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Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals under pressure with new offensive coordinator

By Jeff Wallner, The Sports Xchange
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis listen to Head Linesman Steve Stelljes in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on September 18, 2016. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis listen to Head Linesman Steve Stelljes in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on September 18, 2016. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

CINCINNATI -- Following a tumultuous week during which offensive coordinator Ken Zampese was fired and quarterback Andy Dalton came under fire, things don't get any easier for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals play at Green Bay on Sunday, looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2008.

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"It's an opportunity for us to win our first football game of 2017," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "I told the players on Monday morning, this is not magic, you have to do the work."

Zampese's replacement, Bill Lazor, met with the offensive staff and Lewis over the weekend to formulate a plan moving forward. A big part of that will be getting Dalton comfortable in the pocket and more confident with his throws.

Through two games, the seventh-year quarterback has completed 54.5 percent of his passes with four interceptions. Cincinnati hasn't scored a touchdown through the first eight quarters of the season. Earlier in the week, backup quarterback AJ McCarron came to Dalton's defense and lashed out at his critics. And, Zampese's firing came on the heels of wide receiver A.J. Green's public outburst following a 13-9 loss to the Houston Texans last Thursday.

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Bottom line: Lazor and Lewis need to find ways to best utilize the myriad of weapons the Bengals seem to have, at least on paper.

"We've spent a lot of time building an offense geared toward the particular players we have," Lazor said. "What we need to do is score as many points as we can to beat the Packers. That's it. And then we will take it from there. When (a coordinator change) like this happens during the season, you can't go much further than that. It would be nice if you could, but we have a real tough task at hand."

Green bristled at the media last week after failing to see the ball on the final drive of the loss to the Texans in which the Bengals managed just three field goals.

Green has 10 catches for 141 yards through two weeks. Tight end Tyler Eifert was targeted once in the season opener and has only four catches. Eifert is dealing with back and knee issues and his status for Sunday's game is uncertain.

Another issue is the running game.

Cincinnati has used a three-man rotation at running back that produced only 3.4 yards per carry last week. There have been internal grumblings about giving more carries to rookie Joe Mixon who's averaging 2.6 yards but has shown an ability to pound between the tackles and elude defenders in the open field.

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The Bengals need to reach the end zone on Sunday at Lambeau Field or the pressure will only mount further on Dalton and the coaching staff. Green Bay (1-1) has an aggressive defense that will make things difficult for Dalton.

"They have good players, explosive players," said Lewis. "This is a defensive football team that is making a transition from zone pressures to more man to man. Played very well in Week 1."

Lazor is in his 12th season as an NFL coach and in his second year as an assistant coach with the Bengals. He previously has served as an NFL offensive coordinator and/or quarterbacks coach for Washington, Seattle, Philadelphia and Miami.

But, as Lewis said, Lazor can only do so much in his first week. It's up to the players to have better execution.

The task also will be difficult for the Bengals defense on Sunday at Lambeau, where Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers owns a career 109.0 passer rating, the highest home rating in NFL history.

"He grew up in this offense," said Lewis. "He understands the ins and outs of things they're doing. He can extend the play. He's very athletically talented and gifted."

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The Bengals insist they aren't rebuilding, but according to information released by the NFL regarding opening-week rosters, the Bengals began the 2017 season with the youngest roster in Marvin Lewis' 15 seasons as head coach at 24.45 years. Cincinnati's opening-week roster also ranked as the third-youngest in the NFL, behind Cleveland (24.17) and the L.A. Rams (25.11). The average age league-wide was 26.05. The Bengals' 14 rookie or first-year players on the Week 1 roster were also the most ever for an opening week in the Lewis era. Lewis asked for patience following a 0-2 start, but the request is falling on deaf ears among a frustrated fan base. "We have plenty of time to be better," Lewis said, "but we have our work cut out for us."

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One of the more frustrated Bengals players last week was wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who practiced with the first team most of the week but was a surprise scratch prior to the 13-9 loss to the Houston Texans. Initial reports were that Boyd had a hamstring injury, but that was refuted later by head coach Marvin Lewis. There also were reports that Boyd's effort in practice resulted in the benching. Regardless, the second-year player seemed confused by the decision.

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"I don't feel like what I was doing on offense was bad," Boyd said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Because they haven't really came and said anything negative about my performance or play. I think it was just a huge part of special teams emphasis and lack of depth there. That's what I got from them, so I accepted it and there was nothing really said on how I perform." Boyd has only one catch for 11 yards.

NOTES: TE Tyler Eifert is dealing with injuries, again. He did not practice on Wednesday and was said to be dealing with back and knee injuries. He has four catches for 46 yards through two games. Eifert missed the preseason and the first six weeks last season with an ankle injury, then the final two games with back issues. ... TE C.J. Uzomah was back in pads for Wednesday's practice. He missed the first two games due to a leg injury suffered early in training camp. Uzomah's health took on greater importance this week with starter Tyler Eifert out of practice with injuries. Uzomah had an impressive training camp prior to the injury.

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