Green Light with Chris Long - Lou Anarumo! Bengals DC talks Cincinnati's Defense, Joe Burrow & the Bengals Playoff Push

Starting point is 00:00:00 You and I might have something in common if I read this right. You're not a morning person? No. Me neither. I finally found a damn coach who's not a morning person, man. I hate it. I hate it. Come on, yes.

Starting point is 00:00:12 But is Dan Campbell the worst enemy of a morning person? Oh, yeah. You know, his locker was right across from me in Miami. Yeah. So, like, we'd kind of come in at the same time. And, you know, Dan's Dan, he's charged up ready to go from a jump as soon as he walks in the building. And he would look over me, up, up, don't talk.

Starting point is 00:00:30 to Lou, it's not past seven, eight o'clock. Can't even talk to him, you know, just busting my chops from the jump. Welcome to the Greenlight podcast. A special Thursday release for you. We've started doing some of these interviews on Wednesday afternoons and evenings. And we wanted to give it to you a little early, separate, a little extra for the Greenlight locals, for you faithful, for you lovely people. We wanted you all to be able to listen to Lou ASAP.

Starting point is 00:01:01 You can also check it out on the Greenlight YouTube channel. But Chris and Lou have a good time. They talk the Cincinnati Bengals defense, the fearsome four on that D-line. Lou also talks about working with Joe Burrow and the wide receivers to get a better feel and to prepare for other NFL offenses. Andy talks about how he likes to coach down on the field. He doesn't like the press box. He doesn't like being up there.

Starting point is 00:01:22 He wants to talk to his players. He wants to talk to his guys. They have a great conversation. Y'all please enjoy. And again, keep your eye out for some more of these interviews that we may be dropping on Thursday mornings. We love you. All right, this is a treat. One of my favorite coaches in the game, one of my favorite defenses to watch, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator, Lou Anerumo, joins us now. And coach, how are you?

Starting point is 00:02:14 Doing great. I really appreciate you having me, Chris. Of course, of course. My first question, this comes from somebody else. Maybe you can guess who it might be. Best lean on an edge rusher you ever coached at Purdue. Ryan Carrigan? No, this is great. It came from Rob Nick. Thank you. Okay. What a backfire for Rob.

Starting point is 00:02:38 And I love, okay, love Rob, but now that I think about it, not even close, because when the first time I saw Rob go around those hoops, I'm like, okay, we got us one. You got us one. You got us one. Because Ryan, Ryan, as great as Ryan was, a little bit stiff. Rob, not so much. Rob, he'll tell you, he's bendy. He'll be the first to tell you.

Starting point is 00:02:58 So no doubt. When I texted Rob for Intel on you, he was like, no, I'm not going to get. you any intel you got to ask him this question so yeah i flew that that's him though he ryan carrigan was a damn good one man i liked watching him play too but coach i you know before i get into y'all's guys it's a hell of a week to have the texans right because of what they did last week you know how that goes you get in the film room what's the first thing you're saying without telling me too much about what impresses you about c j stroud yeah i mean i mean I mentioned it to the defense this morning, the first time we got together.

Starting point is 00:03:35 And just how he's poised, you know, he's seeing the field really well. Everybody can see that the guy is big, strong, has a good arm, accurate, can run. But when you really get down and start watching the tape, you really see that this guy does see the whole field, makes really good decisions. And that shows by only one interception on the season so far. So I'm really impressed with the, you know, for a rookie to play as poised as he has and and seem like he has full control of the offense. That's a great job by him and the staff for sure.

Starting point is 00:04:06 Yeah, I mean, it should be a great game. You've got one of the best defensive lines in the league. I think when it comes to the run and the pass and just being versatile, can you speak to you call these guys the core four? Hailing Reader inside, Trey, Sam outside. What do you look for? What do you value in a guy in your defensive front?

