BENGALS OFFENSE V. CHARGERS DEFENSE

• Gregory was again the nickel corner for the Chargers, aligned inside over the slot; Cooper and Dobbins were the nickel LBs, and Oliver replaced Ellison at S
• Merriman, Phillips and English rotated at OLB in the base 3-4, and DE in the nickel package
• Ellison an effective box safety; The closer to the line of scrimmage he is, the more valuable is – In some ways, he’s a glorified LB
• Bengals continued to utilize 6 OL and unbalanced OL concepts
• Ochocinco 49 yd TD came out of 6 OL personnel versus Chargers 8 in the box, single high safety; Ochocinco out-and-up versus Cromartie
• If you can dictate 8 in the box, single high safety looks with personnel and formation, you can attack and break down Jammer on the perimeter
• Rookie Smith played snaps at RT, predominantly in the 6 OL personnel package
• Bengals pass game more proactive in this game, They threw the ball more although there were a number of snaps in which they threw with 6 OL personnel on the field
• In normal down and distance situations, against Cincinnati’s base personnel, the Chargers predominantly played with 8 in the box and a single high safety – They were clearly defending the run first
• In long yardage situations, the Chargers almost always played out of a 2 deep shell
• Chargers main problem is a lack of a consistent pass rush, even when they blitz
• 6 OL clearly a staple of the Bengals offense, I wonder if they utilize that so frequently because they do not have a viable receiving TE
• While the Bengals threw more, they still were limited from a personnel and formation standpoint
• Cosby became a factor as the inside slot receiver in 3×1 sets, He has some quickness to work the middle of the field
• Ochocinco not targeted very much in this game, Chargers clearly played coverage to take him away depending on his location in the formation

CHARGERS OFFENSE V. BENGALS DEFENSE

• Chargers a vertical passing offense, Their route combinations consistently stretch the field both on the perimeter and in the middle seams, They push everything up the field
• Chargers offense mostly static from a personnel and formation standpoint, It’s not an offense built on a lot of pre snap movement with shifts and motions
• Trent was the Bengals nickel corner aligned inside over the slot
• Nelson again started at S for the inactive Crocker
• M. Johnson a movable chess piece for the Bengals defense, A “Joker” utilized predominantly in their nickel package
• Bengals consistently challenge the “A” gap out of their nickel package, Must be prepared to account for inside pressure versus the Bengals nickel defense
• Bengals predominantly blitz out of their nickel package, They are particularly difficult on 3^rd down
• Bengals at times doubled Gates in 3^rd down long yardage situations; They were very comfortable with corners Hall and Joseph playing man coverage against Jackson, Floyd and Naanee
• Rivers first interception came against “cover zero” blitz, Ndukwe got in clean and drilled Rivers as he threw – Classic case of pressure causing a poor throw, Jackson ran right by Hall and was wide open on a deep post
• Gates looked very athletic and laterally quick, He looked like a big man with the feet of a much smaller man
• Jackson 21 yd TD, Jackson and Gates aligned on the same side, S Ndukwe played over Gates – Bengals coverage concept was man-to-man on the outside with Hall on Jackson and Joseph on Floyd, Zone double team concept on Gates with Ndukwe funneling Gates inside to deep safety Nelson; Great post / corner route by Jackson
• Bengals clearly put a heavy burden on corners Hall and Joseph, They expect a lot out of them in coverage
• Tomlinson still showed short area quickness, but he no longer has burst and acceleration; He can’t create space for himself out of confined areas anymore
• Jackson 34 yd TD was a coverage mistake by the Bengals: Hall played on the outside as if it was “cover 2”, allowing Jackson to run by him; S Nelson clearly focused on Gates seam route as part of a double with Jones, so there was no one over the top of Jackson
• T. Johnson very disruptive in this game, Aligned at both NT and “3 technique” and showed a combination of strength and movement
• Rivers really strong in the pocket, He is oblivious to bodies and pressure
• Rivers second interception was just an inaccurate throw to Gates, Gates had easily beaten LB Rivers on a crossing route
• Bengals defense again impressive on film, Very disciplined with excellent play recognition and reaction – They are not a high percentage blitz defense but they challenge offenses with their fronts, their alignments and their aggressive coverage schemes
• Maualuga a high energy player, Needs to become more disciplined in his gap responsibilities in the run game
• On the Floyd 15 yd catch that set up the winning FG, the Bengals rushed 5 off a zone blitz concept; They doubled Gates and played man-to-man with their corners against Jackson and Floyd – Rivers delivered the ball just a split second before blitzing nickel corner Trent got in clean
• Floyd adds another intermediate and vertical dimension to the Chargers pass game: He’s a big, physical and fast receiver with length and hands