JT,

Based on your twitter exchange with Willie, you’d like to see Hue Jackson as the OC. I agree with you, and have wanted to see a new OC for the past 5 years.

What changes to the offense do you think need to be made and do you see any changes actually being made?

The change in DC’s has demonstrated that when the right man is in charge, good things are evidenced clearly. Despite most of the payroll dedicated to offense, we have seen regression by CP and the receivers. The talents of Chad are not utilized as they should be.

Much has been stated about the inability of the WR’s to get open and the inability of the oline to protect. I say the extreme level of predictability contributes greatly to the lack of success of both of these. The receivers not getting separation is partly their fault and partly on the play design, set up of the play by previous plays, and the routes and timings of the receivers around that receiver. Chad should have been in motion more to help free him up, for one.

The oline is not the level of the Jets line, but there are things that can be done to counter that, i.e. shorter drops, screens and drawplays to slow the rush, misdirections and play action (hard sell) to provide the defense something to think about instead of going downhill everytime.

It is time for the offensive equivalent of Mike Zimmer to be sought and of Chuck Bresnahan to move on. I actually have more excuses on behalf of Bresnahan (injuries) than can be conjured for Bob.

I predicted 11-5, but good season nonetheless. I hope the offseason is fruitful to move to the next level.

Hmmm, I would take the highest rated WR,TE, DE. Which ever comes first. Gonna be hard to get free agents this year with cap issues, but I try to get a pass catching TE in FA and still draft one high. Revamp the position. Revamp WR core. Coles may be gone, Simpson gone, and draft a Golden Tate or a big strong WR. And the DE position has to be seriously evaluated. Is Odom gonna be able to return? Fananae wore down as the starter. Who is other DT with Peko? If its Pat, get him in shape and roll with him. Tank didn’t do much, not a priority. Need another DT. Gotta get rushers all over. Michael Johnson didn’t have the year I expected. FInd a position for him and keep him there till he masters it.

John… Can u give me any hope that Mike Brown will step (and make a PR statement) and make a real run to keep Zimmer? I know it comes down to money and opportunity but the Redskins are a train-wreck and Marvin made a similar jump by going to DC before coming here… Any hope at all? And… Keep up the great work… Great site and insight….

well, crap! That was disappointing. I will say that for the frist time in ages, the fans actually figured out that being loud was their job, and that it wasn’t limited to just when the other team’s O was at the line. Mid-late 3rd Qtr, fans finally figured out to be loud the whole series, resulting in two Jets penalties, and even made noise on the punt (which is where fans previously figured they were supposed to take a break). That was a positive. On the field, lots of positives, but still too many negatives. Coles and Caldwell couldn’t catch a cold at an H1N1 clinic. How does one player fumble twice in one half by doing EXACTLY THE SAME THING with the ball both times??? Why does CP force that ball into Chad for Revis to pick it? Lots of bad throws by CP. Should he have have arm surgery after all? Or is the recovery time just longer than we were led to believe? If this CP is the best we can expect, he’s not the one to lead this team, and its time to start grooming his replacement. If Simpson is gone as you say, JT, why did they not go find a street FA who could maybe have at least gotten on the field and helped???? You worry about Odom, I also worry about Rey, will his ankle injury be a chronic issue that will limit the ceiling on his talent/game? Could we please get a K who can? And maybe while we’re at it, either make sure the same person can consistently put KO’s into the end zone, or consider carrying someone who can? We had way too many opposing drives get started near midfield this season because our kicker sucks. Again injuries hurt us, but we also managaed to get quite a few otherwise backups some seasoning, which will hopefully help next season. Gotta throw out all stops to keep Zimmer, and find a new O Coord. to pick up the pieces; maybe time for a new ST coach too……

There is definitely some talent in the first two rounds of the draft TE wise, hopefully we’ll jump on that.

WR wise, I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Mike Brown takes a look at T.O. this offseason. Or maybe we can work out a TJ for Coles trade

We can always use some more pass rushers, so almost any DE or DT we bring in I’ll be happy with. And maybe it’s just me but if Odom is healthy next season, I think Odom and Fanene should be our starting DE’s.

Hue did more for offense than just be a position coach. he really wasn’t OC in ATL, Petrino called the played. Hue is like Zimmer, strong personality that will command respect from players. Hue and Zimmer were on same staff in ATL and Hue recommended Zimmer to Marvin and Mike Brown when they were looking for DC.

Kevin Coyle should be the leader for that position. The players don’t want a new system, and Coyle is a good coach. Good leader.

Thanks John. Surprised that you didn’t mention the need for a safety.

I hear they want Roy back, so I’m thinking he’s back. BUt I think they need one. Ndukwe isn’t good in coverage

I do not think Carson has arm trouble. If he did have arm trouble he would have been somewhat limited in practice and he never was. I think his trouble came from lack of WR talent and possibly the system on offense. He was rarely allowed to get into a rythm. Carson is a QB who needs to get rid of the ball on his last step and not dance around and wait for recievers to get open. The receivers were unable to get open early allowing him to get rid of the ball. I REALLY hope Marvin and Mike Brown realize it is time for a change at OC, and also that Brown pays Zimmer what he is worth. If Marvin wanted to hire Hue Jackson last year but “found out he couldn’t” dont you think he will strive for it to happen this year JT?

