Eric Bieniemy set to interview with Bengals Friday

[*psychdoctor*]

(01-03-2019, 07:54 PM)The Real Deal Wrote: GOOD FITS OR NOT? BREAKING DOWN THE BENGALS HEAD COACHING TARGETS.



Here is a look at each of the candidates the Bengals have interviewed, are scheduled to or have requested.

Hue Jackson

The first question in everyone’s mind when Jackson is mentioned as a candidate is “Why?” He went 3-36-1 in two-plus seasons in Cleveland. But as Lewis alluded to in his outgoing press conference, Jackson was in a tough situation in Cleveland, with the Browns tearing down the roster and giving him little chance to win in his first two seasons.

Brown most likely sees it the same way, and he respects and is fond of the 53-year-old Jackson. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have approved his hiring on three occasions. But he also knows hiring him is not going to energize an apathetic fan base. In fact, it might do the exact opposite and drive away customers.

Still, many of these jobs are won in the interview itself, not on the résumé. How a candidate comes across in lengthy meetings with the front office carries a lot of weight, and Jackson is a Hall of Fame talker. Plus, the Bengals offense was its best with Jackson as coordinator in 2014-15.

Another thing at play here is the coaching staff. Jackson is familiar with the group, having worked alongside them for the final six games, and much longer in the case of a few of them.

Jackson reportedly was scheduled to interview this week.

Darrin Simmons

Along with tight ends coach Jonathan Hayes, Simmons, 45, is tied for the longest active tenure on the team. He came to Cincinnati in 2003 as Lewis’ special teams coordinator and has been in that position ever since.

It’s rare for a special teams coach to make the leap to head coach, but the Bengals twice have seen it work successfully in their own division, with John Harbaugh in Baltimore and Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh, although Cowher was a defensive coach for five years after leading the Browns special teams in his first season in the league.

Not only does Simmons, who reportedly interviewed on Tuesday, have a rapport with all of the assistants, but as special teams coordinator he has worked with nearly every player on the roster.

Simmons is tireless and committed to detail, and he has league-wide respect. When the NFL was debating changes to its kickoff rules last year, he was among a select group of coaches invited to New York to participate in the discussion.

And when Lewis had to miss a day of training camp for health reasons in 2017, Brown picked Simmons to run the practice.

Bill Lazor

Lazor, who took over as offensive coordinator full time in 2018 after serving as the interim for 14 games in 2017, might be an even tougher sell to the fan base than Simmons or Jackson.

Ivy League-educated at Cornell, the 46-year-old Lazor has a sharp mind. But his offenses finished 32nd in 2017 and 26th this year.

Lazor reportedly interviewed on Tuesday.

He has been an NFL coach for 13 seasons, but his three-year run with the Bengals is his longest with the same franchise. Lazor was quarterbacks coach in 2016 before replacing Ken Zampese as offensive coordinator two games into 2017.

He also was offensive coordinator in Miami in 2014 and ’15.

Vance Joseph

Joseph, 46, spent two seasons as the Bengals’ defensive backs coach in 2015 and ’16, and Lewis often touted him as a future head coach. Joseph got the chance in 2017 when the Broncos hired him, but he went 11-21 in two seasons and was fired on Monday.

The Bengals are scheduled to interview Joseph on Thursday.

Joseph was a defensive backs coach from 2005 to ’13 with the 49ers and the Texans before joining the Bengals in 2014. The Bengals blocked him from interviewing for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator position in 2015. Denver hired him as head coach one year later.

Joseph is the only defensive-minded coach on this list and only one of two with head coaching experience.

Eric Bieniemy

One of the hottest names in this year’s coaching search, Bieniemy is in his first season as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs.

It’s a position that comes with pros and cons. The last two offensive coordinators under Andy Reid have found success as head coaches, with Doug Pederson leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in his second season and Matt Nagy directing the Bears to the playoffs this year in his first season.

But as was the case with Pederson and Nagy, Bieniemy is not calling plays for the league’s No. 1-ranked offense. Reid is.

Bieniemy, 49, coached the running backs for four season before being promoted to offensive coordinator after Nagy’s departure, so it would be interesting to see what he could do to get even more out of impressive Bengals running back Joe Mixon.

Bieniemy spent four seasons with the Bengals from 1995 to ’98, so he knows Brown well.

Zac Taylor

Taylor, 35, is the youngest coach on the list. Like Bieniemy, Taylor is still working this season as the Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach.

He was quarterbacks coach in Miami when Lazor was the offensive coordinator and replaced him upon Lazor’s midseason firing in 2015. The following year, Taylor was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Cincinnati.

Sean McVay got the job as Rams head coach in 2017 and brought Taylor to Los Angeles as quarterbacks coach to work with Jared Goff, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick. Under Taylor’s guidance, Goff has thrown 60 touchdowns the last two seasons while leading the Rams to back-to-back NFC West titles.

The Bengals have requested an interview with Taylor, but they will have to work around the Rams’ playoffs schedule.

Shane Waldron

Waldron, 39, is the Rams’ passing game coordinator and tight ends coach.

He began his NFL coaching career as a football operations assistant under Bill Belichick in New England. He followed Charlie Weis to Notre Dame and was promoted from grad assistant to tight ends coach.

Waldron was the offensive line coach at UMass when McVay hired him as tight ends coach in 2017. He took over as passing game coordinator this year after Matt LaFleur left to become the Titans’ offensive coordinator.

Todd Monken

The Bengals have requested an interview with the Buccaneers offensive coordinator, according to a report by ESPN.

Monken, 52, has mostly coached in college during his 30-year career. His first NFL job was as wide receivers coach for the Jaguars from 2007 to ’10. After that, he returned to the college ranks as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State for two seasons and the head coach at Southern Mississippi for three years.

When Dirk Koetter took over as head coach in Tampa Bay in 2016, he hired Monken as offensive coordinator. Koetter was fired on Monday.

The Jets also reportedly have requested an interview with Monken for their vacancy.

Josh McDaniels

The Bengals requested an interview with the Patriots offensive coordinator and former Broncos head coach, but according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, McDaniels turned it down.

It’s somewhat surprising the Bengals put in a request as an organization averse to risk. All coaching hires come with some level of risk, but after what McDaniels, 42, pulled last year in Indianapolis – accepting the job and then backing out a day later, after the Colts had announced his hire and scheduled a press conference.

It’s surprising any team would consider McDaniels after that.

Others to keep an eye on

Dave Toub

The special teams coordinator for the Chiefs is highly respected around the league. He’ll also be 57 in June, which would make him one of the older first-time head coaches in league history.

Vic Fangio

The Bears ranked third in total defense and first against the rush this season with Fangio at defensive coordinator, but at 60, he’s even older than Toub. Fangio has coached in the NFL since 1984, and with the Bears since 2015.

Kris Richard

Officially the defensive backs coach for the Cowboys, Richard, 39, is the defensive play caller. He was the defensive coordinator in Seattle from 2015 to ‘ 17. Much like with Toub, Fangio and the Rams candidates, the Bengals would have to work around Richard’s playoff situation with Dallas.

The article left out that Hue Jackson was responsible for the Palmer trade which was a bad deal for the Raiders.  They also left out that the same team in the Cleveland Browns have succeeded after Jackson was fired.  Ugh!