Entering the year, the Bengals defensive line looked to be a lot more robust. Although the doubt remained whether they would know how to overcome a few of the deficiencies of last season's team. Let's break down the 3 vital areas as I see things.
The team hardly ever got to the quarterback last year, and when they did, it generally came from the linebacker position.
At some point in the game vs. Denver on Sunday, the team recorded three sacks, all of which came from the defensive unit. DE Antwan Odom had two sacks, including one large one in the 4th quarter, which put Denver beyond field goal position.
Jonathan Fanene was responsible for the other sack.
Presently, I would say the defensive line seems improved in the area of rushing the quarterback, but there is room for much improvement. A lot of that comes from the other DE, Robert Geathers, but his inconsistency continues to be a dilemma.
During training camp, the defensive line seemed like they were going to take it to the next level, with respect to stopping the run. The addition of Tank Johnson was destined to benefit the team in this respect.
For the game against the Broncos, the run defense was fairly ordinary. Nothing stood out, although the defensive line didn't surrender any big plays either. They allowed an average of 3.8 yards per carry and 75 yards.
That is a positive step, from a total yardage angle. If you give up less than 100 yards on the ground, you are giving your team an opportunity to win.
It might be good to see the yards per carry average fall to 3 or less, however. While Tank Johnson saw a fair amount of double coverage, he still made his presence known with 2 tackles and brings a swagger of toughness to this defense.
The team hardly ever got to the quarterback last year, and when they did, it generally came from the linebacker position.
At some point in the game vs. Denver on Sunday, the team recorded three sacks, all of which came from the defensive unit. DE Antwan Odom had two sacks, including one large one in the 4th quarter, which put Denver beyond field goal position.
Jonathan Fanene was responsible for the other sack.
Presently, I would say the defensive line seems improved in the area of rushing the quarterback, but there is room for much improvement. A lot of that comes from the other DE, Robert Geathers, but his inconsistency continues to be a dilemma.
During training camp, the defensive line seemed like they were going to take it to the next level, with respect to stopping the run. The addition of Tank Johnson was destined to benefit the team in this respect.
For the game against the Broncos, the run defense was fairly ordinary. Nothing stood out, although the defensive line didn't surrender any big plays either. They allowed an average of 3.8 yards per carry and 75 yards.
That is a positive step, from a total yardage angle. If you give up less than 100 yards on the ground, you are giving your team an opportunity to win.
It might be good to see the yards per carry average fall to 3 or less, however. While Tank Johnson saw a fair amount of double coverage, he still made his presence known with 2 tackles and brings a swagger of toughness to this defense.
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