Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Bengals' rout of Browns was a product of coaching

CINCINNATI -- Among the several good talkers in the Cincinnati Bengals' locker room, Jeremy Hill has established himself as one of the top go-to players on the team for a quote on just about anything.

It's because the rookie running back knows how to paint a vivid, well-thought-out picture when responding to interviewers' questions. Even the most mundane of inquiries seldom seem to stump him.

So it was slightly jarring for reporters last Friday when Hill, after a week of working out or traipsing around the Bengals' facility in places other than the locker room when the team had player availability, said he wasn't talking. Approached Friday morning, minutes before availability for the week would be closed, he politely declined interview requests.

"I tried to stay off social media this week," the normally frequent Twitter poster said an hour after Sunday afternoon's 30-0 trouncing of the Browns. "I tried not to talk to media. I just didn't want to get too involved in this stuff this week. I just wanted to go out there, set the tempo, get our run game going and take the pressure off Andy [Dalton]."

Fair enough.

The extra focus must have paid off because Hill had a 25-carry, 148-yard, two-touchdown day that helped fuel the Bengals' rout. The first four plays of the game were all Hill runs, a clear early sign Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson wanted to give Cleveland a heavy dose of its bigger-bodied back.

You have to credit coaching for both the enhanced focus, and the effective game plan.

It's just like how you have to credit coaching for getting defensive players so angered about facing the Johnny Manziel hype machine that they were hellbent on embarrassing the rookie quarterback in his first career start. As much needling as the Bengals did internally to get the defense up for the task, they also happened to draw up a great scheme that hinged on scaling back the blitz, and getting defensive linemen into the backfield often.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Bengals only blitzed on two of Manziel's 28 dropbacks.

That was a coaching decision from defensive coordinator Paul Guenther -- one that paid off handsomely.

Another reason why you have to put this win on the coaches? Because during a hectic week that was marked by controversy, criticism and untimely familial deaths, the staff repeatedly told players to relax and trust in the plan crafted for them.

"I told our guys during the week that we don't have pressure," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We just have to go play. Knowing your responsibilities and how to get out and execute it, those are the things we have to do."

What they have to do now is simple. With the regular season drawing to a close and a playoff berth within reach, Bengals players these next two weeks just have to recycle the exact same work they put in last week and the exact same execution they had Sunday.

"We were talking about that on the sideline," defensive tackle Domata Peko said. "They gave us a great game plan. So the game was easy. That's where the game was won -- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. [Sunday] was just the reward for going out and executing."

^ Back to Top ^