https://0xbt.net/blog/archive/linchao/1541030400/1543622400 https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42785/with-the-bengals-determined-to-improve-an-offense-that-finished-last-in-the-league-their-new-defensive-coordinator-didnt-expect-to-be-very-busy-during-the-draft Thu, 22 Nov 2018 02:24:24 +0000 https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42785/with-the-bengals-determined-to-improve-an-offense-that-finished-last-in-the-league-their-new-defensive-coordinator-didnt-expect-to-be-very-busy-during-the-draft  ,He wound up getting six of the first eight players picked.Could he have imagined going 6 of 8?"If I was shooting free throws maybe, but not getting defensive players," Teryl Austin said.The Bengals decided they were set for now on offense and http://www.thebengalsfootballauthentic.com/billy-price-jersey-authentic turned their draft focus to upgrading a defense that slipped last season. After taking Ohio State center Billy Price with the 21st overall pick, they went defense primarily in the next four rounds.The Bengals' defense finished No. 18 overall last season, including 30th against the run, so they weren't exactly stocking up in an area of strength."We're not sure how different it's going to be until we get them here and see where they fit," Austin said. "That's going to play out over time. Infusing talent always raises the competition level."Some things to note about the Bengals' defense-heavy draft:ANOTHER GIO? Running back Mark Walton from Miami was one of the few offensive players picked, going in the fourth round. Although the Bengals' main focus on offense has been fixing the line Youth Randy Bullock Jersey , they also needed a running back to replace Jeremy Hill — Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard return. Walton is 5-foot-10 and reminds the Bengals of Bernard in size and quickness. One big attraction: Walton played on Miami's kickoff and punt coverage teams, so he can fit on special teams immediately.THE REST OF THE CLASS: In the fifth round, Cincinnati took cornerback Davontae Harris from Illinois State, defensive tackle Andrew Brown from Virginia and cornerback Darius Phillips from Western Michigan. The Bengals had no picks in the sixth round. In the seventh, they got quarterback Logan Woodside from Toledo, guard Rod Taylor from Mississippi, and receiver Auden Tate from Florida State.SETTLED AT QB: The Bengals needed another quarterback after backup AJ McCarron left for Buffalo, and there was a question whether they would try to replace him by taking one in the middle of the draft — they got McCarron in the fifth round in 2014.Instead Womens Hardy Nickerson Jersey , they signed Matt Barkley to a two-year deal last month and decided they were set at the No. 2 spot, waiting until the seventh round to get an extra quarterback.PAYING ATTENTION: The Bengals will be watching Price closely in the next few months. He had surgery to repair a torn chest muscle after the combine, and he's expected to be ready for the start of training camp. Last year, the Bengals took receiver John Ross in the first round even though he was recovering from shoulder surgery, and it didn't turn out well. He played in only three games before another shoulder injury ended his season.NO PIES: Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson gets free pizza for a year as part of a promotion by an NFL sponsor. Pizza Hut offered free pies to the "Pi Pick" — third round, 14th choice, or 3.14. That was Jefferson. He expected to make an appearance at a local Pizza Hut on Saturday, but it didn't work out."I actually missed the pizza party Womens William Jackson Jersey ," Jefferson said. "I don't know how that's going to work. I'm still working that deal out with my marketing agent."O-H: The draft will be remembered locally for the Bengals finally taking some Ohio State players. Even though franchise founder Paul Brown won a national championship at Ohio State, the Bengals had drafted only two Buckeyes in the past 23 years — none higher than the sixth round. Over that same time, they took seven players from Michigan. This year, they took Price and Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard in the third round. Price will be practicing across from former Michigan defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow."The rivalry is still part of it," Price said. "He went to the team up north and I went to Ohio State. We will leave it at that. I remember playing him specifically. The last week in November, we will have a little bet."SELLING TICKETS: Bringing Hubbard aboard has already boosted ticket sales. Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati and attended Bengals games regularly."My uncle went down and got season tickets right after he found out I'm going (to the Bengals)," Hubbard said.STILL NEED: Help on the offensive line. They filled the hole at center, but they're still depending upon young players who have yet to prove themselves. Left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi struggled the past two seasons http://www.thebengalsfootballauthentic.com/tyler-eifert-jersey-authentic , prompting the Bengals to get left tackle Cordy Glenn from Buffalo. Right tackle Jake Fisher had a procedure to repair an irregular heartbeat during the season. There's still work to be done in their biggest problem area. The Bengals are expected to be without wide receiver John Ross for “a few weeks” after he aggravated the groin injury he originally suffered against the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.This according to Mike Garafolo:There are varying reports though, as on Wednesday, ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reported that a timetable has not been determined for Ross’ return and he hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday:The Bengals play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and then have a Week 9 bye before hosting the New Orleans Saints in Week 10. With Ross sidelined, the Bengals will look to rely more on Alex Erickson and Cody Core in addition to starters A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd.Ross has had an injury-plagued last two years with the Bengals after being selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. This season he’s played in five games and has seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Ross was targeted once on Sunday but did not complete the catch. He received no other targets and was ruled out in the second half with the groin injury.Ross’ career has gotten off to a rocky start, but hopefully he’ll return to the field healthy shortly after the bye week and contribute to the team in a meaningful way. The team could surely use him against the Saints’ highly impressive offense that can stretch the field with ease.The Bengals moved Auden Tate from the roster to the practice squad last week and while it’s possible he could return to the active roster, I’d imagine the Bengals will stick with what they have for now. Josh Malone was inactive last week against the Chiefs, but he’ll likely be active again on Sunday with Ross out.]]