 35, Harrison isn’t likely to be the dominant force that earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008.  But ESPN’s AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley makes a compelling case that the former Steeler will add a mean streak to the Cincinnati defense.

“What the Bengals never had on defense was an edge, or at least I never sensed one,” wrote Hensley.  “That won’t be the case now with Harrison, who is carrying a chip on his shoulder as large as a Primanti Brothers sandwich (or whatever the Cincinnati equivalent would be).  Harrison carries grudges.  Just ask the Baltimore Ravens who once cut Harrison and got some of his best efforts each season.”

While the Bengals don’t necessarily agree they lacked “an edge” on defense, they welcome Harrison’s tough-guy persona.

“He has a little swagger to him,” said Robert Geathers.  “I think that will help us a lot.

“I think that everybody goes about their business in different ways.  With James, obviously some of the things over the years you can see with your own eyes.  We’ve been a top defense over the last few years, so I think we have nastiness in us.”

“We have a couple of guys in here that play that way and hopefully he can enhance it and bring it out of some other guys,” said Gilberry.  “I think he’s going to bring a lot of attitude – definitely a lot of veteran leadership.  I’m excited to get him in here and get to working with him.”

“I grew up a Steelers fan so I’ve watched him a lot,” said Devon Still.  “I think he’s a player that goes out there and gives it his all.  He’s definitely a big impact player.”

Harrison joins the Bengals with 64 sacks, 29 forced fumbles, and 5 INT on his resume – not to mention two Super Bowl rings.

“He’s been to the top and any time you can add a guy like that to a locker room that hasn’t – we’re young, we’re talented, but we haven’t been there,” said Whitworth.  “It’s a great leadership thing, it’s a great example thing, and it’s something that we can all learn from.”

“It will be good to have another veteran guy and a guy that’s been where we want to go,” said Geathers.  “He’s been to Super Bowls and he knows how to get there.

“He’s definitely one of the great defense players that I’m going to be fortunate enough to play with.”

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net

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Jones Hopes For “Monster” Second Season In Cincy

In two games as a rookie against Pittsburgh, Marvin Jones never got leveled by Steelers linebacker James Harrison.  Still, the Bengals wide receiver is happy that he won’t have to face the five-time Pro Bowler again after Harrison agreed to a two-year deal with Cincinnati on Friday.

“Shoot, he’s a monster,” Jones said with a laugh.  “Whenever you add a monster to your defense you can’t go anywhere but up.”

But even without Harrison, the Bengals defense was among the best in the NFL last season.  The Cincinnati offense, on the other hand, has considerable room for growth in 2013 and Jones hopes to have a significant impact.

After being drafted in the fifth round last year, the former Cal standout had a limited role in the first 11 games of the season – in part because of a knee injury that kept him out of three games.  But following a late-season injury to fellow rookie receiver Mohamed Sanu, Jones moved into the starting lineup and finished strong.  In the Bengals final three games against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston, Marvin had 13 catches for 144 yards including his first NFL touchdown against the Ravens (see the highlight here).

“I felt good about my rookie season,” said Jones.  “I got some experience and was in on quite a few plays.  Obviously there are things that I can improve on and I think that will come with maturity and being comfortable out there.  But I think that I finished strong and I want to build upon that.

“Now there are no nerves where you’re like, ‘Oh man, what is going to happen?’  I have a year within this offense, I know all of the positions very well, and I’m familiar with Andy (Dalton).”

Following his first NFL season, Jones took three weeks off before beginning a Monday-through-Thursday training regimen.  The highlight of his off-season was a vacation to Central America.

“I went out to Belize,” said Jones.  “That’s where my fiancé’s grandparents are from, so we went out there for about 10 days and did everything – swim, blue hole, hiked the Mayan ruins, snorkeling, and zip lining.  It was a pretty full vacation and I proposed to her while we were there as well.  I couldn’t have asked for anything better than that.”

