George Herron
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Pass Happy Offenses in the Super Bowl.
Posted by George Herron on January 27, 2010
Quarterbacks 1A and 1B in the NFL. And what do you know they are both in the Super Bowl.
What were the two golden rules to getting to the Super Bowl? The ability to run the ball and the ability to stop the run, right? Well, apparently the new rules are to have a great quarterback and allow him to make plays. The two teams that are meeting in this years Super Bowl defy the old football logic. Neither team were particularly adept at stopping the run, and Indy could have cared less about running the ball. So what does this mean for a team like Cincinnati that spent literally all last year re-tooling the offense to run the ball?
Let’s look at what the two Super Bowl teams did this year that made them so successful.
Indianapolis Colts:
- 31st in rushing attempts.
- 32nd in rushing yards.
- 2nd in passing attempts.
- 2nd in passing yards.
- 1st in passing touchdowns.
- 23rd in interceptions.
- 24th in rushing yards allowed.
That seems like pretty clear evidence that the Colts were a pass first, pass second and pass third. They were going to trust that they had the best quarterback in the league and let him win the games for them, and he did. They also broke the other Cardinal rule and they didn’t stop the run particularly well all year either. And yet here they are playing for another Super Bowl title in Peyton’s time in Indy.
New Orleans Saints:
- 7th in rushing attempts.
- 6th in rushing yards.
- 15th in passing attempts.
- 4th in passing yards.
- 1st in passing touchdowns.
- 21st in rushing yards allowed.
- 26th in passing yards allowed.
The Saints were a little more balanced on offense, but clearly they were able to move the ball down the field. Play action works A LOT better when you can run the ball. But the Saints were just as bad in giving up yards. Of course the fact that they gave up that much through the air, is really going to hurt them in the Super Bowl, but besides that their bad defense defies old NFL logic.
Ced doing what Ced does, breaking tackles and fighting for yards.
So, where does that leave the Bengals? This past year was all about re-establishing the run game. It started with the re-signing of Cedric Benson after he finished the 2008 season strong. Then the Bengals drafted Andre Smith, known more for his bulldozer run blocking than his suspect pass blocking. Then the Bengals replaced the departed Eric Ghiaciuc with strong man Kyle Cook. Marvin was adamant, they were going to run the ball no matter what. And they did.
Cincinnati Bengals:
- 4th in rushing attempts.
- 9th in rushing yards.
- 27th in passing attempts.
- 26th in passing yards.
- 16th in passing touchdowns.
- 7th in rushing yards allowed.
- 6th in passing yards allowed.
- 4th in total yardage allowed.
Then Bengals are almost the polar opposite of the Colts and significantly behind the Saints in the passing realm. So after dedicating an entire offseason to making sure they can run the ball and stop the run I can honestly say that they were succesful. But what is their prize? An early exit from the playoffs!
Chicks dig the long ball. And so do Super Bowl teams apparently. The biggest differences in these three teams involve the passing game. Guess which two teams lead the league in yards per play? You guessed it, the Colts and Saints. Each were over 6 yards per play. The Bengals were at a measly 4.9, good for 24th in the league. Uh-oh, time for more breakdown…
Colts:
- 6.2 yards per play (1st)
- 7.8 yards per pass attempt (4th)
- 11.5 yards per completion (9th)
Saints:
- 6.1 yards per play (2nd)
- 7.9 yards per pass attempt (2nd)
- 11.4 yards per completion (10th)
Bengals:
- 4.9 yards per play (24th)
- 5.8 yards per pass attempt (23rd)
- 9.9 yards per completion (26th)
Ouch. The Bengals were forced to dink and dunk in the passing game all year and it hurt them. Teams knew they could cheat on the Bengals because they had no one that was truly a deep threat anymore. And it wasn’t just the play calling, Carson and the receivers had a BAD year. Dan Coats had 6 dropped passes all on his own, of course that begs the question why even throw to ‘ol cement hands?
I wish you COULD go longer.
