Adrian Fedkiw
Each day leading up to the official start of the NFL football season, I will be providing you with player rankings, team previews, analysis, predictions, opinions and a whole lot more.
Cincinnati couldn’t blame Andy Dalton’s for the latest Bengals playoff debacle.
It’s now time for Round 8 in 2016.
Marvin Lewis is the winningest head coach in Bengals franchise history with 112. He’s guided them to seven of their 14 all-time appearances in the postseason, but no playoff wins to show for it. That’s seven straight one-and-done’s with four of them coming at home.
The agony!
Dalton was going along smoothly before a fractured thumb ended his season in Week 14. I don’t think it was a coincidence that his finest season came with Hue Jackson at the helm as offensive coordinator. Dalton will now have to prove that he can still maintain the success he had last year this season.
Grading the Roster
QBs- Andy Dalton (7.9), A.J. McCarron (7.3)
RBs- Gio Bernard (7.4), Jeremy Hill (7.4), Cedric Peerman (7.2)
WRs- A.J. Green (8.1), Brandon LaFell (7.3), Tyler Boyd (7.2), Brandon Tate (7.1)
TEs- Tyler Eifert (7.7), Tyler Kroft (7.2)
Ts- Andrew Whitworth (8.2), Cedric Ogbuehi (7.3), Eric Winston (7.2)
Gs- Kevin Zeitler (7.5), Cling Boling (7.4), Christian Westerman (7.1)
Cs- Russell Bodine (7.4), T.J. Johnson (7)
DEs- Carlos Dunlap (8), Michael Johnson (7.3), Margus Hunt (7.2), Will Clarke (7.1)
DTs- Geno Atkins (8.6), Domata Peko (7.3), Pat Sims (7.3), Brandon Thompson (7.1)
OLBs- Vontaze Burfict (8), Karlos Dansby (7.5), Trevor Roach (7.1), Paul Dawson (7.1)
MLBs- Rey Maualuga (7.4), Vincent Rey (7.4)
CBs- Adam Jones (7.5), Dre Kirkpatrick (7.3), Darqueze Dennard (7.3), William Jackson (7.2)
Ss- George Iloka (7.5), Shawn Williams (7.3), Derron Smith (7.2)
K- Mike Nugent (7.3)
P- Kevin Huber (7.3)
KR- Brandon Tate (7.3)
PR- Brandon Tate (7.3)
Team Rankings
Team- 7.390 (12/32)
Offense- 7.414 (13/32)
Defense- 7.41091 (13/32)
Quarterbacks- 7.5 (16/32)
Running Backs- 7.33 (15/32)
Receivers- 7.43 (8/32)
Offensive Line- 7.39 (11/32)
Defensive Line- 7.49 (6/16)
Linebackers- 7.42 (4/16)
Secondary- 7.33 (24/32)
Special Teams- 7.3
HC- 7.3
PREDICTION– 10-6 (2nd AFC North)
QUARTERBACKS
Dalton had completed 66.1 percent of his tosses with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions prior to his season-ending injury. His quarterback rating sat at an AFC-high 106.2, but nobody is going to care about the numbers until he wins a playoff game.
Dalton doesn’t have a cannon, his accuracy can get erratic despite his percentage last season, but his mechanics are very sound. He has good footwork to go with a smooth and compact throwing motion. He didn’t make many bad decisions last year either. Where Dalton took a big leap forward last season was his mobility, consistently showcasing his ability to throw on the move to go with a trio of scores on the ground.
A.J. McCarron filled in admirably during Dalton’s absence. He went 2-2 and nearly beat the Denver Broncos in Week 16 and held his own against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round.
RUNNING BACKS
Heading into 2015, it looked like the Bengals had a pair of promising backs in Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard, but Hill was a big disappointment in 2015.
Hill’s yards per carry fell from 5.1 to 3.6 during his sophomore campaign. He still find the end zone 11 times, however. Bernard is an extremely elusive back when in space. He’s deadly when working the flats. He and Hill complement each other well, with Hill working more between the tackles and Bernard outside of them, but Hill needs to produce similarly to what he did during his rookie season.
RECEIVERS
A.J. Green had 86 receptions for 1,297 yards and 10 scores in 2015, which is pretty astonishing considering how he’s basically the Bengals’ lone wide receiving threat and gets all of the attention from opposing defenses.