Starting point is 00:04:28 I just think, you know, we've got so many guys can do so many things. And, you know, it's kind of rare these days. You know, people just will ask about, let's take DJ Reader for instance, and say, well, why would you sign just a noseguard? And I said, well, there's your first mistake. He's not just a nose guard. You know, he's not going to, he's not a two-down player. DJ can play all three downs. He can play zero nose. He can play three technique. He can be out there as a five if we really needed him to be because he's such a great athlete, understands the game, strong, powerful. So, I mean, to me, the more that a guy, can do and you know how many times you've heard that in your career but it's the truth so

Starting point is 00:05:05 guys that can play three downs to us are just invaluable yeah and they're all versatile i think you know jumping around on these guys a little bit the thing i love about sam is he kind of reminds me of a throwback left end who can really play in different alignments i mean he's a gap sound guy he can make the negative plays in the backfield but i just i feel like you got to trust him in the run game because he can move up and down the line you probably stick him in a four you can stick him in a six, he can play the edge. Do you see that versatility with Sam? Oh, 100%.

Starting point is 00:05:37 You know, we kind of laugh sometimes, and we look at some of the things that people try to do, well, why would you do that over there? You know, it's a heck. And, you know, he's just so sound, so fundamentally and technique sound, especially in the run game, and his past rush has improved over the years for sure.

Starting point is 00:05:54 And, you know, you start really in the game ceiling sack against Seattle, him and BJ, working together. And they had the same stunt this past Sunday night on a backed up third down to get us the ball back in good field position. Same stunt, a little TE game. And they just executed so well. And you know, that can look very different if it's maybe a younger guy doing it with an older guy or two young that don't have that great feel for it. And then BJ and Sam do for sure. They have a great feel. And you mentioned the Seattle game. I got charged up because as a former defensive line, and those are those games you remember. I thought those guys took that game over.

Starting point is 00:06:33 How psyched were you on the sideline? That was amazing. You know, and, and I go back to, okay, they get the ball, good field position, and there's only a few minutes left, and we had just come off of a pretty quick drive on offense, and, you know, I looked at them on the bench, and they were kind of tired. And I said, I walked over to him. I said, all right, there's nobody else going out there except you four and that's where I want to close this game out and they just stood up yes sir and here we go and that's but that just tells you about who they are nobody flinched nobody you know they didn't blink at all and they just went out there and do what they had to do do you get the sense that tray doesn't get talked about enough not that that's what's important in the building but i feel

Starting point is 00:07:13 like outside your building people probably don't realize how elite tray has been when you look at the numbers you look at his handwork the way he shows up he's right there with all those other guys that we talk about on ESPN every day, but he doesn't get that kind of recognition. 100%. I say it all the time. He'd be leading the league in Sacks. I think he's had three or four call back because of penalties this year, not on him. You know, you know how that goes sometimes. But yeah, he missed one Saturday night by a half a yard. You know, so he is always around the quarterback. He is virtually, you guarantee him getting the quarterback off the spot a number times and then, you know, one or two sacks a game. He's just that guy. Trust me, everybody in this

Starting point is 00:07:58 building knows how valuable he is and he is a true pass rusher. He's great. And oh, by the way, he does a great job in the run game too. He does. He really does. And his handwork, I mean, I remember him coming up to me after a game when he was in New Orleans. I was like, who is this kid? You know, because I hadn't, you know, Florida Atlantic or wherever he came from and not a highly touted guy. We're in 91. We had a good five-minute conversation. We got, he's like, let me get your jersey. I was like, I better get this kid's jersey just in case. And it turned out to be one of the best players on my wall. So it's been fun watching him work. He's a true technician. How about Logan Wilson? Because I feel like linebacker in general is kind of a forgotten piece that people

Starting point is 00:08:43 don't value as much. But a guy like him who can really cover. I mean, you look at that Rams game, the plays that he made at such a pivotal point in the year for you guys. What kind of value is that add having a guy in the second level they can cover the way he covers. Well, and again, I'll go back to what I said about the guys up front. Logan's another three-down Mike. How many of those are running around our league these days? How many? You know, he can do it all, and we don't have to substitute.

