|
CINCINNATI -- Hue Jackson heard about it. Andy Dalton did, too. So do they believe there was any truth to the report from the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal last month that the Cleveland Browns knew the Cincinnati Bengals' plays in the teams' Week 10 meeting? "I'm sure there is some fact to it," Dalton said. Jackson, the team's offensive coordinator, said he wouldn't be surprised if the Browns knew what plays were coming, either. "Every good offense has tendencies," Jackson said about his 17th-ranked offense. "I'm sure there are certain things they saw that we do. There are certain things that they do that I know they do. At the end of the day, that's just part of football. We'll find out. Come Sunday, the tale of the tape will be there." The Thursday night the Browns blew out the Bengals 24-3, Cleveland linebacker Karlos Dansby said he and his fellow defenders knew all but about a dozen plays Cincinnati was going to run as soon as its offense got to the line of scrimmage. "We knew what was coming," Dansby told the Beacon Journal, "so we were all over it." Dalton threw three interceptions and rookie running back Jeremy Hill turned the ball over when he fumbled at the end of a long run. The Bengals barely generated any offense in the game, collecting 165 yards in the air and on the ground. In easily the worst game of his career, Dalton completed just 10 passes and amassed a 2.0 passer rating, the lowest mark for an NFL quarterback in a game in 31 years. "We knew exactly what they wanted to do, how they wanted to do it, when they wanted to do it," Dansby said. "We're calling out screens. We're calling out run plays. We're calling out everything right there on the field." Even when Dalton called an audible at the line, Dansby told the newspaper he and his teammates knew what was about to happen. Regardless how much the Browns, a team that signed former Bengals receiver Andrew Hawkins in the offseason, knew about the Bengals' offense, they have a strong defense. They enter Week 15 with the 20th-ranked unit, but are particularly effective against the pass. Cleveland's defense ranks sixth in opposing quarterbacks' QBR and ninth in passing defense. Given Dansby's admission, will the Bengals be tweaking their on-field play calls and terminology when they face the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday? It's possible. But they know their execution also has to be better than it was in the previous meeting. "Whether it be changing stuff or whatever, we're going to do whatever can be to our advantage," Dalton said.
|
