With Margus Hunt, it's almost like 'starting over again'

[Harry0569]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_ ... over-again

With Margus Hunt, it's almost like 'starting over again'

CINCINNATI -- This time last year, Margus Hunt was making progress.

As he transitioned into his second season in the league and only the sixth year he had spent playing football of any kind, the Estonian-born Cincinnati Bengals defensive end was beginning to understand exactly what his coaches wanted him to do.

But now, after a sophomore year in the NFL derailed by injury and mediocre play, it's almost as if he's back at square one.

"You're starting to really get it, and then boom, you have to shut it down for six weeks and it's like starting over again," defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said.

It was during training camp last August -- many weeks before he missed four games because of a late-season ankle injury -- that Hunt showed glimpses of good play. In limited action in the four preseason games he had 10 tackles and four sacks. Three of his sacks came in a dominating performance in the preseason finale against the Colts.

While it was clear he wasn't ready to start, all the fundamental work and the technique teaching appeared to be paying off. Before the season ended, the expectation was that Hunt would be a key off-the-bench pass-rush weapon.

Early in the regular season, though, he didn't much prove that. He averaged 21 snaps through the first six games but barely did much. He only had two tackles, a batted pass and no sacks. Used off the edge and occasionally in the interior as part of a nickel defense pass rush, Hunt simply wasn't getting to quarterbacks as effectively as he had been in August.

He was having the same problem shared by every other defensive lineman. Each of them had been struggling to finish their rushes.

"Getting there, it don't mean anything," Guenther said earlier this offseason. "We've got to finish the rushes. We've got to affect the quarterback one way or another. That's the bottom line. We have to affect the guy throwing the ball."

Pro Football Focus graded the Bengals as having the worst pass rush in the league in 2014. Cincinnati had just 20 sacks during the regular season. That was one of the four worst single-season sack totals in franchise history.

As a result of the largely ineffective pressure, Guenther's focus this offseason has been to come up with solutions for getting his players to better finish their pass rushes. That could come in the form of lineup tweaks, free agency adds or draft additions. Some of it also will come in getting Hunt and another young end, 2014 third-round pick Will Clarke, to continue improving.

"I anticipate spending a lot of time with him and Will this offseason because we've got to get those guys going," Guenther said. "It isn't necessarily about scheme. You look at the teams that [played in the Super Bowl]. It isn't like they [were] trying to trick anybody with blitzes and all that stuff. It's your guys, my guys, one on one and I've got to win on rush, I've got to win on coverage."

How do you win one-on-one in a rush?

"To me, it's about technique. It's about effort. It's about playing fast," Guenther said. "Those are the things that if you don't do that, if you don't get lined up right, if you don't play great technique and you don't play fast with great effort, then you don't have a chance to start."

With his fully healed ankle, Hunt may have a difficult journey cracking the starting lineup. He has to approach the next few months as if he's starting all over again.

[fifty]

What was wrong with his ankle? Normal sprain or sonething more??

[footballdad]

Unfortunately, Margus is one of those combine 'freaks'. Unusual size and strength but not really a football player.

[Higher Authority]

He didn't block all those kicks or make a human speed bump out of that Fresno OT at the Combine.

He's a rare athlete and still a work in progress, but it's way too early to say he's not a player. He's just a player who's still learning.

[ojaipony]

He's got to lean how to use his hands better. Slapping away quickly and bursting off the ball. He bull rushed all he wanted in college and preseason but that won't cut it.

[Harry0569]

Unfortunately, Margus is one of those combine 'freaks'. Unusual size and strength but not really a football player.

not to mention his age...

[footballdad]

He didn't block all those kicks or make a human speed bump out of that Fresno OT at the Combine.

He's a rare athlete and still a work in progress, but it's way too early to say he's not a player. He's just a player who's still learning.

He blocked all those kicks because he was 6'8" playing against inferior competition. How many blocked kicks in the NFL so far? Also never heard of anyone making an NFL career as a kick blocking specialist

One outlier performance against a weak OT in your final game = fortunate timing......not dominant collegiate DE/2nd round pick.

Kudos to Margus for taking advantage of his opportunity. Hopefully the light comes on and he has a dominant 3rd year, I just don't see it. Take the NFL $ and maybe start training again for the next Olympics.

[vielsiehorsepower]

He didn't block all those kicks or make a human speed bump out of that Fresno OT at the Combine.

He's a rare athlete and still a work in progress, but it's way too early to say he's not a player. He's just a player who's still learning.

He blocked all those kicks because he was 6'8" playing against inferior competition. How many blocked kicks in the NFL so far? Also never heard of anyone making an NFL career as a kick blocking specialist

One outlier performance against a weak OT in your final game = fortunate timing......not dominant collegiate DE/2nd round pick.

Kudos to Margus for taking advantage of his opportunity. Hopefully the light comes on and he has a dominant 3rd year, I just don't see it. Take the NFL $ and maybe start training again for the next Olympics.

I feel like if margus had a redshirt year and played for a school better at developing guys he'd be a dominant force on the field. Give him a break, first time he ever played the game was 2009 and has been learning on the go. I think that light will come.on eventually but he was drafted with the intention of being a project

[footballdad]

We'll see, would think this is his make or break year. He's already been coached up, full time, by NFL guys for 2 years. With another off-season, training camp & pre-season I'm sure he realizes it's time to perform or expect to be cut.

[West Coast Johnny]

You have to remember that you are dealing with the Bengals here. The worst franchise in the league. Their coach keeps his job by blaming the players (the players he drafted).

[vielsiehorsepower]

You have to remember that you are dealing with the Bengals here. The worst franchise in the league. Their coach keeps his job by blaming the players (the players he drafted).

Bengals are a perennial playoff team. I assure you there are worse franchises

[SMUer]

I find it embarrassing how I'll-prepared he seemed for the NFL. It was super basic stuff that they were teaching him during the Hardknocks season his rookie year.

[vielsiehorsepower]

I find it embarrassing how I'll-prepared he seemed for the NFL. It was super basic stuff that they were teaching him during the Hardknocks season his rookie year.

Didn't see it so I'm just speculating maybe they were just starting from.the basics as a reference point. Kind of like how the first lesson of college alegbra is reviewing what an integer is to make sure everyone is on the same.page

[dbone]

We'll see, would think this is his make or break year. He's already been coached up, full time, by NFL guys for 2 years. With another off-season, training camp & pre-season I'm sure he realizes it's time to perform or expect to be cut.

Footballdad is mostly right. Margus is an amazing athlete...big, strong and fast. But he stands straight up...cannot find the ball...and is not a "killer." He could have gained 20lbs and been one of the best Offensive Left Tackles out there though. Nobody would have gotten past him.

[smusic 00]

Plus he's almost 30 years old. I loved what he accomplished at SMU, but he never had a good coach and was drafted on his freak status. He really only had three great games for SMU as a DE, and those were on national TV, so good for him.