Andy Dalton is getting acclimated with the Cincinnati Bengals' new offense
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He hasn't had to learn so much since his rookie season.
"The way we're going to be calling things, the way we're going to be doing things ??it's all going to be different," Dalton said Monday. "There's not much
that's the same."
The Bengals had one of the worst offenses in franchise history last season, finishing last in the NFL in yards and time of possession and tied for last in
first downs. The rushing game was the worst in club history, averaging 85.4
yards.
Bill Lazor was elevated to offensive coordinator after an 0-2 start, replacing Ken Zampese. He had to stick with the system in place, one that's been
tweaked in the past decade under coordinators Jay Gruden, Hue Jackson and
Zampese. The Bengals decided to keep him as coordinator and gave him more
latitude to make changes in the offseason.
"What we were doing before was basically Jay's offense with the adaptation of Hue ??he put his stuff on it," said Dalton
Myles Garrett Jersey Elite , entering his eighth season. "Then (Zampese) took over and did his thing. Now we're starting from square one. This is all
new."
The redesign is a focus as the Bengals open their offseason activities. They've kept the core of the unit intact, even signing tight end Tyler Eifert to
another deal as he recovers from back surgery. The line was the biggest part of
the problems last season, and the Bengals acquired left tackle Cordy Glenn from
Buffalo as an upgrade.
They're likely to look for more help for the line early in the draft later this month.
The offense was ineffective even though Dalton and receiver A.J. Green were healthy throughout the season. Lazor made subtle changes as the season went
along, but they weren't enough to make much of a difference, given the line's
struggles.
Eifert was one of their biggest questions heading into free agency. The first-round pick from Notre Dame in 2013 has been one of Dalton's favorite
targets when he's not hurt. Eifert played only one game in 2014, eight in 2016
and two last season, when he suffered another back injury and had another
procedure.
He set a club record for tight ends with 13 touchdown catches in 2015, but has only five in the past two seasons combined. The Bengals offered him a
one-year deal loaded with incentives. Eifert said on Monday that his back has
healed and he has few restrictions on his workouts.
He wanted to stay in Cincinnati but wasn't sure whether the Bengals wanted to keep him or move onto someone else, given his history of injuries to his
back
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"I'm obviously in a unique situation with the amount of games I've missed," Eifert said. "With the injuries and everything, I didn't really know what was
going to happen. But this is where I wanted to be and where I want to be
playing."
HAIR, HAIR
Eifert has a new look, letting his curly hair grow into a mullet. He's got the sides cut short to accentuate the back.
"That's what I had in college, the hair out the helmet," Eifert said. "I mean, it's swaggy. It's a good look. I never got hurt in college
Aaron Rodgers Packers Jersey , I had long hair. I'm going to let it go."
MAKING AN IMPRESION
Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett is in a group of more than 40 local players invited for the team's annual workout on Tuesday at Paul Brown Stadium,
hoping to make an impression heading into the draft next week.
Here’s a look at what’s happening around the majors today:
SWING OR MISS?
Many hitters got off to a smashing start in July as Cleveland socked 11 doubles, Baltimore homered four times and the Cubs combined with Minnesota for
21 runs at Wrigley Field on Sunday. Now, we’ll see if the trend continues as the
weather heats up and the balls fly.
June marked the second time in three months that strikeouts exceeded hits in the major leagues, a pattern that had never occurred until this year. About
halfway through the season, there had been 21,090 strikeouts and 20,671
hits.
SLAMMIN’
The Reds try to keep socking grand slams when the White Sox come to Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati leads the majors with nine slams and has already
tied the single-season franchise record set in 2002.
Jose Peraza hit one Sunday, and pitchers Mike Lorenzen and Anthony DeSclafani recently connected. Eight different Reds have hit grand slams – Adam Duvall is
the only player with two.
James Shields
http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-switzer-jersey , who twice has led the league in homers allowed, starts for Chicago.
MOTOWN MEMORIES
Washington ace Max Scherzer (10-4, 2.04 ERA) will face ex-Detroit teammate Rick Porcello (9-3, 3.60 ERA) in a matchup of former Cy Young Award winners when
the Boston Red Sox visit Nationals Park.
HE’S BACK
Shortstop Jorge Polanco is set to rejoin the Twins after serving an 80-game drug suspension. He went 8 for 19 in six rehab games at Triple-A and Class A,
and will report to the big league club for the series opener at Milwaukee. The
24-year-old Polanco was a key contributor last season when the Twins earned an
AL wild-card spot.
SEATTLE SLOW
The Mariners plan to monitor Felix Hernandez and his back stiffness over the next few days. Hernandez pitched five innings Saturday night and earned the
victory over Kansas City, but struggled with back pain and wasn’t able to sit
down in the dugout between innings. The six-time All-Star is 8-6 with a 5.11 ERA
in 18 starts this season.
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