Week in Review: Impact Of Kirkpatrick Injury On Bengals
Let’s take a look at this from another perspective. Kirkpatrick was solely a man on man, press coverage corner while he played at Alabama. He needs to develop his off-man, zone coverage technique. That is what is supposed to happen during training camp and during the preseason. So Kirkpatrick’s development will take a severe hit during his time being injured as he will be way behind the learning curve of a rookie cornerback. It will more than likely take about half way into the season before coaches are willing to give Kirkpatrick a chance on the playing field because of this setback. Keep in mind, however, that rookie cornerbacks generally do not contribute much to their respective teams in their first year. Cornerback is a much different position in the NFL than it is in the NCAA. There are a lot of techniques to learn that most players did not learn during their college career. Only in special cases does a corner really produce during his rookie season, a la Joe Haden or Patrick Peterson. Kirkpatrick is not a polished as these players coming out of college.
So what is the starting cornerback rotation going to look like if Kirkpatrick is out for a substantial amount of time? Well, first off it will not look any different than if he was healthy. Giving his learning curve, the most playing time he would have seen early on in the season would be either at the nickel or dime corner position. Leon Hall should be cleared for contact and should start the season on time which means the Bengals have their top corner. Adam Jones will also be healthy and looking to move into the second corner slot. Keep in mind that Jones served as the teams top corner late in the season in 2011 when Hall was injured and Nate Clements struggled to keep pace with other team’s top receivers. The only hiccup that Jones had last year was when he was spun around by a double move by Andre Johnson in the playoffs that led to a Texans touchdown. That is what most people remember about Jones last season, but aside for that one play, he actually was very solid at the position. The third corner position will be up for grabs between all of the other veterans on the team, most likely between Jason Allen, Brandon Ghee, and Terence Newman. Because of his age and current skill set, there is a chance that the secondary coaches try to move Nate Clements to the safety position. So it seems like the Bengals are very healthy at the cornerback position even without Kirkpatrick in the lineup.
All this being said, the injury to Kirkpatrick is a major letdown to all Bengals fans as everyone is excited to see what he is capable of doing in the NFL. Fans will still get to see this, but will just have to wait a little bit longer than they would have prior to this incident. The Bengals will be fine with the players at the corner position that are currently on the roster and Kirkpatrick will undoubtedly heal up, learn the playbook and his techniques and will be on the field at some point this season. A word to the wise, don’t be troubled too much about this situation as it will play out for the Bengals. There are other positions that need to be closely watched as the lack of depth there is not what it is at cornerback. Don’t fret Bengals fans, the impact of this injury does not need to be dwelt upon.
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