Who Dey notes: Bengals’ Randy Bullock, Joe Mixon blues
By Emile Pierce
With the Bengals looking to make a mad dash for the playoffs, special teams play needs to improve drastically. Joe Mixon is starting to understand.
When it comes to patience, Marvin Lewis seems to have a ton to give. But, as of late, It seems that the Bengals’ head coach has been a new and seldom seen version of himself. When the Bengals inched past Denver 20-17, in Week 11, the score didn’t reflect what had actually happened. Andy Dalton tossed three TD passes. But, kicker Randy Bullock missed a PAT to make the final score look like two touchdowns and a couple of field goals. Head coach Marvin Lewis ain’t too happy with the result.
Over the past weeks, special teams play has been less than stellar. Breakdowns in coverage and execution have led to blocked punts, touchdowns and missed points.
With the Bengals staying relevant in the Wild Card hunt, those little details could mean the difference between a win or loss. This is the time of year that focus and execution is the bottom line for going home or playing through January.
Bullock on the chopping block?
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With Lewis taking on the sudden role of a taskmaster and wanting more from the Bengals, the expectation level is…higher. Not that the bar wasn’t set high before…but postseason fever can make things very different. The attitude towards Bullock is one of caution.
But, that could shift at any moment according to Lewis. When the Bengals signed Bullock to replace Mike Nugent, there weren’t many who believed in his talents. After missing a few PATs and field goals, does Lewis have a new view of his kicker?
When asked about Bullock’s status, the answer wasn’t typical Marvin.
"“It does affect our patience level,” Lewis said. Then added, chuckling, “We’re committed to Randy for this week.”"
Huh? Is that Bullock out there on the street with a bus approaching? Even with the laugh, Marvin sounds like he’s on the verge of giving Bullock the boot.
Bullock has been having back issues and missed the Bengals game against the Jaguars. But. has looked shaky since coming back. Lewis’ joking about his kicker’s accuracy is like a drunk guy telling you he’s two days sober. It’s cause for concern. One more screw up and Mr. B might be on the chopping block.
Frustrated young talent
If you have any interest in the Bengals. You know the running game is simply putrid. At the current pace, Cincinnati is set to have one of the lowest rushing totals in franchise history.
But, Joe Mixon is starting to understand what it takes to survive in the big time. Every handoff is not going to result in a huge chunk of yards. The Bengals’ O-line hasn’t progressed to that level. So, in the Broncos game, Mixon took was presented to him and made it work.
"“He showed some maturity as a runner in this game,” OC Bill Lazor explained, per The Cincinnati Enquirer. “Taking somewhere it wasn’t blocked perfectly and rather than stuttering and looking for a home run somewhere else, he jammed it in there and made it five yards. That was big for us, that probably helped us with some of those third downs that were more manageable.”"
Attempting to stick with the run and Mixon taking the designed play was major for the play-action fake. As the season continues to unfold, look for Mixon’s vision to develop even more.
Making a run for the playoffs will take a running back willing to be the workhorse and accept that all rushes won’t be big-hitters. The home runs will come. When they do, the Bengals have Mixon ready to give fans what they want to see.