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Andy Dalton
Dolphins vs. Bengals??? 5 Expectations
Week 4 of the 2016 NFL season kicks off at 8:25 pm est tonight. The Cincinnati Bengals Vs. The Miami Dolphins. Both teams are entering this matchup with a lowly 1-2 record. This game can change either team’s momentum and rise their stock going into the middle portion of the season. With that being said, like every game, there are expectations or keys to watch for. The five things to expect in this match are:
#5 Run free in Miami!
The Dolphins’ 2nd worst ranked run defense will continue to roll down the “HILL”, see what I did there!! I expect Jeremy Hill coming off his best game so far this year with 17-carries for 97-yards and 2-touchdowns. That was against one of the league’s best defensive units in the Denver Broncos. The Dolphins have not shown the ability to stop a nosebleed in the running department. Jerry Rice used to run the hill to get better. Unfortunately, the Dolphins defense will be hitting the wrong Hill tonight.
#4 Big expectations for T-hill
Ryan Tannehill will have success against this underachieving Bengals defense. This defensive unit has been inconsistent, to say the least. They shut down the Marshall-Decker combo opening day and shut down Antonio Brown week 2. They turned around and gave up 312 yards passing to Trevor Siemien; you read that correctly the former Northwestern Wildcat. Adam Jones was viewed as a liability last Sunday. I expect him to have a long night covering Jarvis Landry, especially if the front seven cannot pressure Tannehill. Landry should be able to exploit Pacman in coverage tonight.
#3 Low scoring but…
This game should be low scoring with two struggling offenses, but do not be surprised if both teams put up points. The Dolphins have dropped 20+ points in back to back games, while the Bengals season high in points is 23 vs. the Jets opening day. From a scoring perspective, my expectations are low with a medium level of optimism.
#2 Phins’ dismal ground-game
Miami has a dilemma in the running back department, either injuries, production, or experience. They entered the season with the injury prone Arian Foster as the “Man,” well the injury bug has bitten him again, and he is out. They have two young backs in 2nd-year player Jay Ajayi and rookie Kenyan Drake. At this moment the Dolphins leading rusher is (inserts drum roll), their starting Quarterback. Ryan has 12-rushes for 54-yards, making this one of the worst rushing teams in the league by far. Against Geno Atkins and a hungry returning Vontaze Burfict, I do not expect the run game to improve tonight.
#1 AJ will be AJ again
AJ Green will return to form this evening. Week 1 he lit up one of the best corners the league has seen the past ten years Darrell Revis. His stat line was ridiculous, 12-catches 180-yards and 1-touchdown. He fell back to earth against the Pittsburgh Steelers with 2-catches for 38-yards. He did show up against the Denver Broncos with 8-catches for 77-yards. I expect Andy Dalton to take advantage of the “Cable Guy” Byron Maxwell who has not been the same since he left Seattle. AJ should bounce back and deliver for the Bengals.
Damian Parson is an Analyst for Couch Rider Report. Follow him on Facebook and Follow/Like us on Facebook or twitter.
What has he accomplished?
Robert Griffin III (RGIII) came into this league by the Washington Redskins and took it by storm. He showed elite world-class athleticism, a strong arm, and poise for a rookie quarterback. His highlights will show you what he is capable of and what he brings to the table. RGIII truly looked as if he was headed towards Stardom, until he suffered the knee injury against the Baltimore Ravens.
After the initial injury the Redskins rookie signal caller still displayed toughness by coming back and playing after missing one game. He was the main catalyst for that team to win their division and make the playoffs. He displayed the ability to pass, run, and open up Alfred Morris in the running game. He has shown the ability to play well and make an impact in this league.
Does he have life?
Now that the former Heisman trophy winner is in Cleveland with Coach Hugh Jackson and company, he maybe in the best position with the QB Guru as the head of the Cleveland Browns.
The former 2012 rookie of the year has a coach that will play to his strengths and allow him to operate an offense that suits his style. Coach Jackson has a reputation for working with QB’s and bring the best out of them. Jackson has done wonders with Andy Dalton coming out of TCU, albeit they did not win a playoff game.
Some believe Hugh brought the former Baylor Bear in to bridge the gap for two years or so, but Hugh may have other plans in mind.