Carson still has it. The Chargers game was proof of that, he still has the big arm, he just doesnt have the talent around him to be good/great anymore.
When you lose T.J. + Henry and replace it with an Aged Coles and Caldwell, there is going to be significant dropoff.
A QB is only as good as his WR’s and a WR is only as good as his QB.
We need upgrades ASAP if we want the offense to turn around, a TE would be nice as well!!!
And looking at our schedule next year, we better make some noise in the offseason or it could be back to 7-9 or worse.

JT, how much of the offense’s problem has to do with all the new targets? From what I understand, the offense is based on timing and the WR being in a specific spot. Back in the day, Carson had the piece of mind that Chad and TJ (and to a lesser extent his RBs and TEs) were always going to be in the right spot. Now he has all new TEs, new RBs, and several new WRs. Due to Slim’s injuries and eventual passing, Chad was the only WR on the roster that Carson had any chemistry with and who knew where to be on the field. If this is the case, shouldn’t this problem be fixed with time or do they scrap the system and use a system where Carson throws to the player and not a spot on the field?

Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has signed a three-year contract to remain with the team, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday.

Zimmer’s retention – his contract was set to expire – is considered a huge deal for a team that won the AFC North this season, largely on the strength of its defense.

Zimmer, who just completed his second season with Cincinnati, was reported to have been targeted for the defensive coordinator job in Washington under new coach Mike Shanahan. Zimmer also figured to have other suitors based on the job he has done in turning around the Bengals’ defense.

However, Zimmer’s relationship with coach Marvin Lewis, his affinity for several of his players and ownership’s commitment were factors in his decision to stay with the Bengals.

JT, would you think it’d be a good idea for the Bengals to pursue Marshall from Denver? I mean we do need receivers. He’s a solid receiver and obviously not happy where he’s at and won’t be there much longer. I’d love for them to pursue him. I doubt they will though.

Well considering the history of the organization, I would say a big HELL NO to that statement. But with them re-signing Zimmer so quickly, that really shocked me. Just goes to show that this team/organization may be slightly changing for the better. In past years, I would say Zimmer would have already signed with DC by now for lots of money b/c Mikey boy would have low balled him so badly it insulted him and Zim split w/o thinking twice. But they apparently came with enough money to show Zim he means a lot to this team so he didn’t think twice on signing with us. So maybe, just maybe, the Marshall deal can happen. A man can dream right? Oh and while we’re dreaming, can we throw Bratkowski onto Ft Washington Way while we’re at it?

Is there a Salary Cap this year? Is there a big cap hit if we cut Coles? He didn’t exactly impress this year on the field, but it sounded like he is a good influence and maybe after a year he will get better. I doubt there is any way they pay big money to another WR if money is tied up in Coles, and I don’t think I want them to try to clear cap room to take chance on another guy. I don’t know how many times I see WRs go to different teams and flop. Randy Moss did poorly in Oakland, but great in NE. TO did well pretty much everywhere except last season, but there are few other examples. If you look for a WR in the draft, some WR’s step in right away, but most do not. So Chad, Coles, Caldwell are our best options next season. Maybe add a couple TEs and go 2 TE sets more often.

When it comes to TE dont forget about Coffman. He may not of healed up very well from his college injury and should be good to go next year. From what I heard he was not the best blocker but the team must have a plan for him. They drafted him last year knowing he may not be a great blocker and also knowing they were changing the offensive system to a more run based system. I could be wrong and he could be a bust but dont give up on him yet.

JT… you think Brat stays just because of the connection with Zimmer? Zimmer seems to have a lot of pull already within our organization, for some reason i think that’s why Brat stays. Otherwise, i think he would have been fired by now and Kenny Z. would be our O-Coord.
What are the chances he gets the Bears job and Kenny Anderson comes back?
Looking at the FA list, there are several good WR’s and TE’s available this year, what’s the top priority in Free Agency that would lead us to the best possible draft (meaning some or what positions might we want a vet or some experience than a rookie in a draft). I’m thinking TE we want some experience, how about Bo Scaife?

Dave Lapham talked about Geathers, said he is always hurt, keeps playing, but really needs the be healthy to put up the kind of production he did that season, and he’s just not able to get healthy and stay healthy.

@bgabengal, Graham is an UFA so there is no need to drop him. I don’t think he’ll be re-signed unless there is no one else available on the market.

… and Bratkowski’s contract has expired. I wonder if he gets renewed, as indications are currently. However, prior to replacement, the cat will not peek out of the bag, so there may be a ‘discussion’ about this happening as we speak.

The only reason I think they would keep Coles is because they wont want to admit the move being a mistake.