The Cincinnati Bengals defense was a mess in 2024 and it was evident that a change needed to be made. Enter familiar face, Al Golden, who was hired to replace Lou Anarumo as the head defensive man for the orange and black. Golden spent the last three seasons at Notre Dame in the same capacity and was instrumental as the Bengals linebackers coach under head coach Zac Taylor in 2020 and 2021. He is intimately aware of the college game translating to the professional level even with the recent changes regarding NIL. The front office hopes this simplifies a defense that must greatly improve if Cincinnati wants to return to a Super Bowl with Joe Burrow.
What Does Al Golden Bring to the Cincinnati Bengals Defense?
The College Try
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Golden is a well-versed and traveled coach at the college and professional level with success following every step of the way. He started his career in the college ranks and spent a decade as a head coach at Temple and Miami (FL) respectively from 2006-2015. The NFL came calling in 2016 and he landed with the Detroit Lions as the tight end and linebackers coach from 2016 until his first season with the Bengals in 2020. Under the watchful eye of Golden, the Bengals linebackers were one of their strongest defensive units in helping the men in stripes reach Super Bowl LVI. The hallmark of his defenses includes smart, attacking players who are excellent tacklers.
Jerry Montgomery
Taylor and Golden’s tenure at the pro-level led them to newly hired defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery who is very well respected across the league. Montgomery spent last season with the New England Patriots but cut his defensive line teeth with the Green Bay Packers for nine seasons. The Bengals are thrilled to have him and he’s a self-described teacher who strives to get the best out of his players on every snap. The Golden and Montgomery pairing should help a Bengals defense that had communication issues throughout 2024.
Hard Work
Being an NFL coach is not for the faint of heart, they put in incredibly long hours away from family at the stadium. Golden is no exception to this, and Taylor hopes this mindset can help the Bengals notoriously slow starts that have plagued them since Burrow arrived. Golden is an ardent supporter of more physical training programs and this was evident by his comments when hired where he stated, “If you want to play fast during the season, you’ve got to push yourself through the offseason. The OTAs, the minicamps are going to be critical, I’m a big believer in not walking in on Tuesday and creating something. But rather drawing from the reservoir.”
Cincinnati can’t afford another slow start next season with how well their franchise quarterback played. Golden and his new coaches have to consistently get the ball back to the offense so they can do what they do best and score points. It’s time to get to work.