Starting point is 00:09:08 He has the green dot, and I think, you know, between him and Germain, you know, I just looking at a stat the other day, I think between the two of them, they've got, I believe it's 18 interceptions, and the next closest pair of the linebackers in the league has eight, I think, over the same span of time. So Logan is elite in so many things that he does. And it starts with just being in front of the huddle and communicating to the guys. And on the sideline with myself and Jermaine and Betts, our linebacker guy, their high-level conversations, you know, those guys are always trying to be problem-solvers,

Starting point is 00:09:46 always trying to look, be forward thinkers. And, hey, here's how we're going to fix this. What if they do that? you know it's like having two more coaches it's unbelievable well i know you've talked about this before but you like to be on the sideline right yes is that how rare is that for a coordinator i haven't done the math on that like how many dudes are on the sideline and how many are in the booth how rare is it and then how much do you have to trust the guy upstairs you know i bet you've got one guy that you're like hey i trust that guy he's up he's the eye in the sky but it's a value to be on the field

Starting point is 00:10:14 yeah it's funny if you would have asked me probably 10 or 15 years ago i would have said there's no doubt. I want to be in the box. I want to see the game. But then as I, you know, as you learn and you evolve as a coach, I think it's so important for me to go, as I always do, from group to group on the sideline and look at them in the eye and say, this is what we need to do. Not, hey, send this guy to a player phone. Send that guy at a player phone. To me, somewhere gets lost in the translation because I think body language, certain points of the game, they need to hear it from me and they need to know, hey, this is a critical situation or whatever the particular deal is, they got to see it from me and they got to read what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling about a

Starting point is 00:10:56 certain thing more than anything. So I've shifted on that over the years. And, you know, we have a great guy that does the, you know, the personnel upstairs. Rob Livingston does that for us. And, you know, that's critical, you know, because I know now I'm thinking what the call is going to be and how it's going to go. So, so yeah, I think it's critical for me to be down there. you guys seem to make really good adjustments throughout the course of the game but also at half and I wonder as football fans and as players

Starting point is 00:11:23 because shoot we got in there I was chugging Gatorade and having a snack you guys are back in the shower with a whiteboard or wherever you are is that an overrated turn you know at the half like you guys are making those adjustments as the game goes but take me through mechanically

Starting point is 00:11:37 how that goes for football fans out there because I think we just assume you come in and you're like hey guys this is it and there's been those adjustments being made all through a half, I assume. Yeah, you know how it goes as a player. And it's not like we're waiting to halftime to change something. There may be something big that we say, hey, let's just wait if we're closer to the

Starting point is 00:11:58 half to talk about it. But again, as again, as you know, as a former player, there's not a lot of time at halftime. So we'll come in, we'll be brief. We'll show them the run game, the past game that are issues and say, all right, here's maybe the change that we're going to. It's a little bit more how we have it set up. I'll have some things in my back pocket that we keep for the second half sometimes,

Starting point is 00:12:20 and the players know that. And I think that that keeps maybe the offense off balance, too, that, hey, they didn't do this in the first half. And, you know, treat it more like you're on offense. Hey, we haven't run this play yet, you know, against the defense. Well, same thing on defense. Hey, we haven't called this yet, and we're saving it for this particular situation. You guys seem to be really multiple.

Starting point is 00:12:41 I mean, I know you're multiple, very versatile. You probably pride yourself in that because all the guys were. talking about a versatile guys the safety deal for me looking at it i mean logan's got the green dot there's all that but that's such an important pairing back there and i thought those guys had been great for you over the years making that switch this year and having to work new guys in there um when did how did you come about that decision and and was that one that you knew was going to take a little bit just to get the reps out there with with new guys in center field yeah for sure It's just, I've always made the comparison that two good safeties are like having a great second basement and shortstop combination.

Starting point is 00:13:23 You know, when they turn two, they just, he just flips the ball. The other guy, he trusts that the other guy's going to be there. It's the same thing with safeties. I mean, you know, and all the high-level pass-offs that they have to have and halves and quarters and all those different things. So we knew it was going to take some time. You know, Dax Hill was in our building last year, so we got a chance to learn from Jesse and Vaughn and see things how it goes. Nick Scott, we got in free agency and Jordan Battle in the draft. And it's just been a work in progress.

Starting point is 00:13:52 And those guys seem to be settling in now as we're almost halfway through the season. What's when you're like, okay, we're looking at Dax Hill, we know he's freakish, he's explosive. But what are the big pluses with him from a skill set standpoint that you think maybe people don't realize? Well, he's taking two jobs for us. Really, he's done, he's handling Jesse Bates's rule that we've given that Jesse had here. And he's also in take, we had Trey Flowers, who on third down would cover tight ends for us, a big, long corner. And now Dax has done that, and he's a really good blitzer. So he's a valuable piece to our defense.

