Who Dey notes: Bengals’ Ross, Driskel should be fine, Burfict’s future
By Emile Pierce
The Bengals have found out the status John Ross and Jeff Driskel. Vontaze Burfict’s future in Cincinnati could be on the line.
The outcome of the Bengals’ last preseason game really doesn’t matter to most fans. The real deal is the injuries that Cincinnati endured. After watching the home team fall to the Colts 7-6, the condition of John Ross and Jeff Driskel stayed on the minds of Bengals faithful. According to Bengals.com, the injury to Ross isn’t that serious. It was a knee sprain that could sideline him for a couple of weeks. But, the bad news is his availability for the season opener against the Ravens.
The bad/good news continues with the information on Driskel. A hard takedown in the preseason finale caused him to land awkwardly on his throwing hand. The result is a broken thumb. Thankfully, his injury won’t require surgery.
Why was Ross in the game? After missing time from camp due to shoulder surgery, he needed to get more real game action and feel. Yes, there’s always that risk of getting a stupid injury. Thus, the reason vets are lobbying for either fewer games or a restructure of the current system. But, this also rehashes the reason other teams may have passed on Ross.
Driskel’s reason for playing is a no-brainer. His spot on the 53-man roster was being determined. In Weeks 2 and 3, McCarron has looked uncomfortable in the offense and off target with his passes. The idea of making Driskel the No. 2 QB had to be on the minds of Marvin Lewis and offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. Now, the question is moot.
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Once again, the Bengals will be without their Man of Steel for the first three games of the season. His style of play and reckless abandon are what’s missing from the NFL. The game has gotten soft and the defensive players are given fewer chances to tackle their opponents. Oh, you never realized that? Sorry, didn’t mean to burst your bubble. But, the league is about offense and scoring points. Every rule change is for the guys with the ball.
Now, let’s move on to Vontaze Burfict’s situation. This is his final year under contract with the Bengals. Will this suspension affect how Cincinnati looks at a possible resigning? If the Bengals are truly serious about getting the defense to a championship caliber, they re-sign Burfict in a flash.
Simply put, the defense is better when Burfict is on the field. Last season, when Burfict was serving another boot from the league, the Bengals’ D was subpar. In his absence, the defense surrendered 25.3 points per game. When he returned in Week 4, the defense allowed one TD to Miami. Yeah, it was the Phins. But, the D was all on the same page. The overall effort got better, during the second half of the season.
Next: Bengals End Preseason With More Questions
Lewis knows how valuable Burfict is to the Bengals defense.
"“He’s smart like a coach. It’s scary. His recall is… incredible.”"
Amen, Mr. Lewis…amen. But, all the haters can think about is the past. Now, the rest of the football universe needs to catch up.