> linchao https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42226/los-angeles-rams-cb-aqib-talib-placed-on-ir-after-surgery-out-at-least-eight-weeks Wed, 07 Nov 2018 03:35:16 +0000 https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42226/los-angeles-rams-cb-aqib-talib-placed-on-ir-after-surgery-out-at-least-eight-weeks  The Los Angeles Rams defense will suffer a massive loss as the team will be without starting cornerback Aqib Talib who is placed on injury reserved and will undergo ankle surgery.The injury was suffered in the third quarter last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. Prior to this news it was assumed that although Talib had suffered a high-ankle sprain and that he would only miss a month of action. The new expected timeline Cheap Aaron Donald Jersey for Talib will make his return around the time of the Rams bye week which will be on Thanksgiving weekend.The Rams are scheduled to play their next game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. With the Rams also missing Marcus Peters as he recovers from his injury. The team will have Sam Shields, Nickell Robey-Coleman and Troy Hill fill the void. Also the Rams have promoted Dominique Hatfield from practice squad to the active roster.Los Angeles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings: The Professor’s Preview OverviewComing into the 2018 season, the Minnesota Vikings were picked by many football experts to be the team favored to represent the NFC Conference in the Super Bowl this year. I was not among them despite their appearance in the NFC Championship Game last year.Had it not been for the Minneapolis Miracle, the New Orleans Saints at least would have made a better showing then the Vikings did against Philadelphia Eagles.Another reason I wouldn’t crown the Vikings right away stems from my belief that when you lose your offensive coordinator and replace your starting quarterback from last year swapping QB Case Keenum with QB Kirk Cousins, it takes time to get things rolling.Sure enough, the Vikings’ offense has struggled to this point.The Vikings rank 22nd in points scored, 14th in total yards and 31st in rushing yards per game. Minnesota’s only respectable stat is their 4th place rank in passing yards per game.While it’s still early in the season, the Vikings record right now stands as 1-1-1. Minnesota is coming off a huge upset loss to, of all teams, the Buffalo Bills who were 0-2 at the time and made the decision to start rookie quarterback Josh Allen.But throw out the records of both the Los Angeles Rams at 3-0 and the Vikingsfor this Thursday Night nationally-televised game because our Rams defense comes limping into the game with the loss of starting CBs Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib due to injuries. It’s therefore reasonable to conclude that Minnesota is gonna win this game.I’m not buying it.If the Rams’ offense can score their league average of more then 30 points and the defense can get to Cousins, then the Rams will win this game. While this may appears to be a mighty task, here’s how the best team in the NFC Conference gets it done.What the Rams need to do on defenseStop the run first and foremost.The Vikings’ offensive line isn’t that good, and the stats through three weeks prove it. This will put the Vikings in must-pass situations. The Vikings wide receivers http://www.officialramsfootballstore.com/aaron-donald-jersey-cheap , composed of Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Laquon Treadwell along with TE Kyle Randolph as a unit are considered one of the best in the league. So the Rams have to ensure they provide the quarterback no time to throw. Hurry him consistently to force bad decisions even with a depleted secondary.Despite being a short week, Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips is gonna come up with a lot of exotic blitz packages designed to help out his secondary. If the Rams defense can find ways to get to Cousins with their vaunted “Fearsome Threesome,” they will be fine. If the Rams are unable to do this, then you wind up in a game where the last team with the ball on offense will probably have the best chance to win. This might be too much for the old Professor to take after last week.So I say this without hesitation that this game will boil down to the battle on the Rams defensive line against the Vikings offensive line and our beloved Wade Phillips finding a way to put pressure on Kirk Cousins.The Rams’ defense doesn’t have to be perfect, just good enough to keep the Vikings score down to under 25 points leaving it up to the Rams’ offense do their job.What the Rams need to do on offenseMinnesota’s defense ranks 17th in points allowed per game, 9th against the pass, 14th against the rush and 10th in total yards while the Rams are averaging a whopping 34 points per game.I hate to say this, but for this offense an average performance still means the Rams offense can’t be stopped.Stay away from the turnovers and unforced penalties. Score every time they cross the fifty into Vikings territory, whether its a field goal or touchdown.The Rams need to put up thirty tonight. What the Rams need to do on special teamsMake the critical long field goals. Punt the ball deep so that the Vikings’ offense has to start inside their 20-yard line.For this game considering that the Rams are now onto their third punt returner of the season (seemingly WR Cooper Kupp), just fair catch the ball. No muffs. If Cooper thinks he can SAFELY pick up yardage, do it. Otherwise, just hand the ball over to the offense.The X-FactorsIt’s a short week Cheap Todd Gurley II Jersey , but an even shorter week for Head Coach Mike Zimmer to get his Vikings prepared as they have to fly across the county giving more time for the Rams to