Andy Lyons - Getty Images
5 months ago: CINCINNATI, OH - JANUARY 01: A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals is tackled by Ed Reed #20 of the Baltimore Ravens during the NFL game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 1, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Exciting is not a big enough word to describe what watching A.J. Green has been like in his rookie season as the Bengals No. 1 receiver. Green has been incredible as he's broken the franchise's rookie receiving record and become the first 1,000-yard rookie receiver since 2006. He is one of the biggest factors that Andy Dalton has found success in the NFL and he's one of the biggest reasons the Bengals are in the playoffs.
Having said that, since Green suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15, he has been a non factor. In Week 16 he caught two passes for 25 yards and in Week 17 he caught two passes for 26 yards. If the Bengals want to win in the playoffs for the first time since 1990, Green is going to have to be a bigger factor in the offense.
Before I go any farther, understand that I'm not saying that Green was bad in the last two weeks or that he is inconsistent. All I'm saying is that he needs to have more than two catches for 25 yards if the Bengals are going to win. It's possible that his shoulder injury held him back or that defenses are double and maybe even triple teaming him or it was a combination of them both.
Hopefully Green is healthier now than he was in Week 16 and 17, if that is what held him back. If he is at 100 percent even a corner as good as Johnathan Joseph, who has had an outstanding year, will have trouble holding him back. And, if he's 100 percent healthy, they will have to focus a lot of attention on stopping him, which opens up the field for guys like Jermaine Gresham, Jerome Simpson and Andrew Hawkins.
Green's ability to make plays goes hand in hand with the Bengals ability to win games. This game is very winnable for the Bengals and if they want a shot at the Patriots and a possible shot at the AFC Championship game, Green needs to do what Green has done throughout most of the season: be unstoppable.
0 recs | 37 comments
gresham needs to be a bigger factor
leonard too
palewook - January 5, 2012
The last 3 weeks
Gruden has been using Gresh like he should be used…..hopefully that will continue. I’m not worried about AJ
Helmsy - January 5, 2012
Air it out to Green right away. In the red zone, Leonard and Gresham. If Green is the playmaker in the first half, the Texans will have to shut him down, opening up the field for everyone else.
Dorey15 - January 5, 2012
Gresh is great when he doesnt fumble on a game winning drive
ticalcaldwell - January 5, 2012
+1
Banana Jamma - January 5, 2012
Even tho green hasn't been putting up great numbers
he still has beat the CB enough to draw P.I. that changed field position
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
But how amazing would it be for him to destroy Joseph?
Dorey15 - January 5, 2012
Would be awesome.........but even if he doesn't make the catch.......
there’s always a good chance for PI (especially on the long balls) since few have the speed to keep up with AJ on the deep post, fly, or double move. He doesn’t always have to make the catch to still be effective, illegal contacts or PI’s can be just as effective.
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
it would be amazing!
I can’t wait till he has his break out game like Calvin johnson had last week!
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
That's the reason I believe we can pull some upsets.......
you have some weapons like we do that catch fire in the playoffs and who know’s? Dalton, Green, Gresham…….all of the above?
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
very true
i remembering a few years back when I thought Chad Johnson was the best WR in the league and i tried to look for his highlight video but he really didn’t have a great one out… then I started to look at other WR highlights and thats when I found Randy Moss’s high lights… And Randy Moss left me speachless after watching a few. All I kept think was, I wish we had some one like Moss…. ..
And now we do! And it seems like AJ has all the talent Moss had but just a better demeanor about him….
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
Am with you........
and our offense hasn’t really been in sync lately. Which worries me, but you could look at it “glass half full” and say we’re due for a huge game too. Who knows at this point, but it’s definitely a possibility. We just have to give our playmakers chances to make the routine and sometimes the spectacular plays. If we don’t, then why did we draft them (Gresham)? Get those guys involved early and often and just use Benson/Scott/Leonard as a change of pace. That’s about all he’s worth now anyways.
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
i agree that gresh needs to be targeted like he was against baltimore, but his numbers are pretty good
considering we are the bengals and don’t really use our TE’s the last 6 or so years. And he has missed 3 and half games… but yea Green and Gresh should be close to a 100yrds every game or at least one of the two because you can’t double both.
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
Agree, I like targeting Simpson early too........
if he doesn’t make any plays early, that’s when he tends to pull his “Casper” routine. I like the screens and reverses to him to get him involved. Then all of a sudden he’s getting open and making plays. Some guys are like that I guess. That’s why I think he normally has a big game or nothing at all.
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
yea that would be good too! I think we almost have all the pieces to have a dynomite offense
just need a RB thats faster and can catch out of the back field and stud OG
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
Yep, add a CB and S in there and we're pretty much set.
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
Got to get Simpson in the game!
He’ll be up against Jackson and they should!
Dwight Carter - January 5, 2012
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO STEP UP.
ANDY Especially. He hasn’t thrown an interception since the first Ravens game which is impressive but I’m watching the great QB’s (Bree’s, Rodgers, Eli, Brady) they take chances and when they do their WR’s reward them. Think of some of the chances Dalton took this year lobbin it up to Greene, Gresham, and Simpson they went up and got it! The super conservative play of taking what the defense gives you is cool but it’s not going to win these games. Everyone has to take there game to another level… IMO
Dwight Carter - January 5, 2012
+100000000000
NCWhoDey1987 - January 5, 2012
Agreed........
playing ultra conservative will just get you a slow death. He has the confidence in Green and even Simpson to make the athletic plays (see Green’s catch against Cleveland and Simpson’s catch in the end zone against Houston last time). We have to take some shots because Houston’s going to be tough to grind it out against. We need a few “easy” scores (aka – Andy lob a 30 yarder jump ball up to Green and let him go to work).