Now that he’s taken care of the engagement ring, Marvin has his sights set on a Super Bowl ring, and the 23-year-old was happy to be reunited with his teammates when the Bengals returned to town for off-season workouts this week.

“The first thing you do is smile and laugh when you see everybody again,” Marvin told me.  “It reminds me of the first day of school.

“In college you have like, a week-and-a-half or two weeks off and then you’re right back in the thick of things.  At this level, you can go on vacation and do other stuff and then you’re like, ‘Dang, now what do I do?’  It was fun but I was definitely ready to come back here and get back at it.”

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net

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Still and Thompson Ready For Action After “Redshirt” Year

If the NFL played by college eligibility rules, the Bengals would probably have the best group of “redshirt freshman” in the country.

Due to a knee injury, last year’s top draft pick Dre Kirkpatrick – the 17^th overall selection – was limited to 43 defensive snaps at cornerback all season.

Second round pick Devon Still, the former Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year, was inactive for the last eight games of the regular season and the Wild Card playoff game after veteran defensive tackle Pat Sims returned from the injury list.  And third round pick Brandon Thompson, one of the most powerful defensive tackles in last year’s draft, only appeared in three games all year due to the team’s depth on the defensive line.

Additionally, fifth round pick Shaun Prater, who flashed NFL potential at cornerback before suffering an August knee injury, missed the entire season.

That means four of the Bengals top seven draft picks last year are almost like additional members of this year’s upcoming rookie crop.

“In a sense it was a redshirt year,” said Still.  “It definitely wasn’t what I expected.  It definitely humbled me and let me how hard I have to work to stay on the field.”

Still and Thompson will definitely be in the mix for more playing time this year following the departure of Sims as a free agent to the Oakland Raiders.

“Now that Pat is gone, it opens that door wide open for a third man in the rotation on the inside of the defensive line,” Still told me.  “I’m going to go as hard as I can to get that spot.”

“Even before Pat left, I came in thinking that I had an opportunity,” said Thompson.  “I want to come in, play hard, and work myself into a role.”

Both defensive linemen say their first year with the Bengals was beneficial even though much of it was spent on the sidelines.

“It was tough, but I had to do my role which was to watch and learn,” said Thompson.  “Hopefully I can use what I learned last year to have a great year.  Having a year under my belt to learn the system and find out where I fit in really helps me out.”

“When you’re going against eight and nine year veterans, they have their technique down pat,” said Still.  “You have to hurry up and learn as much as possible.  Now we have an understanding of how the season goes and what the coaches expect from us.”

Still spent five years at Penn State (including a redshirt season) and Thompson spent four at Clemson.  That meant their first off-seasons as professionals were a welcome break.

“I’ve never had this much time off before – especially coming from college where everything was such a routine,” said Still.  “It’s been quite an experience to be able to travel, spend time with family, and do things that I haven’t been able to do during the last five years when I was in school.”

“This has been the most time that I’ve had off in years,” said Thompson.  “I really enjoyed it.  I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends and that’s what really matters.  I also had a lot of time to train and work on my craft.”

With the Bengals returning to town this week for off-season workouts, the bulk of their vacation time is history, but the second year defensive lineman say they are ready to get back to work.

“There’s a huge opportunity now that Pat left the team,” said Still.  “Me and Brandon want to work as hard as possible this off-season to prove to the coaches that we belong on the field and we can make an impact on the defensive line.”

“I’m very eager for my second season,” said Thompson.  “I get to show the coaches what I can do and I’m ready.”

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net

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Dalton Prepares For Third Year By Studying Top Pair

When the football season ends, my wife and I catch up on the TV shows that we never have the opportunity to watch in the fall.

In case you’re interested, we’re currently watching season three of Breaking Bad.  Wow!  It’s definitely on the short list of my all-time favorite shows.