prepare.X-factor rating: slight advantage, RamsHead Coach Sean McVay is credited by Cousins for making him the 26-million dollar man for the Vikes. I normally take the teacher over the student, but last year, when Cousins played for Washington, he bested the RamsX-factor rating: pushThe timing in the schedule is critical. The Rams have a two-game lead over their rivals in NFC west division, and a letdown could be very easy for the Rams here as the Vikings come off a huge upset loss to the Bills...X-factor rating: advantage, VikingsHistoryThree teams which long-time diehard Rams fans like me have no love for: the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings make this list because of all those times they beat the Rams in the playoffs back in the 70’s. In the frigid cold of Minnesota without the heaters and hot packs, the Rams froze even though they had a better team.Forty years has passed since the last time I saw the Rams play a meaningful game against the Vikings in the Coliseum... The Mud Bowl. That game became one of those painful losses one never forgets. At that time, the Rams had the home-field advantage able to avoid the sub-zero weather in Minneapolis. But it rained all week in Los Angeles right up to the game causing the Coliseum grass to turn to mud. The Rams played like they stuck in it leading to another playoff loss to Vikings.Going into the 1999 Divisional Playoff Game, the Rams were 0-4 in playoff games against Minnesota, but that year the Rams had the comfortable confines of playing in a dome where weather would not be a factor. Before that game I told anyone in Los Angeles who still rooted for the team that that if the Rams could finally get over their playoff drought with the Vikes, they would win the Super Bowl. For me http://www.officialramsfootballstore.com/todd-gurley-ii-jersey-cheap , that was my Super Bowl Game. The Rams blew out the Vikings in the second half with ultimate team effort on special teams, offense and defense. I never celebrated so much, running into the street screaming “The Rams Win! The Rams Win!” The drought was over and I knew right then my St. Louis Rams of Los Angeles were a team of destiny as the Super Bowl Championship I had dreamed about in my youth, stolen from me by the Minnesota Vikings so many times, was going to be ours. The Vikings never deserved to be in the big game in the first place all those years relying on mother nature rather then the quality of their team to beat my Rams accumulating an 0-4 record in the big game ranking right up there with the Buffalo Bills.Wounded, hobbled and injured coming into the game, I call this a “no excuses” game. If you’re the best, you have to beat the best. But if the Vikings are as good as advertised by the football experts who picked them to go the Super Bowl, you don’t lose to an 0-2 Buffalo Bills.The time has come to enter into a new era between the Rams and Vikings. This time, it’s gonna be my Rams taking home the trophy this time. While a lot has happened since those bygone days of my youth, this is a different Rams team. But no matter how different the times are, nothing changes for me.I don’t like the Vikings.GO RAMS! NO EXCUSES!]]> linchao https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42223/the-%E2%80%9818-chiefs-offense-is-so-different-travis-kelce-was-speechless Wed, 07 Nov 2018 03:21:28 +0000 https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42223/the-%E2%80%9818-chiefs-offense-is-so-different-travis-kelce-was-speechless   Travis Kelce took the podium for his first press conference of the regular season Wednesday, as the Kansas City Chiefs began preparing for their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Believe it or not, if you include his injured year in 2013, it is the start of Kelce’s sixth campaign with the team.There is a stark difference Xavier Williams Jersey in 2018, of course, as it will be his first year working with a quarterback other than Alex Smith, the Chiefs turning the organizational reins over to second-year QB Patrick Mahomes this offseason.Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty ImagesKelce no doubt has a different manner to him early in 2018—and I find it to be a good thing. His approach to each press opportunity is cool, calm and collected, like that of someone who knows he is a team leader, a role he may need to play this season.Even at the ripe age of 28, Kelce is one of the eldest Chiefs on the starting offense.Kelce was asked early on in the press conference about how the Chiefs’ offense may be different with Mahomes than with Smith in previous seasons, and the question gave him pause. “Um...it’s uh...without saying too much it’s, um...”Well what is it?“I can’t really—I don’t want to give away too much of the secret,” Kelce finally said. “It’s going to be fun to get out there. It’s new for everybody, so I think it’s something everyone can really get excited about, even the fans.”But would he say there are going to be some tangible differences?“Oh, without a doubt,” he said, this time more sure of himself. “Definitely some differences in a good way.”At this point Authentic Harrison Butker Jersey , we had to know, right?So I asked Mahomes—what is the 2018 brand of Chiefs football?“We want to attack every aspect of the field,” Mahomes said. “I feel like we have the weapons to attack short, we can run the ball, we can stretch the defense deep, we can attack the middle with the guys that we have. “We just want to make sure that we have to keep the defense honest on every single play. They can't send everybody back and try to cover the deep ball—we’ll run the ball on them. And then if they bring everybody in the box, we want to be able to attack them deep.