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
I think a lot of the offensive problems have been partly because of horrible short yardage runs and penalties that kill the momentum in the game
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
Penalties
Penalties have torched us this year. Particularly false starts. Which bows my mind. One could argue a false start cost us the first Houston game. (4th and 1 with 2 min to play and we were going for it before the false start.)
dlittle58 - January 5, 2012
Its funny b/c they've killed the Bengals in the second half of the season
In the first half, save for a couple of key penalties, the Bengals played relatively mistake free football. It was refreshing after the years of continual false start penalties. Then, it seemed to begin again rather suddenly as the Bengals turned the corner to the second half of the season. If the Bengals can limit the penalties on Saturday I think they’ll have a good shot.
WOOD98 - January 6, 2012
here here
ticalcaldwell - January 5, 2012
Agree, is going to be loud in the dome too at Houston and first playoff game.
Going to have to be ready for silent counts, etc.
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
I don't really mind ints in certain situations. 3rd and long on your own 30
Air it out deep and give AJ or Gresh a chance. If it is intercepted it is as god as a punt and they know you wil do it. There were several great plays that were risky throws where AJ had to go up and get it. Healthy he did it. His injuries don’t allow him to do quite what he did.
My problem is that I don’t see our WRs getting open like WRs against our D. Our guys always seem to have to make great catches in tight coverage too much. It is the play calling or the routes being too predictable or are our #3 & #4 guys just not able to get open. I think Jay needs to bring a different girl to the dance. There is a lot of film on the Dalton, Green and Gresham combo. I think we need 4-6 newly designed plays that nobody has seen before from us.
We also seem to have almost deserted the screen pass and the play action pass. We often get burned by them on D but we don’t seem to be able to dump it off to the RB or Slot guy and get YAC. It was a big part of our O that has seemingly fallen off.
JUNGLEJOHN - January 5, 2012
They have either came thru on third and longs.
Gresham against the Colts catch when he ran a post for example. First things first though the offense has to get on Houston’s side of the field which will take a team effort.
Dwight Carter - January 5, 2012
I watched the game on NFL replay last night. I perceived it much differently than I did when I watched it live.
The conclusion I came up with was that the Texans are a very strange team. The were very fortunate not to be blown ouut in that game. Their pass prush was very forceful. Dalton was pressured often and he was throwing to receivers who were seldom clear of a defender. On offense they used the screen very effectively, setting it up so that there were frequently 3-4 linemen and RBs leading the ball carrier around the corned for 6-8 yards a pop. Many ot their passes were to pretty wide open receivers.
Two key plays stuck with me. First of all Malaluga can be a real beast. He stoned their RB on about the 4 yd line and took the ball away. It was a hell of a play. I see AlPro consideration for him next year. The other was a near interception by Joseph where the ball hit him in both hands and, customarily, he muffed it. If either of those two plays had gone the other way we aren’t even in the game.
So what is strange about the Texans as I first proposed? How did this team lose every game since that 1 pt. win to very beatable opponents. IMO, they appeared to be the clearly better team when I watched last night without the exceitment of the moment with which I watched it live. When I watched it live I came away with the perception that they got lucky and eeked out the win. From what i saw last night we were lucky to heve been in the game. Our screens were not set up well. The play action didn’t fool anyone. Our WRs were contested on almost every reception. Dalton was cool, but he had people in his face all day. The question is, is this just my perception or is it reality. With Johnson back we really could be in trouble, if he is in condition to play his game.
JUNGLEJOHN - January 6, 2012
Oops, meant to say we were lucky not to be blown out.
JUNGLEJOHN - January 6, 2012
I think it's Simpson and Gresham who have to step it up
AJ is going to be double teamed all day. Simpson should be able to get open a lot if only he would not show up in someone elses route. Gresham has to be worked in on specific plays because they depend on him for blocking.
featherman - January 5, 2012
This team is a powder keg
I’ve been waiting for it to blow all season. I look for them to move around AJ all game to find a favorable match up and get him away from JJ. When he does bombs away! If AJ is blanketed the someone will be open. It’s the run game that I’m worried about. If we can get some consistent runs out of Benson and Scott then it’s lights out for Houston.
Bigcatdaddy - January 5, 2012 via Android app
Benson/Scott/Leonard have to show up.......
that’s what worries me. We may have to throw in order to setup the run early, but whatever it takes. Play action early to open it up…….
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
i really thought the cardinals game was going to be the game where we blew up
2nd half was horrible
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
Thought same thing.......
first half was setting up for some big scores and then………thud! Or should I say, we got too comfy in our “Prevent-Us from Winning” defense.
The Van Buren Boys - January 5, 2012
and fumbles
AMAS85 - January 5, 2012
Yeah, I did too!
The defense and special teams setup those points for us against the Cards in the first half. And they still left points out there with tthe 2 missed field goals!
Dwight Carter - January 5, 2012
Conservative
Isn’t an adjective that is acceptable in the playoffs. When its win or go home, you be aggressive, you let the chains off of Dalton and you let him air it out… Benson sure as heck ain’t gonna get the job done
Banana Jamma - January 5, 2012
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Cincy Jungle to post a comment.