Frank Pollack discusses Bengals offensive line
The Cincinnati Bengals hired former Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack this offseason. How does he see the players following minicamps?
Going into the 2018 offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals needed drastic change when it came to the offensive line. Starting with the firing of Paul Alexander and bringing in Frank Pollack from Dallas was a perfect start. Then adding players like left tackle Cordy Glenn and first-round pick center Billy Price, the offensive line is already looking much better than it did in 2017.
There are still question marks that linger on the right side of the offensive line. With Glenn, left guard Clint Boling, and Price, the right side should be a significant improvement. On the right side, the Bengals will have some major positional battles come training camp which starts on July 26. One thing that stuck out to me was that Pollack said that every player is coming in with a clean slate. That includes tackle Cedric Ogbuehi.
Ogbuehi has been an utter disappointment since being drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft. The plan was for him to step in for former tackle Andrew Whitworth who the team let hit free agency last offseason and it was a disaster at the left tackle position. Ogbuehi saw time at both left and right tackle positions over the previous two seasons and was benched both times. Are the progression and development stall due to poor coaching from Alexander? Can Pollack turn Ogbuehi into a starting tackle for the Bengals in 2018 after the team just turned down his fifth-year option?
Many players have spoken out about Pollack’s coaching and how different it is this offseason. The one that comes around the most is how aggressive he is out there on the practice field. Pollack has a lot of work to do to fix an offensive line that ranked 28th in the league last season according to Pro Football Focus. Ogbuehi made comments about what he has learned in camps from Pollack and how he views his new coach to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
"“I like it a lot. I use my hands more,” Ogbuehi said. “For sure. I think he’s done a great job for all of us. He’s helped a lot. I’m excited. It’s just using your sets and getting on (the defenders) quicker. The big difference is you get on them quicker.”"
The most significant difference from the coaching of Alexander to Pollack is that Pollack is all about attacking the defense. Alexander ran an offensive line that was whispered to be “soft” and was consistently reacting to what the defense did. Pollack is all about attacking rather than reacting, which should be better for the line in 2018.
When Pollack talked to the media following the end of mandatory minicamp, he addressed that the line has improved but still has a long ways to go. They haven’t mastered the new schemes, but he is seeing improvement from all of the offensive lineman including Ogbuehi. He stated that Ogbuehi has worked hard to learn the new technique and that they need to play to his athletic abilities.
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The hope is that we see a major improvement along the offensive line this season. Quarterback Andy Dalton needs more time to make plays this season and the running backs need lanes to run through for offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s new offensive playbook to work. Given his resume, I believe that Pollack will improve this line. The question remains, how fast can he turn it around?