A few hours after a Thursday night loss to the Texans left them 0-2 last season
Vincent Rey Jersey , the Bengals made a decision that amounted to reversing field. They fired coordinator Ken Zampese and elevated Bill Lazor to interim
leader of the offense.One year later, the offense is a whole lot different.
Following Lazor's new script — and an overhauled offensive line — the Bengals
are 2-0 with their 34-23 win over AFC North rival Baltimore on Thursday night.
Andy Dalton threw four touchdown passes, and the Bengals became the first team
to score at least 34 points in their first two games since the 2013 Broncos,
according to ESPN Stats & Info.Those Broncos went to the Super Bowl and lost
to Seattle. These Bengals are getting accustomed to being in first place in
their division."I'm loving it, and I'm sure everyone else is loving it," said
Tyler Boyd, who had a 14-yard touchdown catch .The offense suffered its first
notable injuries on Thursday night. Running back Joe Mixon hurt his right knee
in the first quarter and was in-and-out of the game. His agent, Peter Schaffer,
said Friday that Mixon will have a procedure to remove a loose particle from the
knee and will be back "in less than two weeks."Mixon finished with 84 yards
rushing and one catch for 3 yards. Mixon said the knee felt "weird" and was
sore, but he decided to return to the game.Otherwise, the Bengals were feeling
good coming off their second straight impressive win set up by the offense's
turnaround from a year ago.Cincinnati had its streak of five straight playoff
appearances broken in 2016, and got off to an 0-3 start last year that led to
another losing record. Marvin Lewis received a two-year extension
Boomer Esiason Jersey , but there were changes in the rest of the coaching staff.Lazor was elevated from interim coordinator and spent the offseason
rewriting the playbook. In the first two games, he's leaned more heavily on
Mixon both as a runner and receiver. He's moved Dalton out of the pocket on
misdirection plays. And he's put the emphasis on going for big plays, something
that was missing last year.Dalton has looked very comfortable in the new
schemes. He's completed 64 percent of his throws with six touchdowns, one
interception, two sacks and a passer rating of 108.5. Lazor's approach allows
him to do what he does best: get rid of the ball quickly in a fast-paced, West
Coast offense.So far, he looks more like he did in 2015, when he led the AFC
with a 106.3 passer rating."The way Bill is calling it and what we're doing has
been great," Dalton said. "We can spread the ball around and get a lot of guys
involved. I think that's where this offense is fortunate."An upgraded line has
made it possible. The line was a huge problem last season, unable to open holes
for the running game or give Dalton time. With four new starters, the line has
allowed only two sacks — none against the Ravens — and provided some lanes for
Mixon, who is averaging 4.7 yards per carry.Last year
Anthony Munoz Jersey , the offense failed to score a touchdown while losing the first two games to Baltimore and Houston, putting their season on a bad
course."Those two games defined us as a team," said receiver A.J. Green, who had
a career-high three touchdown catches on Thursday, all in the first half.Some
players think the 2-0 start could come to define this year's team. The Bengals
are 2-0 for only the fifth time in Lewis' 16 seasons. The last time was 2015,
when they won the division title and suffered a first-round playoff meltdown
against Pittsburgh at Paul Brown Stadium."Yep, we're 2-0!" cornerback Dre
Kirkpatrick said. "Yeah, we're special."PRICE, JOHNSON EXPECTED BACKRookie
center Billy Price strained his right foot when it was stepped on in the first
quarter. Defensive end Michael Johnson hurt his left knee and missed the last
three quarters. Lewis said Friday that neither injury is severe.DANCING TO THE
MUSICKirkpatrick hosted a pregame party at a nursing home in suburban Loveland.
Video of 95-year-old Irma Shafer dancing with Kirkpatrick was shared on social
media and became a popular tweet among Bengals fans after the win over
Baltimore. The Bengals’ search for a defensive coordinator remains ongoing, and
there appears to be a new favorite to land the position.The University of
Florida Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has been requested for an
interview by Cincinnati, per Will Sammon.Sometime last week, the Bengals
interviewed Aubrey Pleasant
Preston Brown Jersey , the Los Angeles Rams’ cornerbacks coach, for the same position. According to Sammon’s sources, Grantham is the favorite to get the
job.Grantham has been Florida’s defensive coordinator since 2017. Last May,
Grantham signed a three-year contract worth $4.47 million. That deal made him
the highest paid assistant coach in school history and one of the highest paid
assistants in the country.After graduating from Virginia Tech, Grantham has
spent nearly 30 years coaching at the college and professional level. He comes
from several coaching trees such as Nick Saban, Romeo Crennel and Wade Phillips.
Before his one year in Florida, he was the defensive coordinator for Mississippi
State, where he coached with Florida’s head coach Dan Mullen. He was also
Louisville and Georgia’s defensive coordinator prior to working under
Mullen.Grantham’s last gig in the NFL was as the defensive line coach for the
Cowboys under Phillips. In the three years before that, he was the defensive
coordinator for the Browns. That was his first and last defensive coordinator
job in the NFL, unless he impresses the Bengals with his pending
interview.
