SB Nation User Blog: JohnnyK

Hall vs. Revis

JohnnyK — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:39:33 -0000

Peter King, at Sports Illustrated, runs an "MVP Watch" on his column "Monday Morning Quarterback" each week. For the past four weeks (give or take a week) Darrelle Revis, CB for the New York Jets, has been a regular for King's MVP list. Playing for the Jets, Revis has garnered some attention from the national media. I have to say first off, that he deserves most of it. He shut down the likes of Randy Moss and Andre Johnson, which is no small feat. What's more impressive is that the Jets feel comfortable leaving him on an island with these elite wide-outs and he has performed incredibly well.

As a Bengal fan, this got me thinking about Leon Hall and how well of a season he is having. After all, we didn't see him much against the Ravens "vaunted" offense. My guess is that Derek Mason had more than his fair share of Hall. So why not play a little numbers game:

Tackles: Pass Def: Int: FF:

Player A: 18 6 1 1

Player B: 16 6 1 0

Player C: 17 7 3 0

Player A is Leon Hall, player B is Revis and Player C is Jonathan Joseph, who I threw in for fun. As you can see the numbers are quite similar. It's a small sample size but serves as a good indication as to how the season is progressing so far. Plus if King is looking for an MVP corner, look no further than the two Bengals CBs.

Let's take this a step further for fun. Revis has gained fame for shutting down elite wide receivers. But how did Hall do? A look at the number 1 wide-outs faced by Hall and Revis:

Revis:

Week 1: Andre Johnson: 4 catches, 35 yards, 0 TDs.

Week 2: Randy Moss: 4 catches, 24 yards, 0 TDs.

Week 4: Marquis Colston: 2 catches, 33 yards, 0 TDs.

Hall:

Week 1: Brandon Marshall: 4 catches, 27 yards, 0 TDs.

Week 2: Greg Jennings: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 TDs.

Week 3: Hines Ward: 4 catches, 82 yards, 0 TDs.

Week 5: Derek Mason: 0 catches, 0 yards, 0 TDs.

A few things to note: I didn't add every week, only the games where there is a great QB/WR combo that would be a major threat to the CB. Also, I'm sure good offenses move their #1 receiver around and the corners were sometimes in zone, so they can't play man defense all the time. But look at the similarities in the numbers for the wide-outs. Pretty much shut down all day by each corner. If Revis is considered one of the best corners in the game and an MVP candidate, then I think it's only fair to add Hall into that discussion. Of course, Hall doesn't play football in New York City so he's got that working against him.

Chris Mortensen loves the Bengals.

JohnnyK — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:16:51 -0000

26 of the NFL's 32 teams are located east of Denver, making themselves relatively close to one another. Visiting them all would make for one hell of a road trip, eh? I'm sure that's what ESPN's Chris Mortensen thought when he signed up to take a bus and visit most of those teams in "Mort Goes to Camp".

You may have noticed that I said MOST and not all 26 teams because a few were left on the chopping block. I thought I'd point this out in a fanpost since the Bengals failed to make the cut. If you ever watch ESPN, then this is no surprise to you. The network rarely gives the Bengals favorable coverage. Even though Mortensen has no time for the Bengals, he can still see a whopping 21 of the 26 aforementioned teams. Thanks Mort!

Finally, I'd like to point out that it's not like he wasn't in the area. He was 3 hours away while with the Colts and the Titans, and 5 hours away while visiting the Browns and the Lions.

What about trading up?

JohnnyK — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:19:37 -0000

So I'm willing to bet a dollar to a doughnut that both Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe are gone by the sixth pick of the 2009 NFL draft. Maybe one of them will fall but it seems as though teams like Detroit, Seattle, St. Louis, and even Cleveland are all talking about nice safe picks, i.e. Offensive Tackles. So where does that leave the Bengals? Do we go Michael Oher? Defensive playmaker? Take the flier on Andre Smith?

If Lady Luck is against the Bengals (and really, when isn't she?) and the top two offensive tackles are off the board early, the Bengals will face these questions. Most have been asked and answered at length, especially on this blog. So I thought I'd ask all of you to think about a different route: what if the Bengals traded up on draft day?

I ask this question for two reasons. First, the jump from sixth to, say, second or third is not that high. This makes a trade at least reasonable. I'm not exactly sure what it would take to get the Bengals up that high in the draft order. Maybe that's something that can be answered in the comments.

Second, and more importantly, a trade up should at least be an option because there is no clear cut alternative. Countless posts here at CincyJungle have tried to answer that with wide receivers, running backs, other offensive tackles, defensive linemen. The list goes on. The fact that there's no clear answer tells me that none of these players are truly what the Bengals need right now. While each one of them could certainly be a boost to the team, really the glaring hole is o-line and it needs to be filled, asap. If Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe can be that key target which instantly makes the bengals a contender, then why not trade up?

Of course, that last sentence is really why the Bengals shouldn't trade up at all (like how I did a complete 180 there?). While I am asking the question and presenting another option for Cincinnati, I don't think this move would be for the best. Afterall, while Smith or Monroe would be a great pick up, they will not make the team into Super Bowl contenders. The Bengals are far from the one key element to win it all. That being said, the draft is the best way to build a team and giving up extra picks may be more of a detriment to the team.

So what should the Bengals do? You got me. But maybe a trade up is in the cards. If nothing else, I hope this fanpost (my first ever!) gives you another option to think about.