Dalton expecting a big change in the offense
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton spoke about what he expects for the offense in 2018. He says he expects some major changes.
When speaking with the team’s official website, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton says he expects a major change in the offense come 2018. During his eight years with the Bengals, Dalton has played for offensive coordinators Jay Gruden, Hue Jackson, Ken Zampese, and Bill Lazor. While that is four different coordinators, the offensive scheme has remained relatively the same.
In the Bengals hopes of bringing major changes to the team this offseason, one of them will ride on offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. Stepping in after week 2 of 2017 when the Bengals decided to fire Zampese, Lazor never had a chance to put his own stamp on the offense. With a full offseason to prepare, he will have plenty of time to implement his own scheme and it sounds like Dalton is expecting some major changes.
After the offense failed to show any kind of light last season, it was time for a major change. Cincinnati ranked at the bottom in yards per game and put up a whopping 18.1 points per game as well. One of the major reasons for not making the playoffs was the inconsistency and lack of production from the offensive side of the ball. Dalton seems very confident in the changes that are coming in hopes of making the offense a threat once again.
"“The sense I’m getting is there is going to be a lot of change and a lot of learning, which is a good thing,” Dalton said. “I think it’s good to challenge yourself and kind of refresh yourself on what you’re doing. When you’re hearing the same thing for seven straight years, it can be mundane and you already know it. Now it’s new and fresh and I’m looking forward to it."
One area that the Bengals might explore and that Lazor has been known for is run-pass options (RPO’s). Dalton has the ability to run and using that as a threat could really rejuvenate this offense. It also forces defenses to slow down their pass rush in order to not get burned by a run scenario. This will also fit running back Joe Mixon as he is used to the shotgun sets and the RPO’s from college.
With the team starting offseason workouts on Monday, Dalton will get his first chance to look at the new offensive look. He had one request which was that the offense is more aggressive. The team has been running the same similar offense for too long and it’s time to put the defenses on their heals again. Can Lazor’s new offense get the Bengals back to the 2015 dominant feel?