{Cough}zone blitzes{coughcough}

The very thing people hate seeing is the thing that will be most likely to disrupt underneath timing routes and quick throws to the hot.

Sorry.

Good post.

They're running the ball really well. And Mixon is back, when he wasn't in our first game. Damien Woody was on Russillo's podcast talking about, yeah, we can't really block you, but we can run on you. I think that is a little over simplified, you still have to execute to run, but it'll be interesting to watch. I've heard a few places that you can run on Buffalo, but it didn't matter until Allen stopped being as productive after the injury.

I'm not in love with our ability to stop the run, but we've been doing better lately. Hopefully Spags can call a good game and not get caught doing too much shit that will get us killed. And it would be nice if Jones would destroy bitches, or if he's double teamed, to win one on one.

I agree that the DL HAS TO win. If we have to sell out to get stops, they're good enough to beat you where you're selling out from.

I think Burrow has definitely added a short game. I can't remember who the hell was talking about it, Romo maybe? He basically said the Brady type short passing game, guys don't just develop that in their 3rd year.

I mean it helps when Jamar Chase is impossible to guard anywhere. But yeah, Burrow is having himself a year.

To me the most important part of the game Sunday is exactly what you just mentioned. Need to get into 3rd and 7+ so that we can actually see if this makeshift offensive line can stand up to our pass rush.

Cincy isn't that much different from us, when they can pick and choose if they want to run or pass its near impossible to defend. Just way too much talent on the offense to defend everything in their arsenal. Both KC and Cincy near the top of 3rd down conversion percentage for good reason. Early weather reports also show a fair amount of wind in the forecast could make each team's passing attack not as crisp either.

Your answer is "tell the rookie DBs to cover 3 very good WRs for 3 seconds"?

That ain't a plan - its a suicide pact.

I know, I know. That's why I think we have to have at least a TD lead late; have to force them out of their balanced attack and make Burrow try to go deep; I think it's the only way to get him to look past those underneath routes, or just run it.

Did you see how Zac manipulated the BUF front by putting Chase in motion and then running behind it? Can't let them get chunks on the ground like that. But our defense isn't really built to repeatedly stop the run, so we have to get them to throw that part of the playbook away in the 2nd half. ANd the underneath stuff. I think it's the only way.

We might get Sneed and McDuffie to hang in there for about 3 seconds, but Watson and the other rook? That would be a bad bet, imo. Has to be another way other than asking rooks to cover for 3+ seconds.

Yeah, unfortunately, they're pretty good throwing deep too. Remember last year Burrow threw like 4 trillion **** it chuck it to Chase passes that were *almost* perfect coverage, and then ran for a billion yards after the catch?

Maybe kharmic justice will swing back and we can pick 3 of those instead.

With the number of batted balls that our D Line has this season, part of me wants to think this is in direct response to Burrow's quick release.

This is the correct answer. If you block enough passes, you've done what you need to do in lieu of getting pressure due to quick release. And for the times it gets through, hope your DB's have blanketed the coverage enough to contest catches. Otherwise, hope that Chris Jones and playoff-Frank are able to get "legal" hit after hit on Burrow as he releases the ball.

We say that a lot but may I ask what it is we lack?

Nnadi and Saunders are big ****ing guys. As is Dunlap. Karlaftis is strong at the point of attack and then of course there's Frank Clark: Elite Edge Setter.

At LBer we have Bolton who's just a damn tackling machine as well as Gay who's speed allows him to flash into a gap, get a guy to commit and then get out of it before the G should be able to get to him.

And the DBs, apart from Thornhill, are all really willing, sound tacklers.

This team SHOULDN'T struggle against the run, at least not from a personnel standpoint. If we want to stop it, we can.

Run defense is about discipline and attitude. This team is MUCH better situated to be stout against the run than, say, the 2019 unit that stoned Derrick Henry.

Just gotta want to...

EDIT: Hell, I forgot about Brandon Williams and that dude is a planet.

Please, Cincy - commit to the running game. Pretty pretty please with sugar on top, take the ball away from your WR corps and ideally 30+ times on Sunday if you could.

This is a game that the refs can really influence....Will they let our young secondary play ball?

Isn't this Spags specialty?

I'm thinking a shit-ton of our success will be how well he does dialing up the scheme. Both sides have dogs. In Spags we trust.

In 3 games we've sacked him once, right? I'm not from Missouri, but show me.

quick throws and 50/50 balls is what I expect unless we cant stop there running game

Spags does love him some zone blitzing, yes.

And everyone loves it when it works, blasts him when it doesn't.

But ultimately you just have to take with the good with the bad and recognize where/why he's got Mike Danna or George Karlaftis out there chasing a RB.