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Change a Comin’: Bengals’ OC Looks to Shake Up Play Calling
Published: May 28, 2009
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Perhaps President Barack Obama’s promise of change influenced Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski to shake up the Bengals’ playbook this season, but probably not.
Bratkowski is most likely changing the face of his offense because it became stagnant. Too many defensive coordinators figured out that if you take the passing game away from the Bengals, you can take the offense away from them too.
The grip it, rip it, and forget about the running game era appears to be over. With a revamped, younger offensive line, a new fullback, and a new possession receiver to keep linebackers and defensive backs honest, it looks like the Bengals are going to commit to the run.
Fans of the NFL will finally be able to see if Cedric Benson can be the player that many thought he could be when he was drafted out of the University of Texas by the Bears. He rushed for 747 yards last season on 214 attempts, the most he’s ever had in a season. He’s never had a 1,000 yards rushing before either, but if he can attain that milestone, it could indicate that Bratkowski’s new game plan is working.
If Benson has a 1,000 yard season, it means defenses have to respect the running game, which means the Bengals can run play action until they’re blue in the face. When healthy, Carson Palmer is an elite quarterback, and he will make defenses pay that bite on play action fakes.
Bratkowski will also have some other options to depend on when Benson needs rest. It will be interesting to see how Bratkowski uses Brian Leonard. Leonard is expected to get a lot of playing time on third downs because he is considered a good blocker and a capable runner. Bratkowski could call for two back sets featuring Leonard with the thinking being that defenses won’t be able to tell if he’s in the game to run, block, or go out for pass.
If Bratkowski uses Leonard and Benson to pound the ball inside the tackles, he could use DeDe Dorsey as a change-of-pace back who can bounce the ball outside.
Running effectively is also important in case Palmer gets injured again. When Palmer got hurt last year, it’s a good bet that Bratkowski had to scrap a lot of his plays because Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t capable of making the throws that Palmer could. With a run first offense, it will be easier for Palmer’s back up, most likely J.T. O’Sullivan, to manage the game.
When Bratkowski does decide to have Palmer throw, Palmer will have play-making receivers to throw to.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh is gone, but the Bengals replaced him with the reliable Laveranues Coles. Coles will run the disciplined routes and make the quiet catches that Houshmandzadeh was famous for while Chris Henry goes deep and Chad Ochochicno does what he does best, be Ochocinco.
It’s likely that Bratkowski won’t forget Palmer is his quarterback and may try to light it up down field every now and then by calling some five-receiver sets. Look for Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell to fill out the receiver positions. Caldwell and Simpson worked with Palmer during the off season and it will be interesting to see if any off-season chemistry translates onto the field.
If running first works, look for the Bengals to make a playoff appearance.If it doesn’t, Bratkowski may be looking for a new job.
