MVN - Most Valuable Network

49ers Roar Past Bengals 20-13

“They Are Who We Thought They Were” is the only way to describe the Bengals defensive effort on Saturday night.  Playing in front of a national TV audience against the 32nd ranked offense in the league led by a 3rd string QB making his first NFL start and the Bengals defense laid an egg.   After showing signs of progress in recent weeks, the defense reverted to form.  Pre-game analysis provided two keys for the defense: 1. Stop Frank Gore and 2. Pressure the QB.   From the opening snap the team did neither.    The problem starts with the game plan and continues with the execution.

The cornerbacks played their typical Cover None 8 yard cushion allowing QB Shaun Hill to dink and dunk to a 75% completion percentage.   The 8 yard cushion and failure to utilize inside technique is bad coaching and the same problem the defense has had all season.  Making matters worse the Bengals defensive front brought very little pressure allowing Hill to get comfortable in the pocket.   With an inexperience quarterback you want them to beat you deep.  Based on the scheme the Bengals used, you would have thought Tom Brady or Peyton Manning was leading the Niner offense.  Heck, the announcers were even making fun of the defense.  When discussing whether Shaun Hill is the real deal, Deion Sanders was quick to note that he was accomplishing this against a terrible Bengal defense.  The coaches will blame inexperienced LB Corey Mays (and he was horrible) but when push comes to shove the defense was bad from top to bottom.  Last week’s hero Dexter Jackson quickly reverted to his usual bad guesses, stupid penalties and poor tackling.  His play typified the defense’s problems as a whole.

Offensively, Carson Palmer was telegraphing his passes again leading to inconsistency.  Chad Johnson shook his head numerous times wondering why he didn’t catch the ball (hint: finishing your routes and being willing to take a hit helps).   A surprisingly astute Deion Sanders (I don’t usually like his analysis) told a national audience what Bengal fans have known for years: Bob Bratkowski and the Bengals defense is easy to defend because they telegraph their plays esp. based on their substitution patterns.  An even bigger problem for the offense was the need for perfection as the defense limited their opportunities by allowing the Niners to control the clock (T.O.P 34+ minuntes).

All in all, the Bengals helped improve their draft position as they fell to 5-9 and reminded management that the defense’s progress was a mirage.  Gutting the defensive coaching staff is a necessity at this point.  Further, the defense’s struggles highlights the need to find a defensive leader as none exists on the roster.

If you are looking for a positive, New England’s chances of getting the #2 overall pick took a major hit due to the Niner victory. 

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 15th, 2007 at 8:48 pm and is filed under Bengal News, Game Recap. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.