Green is 6’4 and knows how to us his frame. His catch radius is one of the best in the NFL and while he doesn’t possess great speed, his timing, size, strength, concentration, long arms and leaping ability make him nearly unbeatable at the catch point. He’s never been a demon after the catch, however.
The Bengals are hoping that Brandon LaFell and second-rounder Tyler Boyd can play second fiddle to Green. LaFell dealt with a foot injury last year, but set career highs in catches (74), yards (953) and touchdowns (seven) the year prior.
Tight end Tyler Eifert hauled in 13 touchdowns on his 52 receptions, that’s a score 25 percent of the time.
He’s finally lived up to his greatness after being hobbled by injuries his first two seasons. The 2013 first rounder out of Notre Dame moves like a wide receiver and dominates in the middle of the field. He’s dominant in the red zone, evidenced by his 13 touchdowns. We’ll see if his blocking improves, he’s just average in that area right now, although he has shown flashes in the running game using his length to lock onto defensive ends. If Eifert stays healthy, he has the potential to be as productive of a tight end as Jimmy Graham.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Andrew Whitworth gets lost in the shuffle among the top tackles in the game because he’s in Cincinnati.
Whitworth isn’t the most athletic, he’s very stiff at times and it can look awkward, but once he latches onto a rusher they rarely break free from him. He has a strong punch which knocks rushers off balance. As a run blocker, he uses his power to drive defenders backward and really understands angles and leverage. This allows him to excel in space. The right tackle spot has been a battle between last year’s first and second round picks, Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, respectively, and veteran Eric Winston.
Kevin Zeitler and Clint Boling are a solid pair of guards and underappreciated. They’re both good in pass protection and athletic enough to pull in the run game. Russell Bodine is the starter at center, but is coming off a down season.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
They say that it takes at least two years to return to form following these injuries and defensive tackle Geno Atkins was back to being an animal in 2015, collecting 11 sacks, the most of any interior lineman in the league.
Atkins has a great first step and unparalleled quickness, something we quite frankly haven’t seen until last year. He also plays with a lot of power and leverage, opposing linemen rarely get under his pads. As a run stuffer, Atkins plays with great instincts. He uses his lower body strength to his advantage. He always knows when to time his disengagement from a linemen and then go and make a tackle. Alongside Atkins is the run-stuffing Domata Peko, who has his fair share of detractors.
Carlos Dunlap, perhaps the most underrated defensive end in the game, notched 13 ½ sacks last year, the fourth most in the NFL.
At 6’6 280 pounds, Dunlap is very athletic for a guy his size to go with great technique. He doesn’t do anything explosively, but does a bunch of things really well. In the run game, his technique comes into play, where he uses his hands well to swat and keep a linemen from locking onto him. Michael Johnson, the other starter at defensive end, has yet to return to the dominant form he was showing during his first stint in Cincinnati.
Undersized Andrew Billings was a steal in the fourth round and provides depth at defensive tackle, while Margus Hunt is the top backup at defensive end.
LINEBACKERS
Vontaze Burfict’s injury-prone and character issues have offset his talent at times, which was evidenced by his actions in the Wild Card Round. He’s also suspended the first three weeks of the upcoming season.
But when he’s on the field, Burfict possesses natural ball-hawking instincts in the run game, plays it very fluidly and cuts through the traffic. He’s strong, can take on blockers and shed them to get to the ball carrier. He can also play in space and close the run down. As a hitter, he’s one of the most violent ones in the league. In pass coverage, he gives up his fair share of plays, but is smart and gets himself into position to make plays.
Free-agent acquisition Karlos Dansby will take over for A.J. Hawk at strong side linebacker and has the ability to play all three linebacker spots. The physical Rey Maualuga will once again man the middle. The undervalued Vincent Rey could be a starter on most teams and you can make the argument he’s better than Maualuga, but he’s basically another starter. He’s versatile and led the team in tackle the last two years.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Cincinnati re-signed key free agents Adam Jones and George Iloka.
The cornerback Jones has seen his career resurge after a controversial stint in Tennessee. The strong safety Iloka is fantastic in coverage and possesses great range and athleticism. He’s not as proficient playing the run, struggling with his tackling at times.
The other cornerback spot will be battled between a trio of first rounders, Dre Kirkpatrick, Darquez Dennard and rookie William Jackson III.
Cincinnati did lose on key free agent, however, in Reggie Nelson, although Shawn Williams looks promising.
TEAM PREVIEWS
Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots | Miami Dolphins | New York Jets
NFL PLAYER RANKINGS