Second chances?
Coach Jackson has been known for tailoring his offensive scheme around his starting signal caller. He just needs to review the skill set of the former Baylor product and tailor the offense to fit that skill set.
RGIII is a dual threat QB that can threaten opposing defenses in multiple ways. In his best games in Washington, the former Washington QB ran the zone-read to perfection. The zone-read allowed him to either run, hand it off, or run play action for down field throws.
Defenses struggled to find a way to contain him and his skill set. The new Browns head coach and staff need to give their free agent QB a chance to show he still can be a problem for opposing defenses and coordinators. The old adage is “Everyone deserves a second chance”. Sam Bradford received a second chance with the Philadelphia Eagles thanks to Chip Kelly. RGIII deserves his second chance also.
Dig Em Up
Early success never equates to long-term success, especially in the National Football League. Griffin III, the Texas Native was buried, when current Redskins coach Jay Gruden announced Kirk Cousins as the starter. After losing his coveted starting role and being shut down for the season, RGIII was passed off as road kill. Contrary to the consensus, I believe in his talent, skill set, and the eye test when he was healthy. I believe alongside Coach Jackson, there may be a resurrection from the QB graveyard. Cleveland grabbed their shovels and are prepared to work. Only time will tell if the mad scientist can recreate the monster that took the NFL by storm 4 years ago. Stay Tuned!!!!
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Damian Parson is an Analyst for Couch Rider Report. Follow him on Facebook and Follow/Like us on Facebook or twitter.
Tier 2:
8) Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers/ Bye Week: 10/ Age: 32 years old/ Round 6
2013 stats: Att: 544 / Comp: 378 / P.Yards:4,478 / int: 11 / P. Td: 32 /R. Yards: 72/ R.TD: 0
2013 games with zero points: 0 / 1-9 points: 0/ 10-19 points: 8 / 20-29 points: 7/ 30+pts: 1
2013 most points: 30 vs PHI / 2013 least points: 10 vs Ten /Total pts: 303
Caution: Rivers had his best season last year. Other than Keenan Allen and Ladarius Green, his weapons are a little weak. However, based on what we saw last year this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
9) Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49rs/ Bye Week: 8/ Age: 26 years old/ Round 6
2013 stats: Att: 416/ Comp: 243 / P.Yards: 3,197 / int: 8 / P. Td: 21 /R. Yards: 524/ R.TD: 4
2013 games with zero points: 0 / 1-9 points: 3/ 10-19 points: 6 / 20-29 points: 6/ 30+pts: 1
2013 most points: 30 pts vs GB/ 2013 least points: 4 pts vs CAR/Total pts: 280
Caution: Kaep continued to be a solid duel threat, but his passing numbers were not that appealing. There were 9 games where he did not reach 200 yards.
10) Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins/ Bye Week: 10/ Age: 24 years old/ Round 6
2013 stats: Att: 456 / Comp: 275 / P.Yards: 3,203 / int: 12 / P. Td: 16 /R. Yards: 489/ R.TD: 0
2013 games with zero points: 3 / 1-9 points: 2/ 10-19 points: 5 / 20-29 points: 6/ 30+pts: 0
2013 most points: 27 vs CHI / 2013 least points: 6 vs SF /Total pts: 228.9
Caution: Griffin is one rush away from being snapped in half. On top of that, his interception total doubled since his rookie season. On the bright side, he has a new weapon in Desean Jackson and a new pass happy Offensive Coordinator.
11) Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons/ Bye Week: 9/ Age: 29 years old/ Round 6
2013 stats: Att: 651 / Comp: 439 / P.Yards: 4,515 / int: 17 / P. Td: 26 /R. Yards: 55/ R.TD: 0
2013 games with zero points: 0 / 1-9 points: 0/ 10-19 points: 11/ 20-29 points: 5/ 30+pts: 0
2013 most points: 23 pts vs STL / 2013 least points: 10 vs CAR /Total pts: 273
Caution: Ryan had a good Fantasy year, scoring double digits every week despite losing Julio Jones. He lost his most reliable red zone target, Tony Gonzalez, to retirement and his two star receivers could be injury risks. After Julio and Roddy, there isn’t much else in terms of pass catchers.
12) Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks/ Bye Week: 4/ Age: 25 years old/ Round 7
2013 stats: Att: 407/ Comp: 257 / P.Yards: 3,357 / int: 9 / P. Td: 26 /R. Yards: 539/ R.TD: 1
2013 games with zero points: 0 / 1-9 points: 0/ 10-19 points: 9 / 20-29 points: 7/ 30+pts: 0
2013 most points: 29 vs NO/ 2013 least points: 10 vs ARI /Total pts: 316
Conclusion: The Seahawks first priority on offense is their punishing run game. Russell will be a great value pick being that he’s not going that high and produced double digit numbers every week.
13) Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals/ Bye Week: 4/ Age: 26 years old/ Round 7
2013 stats: Att: 586/ Comp: 363 / P.Yards:4,293 / int: 20 / P. Td: 33 /R. Yards: 183/ R.TD: 2
2013 games with zero points: 0 / 1-9 points: 1/ 10-19 points: 9 / 20-29 points: 3 / 30+pts: 3
2013 most points: 32 vs PHI / 2013 least points: 9 vs CLE/Total pts: 314
Caution: If your league penalizes turnovers, Dalton may hurt more than help. He does, however, have one of the premier pass catchers in the league, AJ Green.
14) Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles/ Bye Week: 7/ Age: 25 years old/ Round 6
2013 stats: Att: 317 / Comp: 203 / P.Yards: 2,891 / int: 2 / P. Td: 27 /R. Yards: 221 / R.TD: 3
2013 games with zero points: 4 (didn’t have starting job till week 4)/ 1-9 points: 2/ 10-19 points: 4/ 20-29 points: 3/ 30+pts: 3
2013 most points: 45 pts vs OAK / 2013 least points: 5 pts vs DAL/ Total Points: 262
Caution: With all of his accomplishments, Foles had a few bad games. Some say he could be a product of the Chip Kelly system and that last season may be a Tebow-like fluke. I’m a bit of an optimist when it comes to Foles, especially after watching his record tying 7 TD performance. I think the best is yet to come for this young Eagle.
15) Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys/ Bye Week: 11/ Age: 34 years old/ Round 7
2013 stats: Att: 535/ Comp: 342 / P.Yards: 3,828 / int: 10 / P. Td: 31 /R. Yards: 38/ R.TD: 0
2013 games with zero points: 1 / 1-9 points: 2/ 10-19 points: 8 / 20-29 points: 4/ 30+pts: 1
2013 most points:40 vs DEN/ 2013 least points: 9 vs NO/Total pts: 271
Conclusion: Romo will be a great value pick in the 7th round if he can stay healthy. He’s missed time in 3 of the past 6 seasons. He’s a border line QB who plays at an elite level when his head is screwed on strait.
16) Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears/ Bye Week: 8/ Age: 31 years old/ Round 7-8
2013 stats: Att: 355/ Comp: 224/ P.Yards 2,621/ int: 12 / P. Td: 19 /R. Yards: 118/ R.TD: 0
2013 games with zero points: 6 / 1-9 points: 0/ 10-19 points: 6 / 20-29 points: 4/ 30+pts: 0
2013 most points: 25 vs NO/ 2013 least points: 0 vs WAS (knocked out of game with injury, missed next 5 weeks) /Total pts: 303
Conclusion: Cutler missed a number of games due to an ankle injury and has missed 12 games over the past 3 seasons. Despite the injury woes, Cutler is set up to have an amazing year. Tresman runs a pass-happy offense, and he has one of the best duos in the league to throw to (Jeffery and Marshall).
Tier 3
17) Big Ben, Pittsburgh Steelers
18) Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
19) Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
20) Josh McCown, Chicago Bears
21) Alex Smith, KC Chiefs
22) Eli Manning, NY Giants
23) Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
24) Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Tier 4
25) Sam Bradford, St Louis Rams
26) EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills
27) Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
28) Michael Vick/ Geno Smith, NY Jets
29) Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans
30) Teddy Bridgewater/ Matt Cassel, Minnesota Vikings
31) Matt Schuab/ Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
32) Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
P.J. Conley is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter.