Giants at Bengals: "5 questions" about an enemy filled with familiar faces

Your New York Giants will face the Cincinnati Bengals in the third week of Thursday's preseason. You probably know the Bengals better than you think, given the number of Giant elders currently employed in Cincinnati.

Learn more about Anthony Cosenza's Bengals from Cincy Jungle in this week's "5 Questions" segment.

Ed: How in the world did the Bengals end up with John Jerry and Bobby Hart, rejects the offensive line of a terrible Giants, as starters?

Anthony: There are a number of different paths to take with an answer here, and honestly, there is truth in each of them. First and foremost, we know that Bengals are economical in early spring, when free will rolls. Back in the 2017 off season, Cincinnati lost Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler.

That being said, when Bengals seek outside help, they are usually good bargains because they think they can make more money for a veteran. It had worked for them before (see the context of the late Cedric Benson), so they probably thought that this new staff could make the best of both.

For John Jerry, it's obviously because of his relationship with offensive line coach Jim Turner. The two return to the time of Jonathan Martin's "Doors of Intimidation" with the Dolphins, so their trust was established between the parties.

As far as Hart is concerned, most of us who follow the team are amazed at the craze for him. He had played badly as a starting right last year, starting the 16 games on the field. He was awarded a lucrative contract for a guy with this kind of 2018 film, only to be publicly defended with vehemence by Bengals vice president, Troy Blackburn. Ironically, this is one of the only posts on the line that has not experienced intense competition for a beginner position.

Cincinnati seemed to rely on choice No. 11 of 2019, Jonah Williams for a leading role, alongside veteran Clint Boling. Williams's ripped a muscle in the shoulder during minicamps and may not be up to par in 2019, as Boling pulled out. That's why a door has been opened for Jerry and Hart to have the intelligence to start a job.

Ed: Kerry Wynn was a popular, useful and useful end of defense for the Giants. He is ranked as the third team on the Bengals depth map. What are your thoughts on Wynn and will he help Cincinnati, or even list the 53 men?

Anthony: To be honest, when the move was first announced in the media, it was shouted as being the definitive transfer of free low net agencies and Bengals. But, by researching a little more about Wynn, he seemed like a good niche backup guy, who could also contribute to special teams.

Obviously, he is comfortable with Lou Anarumo since their stay in New York together. The schema and terminology should therefore give it a length in advance. Cincinnati has also been a team that likes to pressure without blitzing a ton of linebackers (they play a more traditional 4-3 defense), so they covet guys like Wynn, who can also kick in and put themselves under pressure.

In terms of practice, he remained silent. However, he played very well in the second and third quarters against Washington last Thursday. He cashed a bag of Dwayne Haskins and recovered a forced fumble on another bag of Jordan Willis, against which he was competing this spring.

I think he can be a relatively valuable lineman, given his ability to move and his level of comfort in the Anarumo system.

Photo by Scott Taetsch / Getty Images

Ed: After 8 years with Andy Dalton at quarterback what are your thoughts? Is it time for the Bengals to progress and try to do better?

Anthony: This completely depends on who you ask. There is a contingent of Bengals fans (and, apparently, those of the franchise itself) who are strong supporters of Dalton and who believe that he can play his best football under an offensive coach like Zac Taylor, while finally having a good list around him. (which has slowly eroded with the Williams situation and AJ Green aching at the ankle during the first training camp training). Then come the many fans who notice direct differences between levels of play when Dalton and the Bengals face Tom Brady's Patriots, Aaron Rodgers 'Packers and / or Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs.

Anyway, I think all Bengal fans want Dalton to succeed because he is a very kind man who does great things in the community and gives everything he has to the team.

For me personally, it is so difficult to correctly describe my position. I saw Dalton play incredibly high levels, as in the 2015 MVP season, while most are grateful to Dalton for taking over from Carson Palmer, who left the team in 2011. The number 14 has given five series in a row to the fan base. berths born of Palmer's defection. I also see a guy who is in his fifth offensive coordination as he enters his ninth season, while staying under the watch of Marvin Lewis, a rigid and defensive man.

