There isn’t a Marvin Lewis to fall back on this time.
Remember 2018? The Cincinnati Bengals fired Teryl Austin on November 12, 2018. His defense had just coughed up 500-plus yards in a 51-14 loss to New Orleans.
Fast forward almost exactly a year, Lou Anarumo’s defense just gave up 379 yards in a 49-13 loss. Baltimore needed 23:49 of clock to do it. A late field goal stopped it from finishing as the worst loss in Bengals franchise history. Sunday marked the team’s 11th straight loss, tied for a team record, and it’s one step closer to matching the franchise’s worst-ever start of 0-10 — captained by one Dave Shula.
But there isn’t a Marvin Lewis this time. When the Bengals fired Austin, Lewis stepped in and helped the defense improve. The team fought.
No such fall back plan exists. The Bengals had problems getting a qualified defensive coordinator in the door in the first place. But one could easily make the argument Anarumo should be fired for his performance. Not only is he failing to establish scheme and adapt to opponents, but his units have also coughed up at least 460 yards in four its last five games.
If the team wanted to pull a stunner and can Zac Taylor, doing so would largely be unfeasible. Who takes over? Anarumo is having a rough time and Brian Callahan on the offensive side is inexperienced and helping craft these miserable gameplans. Does special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons, in his 17th year with the team, jump to interim head coach? What does that accomplish?
And yet, it is brutal to listen to the coaches wax poetic about accountability when this is the product on the field. Were the front office to step in and fire someone it would make plenty of sense.
That probably doesn’t happen. And the Bengals backed themselves into a no-win situation. They hired Taylor knowing he needed to develop as a coach and gave him control of his staff. There’s no easy out here, if they make a move at all. But the longer something doesn’t change, the more potential irreparable harm the team does with its fans.
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