“We just want to make sure we can attack everywhere on the field.” It sounds like it could be a bit for the Chargers to manage. Four more days until we find out.New for the 2018 season: True power rankings For me — like many Arrowhead Pride readers — AP’s weekly rundown of power rankings is must-reading during the season.I know perfectly well that power rankings are meaningless since they represent nothing more than the opinion of some NFL pundit.But I can’t help myself.I read them anyway.Going into the 2017 season, I started wondering: Is there a way to do it better?Is there a way to make power rankings more meaningful? And wouldn’t it be nice if you could look at them side by side, and more easily compare rankings from different sources?So I spent the season collecting data and experimenting with it, revising my methods and calculations as I went along.You’ll see the results starting this season, as we present Arrowhead Pride True Power Rankings — a more complete look at the state of the NFL each week.Part 1: Pundit Power RankingsOn Tuesdays — just as we’ve always done — we’ll give you power rankings from a variety of sources, including each pundit’s comments about the Chiefs.But we’ll present the rankings side-by-side, so you can more easily compare how different sources view each NFL team.Then we’ll add an extra feature.We’ll aggregate the rankings into a single ranking based on the power rankings from ESPN, Sports Illustrated’s MMQB, NFL.com, the Sporting News, Yahoo.com and CBS.com.Why these particular six?All are well-respected national sources that we know will publish power rankings each week.The rankings published by two of them — ESPN and MMQB — represent the opinion of all their writers, rather than just one.Since we could consider their group opinion as more valid, our calculations will weight those two more heavily than the other four.As an example of what this will look like Youth Terrance Smith Jersey , here’s what the Pundit Power Rankings looked like going into Week 17 last season.Pundit Power Rankings for Week 17Chiefs AFC West Teams Other AFC TeamsLike all the tables we’ll show you each week, rows for the Chiefs will be in one color, rows for AFC West teams will be in another color, and rows for the remaining AFC teams will be in yet another.This immediately draws your eye not only to the information about your favorite team, but also to the teams that will most concern the Chiefs during the regular season: their division and conference opponents.We’ll also repeat the header row every eight rows, which will make it a little easier for you to read the table as you scroll through it, and also neatly divide the teams into quarters.Wait... did I say all the tables?I sure did.Part 2: Cruncher Power RankingsWe know, of course, there are other ways to evaluate the relative strength NFL teams — ones that do not depend on a sportswriter’s opinion, but instead on hard data.So on Wednesdays starting after Week 2, we’ll give you NFL rankings generated by four well-known methods used by number-crunchers: ELO from FiveThirtyEight.com, DVOA from FootballOutsiders.com, SRS (for Simple Rating System) from Pro-Football-Reference.com, and PE (for Pythagorean Expectation — sometimes called expected wins) as originally adapted for pro football by Football Outsiders.All of these methods have strengths and weaknesses.All but DVOA use points scored (both for and against) as the base data for their calculations.All but PE take opponent strength into consideration.Only Elo includes how a team did in the previous season.Two of them — Elo and PE — were originally developed for different purposes, but have been adapted for pro football.There are other differences — if you’re really interested, click the links to learn more — but for our purposes, only one thing matters: they don’t depend on the personal opinion of a writer who doesn’t watch every game of every team.As you might expect, we’ll not only present these power rankings from the number-crunchers, individually http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-eric-murray-jersey , but average them together, too.Here’s what that looked like going into Week 17 last season.Cruncher Power Rankings for Week 17Chiefs AFC West Teams Other AFC TeamsYou may have noticed that the 2017 playoff teams are marked with asterisks in these first two tables.We’ve done this so you can see whether the pundits or crunchers better predicted the outcome of the 2017 playoffs.As you might expect, it’s a mixed bag.The pundits had the advantage of knowing which teams had the best shot of making the playoffs with one week to go.On the other hand, the crunchers predicted the eventual Super Bowl winner.You can also see the how pundits — in general — are influenced by quarterbacks.Going into Week 17 last year, they unanimously thought the Patriots — with Tom Brady — had the best chance to win the Super Bowl.The crunchers had more variance in their evaluations, but weren’t distracted by the fact that backup quarterback Nick Foles would be under center for the Eagles in the postseason.This is not to say that the crunchers will always be more accurate.They won’t be.But it illustrates how much fun it was for me last season, as I watched how the pundits and the crunchers agreed — and sometimes, how they disagreed.Part 3: Combined Power RankingsEach week, we’ll make it easy for you to compare how the pundits and crunchers differ by presenting their rankings side-by-side — and, of course, give you a cumulative ranking that averages them together.Combined Power Rankings for Week 17Chiefs AFC West Teams Other AFC TeamsI should note here how these rankings will be averaged together.Sharp-eyed readers may already have noticed that some of these seem... wrong.Two and six for the Steelers averages to four, and five and one for the Eagles averages to three.So why would the Steelers be ranked ahead of the Eagles?This is because we’re not averaging the rankings from each table.Instead, we’re averaging the numbers behind those rankings.In the Pundit rankings for Week 17, the Steelers average ranking was 2.25, while it was 5.25 in the Crunchers rankings.That’s an average of 3.75.The Eagles Pundit average was 5.125, and their Crunchers average was 2.5.That averages out to 3.8125.Therefore, the Steelers ranked ahead of the Eagles in the Combined rankings.But we’re not done yet.Part 4: Cruncher GradesIf you’re familiar with my past writing, you may recall that I am not a fan of statistical rankings.They can be misleading because they can only show that one number is larger (or smaller) than another — not how close they are to each other.Statisticians have a trick to fix this problem.They calculate standard deviations from average for a set of values, which is used to tell if the difference between two values from the set is statistically significant.Standard deviations from average are expressed as a number that is almost always between -3 and 3 Ron Parker Jersey , and is usually carried out to multiple decimal points.But you’re not going to have to compare -1.6875 to 1.3496.Instead, we’ll do the same thing your school teachers did: convert them to letter grades ranging from