I also saw him flex in the big moments. He made big mistakes on huge steps, but the rest of the team also collapsed around him. Unfortunately, he does not seem to have the talent to take the team by panic when it is in trouble and lead to a victory.

In my opinion, the Bengals do not adhere to many business and operational practices involving many other successful NFL franchises. Because of their sleepy free market approach, their reduced recruiting staff and the lack of a true general manager (by title, at least), I am sad to say that Cincinnati needs a quarter who is a generational talent (like Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason). sniff the promised land.

Can Dalton bring them there? I think he can do it, but he'll have a busy lineup that will remain a healthy and competent coach. These are two aspects that have not been as important since 2011.

Ed: Lou Anarumo was the coach of the Giants defenders last year and no one really considered him a potential defensive coordinator. He is now in Cincinnati, of course. Of course, no game has been played, but what do you think of Anarumo at this point?

Anthony: It's difficult to evaluate at the moment. At first, it looked like a big decision on a Zac Taylor record, which could not make things stand on that front with names like Jack Del Rio and Dom Capers, which were part of the rumor factory. Then, when the spring camps arrived, players and other club members were encouraged by Anarumo, especially after a year of crippling Cincinnati defense defeat in 2018.

However, his defense was bombarded by Kansas City during the first week of the pre-season. Things went better last week against a less powerful Redskins offense, which is both a pause and an optimism. The players' pass has been improved, fewer points have been allocated and it has happened without some high level players in the field (Geno Atkins, Darqueze Dennard, etc.).

The good news is that Anarumo really only has some work to do, in terms of defensive performance. The unit was downright awful under Teryl Austin last year, as it was at or near the bottom of the most significant statistical categories. We also know that defenses are a vanilla in pre-season games. These four exhibitions are not the best barometers.

The Cincinnati defense is also without Vontaze Burfict (now with the Raiders), Michael Johnson, and suffered injuries in the summer. The linebacker seems to be a continuous liability with or without Burfict. Anarumo will have to focus on the pressure and rely on the accumulated talent of the best choices in high school.

Photo by Scott Taetsch / Getty Images

Ed: It's pretty obvious that the Bengals were looking for the next Sean McVay when they named 36-year-old Zac Taylor head coach for the first time. Thoughts on Taylor up to now?

Anthony: Zac Taylor was a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Marvin Lewis did a lot of great things in Cincinnati, including coaching the team in modernity, but his game of favorites and his aforementioned rigidity began to get bland. In addition, the Lewis Bengals have rarely participated in the biggest games against the NFL elite, without going to the next stage as a team.

Taylor seemed to insist on accountability, especially with regard to the mental aspects of the game. Stories abound in which he puts his players on the alert, whether in their game rooms or when he walks around the hallway, with terminology and tasks assigned in given games. A lot of veterans lamented about how football becomes fun again and appreciated the young affable coach's approach.

The head coach for the first time, however, took an incredibly difficult start. After being portrayed as a whimsical, Taylor was struggling to reunite a coaching staff, and then had to deal with an incredible number of retirements and injuries to major players. I started saying that if Taylor manages to get the Bengals to sniff a playoff spot this year, give him the honors of the coach of the year for what he has had to endure.

So far on the ground, it was a mixed bag. There have been a lot of penalties (11 per game), and the explosive offense of the Los Angeles type has not been seen regularly. However, in those first two pre-season games, he has scarcely chosen his first-round choice, the AFC leader in rushing yards last year (Joe Mixon), Giovani Bernard, AJ Green, John Ross and this is not even the full list of offensive names, nor the other side of the ball.

I think Taylor is good, but it may not be until the second half of the season before we see a clear improvement as a team. Its offensive and defensive coordinators also occupy these positions for the first time, so it may take some time for cohesion to appear due to the accumulated experience.