Paul Dehner Jr.

pdehnerjr@enquirer.com

HOUSTON – There’s no convention of the sport quite like Super Bowl week and once the media center vacates for the evening, then the real information starts to swirl.

So, after a week of interviews, Radio Row conversations and one of the greatest games the sport has seen, here’s a few (mostly) Bengals-centric observations from seven days at Super Bowl LI in Houston.

1. No secret, but never more obvious: If you don’t draft for speed, you will be left in the dust. Atlanta’s defense showcased the speed coach Dan Quinn used to help build the Seattle group that still dominates the NFC. The game belongs to the spread passing game. Three-wide against nickel coverage has been the base matchup for more than a few years now. Hybrid safeties and linebackers have become the same player. And they all better be able to run, cover and tackle in space. The Falcons nearly (and should have) dethroned Tom Brady and Bill Belichick with that speed. The Bengals could use more of it, particularly playing nickel next to Vontaze Burfict and that’s why many lock eyes on Alabama’s Reuben Foster at No. 9.

2. I continue to feel confident Kevin Zeitler will be playing elsewhere in 2017. When Bengals free agency comes up, it always starts with Andrew Whitworth and usually skips over the 26-year-old guard. Rightfully so for Whitworth, who plays at a premium position and lives at the heart of the Bengals leadership group. As teams watch the Alex Mack acquisition at center help catapult the Falcons offense they’ll look to interior linemen on the market to do the same and Zeitler might be the No. 1 guard available. He’s about to break the bank. Like Max Montoya who came before him, the fact the Bengals never valued guard as a position worth paying top of the market dollar hangs like a black cloud. We’ll see as free agency ramps up next month, but we put a 45 percent chance on his return in our free agent piece when the season ended and I’d drop it to 30 today.

3. The Bengals probably have the most centered, humble superstar combo in the NFL. You watch all the league’s stars come through Houston and they have overflowing entourages and blow off most anyone who attempts to infiltrate their circle or agenda. Then there’s A.J. Green and Andy Dalton. Dalton wore a hoodie and a Katy High School baseball hat to represent his hometown and found time for anyone interested. Green did the same, laughing along the way in t-shirt and shorts. There’s no ounce of diva or entitlement in these two. And better believe that’s met with a reassuring smile in that it came by design for Marvin Lewis and the Bengals.

4. Now, not contradicting the last statement, but the vocal tone of Green continued to come as a new turn for the star receiver. He offered a clear opinion on who the Bengals should bring back (Whitworth) and a position he’d like to see filled in the draft (pass rusher). He even made a push for more activity in free agency, replicating how the Falcons molded their offensive resurgence. That’s different from him. This started in calling out the offensive line midseason. Green feels ownership over this team and, obviously, ownership over his prime years in this league. He wants to reach the stage where he can make the catches like Julio Jones did on Sunday and capture a ring. Nothing Green said was pushy or even overstating his bounds – in fact, I think the Bengals front office would agree with most of what he said – but his comfort speaking his mind felt striking.

5. The Bengals will find themselves in an interesting position next season. This draft is slated to produce 11 picks once the four compensatory picks are awarded in March. Not only must they answer if this roster can handle the influx of 11 drafted players, plus the usual undrafted player or two to make the roster, but once on the club will they be cleared to make an impact. The Bengals have always preferred patience in infusing rookies. The philosophy could be seen across the Marvin Lewis tree this year when the Bengals, Vikings (Mike Zimmer) and Redskins (Jay Gruden) all ranked in the bottom five in offensive/defensive snaps by rookies. Then, there were the Falcons. Playing in the Super Bowl with four rookie defensive starters. This quote from Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff struck me this week.

“Kudos to Dan for being able to take four starting rookies on this defense and playing with them, and confidently playing with them, to me the ability to develop these players, and instill in the coaching staff the importance of development, that’s music to a general manager’s ears as you can imagine,” Dimitroff said. “Not putting them aside for six games, or 10 games and waiting for them to come around next year. I would say that to anyone, I would say that to any young general manager, if you can get a head coach that believes in the players that you’re drafting and puts them on the field now, and understands that there’s … going to be some tough times, and you can pull through it, our offense has allowed us to do that with this defense.”

Not saying either side of the development coin proves right or wrong and they couldn’t have done it without Matt Ryan and the offense posting bundles of points, but clearly aggression with rookie snaps paid off for the Falcons this year.

6. My favorite story from Super Bowl week came from Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times taking a surprising answer from center Alex Mack and turning it into a unique piece about the fine line between greatness and forgotten.

Not forgotten: For every Super Bowl star, there's an equally talented player who didn't make it

7. The NFL is a copycat league. Except when it comes to Brady and Belichick. Nobody can replicate what they created in New England no matter how many assistants and front office types they pluck.

8. Watching Atlanta defensive tackle Grady Jarrett post three sacks and another critical QB hit in the Super Bowl brought up a debate about Jarrett vs. defensive lineman Marcus Hardison in the Bengals 2014 draft. Hardison went 135 to Cincinnati and Jarrett 137 to Atlanta. Folks were taking shots at the Bengals pick to me on Twitter when Jarrett started tearing up the Patriots. First, I agree Jarrett is a phenomenal player and I still remember then-Sports Illustrated analyst Doug Farrar touting him as a Geno Atkins clone on my draft spectacular podcast that year. I still think the Bengals made the correct decision. Hardison suffered the terrible luck of injury ending both his seasons before they started, but he’s looked consistently great in preseason both years. Assuming he doesn’t follow the Sean Porter run of terrible luck, Hardison will be making a Jarrett-type impact before long, in my opinion.

9. All those saying the Bengals need a Devonta Freeman game breaker at running back in this draft wouldn’t be wrong. Those saying that’s why they should draft Florida State star Dalvin Cook would be wrong. Freeman was a fourth-round pick. Wasting an asset like the No. 9 pick on a position easily acquired late in the draft would be, to quote Dick LeBeau, the height of folly. Too many other holes to fill.

10. Houston did a fantastic job as the host city. I still stand by the need for more cities to be given the opportunity to host a Super Bowl rather than only the select few typically in the mix. If the weather isn’t always ideal, so what? That’s football. Let everyone in the league benefit from the biggest economic reward the league can offer. Indianapolis hitting a home run in 2012 was the prime example. And, yes, I realize I’m in the vast minority of this line of thinking.