FF (less than -3) to AA (greater than 3) — like this:The key thing to remember is that only a difference of a full letter grade (or more) is statistically significant.So if one team has a B+ and another team has a B, the difference between them is measurable, but not significant.If one team has a C and another has a D+, the difference is a bit more measurable, but still not significant.But a team with a B+ grade is significantly better than one with a C+ grade.We can’t do this for Pundit rankings, because there is no numerical value behind each pundit’s opinion.But we can do it with the data underlying the Cruncher rankings, because they are numerical values.Since the Cruncher numbers are all based on entirely different systems, we can’t compare the raw numbers directly; that would be comparing apples to oranges.But by calculating standard deviations from average for each set of values, we effectively convert all of them to juicy red tomatoes — which we can compare directly.Here’s how that looked going into Week 17 last season.Cruncher Grades for Week 17Chiefs AFC West Teams Other AFC TeamsThese grades reveal an essential truth about ranking statistics of any kind: numbers that we spend a lot of time comparing sometimes don’t turn out to be significantly different from each other.While it might be true — for example — that one quarterback has a completion percentage of 60.1 and another has one of 60.4, the difference is measurable, but not necessarily significant.The same is true of ranked statistical values.We might assume — for example — that the top five rushers in the league are elite. But by grading the values this way, we might learn that only one is head and shoulders above everyone else.The other four might be merely above average.What we see here is that going into Week 17 last season, there were six teams that were roughly equivalent — at least in terms of how the crunchers evaluated them.So going into the playoffs, there really wasn’t one team that stood out as having the best chance to win it all.That might turn out to be the case in 2018, too.Or... it might not.It’s possible that when we reach Week 17, we’ll see that one or two teams are clearly above the rest of the field — or it’ll be anybody’s postseason to win.We’re looking forward to watching how it all unfolds, and hope that this weekly dive into what the pundits and crunchers think will be entertaining — and enlightening.Watch for it every Tuesday and Wednesday during the regular season on AP!]]> linchao https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42222/the-takeaway-bills-vs-packers-mike-pettine%E2%80%99s-defense-dominates-third-down Wed, 07 Nov 2018 03:11:44 +0000 https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42222/the-takeaway-bills-vs-packers-mike-pettine%E2%80%99s-defense-dominates-third-down  A trend emerged over the first three games of the Green Bay Packers’ 2018 season.While the overall numbers painted the picture of a team still largely unable to halt opponents with regularity, a closer look revealed that the Green Bay defense thrived on third down with 4 or more yards to go. Forcing those situations proved to be the challenge at times, but once there new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine could dial up exotic blitzes and consistently short-circuit drives.Against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Pettine and his defense Green Bay Packers T-Shirt put on a show on those third-down situations. The Packers forced third-and-4 or longer an impressive 13 times, eight of which resulted in a stop. That third-down defensive success largely won the game for Green Bay and, given the context of the previous three weeks, suggests meaningful progress for the unit after just one quarter of the season.But those numbers don’t fully illustrate the Packers’ third-down dominance. All three of the Bills’ turnovers -- two interceptions and a fumble loss -- came on third down and at least 4 yards to go. Pettine’s exotic blitzes, particularly his affinity for rushing defensive backs, turned the defense into a play-making unit.And perhaps that explains why Aaron Rodgers referred to the defensive performance as “championship” level during his post-game press conference. During the Packers’ best defensive seasons under previous coordinator Dom Capers, the group finished near the top of the league in turnovers. Those takeaways hadn’t totally evaporated in Green Bay over the past few years, but that production needs to improve in order to take the pressure off an offense that remains a work in progress. Forcing more long third downs seems like a reliable way to up those numbers.Ultimately, the Bills present one of the weaker challenges on Green Bay’s schedule, and that factors into any discussion of Sunday’s shutout. At the same time, a good defense should give up few if any points to an offense led by rookie quarterback Josh Allen and arguably the worst collection of offensive talent in the league, and the Packers pulled it off with minimal mistakes.Aaron Jones shows off more than just his running abilityMidway through Aaron Jones’ rookie season, it became clear that the UTEP product had the skills and physical tools to lead the Packers’ ground attack. Injuries derailed that effort, but even so, it seemed Jones would take over the backfield during his second season.Despite missing the first two games of 2018 with a suspension, Jones has once again emerged as a dangerous part of the Packers offense. In his season debut, he led the team with 42 rushing yards on just six carries. Jones built upon that start with an 11-carry, 65-yard performance against the Bills, which also featured his first touchdown of the year. Already, he has moved ahead of Ty Montgomery in rushing yards on the year. At some point over the next week or so, Jones should eclipse Jamaal Williams as well.Since he entered the league, pass blocking has proven to be the biggest obstacle standing between Jones and a larger role. He finished third among the Packers’ running backs in snaps during Week 3, and he remained in a timeshare with Williams and Montgomery seven days later despite far superior production.However, the existing split could change in the near future. Against Buffalo, Jones showcased improved pass protection and willingness to take on difficult blocking assignments. The best demonstration came on third-and-1 with 8:26 remaining in regulation. With Rodgers’ back turned