Judging by his Twitter feed, Andy and Jordan Dalton are Homeland viewers in the off-season:

But Carrie Mathison and Nicolas Brody are not the only on-screen duo that the Bengals quarterback has been watching.  Dalton has spent much of his off-season studying fellow QBs Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.

“I’ve watched a lot of Green Bay’s offense and I’ve watched a lot of the Saints’ offense because they have two of the best quarterbacks in the league,” said Dalton.  “To see what they’re doing – how they’re getting their completions and how they’re scoring their touchdowns, and what mistakes are they making.  Are they forcing the ball on their interceptions…are they taking chances…what are they doing?

“I’d love for my career to end up like their careers have ended up.  You want to study those guys and see what they’re doing right.  Not only mechanics-wise, footwork, whatever it is, but also offensively what are they doing.  Our offenses are similar – we’re doing a lot of the same stuff that they’re doing – it’s just how they’re putting points on the board.”

The Saints and Packers finished in the top five in the NFL in scoring last year (Cincinnati was 12^th), but Dalton says he didn’t spend much time studying the league’s top scoring team – New England.

“I would say that Tom Brady and I are a little bit different,” said Dalton.  “The way that I play I would consider it to be more like a Drew Brees or an Aaron Rodgers – whether it be body type because I’m not 6’5” – and (the Patriots) do different stuff offensively than we do.  Obviously they do a lot of good stuff, but I think the makeup of their team is a little bit different as well.”

Like Dalton, Aaron Rodgers is listed at 6’2”.  Brees, on the other hand, is generously listed at 6’0”.

“It’s funny, before the draft I visited the Saints and they had Drew Brees and Chase Daniel,” said Dalton with a grin.  “They said I might be too tall to play there at 6’2”.

It’s interesting to compare Dalton to Brees.  Andy’s statistics are far superior to the numbers that Drew posted in his first two years as a starter in the NFL.

Dalton:  629-for-1044 (60.2%), 7067 yards, 47 TD, 29 INT, 83.9 passer rating

Brees:  525-for-882 (59.5%), 5392 yards, 28 TD, 31 INT, 73.1 passer rating

Brees took a quantum leap in his third season as a starter in San Diego, leading the Chargers to an 11-4 record while posting a passer rating of 104.8 and going to his first Pro Bowl.  Dalton hopes to take similar strides in 2013 even though he isn’t ready to call himself an established veteran.

“I’ve played quite a bit so I don’t know what the term is that you use, but I’ve been around for a while and I think I’ve earned some respect,” said Dalton.  “I’m excited for this year.”

One reason for Andy’s excitement is his familiarity with his receiving corps.  He’ll enter his third season with A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham, Andrew Hawkins, Brandon Tate, and Ryan Whalen and his second year with Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Orson Charles.

“I know how guys run routes,” said Dalton.  “I know what to expect from them, what type of person they are, and what type of worker they are.  We’ve got a great group that works really hard and it’s going to be nice to have everybody healthy at the same time.”

“There’s a big difference in confidence level,” said Marvin Jones.  “We have all of these young receivers that have experience now.  We’re ready to be a great force in this league.”

“It’s huge that there’s not a whole lot of teaching now,” said Dalton.  “It’s perfecting what we were doing.”

That includes continuing to find ways to utilize A.J. Green’s unique gifts.  Dalton did not throw Green a pass in the first half of the playoff loss in Houston, and only connected with A.J. once in a home loss to Pittsburgh.

“A.J. got a lot of cover two to his side,” said Dalton.  “They tried to take away some of the vertical throws and things like that.  With the type of player that A.J. is, we’re going to see that a lot.  The big thing with him is moving him around and finding ways to get him the ball.

“With a guy like A.J., the term ‘open’ is a little bit different.  There are times going back and looking at the film where I still probably could have thrown it to him on certain routes and different things where I tried to work somewhere else.  It just comes down to being smart with the ball and knowing when you can take those chances and when to move on.”

Those are undoubtedly some of the lessons that Dalton was hoping to learn by watching Rodgers and Brees in the off-season.  I asked Andy if it was his idea to study those two quarterbacks or if it came from the coaching staff.

