{"id":116304,"date":"2021-06-11T08:05:45","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T12:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=116304"},"modified":"2021-06-11T08:05:45","modified_gmt":"2021-06-11T12:05:45","slug":"cincinnati-bengals-offensive-line-the-big-lie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/06\/11\/cincinnati-bengals-offensive-line-the-big-lie\/","title":{"rendered":"Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line – The Big Lie"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Big Lie is inevitable.\u00a0 It is everywhere you look.\u00a0 TV, radio, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook, bars, local hangouts, and everywhere else people consume news.\u00a0 The Big Lie has split people into two sides.\u00a0 There is no in-between.\u00a0 Either you are a believer and supporter of the Big Lie, or you rage against it to support the truth.\u00a0 The Big Lie isn\u2019t politics.\u00a0 The Big Lie is that the Cincinnati Bengals have not done enough to improve their offensive line to protect Joe Burrow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The national sports media and fans of other teams want you to believe that the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line is endangering the life of their 2020 #1 draft pick, quarterback Joe Burrow.\u00a0 It is true that last season Burrow took a nasty high low shot against the Washington Football Team<\/a> that ended his rookie season early.\u00a0 The narrative says that the Bengals had put together an offensive line on the cheap, and they were carelessly going to do the same thing in 2021.\u00a0 The story is that unless the Bengals drafted the \u201cgenerational talent\u201d Penei Sewell to be their left or right tackle, they weren’t doing enough.<\/p>\n

The Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line Will be Much Better in 2021<\/strong><\/h2>\n

2020’s Disaster<\/h3>\n

It is true that the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line was bad in 2020.\u00a0 Even then, it was still an accidental fall by one of the WFT rushers that actually injured Burrow.\u00a0 It was a fluke play, but it was a play that was exacerbated by the bad play of Bobby Hart and Michael Jordan.\u00a0 In fact, the Bengals offensive line was responsible for 23 sacks last season according to Pro Football Focus.\u00a0 17 of those sacks were attributed to Hart, Jordan, and Alex Redmond.<\/p>\n

A deeper look shows that the Offensive Line Coach for 2020 was Jim Turner.\u00a0 He bragged about teaching a two-handed technique on the offensive line while singing the praises of the much-maligned Bobby Hart.\u00a0 Turner was a curious choice from the start for new head coach Zac Taylor, as the previous OL Coach Frank Pollack was well-respected across the league.\u00a0 Pollack\u2019s offensive line was respectable despite dealing with some questionable personnel choices by the team during his tenure.\u00a0 Turner couldn\u2019t do the same thing during his time.\u00a0 The offensive line underperformed, and Burrow\u2019s injuries can be linked to the terrible coaching style of Jim Turner.<\/p>\n

2021 Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So what have the Bengals actually done to solve these problems?\u00a0 Bobby Hart has been cut.\u00a0 His replacement is free agent Riley Reiff<\/a> from the Minnesota Vikings.\u00a0 In Reiff\u2019s past 1000 passing snaps, he has given up one sack.\u00a0 Michael Jordan is currently third string on the offensive line thanks to the return of Quentin Spain, a healthy return for Xavier Su\u2019a-Filo, and the presence of third-round draft pick Jackson Carman.\u00a0 Alex Redmond?\u00a0 He has signed to be a practice body for the New England Patriots.\u00a0 This is a huge upgrade for the team.\u00a0 Add that with the return of Trey Hopkins and Jonah Williams<\/a>, and you have at worst a decent offensive line in terms of talent.<\/p>\n

Add to the talent upgrade the return of offensive line coach Frank Pollack.\u00a0 He is bringing back his two-handed coaching technique that is praised by experts such as (should be Hall of Famer) Willie Anderson and past offensive line coach Paul Alexander.\u00a0 Coach Pollack will boost up the talent, and he can be trusted to bring out the best in Carman, Billy Price<\/a>, and the rest of the squad.<\/p>\n

Sewell vs Chase<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That leaves the other portion of the Big Lie.\u00a0 Was it malpractice not to draft Penei Sewell?\u00a0 By all accounts, Sewell will be a great offensive tackle in the NFL.\u00a0 That ignores the fact that Jonah Williams was drafted at the same position just 2 years ago.\u00a0 Williams has missed some time due to injuries in his two seasons, but his play is ranked well for left tackles across the league.\u00a0 Previously mentioned Riley Reiff was signed to take over the right tackle position.\u00a0 Where would Sewell fit?\u00a0 He said in pre-draft interviews that he would be willing to switch to guard to learn in the NFL.\u00a0 Still, the Bengals passed on him.\u00a0 Oddly enough, the Miami Dolphins (who picked directly after the Bengals) also passed on Sewell.\u00a0 Pro Football Focus ranked the Dolphins as having a weaker offensive line than the Bengals last season.\u00a0 Why would two teams that were \u201cdesperate\u201d for offensive line help pass on a \u201cgenerational talent?\u201d\u00a0 Finally, the Detroit Lions picked this \u201ccan\u2019t miss\u201d pick to start at right tackle which is not his traditional position.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Bengals picked the top wide receiver in the draft.\u00a0 Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Joe Burrow lit up the SEC and all of NCAA football in 2019 en route to the National Championship.\u00a0 Chase had 1780 yards and 20 touchdowns in his junior season at LSU, and he is now reunited with Burrow.\u00a0 He joins last year\u2019s draft steal Tee Higgins<\/a> and Tyler Boyd<\/a> to form one of the deadliest wide receiver trios in the league.\u00a0 Chase also replaces A.J. Green who had been injured and lost a couple steps over the past 3 seasons.\u00a0 Chase should be able to pick up Green\u2019s 100 targets from last season and make magic with Burrow again.<\/p>\n

The Bengals could have taken Sewell and then they would have to take a far lesser talent at wide receiver to replace A.J. Green in the second round of the draft.\u00a0 They took Chase, which allowed the Bengals to draft the second highest ranked offensive guard in Jackson Carman in the second round.\u00a0 Right guard is where the Bengals weakness truly was last season on the line.\u00a0 The Bengals are set at wide receiver and offensive line to start the season.<\/p>\n

Trending Up<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Expect the Bengals to shock the national media and opposing fan bases this season.\u00a0 The local media knows the Bengals have made these improvements, and the fans who are paying attention are excited to see the results.\u00a0 There are some ifs, but it would not be a surprise to see the Bengals win their first playoff game since the 80\u2019s this season.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>