to the defense during a play fake, the second-year running back came up and de-cleated defensive end Trent Murphy, ensuring the necessary time for the play to develop. Such a “wow” moment would have seemed inconceivable a year ago, but Jones appears to have made a concerted effort to develop that part of his game.Blocks like that could encourage the coaches to increase Jones playing time in the future. He might never reach Williams’ proficiency as a pass protector, but Jones only needs to earn the trust of Rodgers and the staff to further tilt the backfield rotation in his favor.Aaron Rodgers’ wheels returnFrom the moment Rodgers returned from his Week 1 knee injury, it became evident that he lacked the mobility to extend plays and punish defenses with his legs. Though Rodgers did scramble at times against the Minnesota Vikings and Washington over the past two weeks Green Bay Packers Hats , such plays made up a smaller percentage of his plays than usual.Though Rodgers’ knee probably remains significantly below 100 percent healthy, he looked more comfortable and mobile against the Bills Sunday than at any time since the injury. The veteran quarterback scrambled five times for 31 yards, including a 15-yard sideline scamper that set up a field goal just before halftime. Just as importantly, Rodgers looked fluid and comfortable moving around in the pocket, working outside the play design when necessary.Those developments, combined with the fact Rodgers’ practice workload increased this past week, suggest that the most dangerous version of the Packers’ quarterback could return soon barring a setback. The next two weeks feature matchups with the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers, two teams with middling-at-best pass rushes, followed by Green Bay’s bye. If Rodgers can safely navigate that stretch, he could look fully recovered in time for the all-important Week 8 tilt with the currently undefeated Los Angeles Rams.College Football Schedule, Week 2: Ohio State-TCU, LSU-Auburn, & much more Week two of the college football season was mostly devoid of stellar matchups, but as we arrive in week three, that’s all changing. Today we have a pair of games pitting two teams in the top 15 against one another — one comes in a conference opener for two teams with same mascot while the other is technically a neutral-site game but is played in the backyard of the lower-ranked school.The first matchup is in the SEC West, where LSU and Auburn each look to claim a quality victory in the division. With both teams still looking up at defending champions Alabama, this game should put an early stamp on which team will be the Crimson Tide’s top competition in the division.A non-conference battle is the other game on the schedule, with #4 Ohio State traveling to Texas to play TCU at Jerry World in Arlington. Sure, it’s technically a neutral-site game, but AT&T Stadium is just 18 miles from the center of TCU’s campus in Fort Worth. For fans of the Wisconsin Badgers, tune in for a mid-afternoon test against BYU. The Cougars were no match for Wisconsin in Provo a year ago, but they are 1-1 against Pac-12 foes so far this season, beating Arizona 28-23 in week one before losing last week to California (coached by former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox) 21-18. Non-Wisconsin fans should tune in just to hear the name of BYU’s top running back, Squally Canada.Here’s a selection of the best games on today’s slate, or click here for a complete breakdown of the day’s entire schedule.Early Games#5 Oklahoma Sooners at Iowa State CyclonesJack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA11:00 AM CT (12 Noon ET)ABCFlorida State Seminoles at Syracuse OrangeCarrier Dome, Syracuse, NY12:00 Noon ETESPN#21 Miami Hurricanes at Toledo RocketsGlass Bowl Stadium, Toledo, OH12:00 Noon ETESPN2Kent State Golden Flashes at #11 Penn State Nittany LionsBeaver Stadium, University Park, PA12:00 Noon ETFOX Sports 1NOTE: #18 UCF @ North Carolina and East Carolina @ #13 Virginia Tech were scheduled for 12:00 Noon ET but have been cancelled due to Hurricane Florence.Afternoon KickoffsVanderbilt Commodores at #8 Notre Dame Fighting IrishNotre Dame Stadium Green Bay Packers Womens Hoodie , South Bend, IN2:30 PM ETNBCBYU Cougars at #6 Wisconsin BadgersCamp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI2:30 PM CT (3:30 ET)ABC#12 LSU Tigers at #7 Auburn TigersJordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL2:30 PM CT (3:30 ET)CBS#17 Boise State Broncos at #24 Oklahoma State CowboysBoone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK2:30 PM CT (3:30 ET)ESPNGeorgia Southern Eagles at #2 Clemson TigersMemorial Stadium, Clemson, SC3:30 PM ETESPN2Southern Methodist University Mustangs at #19 Michigan WolverinesMichigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI3:30 PM ETBTNHouston Cougars at Texas Tech Red RaidersJones-AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX3:00 PM CT (4:00 ET)FOXSan Jose State Spartans at #20 Oregon DucksAutzen Stadium, Eugene, OR2:00 PM PT (5:00 ET)Pac-12 NetworkNOTE: #14 West Virginia @ NC State was scheduled for 3:30 PM ET but has been cancelled due to Hurricane FlorenceNight Games#1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Ole Miss RebelsVaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS6:00 PM CT (7:00 ET)ESPNMiddle Tennessee Blue Raiders at #3 Georgia BulldogsSanford Stadium, Athens, GA7:15 PM ETESPN2Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns at #16 Mississippi State BulldogsDavis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS6:30 PM CT (7:30 ET)SEC Network#4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #15 TCU Horned FrogsAT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX7:00 PM CT (8:00 ET)ABC#22 USC Trojans at Texas LonghornsDarrell K. Royal—Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX7:00 PM CT (8:00 ET)FOX#10 Washington Huskies at Utah UtesRice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT8:00 PM MT (10:00 ET)ESPN#23 Arizona State Sun Devils at San Diego State AztecsSDCCU Stadium, San Diego, CA7:30 PM PT (10:30 ET)CBS Sports Network]]> linchao https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42221/5-things-we-learned-from-the-bengals%E2%80%99-win-over-the-falcons Wed, 07 Nov 2018 03:01:08 +0000 https://0xbt.net/blog/view/42221/5-things-we-learned-from-the-bengals%E2%80%99-win-over-the-falcons Everyone who goes into Atlanta should