“They’ve suggested it, but I was going to watch regardless,” Dalton told me.  “Those are two of the best quarterbacks in the league and you try to take little things from what they’re doing.  I think it will help me out.

“I think I’ve figured things out a little more.  I’ve watched a lot of tape and I’m ready to get back playing again.”

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net

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Gruden Has Suit But Wants Ring

Last year when I asked Jay Gruden why he turned down opportunities to interview for NFL head coaching jobs after the 2011 season, the Bengals offensive coordinator joked that his reason was sartorial.

“I didn’t have a good coat and tie,” Jay deadpanned at the time.

Clearly clothes are no longer an issue since Gruden interviewed for head coaching positions in Philadelphia, Arizona, San Diego, and Jacksonville in January.  And while Jay didn’t get any of the jobs, at least he has a new suit.

“I wore it four times – the same one every time,” Gruden said with a laugh.  “It was exciting and flattering that these teams would even think to interview me.  It says a lot about our offense and how far we’ve come and Coach Lewis and what people around the league think about what he’s done with his program.  It was a great opportunity.

“I knew that it was probably a long-shot.  I think that I had good interviews and felt good about the process and if I am ever fortunate enough to have another opportunity, I’ll feel a lot more prepared.”

Now that he’s back for a third season as Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator, Gruden is currently working on two things:  Studying skill-position players for the upcoming NFL draft, and reviewing tape of the Bengals from last season.

“We’re very involved as coaches in the draft process, but you also have to take the time to look back at what you did offensively and figure out ways to get better,” said Gruden.  “You have to see if you had any tendencies over the course of the year that you have to correct, but overall, you’re trying to find out what your players are good at and what you had trouble with and get things fixed that you need to fix.  We definitely feel that we have not reached our full potential on offense, and it’s my job as a coordinator to get it out of them.”

With three of the top 53 picks in the draft, the Bengals are obviously in position to boost an offense that ranked 22^nd in the NFL in total yards.  So what is at the top of Gruden’s wish list?

“We need another playmaker and we need someone who can take the ball 80 yards on a swing pass, or a hand-off, or what have you,” Jay told me.  “A little bit of speed.  But we’re pretty good everywhere – we need to take our pretty-good players and turn them into great players, and our great players need to be extraordinary.  We just have to keep pushing the envelope and making sure that everybody gets better.”

One thing that the Bengals are not looking for is a new starting quarterback.  Andy Dalton has started every game in his first two NFL seasons, led the Bengals to back-to-back playoff appearances, and has tossed 47 TD passes in 32 regular season games.  But Gruden says that his 25-year-old QB has plenty to work on.

“In the offseason you work on your arm strength, your footwork – basically your fundamentals of football – and obviously he needs to get better with his deep ball accuracy and touch,” Gruden said.  “There’s not really one part of his game that he can’t improve upon.  Scramble ability, foot quickness, accuracy, deep accuracy, short (accuracy), anticipation – he’s got a long way to go.  He’s done some great things for a second-year quarterback, won a lot of games and thrown a lot of touchdown passes, but we feel that he has not come close to his potential and it’s our job to get it out of him.”

Dalton finished his second season with a passer rating of 87.4, but it dropped to 67.0 in his last six games, and Andy struggled in the playoff loss in Houston going 14-for-30 for 127 yards with 0 TD and 1 INT.  That led to a surge in the number of people questioning whether Dalton will ever be good enough to lead Cincinnati to a deep playoff run.  Gruden says that he isn’t bothered by the criticism of his quarterback.

“It’s the nature of the position and that’s what he signed up to be,” said Gruden.  “He’s getting paid a pretty good chunk of change to be a quarterback, and anytime you sign up to be a quarterback, you have to take the good with the bad.  One of the biggest strengths that you have to have as a quarterback is being mentally tough.  When things don’t get well, people are going to be all over you.  They’re going to boo you; they’re going to want you out of town and your coaches out of town.  He has to take that criticism and use it as fuel to make himself better.  Hopefully he’s doing that.  He’s a very competitive person – as I am – and we’re going to do the best that we can to make this franchise something to be proud of.”

