Some mighty small numbers filled up the columns measuring big plays. The Bengals were one of the most inept teams in the league at getting the ball downfield Titans Authentic Jerseys , the main factor in a second straight losing season.
"Statistically, it looks just like it felt," the Bengals' offensive coordinator said. "You were there."
The main emphasis in Lazor's overhaul of the offense has been finding ways to get big plays out of an offense that finished last in total yards and near the bottom in big plays as well. It all begins with Andy Dalton, who is coming off one of his least-effective seasons.
The eighth-year quarterback completed 69.9 percent of his passes and averaged 6.69 yards per attempt, both figures his worst since his rookie season. Dalton repeatedly was off-target on long passes. He also was under constant pressure, which limited the time for receivers to get open downfield and contributed to the lack of long passes.
"This group's been one of the best groups in the NFL 鈥?since Andy came into the league 鈥?on vertical passes," coach Marvin Lewis said. "And we weren't very good. So that alone is the first thing."
The 2015 season was Dalton's best as he worked behind a veteran line. The Bengals had 63 pass plays of at least 20 yards, nine shy of the league high shared by the Saints and Jaguars. Last season, they managed only 34 such plays, a huge decline. The Saints led the league with 72 pass plays of 20 yards or more.
The passing game wasn't the only failed area. The Bengals' longest run was only 25 yards, the worst in the league.
Injuries played a role. Tight end Tyler Eifert hurt his back in the second game and was out for the rest of the season. Top draft pick John Ross was severely limited by two shoulder injuries and didn't catch a pass.
By contrast, every part of the offense 鈥?receivers Youth Anthony Averett Jersey , tight ends, running backs 鈥?provided game-turning plays in 2015.
"Guys did a good job of making tough, contested catches," Dalton said. "I was being accurate with the ball, and guys were catching and running. I think there were probably some broken tackles in the run game and different things. It's a big thing we want to do."
The Bengals failed to score a touchdown in their first two games last season and fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. Lazor took over as an interim coordinator, got the job after the season, and was given a lot of latitude to reinvent the offense.
The new playbook provides many opportunities to try for a big play.
"It's not on everything, but there's definitely chances to take shots down the field," Dalton said.
The Bengals traded with the Bills for left tackle Cordy Glenn and drafted center Billy Price in the first round as part of their line overhaul. Ross is back and making impressive plays during camp. Eifert signed a one-year deal and was cleared to practice on Monday.
There was no thought of bringing in someone to challenge Dalton, who has the backing of Lewis and owner Mike Brown. They're hoping a solid line will give Dalton the time he needs to perform more like he did in 2015.
"When Andy came to us in 2011 up to now, our winning percentage is eighth in the league," said Duke Tobin Thomas Rawls Jersey Elite , director of player personnel. "We're confident in him leading our team. We have to be better in front of him than last year. We've got to put a better run game with him.
"We feel like we've got weapons on the outside and he should be in the prime of his career, so he's going to have to lead the charge."
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay turned up the volume on his first-unit offense, blasting the usual training camp soundtrack of rap music even louder as they went through a series of unscripted situational drills Saturday.It wasn't enough to silence the starters, as wide receiver Brandin Cooks made a loud statement with a series of impressive catches.
"He did a great job today and he's done that over the course of his career," McVay said. "Brandin is an exciting player. I've really been impressed with how quickly he has been able to learn the system, take ownership on the offense, and just getting out here making plays."
Those highlights included catching a crossing route through traffic and making a contested leaping grab on the next play during a team period, showing why the Rams traded for him in April and signed the former Oregon State standout to a five-year extension last month.
With a new contract in hand, Cooks feels free to go all out entering his fifth season.
"I think a lot of guys when you get that (extension), you go even harder just because you know have that security so you just lay it all out there because of the team believing so highly in you," said Cooks, who had 65 receptions for 1 Baker Mayfield Jersey Browns ,082 yards and seven touchdowns for New England last season.
Cooks has had at least 1,000 yards receiving and seven touchdown receptions in each of the last three seasons, and early returns in practice have justified McVay's belief that Cooks will be more than a deep threat complimenting fellow starters Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. However, Kupp believes that one aspect of Cooks' skill set will have a major impact on how opposing defenses play against the Rams.
"The most visible sign of someone that's fast is when they catch the deep ball, but you don't see how much that influences things underneath and clears zones out and allows for guys to get open," Kupp said. "For the threat that he is, the way safeties are going to have to play him, it's a huge advantage for us. We just have to make sure we're doing our job, the other 10 guys on the field."
McVay likes how Cooks fits in with the other receivers on the roster, a group that was overhauled through free agency, the draft and trades last year before sending first and sixth-round picks to the Patriots for Cooks. What stands out to Kupp is how each receiver is capable of filling every role in McVay's system, praising Cooks for integrating into the offense so quickly.
"Our receiving corps Cheap Harold Landry Jersey , just the guys that we have, there is so much diversity in terms of the strengths of our players that I don't think it's on one person," Kupp said. "It's not one person's job to run this route. It's not only one person that can run the deep route. And because of that, it makes it really easy for us to be able to move around and be diverse in our looks and even harder for the defense to get a bead on."?
The Rams' backups on defense certainly struggled to keep up with quarterback Jared Goff and his collection of receivers. Kupp was especially pleased with how the offense performed in the red zone during practice. Despite leading the NFL in scoring at 29.9 points per game last season, the Rams got touchdowns on 53.4 percent of possessions inside the 20-yard line.
Cooks showed he can help there by tapping his toes down in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown during a red-zone drill.
"He can do a variety of things, but it's exciting to be able to work with players like him where you're kind of not really limited in any way you can utilize him," McVay said.
NOTES: Tight end Gerald Everett will not travel with the team next week for joint practices with Baltimore because of a sprained shoulder, McVay said. . Safety Lamarcus Joyner, who has been limited because of a sore Achilles, should return to practice Monday.
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