expect a shootout. The Falcon’s high-powered offense combined with their banged-up defense makes for a Big 12-like matchup. Only a team with a defense as bad as the Falcons’ can score at least 36 points in two straight games and lose them both.So the Bengals Cincinnati Bengals Hats , looking to rebound from a disappointing outing against the Panthers the week before, were in prime position to put up points.If you like defense, look away. Andy Dalton and Matt Ryan combined for nearly 750 passing yards and six touchdowns, while each earning a passer rating well over 100. There were six receivers with over 50 yards and three with over 100. Two-thirds of all third down and fourth down attempts were converted. Pretty much any way you look at it, it was by far the most offense-heavy game the Bengals have played, and probably will play, all season.Which leads us to the first thing we learned from the Bengals win over the Falcons:The pass defense needs helpIt is a tall order to ask any defense to cover Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Calvin Ridley, Austin Hooper, and Tevin Coleman out of the backfield. Imagine what this offense will look like once they get Devonta Freeman back.That being said, Jones and Sanu combined for nearly 300 yards of offense, part of Ryan’s 409-yard passing day. The defensive backs and linebackers couldn’t cover anyone if their lives depended on it.The other problem with the pass coverage is the turnover margin. In the first two games, the defense forced five turnovers and kept opposing offenses to only 23 points. In the last two weeks, the Bengals defense has forced no turnovers and given up over 30 points in both games. Teryl Austin has been all about takeaways, and his defense is proving that it is much more difficult to win games without them.The defensive line wins games.The defensive line proved that the only way to stop Ryan was to sack him.Geno Atkins sacked Ryan on fourth-and-five in the first quarter, giving the offense a short field and setting up Giovani Bernard’s first touchdown.Carlos Dunlap sacked Ryan in the red zone on the Falcons’ possession ensuing a blocked punt. The Falcons could have easily scored a touchdown, starting their drive on the eight-yard line. But the Falcons lost two yards on the drive and had to settle for three points instead of six.Carl Lawson sacked Ryan to force a third-and-goal on the 19-yard line in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing play, Ryan overthrew Hooper in the end zone, making the Falcons settle for three once again.In a game where both teams combined for nine touchdowns, every stop was important. Instead of ending possessions with touchdowns, the defensive line single-handedly stopped the Falcons from scoring touchdowns three times. In a one-point game, even allowing a touchdown on one of those drives probably would have changed the outcome.The Bengals’ offense is dangerousThe Falcons probably planned on double-covering Green for most of the game, but that proved to be an ineffective strategy.First of all, this led to Tyler Boyd being the most targeted receiver in the game. Boyd’s 15 targets and 11 receptions netted him exactly 100 yards, which makes this the second 100-yard game in a row for Boyd. In fact, Dalton connected with Boyd four times in the game-winning drive five times before finding Green for the last score of the game. It’s not that Boyd’s chemistry with Dalton is better than Green’s; the Falcons were doing a better job of covering Green, but Boyd kept getting favorable matchups.Boyd wasn’t the only beneficiary of Greens’ prowess. Tyler Eifert was left one-on-one against strong safety Brian Poole when the free safety Damontae Kazee was drawn towards Green and Boyd’s side of the field. You never want to leave a defensive back one-on-one against Eifert.Later on, Green and Boyd drew Kazee to their side of the field, leaving the speedster Ross alone against cornerback Isaiah Oliver, who only ran a paltry 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at the combine.The Bengals offense, much like the Falcons, has become too potent for defenses to cover. As long as Dalton takes care of the ball, the Bengals should have no problem putting up points.John Ross is not bustedA week ago, many were already calling Ross a bust after having only 16 receiving yards and allowing two picks to be thrown when he was targeted. Boyd and Green said after the game that Ross needed some work Cincinnati Bengals Hoodie , but they were sure that he could overcome whatever problems he was facing.There were also those on Twitter that were clamoring for Ross’ head, calling him a “bust” three games into his second season.Then Ross torched the Falcon’s secondary for a 39-yard touchdown, exceeding his second-longest catch of the season by 30 yards. He might have had more, too, if he could have played through his injury.Was Ross going through some issues? Clearly. But was nothing to get worked up over. Boyd had similar problems at the beginning of last season, yet the Bengals stuck with him, and he is now 11th in the NFL in receiving yards and leading the team in receptions and yards.Even Chad Johnson had to go through a similar struggle before he could become the Bengals all-time leader in every statistical category.So, while Ross was struggling, he had the mental toughness to get through it. He’s not out of the woods yet, and still has to work on his game every single week. But there is a reason the Bengals drafted Ross. Expect more touchdowns out of him as the year goes on.Joe Mixon is the Bengals’ best cheerleaderThe Bengals’ second-year running back was expected to have a huge impact this year, but he has been sidelined for at least two games with a knee injury. Even though he clearly wants to play, he is forced to stand on the sidelines wearing a t-shirt. It must be killing him to not play, but that hasn’t stopped him from cheering on his team.On almost every touchdown, the first person to greet the scoring player on the sidelines is Mixon. He helped encourage Dalton while they were waiting for the officials to review and overturn his fumble. He even helped pump up the crowd after the final whistle blew.No one was rooting harder for the Bengals last week than Mixon. Hopefully, he will be able to switch out his t-shirt for a jersey and help his team win from the field instead of the sideline.Bengals make unreal comeback to beat Dolphins, 27-17 Coming off a hard-fought