After all, a new suit is nice – but it pales in comparison to a Super Bowl ring.

I’d love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net

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The Bengals Were — And Are — One Year Away

In his first two NFL seasons, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco won three out of four playoff starts – all on the road.

Pretty incredible right?

Here are Flacco’s stats for those four games:  37-for-85, 471 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT for a passer rating of 45.8.  In one of the wins, Joe was 4-for-10, 34 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT for a QB rating of 10.0.

I bring up those stats because it seems to me that the national bash-fest of Andy Dalton after his second subpar playoff game is absurd.  The playoff losses in Houston were not strictly Dalton’s fault, just as Flacco clearly didn’t deserve all of the credit for Baltimore’s postseason wins in his first two seasons.

Look, nobody knows for sure if Andy is going to develop into one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, but I do think that his career if off to an outstanding start – especially when you consider that he inherited a team that was 4-12 the year before he arrived.

“I think Andy is an incredible quarterback,” said Andrew Hawkins.  “He is going to continue to progress and continue to get better and he’s going to bring the Bengals a lot of wins and playoff wins for many years to come.”

Going into this season, I thought that the Bengals young nucleus was still one year away from being a championship contender.  With a quarterback in his second season, a receiving corps made up mostly of first and second-year guys, and two rookies starting for most of the year at center and right guard, the offense is still developing.  But despite their inexperience, the Bengals went 10-6 and ended the franchise’s 30-year draught without consecutive playoff appearances.

“We wanted our season to go further and felt like we had the potential to go further, but it was still a good season,” said Andrew Whitworth.  “To make back-to-back playoff appearances is an accomplishment.  It’s a young football team with a lot of promise and there’s a lot ahead of us.”

Unlike last season, the Bengals didn’t slide into the playoffs by simply taking advantage of a soft schedule.  They beat three teams that finished with winning records (Baltimore, NY Giants, and Washington) and earned their postseason berth by knocking out the Steelers in Pittsburgh in a must-win scenario.

“Going into this season, I told the guys that we really hadn’t beaten anybody in big games,” said Chris Crocker.  “We finally got over that hump, but we also gave away games that we should have won.

“The tide is kind of turning in this division.  It’s not Pittsburgh and Baltimore anymore; we’re really somebody to reckon with.  I feel really good about this team.”

“Everyone is learning and gaining from experience,” said Rey Maualuga.  “Last year I thought we were good, and this year we were even better.  With the guys coming back next year, who knows what this team can do?  ‘Look out,’ I guess.  These guys are a team to watch and a team to beat next year.”

The key is to keep getting better from top to bottom.  Dalton appeared to regress late in the season, and needs to continue to improve at reading defenses and throwing accurate deep balls.  A speedy and shifty compliment to BenJarvus Green-Ellis would be a boost to the running game, and Jermaine Gresham needs to become more consistent to live up to his immense potential at tight end.  On defense, there are obvious questions at linebacker and safety that have to be answered, but the key pieces will be back from a unit that was the NFL’s best over the second half of the season.  It’s a roster that needs tweaking instead of wholesale changes.

“The truth is there aren’t a lot of teams playing now,” said Whitworth.  “Whatever we’re missing, there are a lot of other teams that are missing more.”

A second straight playoff loss in Houston has left a bitter taste in all of our mouths, but it hasn’t changed the way I felt about this team all along:  It was – and is – one year away.

“Next year for the season to be a success, we have to go to the playoffs and win a playoff game.  That’s how you take the next step,” said Hawkins.

“We have to live and learn from it and keep growing and keep beating on that door until we beat it in,” said Marvin Lewis.

