Bengals fire Lou Anarumo, Frank Pollack, James Bettcher and Marion Hobby

[MTBengalsFan]

(01-06-2025, 11:57 AM)WeezyBengal Wrote: Cant get much worse. 

How long you been a Bengals fan?

[jerrydmc]

Pollack should have been gone years ago. He single-handedly cost this team two Super Bowl victories with his horrible O-Line coaching.

[Sled21]

(01-06-2025, 12:13 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: That is where I am at. 

Still, he must have thought the Rankins/Reader swap was a good idea, and Nick Scott, and letting Bates walk, and the Murphy pick, and Stone. And he waited WAAAAY too long to make adjustments this year. That Steelers home game was the worst defensive effort I have ever seen. Period. 

I don't think he had an ounce in say in Bates not getting a new contract. I also doubt he had any say in Reader. I suspect that all came down to them not thinking he could rehab and be ready to start the season the way he did. I really don't think any DC has say in those decisions.

[Joelist]

Good start. I think Lou’s card got punched when it took him 12 games to figure out his players could not execute his system and he needed to change it.

[2MinutesHate]

This may come down to development issues. Obviously, Frank Pollack just hasn't made much out of the guys he's been given. Pretty much everyone has regressed except maybe Karras.

So when we look at the defense, either all these picks are busts or the coaches aren't developing them. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
We probably need a fresh start and there has to be some accountability. Speaking of which, when is Mike Brown stepping down?
I just don't see him providing much value to the team.

[WhoDeyK]

(01-06-2025, 12:16 PM)BengalsLUFC Wrote: I’m willing to give Zac one more year after the offence he called this season.

I wonder where we would have been if we had a competent OL, we sure as shit win at least one of those close games.

Tobin has to go though if he’s booted out the door I really will believe that the old man wants success before he dies.

Agreed, as much as Zac has frustrated me this year I understand giving him another year. Part of me is sad though because I think this Offense would cook with Ben Johnson calling the plays.


100% on Tobin, the drafts have been so bad that he’s setting this team back. I mean Myles Murphy just completed his second season and hasn’t recorded a single sack! And don’t get me started on the Jermaine Burton debacle. Everyone knew what a head case he was and we still took him. Jalen McMillan was sitting right there.

[jj22]

I thought Lou may have been safe but good to see they aren't falling for old habits of nostalgia... Lou's defenses were apart of great historic moments and memories for a new generation. We'll see how his run holds up in the history books.

Surprised they didn't fire all the Defensive assistants if Lou was fired. Makes sense to just start form scratch and not force a coach on someone.

[HarleyDog]

First, let me say I'm floored that this organization finally did something. Pollack was way overdue and should have been gone years ago. As for Lou, that's a bittersweet firing. I think he was given shit to start the year and finally got these guys playing up to speed at the end of the season. I know, too little too late. As for the other two guys, I don't know anything about them.

WTS, here's to the Bengals for acting like a pro team again and taking action. Just don't be quick to hire coaches who are worse than what you let go, because that would be the Bengal way. 

Question for all: Who are the top candidates (IYO) for DC?

[Timanky12]

(01-06-2025, 12:12 PM)ERIC1 Wrote: you mean the same Zac Taylor that ran one of the best offenses in the NFL

It’s a team game, you need defense as well as offense. One score games and can’t beat the AFC north is a major problem.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(01-06-2025, 12:22 PM)2MinutesHate Wrote: This may come down to development issues.  Obviously, Frank Pollack just hasn't made much out of the guys he's been given.  Pretty much everyone has regressed except maybe Karras.

So when we look at the defense, either all these picks are busts or the coaches aren't developing them.  The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.  
We probably need a fresh start and there has to be some accountability.  Speaking of which, when is Mike Brown stepping down?
I just don't see him providing much value to the team.

Our offense is VERY predictable. Much more so than other teams. So much shotgun and empty sets. The D-line can pin theircears back against us. Makes it harder for the OL. Same on run blocking. If Sample is on the line, its a run. 