win over the Falcons, the Bengals hosted the Dolphins who were looking to rebound from a thumping against the Patriots.After a miserable first half, the Bengals stormed back into the game with some dominant second half play from offense, defense and special teams. Cincinnati scored 27 unanswered points to win the game, 27-17. It was sealed by a Carlos Dunlap strip sack, which turned into a Sam Hubbard touchdown and then further sealed by Jessie Bates’ second career interception to end the game. The rookies stepped up, the defense stepped up, everyone stepped up. It was a glorious second half after nothing went right in the first half.The biggest pre-game news for the Bengals was that Vontaze Burfict was playing his his first game since serving his four-game suspension. He made an instant impact, getting three tackles in the first defensive drive and helping to force a punt from the Dolphins on the opening possession.Andy Dalton got off to a hot start, with Bill Lazor calling the plays against his former team. Dalton completed each of his first four attempts for 62 yards, spreading the ball out to four different receivers. But the drive ended when Dalton’s pass to A.J. Green was tipped and caught by Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso, setting up the Dolphins on the Bengals’ 19-yard line after returning the interception for 15 yards.The Bengals defense held up against the Dolphins offense in the first quarter, keeping them to only 44 yards and no third down conversions. Even though the Bengals had 109 yards on their first two drives combined, the game remained scoreless well into the second quarter.The Dolphins broke the deadlock with a 22-yard touchdown pass to running back Kenyon Drake. After an excellent punt from Kevin Huber, the Dolphins drove all the way from their own five yard line. The 11-play, six-minute drive was manufactured by quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s arm, with eight passing plays to only three running plays. The touchdown on the wheel route to Drake was the longest play of the drive. After the score, Jason Sanders converted the extra point and the Dolphins were ahead 7-0 with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter. Dalton responded and found Green and Tyler Boyd for huge gains. But the Bengals faced third down later on the drive, which would become a nagging issue throughout the course of the half. The Bengals settled for a field goal, but Bollock’s 37-yard attempt was blocked Customized Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys , so the Bengals would come up empty handed yet again. Special teams wasn’t done messing things up for Cincinnati though.The Bengals punted the ball away with less than one minute left in the half, but Jakeem Grant returned the punt 68 yards for the score. Sanders’ extra point was good, so the Dolphins took a 14-0 lead right before halftime. Once again, the Bengals allowed their opponent to score with seconds remaining before halftime and this one was hard to watch. Here are some of the ugly first-half numbers. Dalton (8) had nearly half the amount of rushing yards as Joe Mixon (19).The Bengals got the ball back and promptly punted after losing nine yards on their first three plays. Assisted by a personal foul from Michael Johnson, the Dolphins were able to get into field goal range, and Sanders knocked his 41-yard attempt through with 9:30 left in the third quarter. We never saw why Johnson was penalized...Dalton got the offense going with a pass to Green for 22 yards, followed by a pass to C.J. Uzomah for 10 yards. But Dalton couldn’t finish off the drive after getting sacked on third-and-two, which brought the field goal unit into the game. Bullock finally got the Bengals on the board with a 51-yard field goal with 5:07 left in the third quarter to put an end to the Dolphins’ scoring run.Green and Boyd helped get the Bengals moving downfield, as well as some Dolphins penalties. Joe Mixon recorded a 12-yard rush which was his longest run he had at that point in a game where he never had any holes to run through. But his most impressive play of the game was on the first snap of the fourth quarter. Dalton, facing pressure, was forced to throw while taking contact. Mixon, who was downfield, adjusted to the pass and beat Alonso to break the plane for the Bengals’ first touchdown of the game. With 14:54 left in the game, the Bengals were starting to make a comeback, down only 17-10 after Bullock’s extra point.The Bengals’ momentum kept growing, and they would not trail for much longer. Tannehill faced pressure from Preston Brown and Andrew Billings, and his throw bounced off of the offensive line. Johnson gathered the ball and ran it back 21 yards for an easy pick-six. Bullock knocked the extra point through, and tied the game at 17-17 with 11:43 left in the game. Suddenly, the momentum had shifted.The Bengals defense was miles ahead of where they were in the first half, and put too much pressure on Tannehill. Mixon finally turned up the heat on the next drive, following up an 11-yard run with a 31-yarder to get the Bengals in field goal range. Bullock came in for a 19-yard kick, and the Bengals took their first lead of the game not a moment too soon, up 20-17 with 3:30 to go in the game.On that drive, Green caught a 10-yard pass from Dalton to make franchise history, putting him over 100 yards on the day. That catch allowed Green to have his 32nd career 100-yard game, breaking the record for the most 100 yard games in Bengals’ history.The Bengals’ defensive line proved too much for the Dolphins yet again. Carlos Dunlap came off the edge, and, despite being held, he forced Tannehill to fumble the ball. Cincinnati native Sam Hubbard picked it up and took it 19-yards to the house for his first career touchdown. Bullock’s extra point was good, and the Bengals extended their lead to 27-17 with two minutes remaining in the game.The Dolphins made one last push to try to get back in the game, but Jessie Bates grabbed the second interception of his career when Tannehill tried to air one out to Kenny Stills. The Bengals would get the ball with 1:35 left in the game, and even tough they punted it away, the game was too far out of reach for the Dolphins.The score would hold and the Bengals would end up winning 27-17 to improve to 4-1 on the year. Next up, the Bengals welcome the Steelers to Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday.]]> linchao