Cincinnati Bengals: Dynamic Running Duo Key to Success

The Cincinnati Bengals thrived last season with a running back tandem of Hill and Bernard, but if Hill’s production continues to falter, can Bernard shoulder the load? Don’t worry, this is a well oiled machine.

Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

In 2014, the Cincinnati Bengals had their depth chart perfectly organized at the running back position. Big bruiser Jeremy Hill was the starter. He carried the ball over 200 times for more than 1100 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. It was the perfect allotment of Hill’s frame. As his backup, Giovani Bernard seemed equally as effective. He finished with fewer than 170 carries, but caught 43 passes on 59 targets. The small and shifty Bernard wasn’t a runner that got chunk after chunk like Hill, but he could get everything on any touch of the football. The Bengals went 10-5-1 and lost the division title by half a game with this setup.

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Then last year in 2015, the Bengals fell apart in the backfield, while the team took off in the standings. Hill was very bad. He still received more than 200 carries, but fell short of 800 yards on the ground, averaging 3.6 per carry. Bernard continued to do what he did well, mixing carries with catches, breaking big plays and generally confounding defenses.

Yet Bernard scored just two total touchdowns in 2015, while Hill scrounged together an amazing 11 rushing touchdowns. That is mostly about opportunity near the goal line, but it is also surely about reliability and trust. Cincinnati continued to trust the bigger Hill with the bigger carries in each and every game despite his struggles. Does this same pattern make sense again for 2016?

Obviously if Hill resorts back to his 2014 self, this argument is moot. The best arrangement is to have Hill be the bell cow and Bernard spell him for that change of pace. The Bengals want Hill near the goal line and in the fourth quarter. But what if Hill stinks?

According to Football Outsiders, Bernard was a top-10 runner both in the aggregate and on a per-play basis last year. Meanwhile Hill was well below average per play and got himself just up to average in total because he continued to get so many chances. Is this a sign that Bernard needs to be used more or needs to be the starter? Or is it a sign that the Bengals are using him just right the way it is?

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I lean toward the latter. I don’t believe Bernard is a full-time starter in this league, and the Bengals need the original depth chart to work moving forward. If Hill can’t handle that workload either, rather than switching responsibilities and solving everything, it seems more likely Cincinnati is simply in trouble.

DAN:

My gut instinct tells me Cincinnati has a winning formula at running back that will continue to work well in 2016. Bernard has been a Bengal for three seasons, while Hill has only been with the team two years. A quick look at how Cincinnati has used Bernard over that time tells you everything. He thrives in a more limited role.

Bernard’s attempts have ranged from a high of 170 in his rookie year to 154 last season. Basically the Bengals have used him the exact same amount every season. With fewer attempts he saw his yards per carry go up and his total yards increase as well. Bernard never got more than five touchdowns on the ground in a season, so only two last year doesn’t bother me. Cincinnati knows what they have and he’s very good at doing it. Add in the production in the passing game and its no surprise how much this team’s offense has thrived.

Bernard’s role with the Bengals reminds me of Bilal Powell with the New York Jets. He’s another change of pace running back who can break a big play when given the football. This is a crucial role in NFL offenses. It keeps the defense on its toes. It makes them prepare for two types of running backs, rather than just one. So we return to the question of whether Jeremy Hill can continue to dominate as the every down back for Cincinnati.

Based on how each player has been used, I’d say this is not a positional battle, but an exceptional tandem. Its definitely a red flag that Hill’s yards per carry average dropped so significantly in his sophomore season. He got the football the same number of times, recorded more touchdowns, yet couldn’t generate more than 3.7 yards each time he ran with it. Is this is a real problem, or simply a result of an improved Bengals’ offense?

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Cincinnati had a dynamic passing attack last season. Hill got the football in the red zone a lot, with defenses stacking the box to stop him. He still got into the end zone, but its very likely the overall improvement of the offense factored into Hill’s ultimate production totals.

He was being used more in situations where the run was expected. If anything, his drop off in the passing game only solidifies this argument. The Bengals have a one-two punch and seem to know how best to utilize it.