Monday, December 03, 2001
Defense consistent, effective
Once-maligned secondary sustains steady improvement
By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As soon as the Bengals come up with an offense, and a special teams unit that can avoid the fatal foul-up, it can join the league.
The NFL.
When that happens to the team as a whole, it will be a metaphysical experience for the defense. That is because the defense is already there. Call it the No-Fame Defense. No fame, because until the teams starts winning, Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons will have to pay their own way to Hawaii.
When the team starts winning, the Pro Bowl will pay.
A funny thing happened on the way to the boredom, created as always by the Bengals' punchless offense (its game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation makes one wonder why the Bengals just don't use the two-minute drill the entire game) and a special teams unit prone to mistakes (Sunday's snafu was a blocked punt that ended in a Tampa Bay touchdown).
The funny thing that has happened — and it basically has been camouflaged by recent losses generated by the offense and special teams — is that the Bengals' secondary, which was once a weakness, is now playing the same rock-'em-sock-'em football as the smash-mouth linebackers and QB-ravaging D-line, which collected six sacks against Tampa Bay.
“This is a passing league,” Simmons said. “If the guys in the secondary aren't playing good, you can be safe in saying the defense is not going to be effective. They did a good job of keeping everything in front of them, tackling the catches and breaking up some (passes)when they had a chance to.”
Tampa Bay QB Brad Johnson didn't have an incompletion Sunday until his 15th throw (he was 26-of-33), but the Bengals' DBs broke up some big red-zone passes and attempted third- and fourth-down conversions.
“Mark Roman and Robert Bean are doing a good job of filling in on the corners,” Simmons said. “Good play is contagious. When some guys make plays, other guys get into it. Our biggest asset is confidence.”
The best hit of the day was by Bengals strong safety JoJuan Armour on tight end Dave Moore on the Bucs' opening drive in overtime.
“I don't have the ball skills of a lot of safeties,” said Armour, a two-time MAC defensive player of the year as a linebacker at Miami University. “My mentality is "hit first.' I want to be feared. Jack Tatum and Ronnie Lott said: "If you're a safety and you're not feared, you're not effective.' If a receiver comes across the middle and doesn't have to worry about getting hit, that is going to hurt my (effectiveness). I grew up on that.”
Simmons said the Bengals' defense needs to generate some points.
“Other teams do it — we have to find a way,” he said. “We have to give the offense some short fields, give them a chance to score some easy points.”
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Defense consistent, effective