“It’s time to push ourselves further,” said Whitworth.  “It’s still going to be a young team, but we’re going to expect a lot of ourselves.”

“The sky’s the limit for this team in 2013,” said Geno Atkins.

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Bengals Fail To Go Green In Loss To Texans

The Bengals front office and Senior Producer Greg Cosell of NFL Films have something in common:  Both had A.J. Green listed as the #1 overall player in the 2011 NFL draft.

“He is unbelievable,” Cosell told me recently.  “When you watch him on tape, he’s just a ‘wow’ player.  He is so smooth that you lose sight of the fact that he is almost 6’4” and nearly 210 pounds.  He moves like a much smaller guy.  He’s so smooth and fluid and has such great explosion – to me he’s an absolute joy to watch.  He’s my favorite wide receiver to watch.”

But there wasn’t much of Green to see in the first half of Saturday’s 19-13 playoff loss in Houston.

Andy Dalton threw 10 passes in the first 30 minutes and none of them were tossed in the direction of Green.  Five were thrown for Jermaine Gresham, three to Marvin Jones, and two to BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

“A couple of times Andy took off and ran when A.J. was the number one target,” said head coach Marvin Lewis.  “But he can’t force the ball into coverage.  He’s got to read the coverage and throw the ball into the weakness of the coverage.  That’s what you want him to do.  He can’t give in to ‘Oh A.J. didn’t touch the ball here.’  He’s got to make sure that he’s doing it the way it’s designed.”

“I would love to get the ball on every play but when they double me there are other guys on the team that can make plays,” said Green.  “I tried to make plays whenever my number was called but we didn’t make enough as a whole team to come away with a win.”

It was clear that the Bengals coaching staff thought that the Texans defense was vulnerable up the middle and that Gresham would have opportunities, but it’s hard to fathom not throwing to Green at all for a half.

“You have to do what you do,” said my partner on the radio broadcasts Dave Lapham.  “You can’t say, ‘OK, they’re playing Cover 2 and Jermaine Gresham is going to be on a linebacker or a nickel defensive back that he can physically dominate.’  Baloney.  A.J. Green got you to the dance.  I don’t care what the game plan was.  You cannot go an entire half without putting the ball in his hands one time.”

To their credit, the Bengals adjusted in the second half as Green was targeted 11 times and caught five passes for 80 yards.

“We want to get the ball to A.J. as much as we can, and in the second half we were able to move him around a little bit and make some plays,” said Lewis.

Unfortunately, the Bengals were not able to connect with Green on a play that would have given them the lead with less than three minutes to go.

On third-and-11 from the Houston 36-yard line, Green blew past Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning and was open in the end zone, but Dalton’s heave was beyond A.J.’s grasp.

“I was digging and I laid out, but I couldn’t get a hand on it,” said Green.  “We’re both young and that’s something that we need to work on.  Our deep balls this whole year weren’t consistent enough.  That’s me and him – both parts.  That’s the stuff we need to work on in the off-season.

“Football is a game of inches and that’s one thing that we need to get better at.  We need to capitalize when plays are presented our way.  That’s the next step to being a great team.”

The Bengals made strides in 2012 as they improved their record to 10-6 and made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in 30 years.  But the season ended exactly where it did one year ago – with a first round playoff loss in Houston.

“We were 3-5 and dug ourselves out of that hole to put ourselves in the playoffs,” said Green.  “We won 10 games which is difficult in this league so I feel like we took a step.  The next step is to get past the first round.”

“We have to get better,” said Coach Lewis.  “We can’t be satisfied with where we are.  We’re not going to New Orleans, so we’re not satisfied.  We have to push ahead and get better.”

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Bengals Need Dalton To Deliver In Return To Houston

One of my favorite stats about Andy Dalton is that he has thrown 35 touchdowns in the red zone in his NFL career and no interceptions.

That’s spectacular.

But ball security might not be enough to win in the playoffs.

