The Cincinnati Bengals knew what they were getting into when they selected A.J. Green with the 4th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Green, a Summerville, South Carolina native, and Georgia Bulldog, was one of the best prospects in the country. He had the skills in college to perform at the NFL level, providing some great performances in the best football conference in America. The Atlanta Falcons wanted Green at the No. 4 selection, but instead, had to settle for Alabama wideout Julio Jones.
What a downgrade, right?
(Of course, Julio Jones is also one of the brightest and best young receivers in the NFL today. Falcons fans should adore him, but to think about what Green could bring to that offense is nothing short of spectacular)
In just two seasons in the National Football League, A.J. has already flourished. He's blossomed into one of the league's best pass-catchers, and he turns 25 at the end of this month. Even though his quarterback play has been mediocre at best and he has proven to be the only offensive weapon that requires legitimate coverage on the Bengals, Green has been able to excite, amaze, and give defensive coordinators fits.
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The Arrival
The Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals had met two seasons prior to this meeting in the Mile High City. And boy was that memorable. In this contest, Denver edged Cincinnati out 24-22 to even up their record, and send the Bengals to an 0-2 record. That wasn't the entire story, however. The spotlight shined on Green, who compiled a stellar outing in Denver. The Broncos did not have their All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey in the lineup, and they could not seem to find a way to stop Green otherwise.
Part of being a great wide receiver is understanding the route tree. Green, through the last two seasons, has been able to understand, react, and run the route tree with ease. On this play, the Bengals want to strike and try to get some points after Denver just scored themselves. So with two backs in the backfield, and two receivers out to the right, the Bengals call their outside receiver, Simpson, to run along the sidelines on a 'go' route, and for Green to run a post route.
Green kept on running, found himself wide open within the loose zone coverage that Denver had, and hauled in a 26-yard completion. Not only does Green show off his abilities at route-running, he shows off one of his other assets: catching the deep ball.
Later in the 3rd quarter, the Bengals are down 17-6 and are looking to get some points on the board. Dalton would look to Green here on this next play, a 1st & 20. The Bengals once again have 11 personnel on the field with 3 wide receivers, two on the left near one another and Green split out wide. The Broncos counter with a 'Nickel' look, with a single high safety on the right side. They come out in a Cover-4 defense, meaning 4 of the defensive backs (the outside cornerbacks and the safeties) will play in some deep zone. With such a large gap between the down and distance, this is a smart call.
There is some simple play design here, as Green will run a 7-yard curl, while Jerome Simpson runs a deep corner route, and Andre Caldwell runs along the flat. Dalton would find Green, and once again, his work after the catch comes up large as he would avoid a tackler, and find his way out of bounds. Simplicity here was key, and he did exactly what he had to do.
Green would finish this game with 10 catches for 124 yards, and a spectacular toe-tapping touchdown catch.
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The Deep Ball
Don Hutson and Paul Warfield were two of the first true deep threats in the NFL's history. In recent times, Randy Moss is known as the best deep threat the league has seen in this generation. It's always tough to predict how a player's career will pan out, but with what's been shown, A.J. Green might be the league's next best deep threat, if he isn't already the leader in the clubhouse. We take a trip back to 2011, in a game where A.J. Green only had one reception. That one reception, however, was one of the most spectacular catches of the season, and the first of many highlight reel catches that Green will find himself leaving on the game and his career.
On this play, the Bengals come out with 21 personnel (2 backs, 1 tight end) and two receivers on the left and the right. The Pittsburgh Steelers will counter with their base 3-4 defense. Additionally, the Steelers will give the Bengals a Cover 6 shell. The Cover 6 shell, in essence, is when you have a Cover 4 shell + a Cover 2 shell mixed together. For a look, here is Big Cat Country's breakdown. As this play plays out, it looks just like that.
A.J., seen above on the left, is in press coverage, and he runs a "sluggo" route. The sluggo route is otherwise known as a slant-and-go. He breaks for a few yards, cuts in on the slant, and then darts up the field. Ike Taylor runs with him step for step. Taylor, one of the better cornerbacks in the league, actually is able to keep up with the quick Green after Andy Dalton executed a play fake.
As we can see, Taylor is tailing off, and Troy Polamalu is tailing off with A.J. Green. Polamalu, one of the best safeties of the 2000s, is able to stick with Green for the time necessary. Andy Dalton, faced with a weak 3-man rush and zone coverage by the linebackers, has all the time in the world. If he wanted to, I'm sure he could have made some Skyline Chili in the backfield, and then make his throw.
Now we see that A.J. is amongst two Pittsburgh defenders. Polamalu, and safety Ryan Clark. If you have to guess what happened on this play, well, you do not really have to think about it too hard.
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Staying Consistent
Green had a spectacular rookie season, finishing with over 1,000 yards receiving and grabbing seven touchdowns. He would follow up his sophomore season without the dreaded and perhaps overstated "slump." Green finished the year 2012 with 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns on a scintillating 13.92 yards per reception. One of his best games of the 2012 season came against the Washington Redskins, and it started on one of the first plays of the game.
Mohamed Sanu was the QB on this play, with the actual QB, Andy Dalton, split out wide to the right. A.J. Green is in the slot, and he will run a seam route on this play. Unfortunately for Washington, things did not turn out so well for them. Sanu, a one-time triple-option quarterback at his high school in New Brunswick, New Jersey, let off a deep ball to Green. It does not take much to figure out what occurred here.
A part of staying consistent is being able to read and react to the plays around you. When things break down, it's best to see your receivers come to you as a quarterback, rather than the quarterback trying to find you. Here on this play, the Bengals lined up with 2 wide receivers and 11 personnel. Green would run a deep post route, while the receiver opposite him ran a deep out route.
Things did not go so well for the Bengals as we see below. The pocket collapsed on Andy Dalton and Green ran his route, but couldn't find anything. We see that, spotlighted, both Green and Dalton are faced with the proposition of improvisation.
Now Dalton is scrambling, and Green, eyeing his quarterback the entire way, runs along side him in very, very loose coverage. He would head right, near the out of bounds area, and haul in a catch for 14 yards. Certainly a great play by a great receiver, who faced a chance of being improvisational.
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Becoming the Best
It's a loaded crop of wide receivers in the NFL today. Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Roddy White, Julio Jones, Dez Bryant, Victor Cruz, Demaryius Thomas, Greg Jennings, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, and that's just naming only a few. And even with that said, Green's place is near the upper echelon of receivers. That much is certain and is tough to deny. You can't argue his route-running abilities, his knack for bringing in the deep ball, nor can you argue the consistency he is starting to bring, and his abilities to improvise when things break down. With a few more years on his track record, who knows?
Green's mountain to climb to become the best wide receiver in football isn't as tough as some others. The soon-to-be 25 year old has left a magnificent path behind him already, and if the last two seasons have told us anything, it's that all eyes should be watching him, and the Summerville, South Carolina native will continue to amaze.
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