Post-Game Thread Game 7 Final Score: Bengals 31 - Titans 20

The only player on defense performing up to par is Simmons. Every other player has regressed in some form this season. That's a reflection on coaching, IMO.

Last week, the Steelers abused the defense during the first half when Vrabel had the corners play off and rushed three. The Steelers dink and dunked their way to a 20 point third quarter lead. To give Vrabel and Co. credit, they adjusted a bit, had the corners play closer to the line and had brought pressure more frequently. But that lesson didn't last long.

Today the Bengals had a makeshift OL. You would think that this would be the game where Vrabel and Bowen would dial up some pressure/blitzes. Nope. They went right back to soft coverage and 3/4 man pressures and never got off of that even with the game getting out of hand. The Bengals in turn did nothing but run the same offensive gameplan the Steelers did last week and the Titans never adjusted. Quick passes and have their receivers get YAC and take the occasional intermediate shot when the Titans are in zone. That's piss poor coaching and scheming and is a direct result of having a head coach trying to play defensive coordinator with another coach (bowen) whose only accomplishment has been to follow Vrabel around wherever he has coached. Vrabel was a horrific DC in Houston and nothing has changed. Vrabel and Bowen trying to be a DC is the biggest failure of the season. Allowing teams to convert over 60% of the third down is historically embarrassing.

Will Adoree returning help? I'm sure it will to some extent, but only if Adoree returning leads to Vrabel thinking he can play the corners closer to the line and bringing more pressure. If Vrabel and Co. continue to play this soft crap, the results will be the same. Adoree is not some shut down corner who will dramatically make the defense better on his own.

 

They had 4 of 5 OL starters and their #1 RB out, and couldn't get 1 sack....

 

The Humphries hit still pisses me off, considering Cincy got a TD from a lesser hit..it's ridiculous how biased refs are..there's no denying it

 

That DPI on the Brown INT was an embarrassment for yellow flags. Even they hide when they play is replayed.

 

When a 1 win team can all out dominate the defense with a makeshift O-line , rookie QB and HC. The writing is on the wall.
No I'm not being overly dramatic, this is a copy cat league and every team will be doing the same. Most fans can already see this team going 5-6. Mostly because there is no way the offense can be perfect every game , to make up for the weekly special teams gaff and the historically atrocious defense.
I want , more than anything to be proven wrong but my gut says this team will be 5-6 ...

 

Even Ben DiNucci would hang 30 points on this putrid defense.

 

I mentioned in the pregame thread how it would be criminal if we lined up in a soft shell giving 7-8 yard cushions for the WRs and that’s exactly what we did.

in the context of their OL being depleted and our defense getting shredded with that approach in the first half against the Steelers, this is mind numbingly bad coaching.

I’d rather we were beaten with throws over the top than watch us bleed to death with 10-12 yard gains underneath on 2nd / 3rd and long.

At one point the Bengals drive chart went TD, TD, punt, TD, TD...

 

easy with that talk- lot of folks here fervent that JRob is the infallible Midas of GMs and not just slightly above average.

 

So, shared blame between JR and Vrabel for: 1) not adequately replacing position coaches with same or better skills and 2) No DC. We clearly overestimated Clowney and Beasley who view Tennessee is a short term stay and are not buying into our culture.

 

https://atozsportsnashville.com/tennessee-titans-jon-robinson-and-mike-vrabel-must-take-some-kind-of-action/?fbclid=IwAR2Hp_qH_ygLnwNSAlAp23j9Sx0qvoSHNRWgsPd4IylEs07CYD9PBRi2Plc

I mean, probably won’t really get noticed as a credible source or any changes, but at least he’s calling out what everyone (fans) sees.