Some of that is on Burrow (who wants 5 out) and ZT (who caters to Burrow). And just wanting to play towards our strengths (Burrow, Chase, Higgins, Boyd). But Mixon & Brown aren't chopped liver. 

[Clark W Griswold]

If they bomb this next season then that may be it for Zac but Burrow likes him and at least publicly backs him. That carries a lot of weight.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(01-06-2025, 12:16 PM)BengalsLUFC Wrote: I’m willing to give Zac one more year after the offence he called this season.

I wonder where we would have been if we had a competent OL, we sure as shit win at least one of those close games.

Tobin has to go though if he’s booted out the door I really will believe that the old man wants success before he dies.

Here's the problem with giving Zac "one" more year. No great DC is going to come here if the HC is already on the hot seat. He'd have to leave where he's at, pack up and move his family here potentially just for 1 year because if the HC is on the hot seat, that means there might be a new HC next year and that HC might not want that DC meaning he'd have to pack up and move his family again. Even if you tell the great DC that he's next in line for HC if the current HC is fired, that's already poisoning the well and there's no way for them to work well together knowing that he's already got one foot out the door and the other foot going out the door is the DC's ticket to being a HC.

That goes double with firing Tobin. If you hire a new GM, you need a new HC because otherwise you're potentially giving your GM 2 different HCs in 2 years (and 3 different DCs in 3 years) and there's no good way to scout, draft, and sign players like that.

Either Zac is your guy for 2026 no matter what happens in 2025 (obviously barring some real absurd shit like going full Urban Meyer, or killing someone, or something) so you should keep him, or you should move on right now and find someone you ARE willing to commit to for an absolute minimum of 2 but preferably 3 years.

[Timanky12]

One average year on defense since 2019 is not going to cut it

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

(01-06-2025, 12:26 PM)Timanky12 Wrote: It’s a team game, you need defense as well as offense. One score games and can’t beat the AFC north is a major problem.

We're predictable. The teams that see us the most own him. The teams that don't play us as often, he does better against. Plus, we are finese. The Steelers, Ravens, and Browns are not. 

[PCB Bengal Fan]

(01-06-2025, 12:18 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Finally, now he can rest easy. 

Jesus, you are a narcissistic person. You're right about everything & you argue just to argue just like FredToast. You a lawyer?

[2MinutesHate]

(01-06-2025, 12:23 PM)WhoDeyK Wrote: Agreed, as much as Zac has frustrated me this year I understand giving him another year. Part of me is sad though because I think this Offense would cook with Ben Johnson calling the plays.


100% on Tobin, the drafts have been so bad that he’s setting this team back. I mean Myles Murphy just completed his second season and hasn’t recorded a single sack! And don’t get me started on the Jermaine Burton debacle. Everyone knew what a head case he was and we still took him. Jalen McMillan was sitting right there.

Yes, whoever thought Burton was a good pick really needs to leave the team.  I could understand if it was Mike Brown because there's nothing that can be done to stop the old man if he wants something.  You would think that just a simple interview of Burton would've been enough to avoid disaster.  We need potential starters in the 3rd round, not certain busts.  

Burton will be out of the league by the end of next year likely.

[RunKijanaRun]

Great. Add Darrin Simmons and we’re cooking.

[jj22]

Bring back Livingston. He has all the recent good/great defensive runs systems down from Marvin to Zimmer to Guenther and Lou's (playoff), some familiarity may be a nice bridge.

If not Saleh is my top pick.

[Fan_in_Kettering]

This is the earliest I’ve ever seen the Bengals begin bloodletting on Black Monday. Mikey Boy must have gone to the Frisch’s drive-through and brought his breakfast to the office. I’m actually impressed.

[Timanky12]

(01-06-2025, 12:29 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: We're predictable. The teams that see us the most own him. The teams that don't play us as often, he does better against. Plus, we are finese. The Steelers, Ravens, and Browns are not. 

Agree, we can’t push anyone around or control the line of scrimmage running the ball to kill the clock.  It’s a big problem