FL. Every coach is only weeks away from a pink slip if the players they are responsible for aren’t meeting expectations. That doesn’t really promote guys to think outside of the box.That

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Mixon’s chair was upside-down in his locker on Monday Michael Jordan Jersey Limited , a reminder that the Cincinnati Bengals are moving ahead without the running back who’s been a key part of their 2-0 start.Mixon had debris removed from his right knee over the weekend and is expected to be sidelined for a few games. In the interim, the AFC North leaders will lean more heavily on Giovani Bernard and Tra Carson, who hasn’t carried the ball in an NFL game.Mixon got hurt during a 34-23 win over the Ravens on Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium, going in-and-out of the game. An exam found a piece of debris that was removed. Mixon’s agent said he could return within two weeks.“I think between Gio and Tra, we will find a way, I hope,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said Monday.Mixon was a centerpiece of the Bengals’ revised offense in the first two games http://www.cincinnatibengalsteamonline.com/alex-redmond-jersey , carrying 38 times for 176 yards — a 4.7-yard average — and catching six passes for 57 yards. After splitting time last season with Bernard and Jeremy Hill, the second-round pick became the focal point this year.Bernard has carried only seven times for 25 yards and caught five passes for 26 yards. Mixon was on the field for 44 plays in an opening 34-23 win at Indianapolis, with Bernard in for only a dozen plays. The snaps were evenly split against Baltimore as Mixon was hobbled by the injury.Lazor thinks the 5-foot-9 Bernard is comparable enough in style to the 6-foot-1 Mixon that the Bengals can run the same types of plays. Bernard played in all 16 games last season even though he was only 10 months removed from a torn ACL. He ran for 116 yards against Detroit on Dec. 24.“I think he’s really unique physically and to be able to do that (with) his stature, to play the way he plays,” Lazor said. “He finishes runs, he doesn’t go out of bounds. He doesn’t go down easy.”Carson was an undrafted free agent from Texas A&M. He was on the practice squad for most of 2016 and missed all last season with a groin injury. He’s been a special teams player this season, getting in on offense for only five plays.“When he hits it Bobby Hart Jersey , he goes hard,” Lazor said. “He just goes straight ahead, he’s decisive, he’s trustworthy in pass protection.”The Bengals had one of the worst rushing offenses in franchise history last season, finishing second-to-last in the league with 85.4 yards per game. They’re ranked 17th after two games, a big part of the offense’s overall improvement.Cincinnati tries to improve to 3-0 for only the fifth time in coach Marvin Lewis’ 16 seasons when it plays at Carolina on Sunday. The Panthers are coming off a 31-24 loss at Atlanta , the Bengals’ opponent the following week.PRESTON BROWN BETTER: Linebacker Preston Brown was inactive for the game on Thursday because of a sprained right ankle. Brown thinks he could have played if the game had been on Sunday Cheap Ryan Glasgow Jersey , giving him a few more days to heal. He’s optimistic about being ready for Carolina. Brown wanted to play on Thursday, but was limited in a pregame workout for Lewis.“We started to do some different drills and I saw the look on Marvin’s face,” Brown said Monday. “He didn’t like how I was looking.”ALSO MENDING: Center Billy Price (right foot) and defensive end Michael Johnson (left knee) missed most of the game on Thursday. The Bengals will have a better idea of their status by midweek. Zac Taylor is excited to have Ben Martin help innovate the Bengals’ offense going forward." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesCincy Jungle homepageHorizontal - WhiteCincy Junglea Cincinnati Bengals communityFollow Cincy Jungle online:Follow Cincy Jungle on TwitterFollow Cincy Jungle on FacebookFollow Cincy Jungle on InstagramLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchCincy Jungle main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryBengalsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections #BITESIZEFilm RoomRoster Transactions and ContractsOrange & Black InsiderSalary Cap And CBAAssistant OL coach Ben Martin is a name you should become familiar withNew,18commentsZac Taylor is excited to have Ben Martin help innovate the Bengals’ offense going forward.EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Assistant OL coach Ben Martin is a name you should become familiar withTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailWe’re still several weeks away from actual football, and it’s all unicorns and rainbows in the NFL. Every team is full of hope, players who struggled last season are looking like potential Pro Bowl talents and it doesn’t seem like any team is going to lose a game. It is the season of hyperbole.In this part of the season it is easy to overlook stories that are a little bit outside that box that doesn’t include big name players. The recent comments about assistant offensive line coach Ben Martin are worth noting. “I like to associate with guys who think outside the box and he’s certainly someone who fits that description,” Zac Taylor told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He really pushes the envelope in terms of creativity … Ben’s one of the smartest people I’ve been around.”Taylor also mentions Martin’s experience calling plays as well as having experience coaching tight ends and running backs. Taylor has a pretty hard job all considering; he is replacing Marvin Lewis who was the Bengals head coach for over 16 seasons. The Bengals and Marvin Lewis had practically become synonymous.Taylor emphasizing someone like Martin’s ability to innovate surely shows he at least has the right mindset. A constant struggle for the Bengals offense over recent seasons has been the ability to be unpredictable. Many coaches emphasized dictating what would happen by doing what they did so well on offense. The problem with that philosophy is that once you become predictable Jordan Evans Jersey Limited , you are going to struggle in the NFL. NFL defensive coordinators are too smart and work too hard for another team to run the same offense every week and allow them to continue to be successful. The only offenses that are able to pull that off are ones that are overflowing with talent, which hasn’t been the Bengals since 2015.“Innovation in football is about layering concepts,” Martin says. “If a team is doing X, the thinking is what is next. What is Y? But the second I see X, we’re already trying to put together Z. I need to get to Z before (another team) does.”That is the kind of thing you want to hear from coaches. You don’t want guys who are set in their ways and unwilling to innovate. Look at what happened with the Rams and Chiefs this past season. That doesn’t happen with a coaching staff that isn’t looking for the next great way to attack defenses. It also doesn’t happen as easily when coaches have trouble explaining things.“Benny’s smart. He jumps off the map at you. He can see things at a different level,” Bengals’ offensive line coach Jim Turner said. “He can see the big picture. He does a great job in a hands-on way. There’s no fluff. I just like people that are simple and explain things simply and he was real good at doing that. If I’m looking for someone to work with me, and anything that comes out of their mouth is complex or any of that business Nick Vigil Jersey , it‘s not going to work. I want it to be black and white.”Martin obviously wasn’t a hire that caught many headlines. He has never really been that high up on any coaching totem poll, and his position as the assistant offensive line coach isn’t exactly one many casual fans even know exists. He has spent most of his career at small schools. Ironically though, Martin credits his innovation to that time.It is easier to innovate when less eyes are looking your way. That is probably why it took so long for some concepts that were so common in college to make their way to the NFL. Every coach is only weeks away from a pink slip if the players they are responsible for aren’t meeting expectations. That doesn’t really promote guys to think outside of the box.That box is something Taylor always recalls Martin thinking outside of. Taylor and Martin spent time on the same staff at Texas A&M, and he recalls Martin always coming up with these grand schemes of how to change the way the game is played.It is easy to see why Taylor thought it was important to add Martin to his staff. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Martin also makes his way up the ladder eventually in Cincinnati due to his ability and efforts to try and stay out of the box.