The teeth of the Hydra are upon Cincy

By Tre Hutcherson  |   Wednesday, October 25, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Cincinnati Bengals
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In Greek mythology, the Hydra was the nine-headed serpent that heroic strongman Hercules was sent to kill on one of his Twelve Labors. You remember, every time he cut off one of its heads, two more would grow back. Then, with the help of his nephew Lolaus, they figured out that if Hercules burned the necks shut after he chopped off the heads, no more would grow back. With a sickle and firebrand, they finally were able to whittle the creature from Hades down to a single head - the one which was the most venomous of them all. After an epic struggle, Hercules was able to render the final decapitation and the beast was slain.

Nowadays, this type of conundrum is known as a "Hydra-like problem" or a "hydra." It refers to a multifaceted problem that seems incapable of a step-by-step solution, or a problem that worsens upon conventional attempts to solve it.

I use the second of Hercules' 12 tasks as an example of what the Cincinnati Bengals are facing this week versus the Atlanta Falcons.

The Dirty Birds' offense currently ranks No. 1 in the NFL with a staggering 1,333 yards on the ground through six games. That's 222 yards per game -- an average of 6.1 yards per carry. In addition to that, the team has seen 13 runs go for more than 20 yards. This is well above the league average; San Francisco is next with seven long dashes. No other team has more than six.

The Falcons' rushing attack is far more potent than any other in the NFL. Just for perspective, the New York Giants are the next closest team in total rushing yardage with 914, good for 152 per game and a 5.0 average per attempt. That's right, there isn't another team within 400 yards of the Falcons.

This team can run and do so for big, big chunks of yardage.

Quarterback Michael Vick is the team's obvious advantage. With 441 rushing yards on 51 carries, he is the difference maker on the ground. A weapon like no other team possesses.

In keeping with the Herculean theme, if the Atlanta Falcons are like the hydra, Vick is then the most venomous head of this snarling serpentine offense.

Warrick Dunn, Jerious Norwood and Vick are equal threats to bust one off. But Vick can do so much more.

It would be feasible to think that if you shut down the run, you shut down the Falcons. That's what the Pittsburgh Steelers must have been thinking this past Sunday. But much like the deeper meaning of the hydra myth, this problem could worsen with conventional attempts to solve it. In the Steelers' effort to shut down the Atlanta running game, they enabled Vick to have his best passing performance of the season as he connected with his receiving arsenal for four touchdowns in a 41-38 victory.

So you stop the ground attack of Dunn and Norwood. But then there's receivers Michael Jenkins, Ashley Lelie and tight end Alge Crumpler to take their place. Just like the hydra, if you cut off one threat, two others come back in its place. So, as a defensive coordinator, how do you kill the beast?

Much like Hercules, you must cut one head off at a time and make sure none can come back to doubly hurt you. You play run-first defense and key in on Dunn. You keep Norwood from hurting you with the long run. Then you deal with the most venomous of the bunch, Vick; you exploit his weakness and neutralize him.

And what is that weakness?

If you discount the four-touchdown performance against the Steelers, Atlanta has been marginal at best in its passing offense.

In stark contrast to Atlanta's No. 1 rushing game, the team is dead last in passing, averaging only 132 yards a game. Before last Sunday, the Falcons had only scored three touchdowns by way of air mail. Vick has a woeful 74.2 passer rating, and he has thrown five interceptions and been sacked 19 times.

For Cincinnati to get this win, the defensive front seven needs to play their best game of the season thus far. Heavily maligned for not being able to stop the run, the Bengals are presented with an opportunity to demonstrate that they have improved this season. Both the defensive line and linebackers need to play big this week.

They must cut off all of Atlanta's rushing options and force Vick to try and win the game with his arm.

The Bengals' game plan will be a lot like every other team that has taken on the Falcons. They will use a fleet-footed linebacker as a spy, probably Landon Johnson or Ahmad Brooks. Anytime Vick tries to run, the spy will attempt to quickly cut him down. The coaches will stress that the defensive line employ disciplined pursuit tactics. Meaning that they must not over-run their pass rush lanes or leave their assigned gaps. Seven players will crowd the box.

This all sounds great, but it isn't so easy to do. For the Bengals to prevail, however, it is a 'must do'.

If the defense is successful in these tasks, Vick will be forced to stay in the pocket and pass. This is when the Bengals can pounce. Defensive ends Justin Smith and Robert Geathers are both tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks with six apiece. They can get to the quarterback if given the chance. If pressure is applied to Vick, he makes mistakes with the ball.

And there are no bigger opportunists than the Bengals.

Takeaways are their bread and butter, so it is imperative that the defense gets Atlanta to throw the ball, and throw it often. The Bengals' only real chance to slay this hydra is to win the turnover battle. More passing attempts equal more opportunities for interceptions.

These two teams are very even in every statistical category. As a result, they both share records of 4-2. Very little separates them from each other. Shutting down the run early will be the key in getting a win against Atlanta.

Sam Adams and friends need to win first and second downs, force third-down situations and put the secondary in the position to make a big play.

If Cincinnati's defense can complete this Herculean effort against the Atlanta Falcons - stop the rush, kill the hydra, win the game - it will set the team up for the rest of the season. In victory, the unit will have the confidence necessary to take on the next of its own Labors.

Maybe not the Hounds of Hell. At the very least, though, the Chargers, Colts and Broncos.

Weekly Cincinnati Bengals insight, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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