And Carson is not without blame. He was about as accurate as your local weatherman. If his passes weren’t high, they were low, if they weren’t low they were exposing his receivers ribs. Palmer was all over the place like a kid with ADHD that just left a candy store. Carson was supposed to be Cincinnati’s Peyton Manning. He was a first over all pick and he was a legit Heisman winner. His second season as a starter he was lighting teams up. The ceiling was high. Two injuries later he leaves this Bengals fan wondering if he can still be THAT guy.
I’m a quarterback guy and I am starting to lose faith. This was supposed to be his year. He said that his knee was fine, his elbow was fine, Chad was in the best shape of his life, Chris Henry has stayed out of trouble, Caldwell and Simpson were out in Cali to work with Palmer, and sure handed Coles was brought in to replace TJ. This was the year they would return to 2005 form, right?
Not so much. As the Colts and Saints proved passing is important and key to winning. The Bengals would be wise to take notes. Do they need to completely reverse course again? No, but strive to be more like the Saints, more balance. Of course that might require drafting a top flight wide receiver to go down field, which means it might take a couple years to get there.
The defense is finally there, the running game is there, special teams is getting there, but the passing game has been in steady decline for three years and it needs to be turned around. Either through scheming, free agency, or drafting, or all three. Either way, Palmer and company need an exorcism.
Bill Meinhardt said
2009 had an ugly feel all season long. Consider the Denver loss in week one and then sitting 7-2 after week 10. Forget the death of Chris Henry for a moment, what happened to Andre Caldwell after week 10. I’m not the stat guy but I think he virtually disappeared. With no supporting cast, yes I mean you Laverneas I could (with Revis help) keep Chad from 50 yards receiving.
How bad are the other tight ends out in free agency or the waiver wire to have to keep D. Coates.
This years draft must include a speed receiver and a tight end but we can’t ignore the defense like we normally do.
Will the real Carson Palmer please stand up…his best days may be behind him. I say give him one more year to prove he still has it.
George Herron said
2009 turned out well considering it started in the shadow of the “Hard Knocks Curse.” It’s real, google it.
All joking a side though 2009 started for me at training camp. Zimmer was the only one that impressed me down there. Well, I guess Chad did, he was there and he was treating it with seriousness. To be at the practice where they lost Utect, and of course Kelly was already done I knew we would be in trouble at TE. I was staring at a 8-8 ball team.
So this team was a surprise to me. Surprise that they finally figured out out to win in the division. But yet are probably years away from figuring out what it takes to win in the entire NFL.
I think that part of why Caldwell disappeared was because Palmer couldn’t trust him. A combination of drops, fumbles and in consistent route running. Which segways nicely to my next point. Part is because this is still only his second year, most receivers don’t “get there” until their third year. Another year of going out to California and working out with Palmer might help him get to that “get there” moment.
Coles was a waste. Created in part because of not being able to count on Chris Henry to be there a full year. And in part because You had two 2nd year receivers one of which has been a complete bust as the next two in line. So the Bengals needed someone experienced, they wanted Coles to fit in so bad they even tried playing him off as an upgrade over TJ for the same price.
So, yeah receiver should be pretty high on their shopping list. Don’t rule free agency out. Whoa, damn Bill I just about started looking up names and stats. I will save that for a future post…so stay tuned.
I love how I bribe my readers and hold them hostage.
I would prefer a free agent tight end. One, I would like to see if they can develop Chase, I know he can be a weapon, they just have to figure out how. Get a who can block and catch about 5 balls a game.
We have no choice but to give Palmer 5 more years. And you KNOW Mike isn’t going to get his moneys worth on that deal. I have no idea what is wrong with Palmer at this point. He swears he isn’t hurt, yet some of his mechanics say otherwise. I can’t blame it on young receivers because look at what Peyton has done with two rookies. I know Peyton is Peyton, but that is what Carson was being billed as. That is expecting a bit much, but I know he is better than what he looked like this year.