Dalton has been sacked 46 times this season including eight times in the red zone – at least in part because of his reluctance to throw risky passes.  Taking care of the football is obviously a good thing.  But if the Bengals are going to beat the 12-4 Texans, Andy is going to have to take advantage of his opportunities to make plays.

“I watched all 46 sacks on Tuesday night because I wanted to see if there was any kind of consistency to them,” said analyst Mike Mayock who will call Saturday’s game on NBC.  “I’m a big believer that pass protection starts with the quarterback and Andy is a young quarterback who is really concerned about protecting the football.  So on the one hand, you applaud that – especially in the red zone – and he hasn’t thrown a red zone interception in his career.  But the flip side to that is that I don’t think he rips the ball when he has a chance to rip it.  I think what you’re seeing is a really intelligent young guy trying to figure it out, but for my money, right now he’s too far on the conservative side.”

“He’s a perfectionist and if it’s not perfect he’ll choose not to throw it,” said offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.  “Sometimes he makes the right decisions and sometimes you’re like, ‘Thrown the dang ball please.’  But he’s got the ball in his hands and only he can see what he sees and the more he sees the route combinations and gets a feel for the defenses and how they’re covering, the better he is going to be.  But for 30 starts or whatever it is, I think he’s done pretty darn good.”

If the Bengals can give Dalton time to throw against J.J. Watt (20.5 sacks), Antonio Smith (7 sacks) and the Texans pass rush, there will be opportunities to make big plays.  Houston has good cornerbacks in Pro Bowler Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson, but safeties Danieal Manning and Glover Quin have not graded as well.

“The Texans have given up 29 touchdown passes compared to 18 last year,” said beat writer John McClain from the Houston Chronicle.  “The only playoff team that’s given up more is Washington with 31.  They’ve given up 54 pass plays of at least 20 yards.  That is third worst among the playoff teams.  It’s not the corners, it’s the safeties.  They’ve had injuries and the backup safeties playing in the two-deep have killed them.  They have just not played well on the back end in passing situations so I would expect Andy Dalton to be throwing the ball deep to A.J. Green quite a bit.”

“They’re not playing cohesively in the back end,” said Mayock.  “My take on Houston is those two pass rushers on the inside make all the difference and when you protect your quarterback you can get into their secondary.  I don’t think their secondary when you break them down individually is great.  When you get time, you can get into the secondary and without (the injured) Brian Cushing back there, that’s another problem because he’s an athletic linebacker and not having him in that intermediate area is a big deal.”

Unlike Cincinnati’s AFC North rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the Texans are not especially confusing on defense.  It’s a straight-forward scheme led by a tremendous player in Watt.

“I’ve never seen anybody in all the years that I’ve covered football have a season like Watt has had,” said McClain.  “He has 90 plays – 90 – for zero or negative yards.  On running plays alone, he has 24 tackles for loss and 15 tackles for no gain.  He’s been involved in nine turnovers, set an NFL record with 16 passes deflected – the only thing he hasn’t done is intercept a pass and return it for a touchdown like he did in the playoffs last season.”

“They have some good blitzes here and there, but basically, they’re going to get after you with their front four and play a lot of man-to-man,” said Gruden.  “By the time you can get open down the field, J.J. Watt and company are feasting at the quarterback.  They done a great job with it, and the energy level that they play with on every snap is very impressive.”

“Their defense is more ‘Here’s what we do – beat it,’ ” said Dalton.  “They have really talented guys up front and do a great job of rushing the passer and they rely on those guys a lot.  That allows them to not do as much other stuff because they have a good front.”

Dalton was 2-0 at Reliant Stadium as a Katy Tiger and 1-0 as a TCU Horned Frog.  He’s 0-1 as an NFL player in Houston, and Andy looks forward to getting another shot at beating the Texans in their own building.

“I know the stadium, I know the layout, I know all of that kind of stuff,” said Dalton.  “Now it’s time for me to get the first win there as a pro.”

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