Starting point is 00:14:30 His athleticism is, you know, off the charts, big, strong kid who can really run. But he's picked up things and is starting to understand, you know, hey, here's why I'm calling this. Here's the why of the defense, not just here's what I'm supposed to do. and you know it takes young guys a little bit longer, but he's starting to pick it up. Yeah, you mentioned Dax and like development and some people like, oh, I want to see him out there last year or more or whatever,

Starting point is 00:14:55 but there's a process, and I know with Miles Murphy, there's some excitement around this kid, but I've been a young defensive line in the league, expected a lot of not on as good a defense as y'alls, how much of a luxury is that for him to not have to rush? And, you know, like for people at home, they're like, ah, we haven't seen this guy a lot.

Starting point is 00:15:14 is that a bad sign? You know, like maybe help people understand. Yeah, so I paint the picture. It's the same exact conversations we had last year with Dax. He was a first round pick who was getting limited snaps in a particular role because he had two really good players in front of him, and it's the same thing with Miles. There's, you know, Trey and Sam is two high-level players as there are in the league.

Starting point is 00:15:38 So it's a luxury for not only us, but for him, as you mentioned, as a young player to kind of get in there, get your toe, you know, stick your toe in the water, kind of get a feel for it. And then if somebody does get injured now, hey, I'm kind of feeling more comfortable about it and I can be ready to go, as opposed to be just thrown in there and, you know, literally taking your lumps, you know, in a really, really physical division that we play in, you know. So I think the fact that we have those two guys in front really helps him and will help his development in the long run, just like it did help Dax this year. It's got to be the most physical division you've ever coached, right?

Starting point is 00:16:15 Unbelievable, yeah, unbelievable. And the amount of skill and physicality with the Ravens, I mean, I've heard you talk about resource allocation. Is there anybody that makes it harder to allocate resources than Lamar Jackson, the way he's playing right now? And the way that offense has taken a turn, and I think it's even scarier because of, you know, the RPO stuff and some of the issues that they cause for linebackers,

Starting point is 00:16:41 especially, is there anybody that you've ever seen that's made it harder to allocate resources? It's very, I mean, it's very, very difficult. I've always said it. Anytime you step on the field with Lamar and the Ravens, he's probably the best athlete on the field. So let's start with that. And then you've got to have somebody that can, a lot of guys that can chase him down and tackle them and just, you know, plain old, I'm better than you football and just running around. He's such a great athlete.

Starting point is 00:17:10 And now he's always been able to throw the ball well for sure. We've never underestimated that part of his game. But now, as you said, they're kind of putting it all together. And they're so big and physical as a team, as you have to be in this division, as I said. And they certainly create their challenges. And you can see, you know, why they're doing what they're doing. But, yeah, and the great news is we got them on a short week next week, so I can't wait. Yeah, it never hurts.

Starting point is 00:17:38 It's going to be a great game. coach like watching the other defensive players it's not only a physical division in general but they got great defensive players like take your pick whether it's you know miles or tj or high smith and the back end guys you can go all day roquan i mean like there's a ton of great ballplayers maybe not the best player but who do you enjoy watching the most when you get the cutups and you've got got to go through film and the afc north is on is on tape yeah i mean as you mentioned it you can go through each team and pick out a guy or two. And, you know, I've, I've always, I've always been a fan of the back end just because that's where I, you know, started. And, you know, you can watch a guy like

Starting point is 00:18:20 Minker at the Steelers or, you know, you can watch, you know, some of the, how they cover it in Cleveland and, you know, get some things. And, you know, they've got some, you know, Denzel Ward has been really elite this year, I think, and what he does. But we got some pretty darn good guys, too and that's that's the beauty of it but as you mentioned there there's good there's good players elite players on either side of the ball in our division that's what makes it so hard one of the things we talk about when the bangles get ready to play somebody offensively is like man if you can't cover their third guy if your third corner if your third guy in the secondary is having a hard time like you're going to have a hard day against the bangles so how much does it help you guys

Starting point is 00:19:01 and for those guys that may not be called upon to cover a guy like boyd uh on a on a regular basis. How much is it help you in practice to have to see those guys? Oh, it's great. And you know, it's really in the spring and training camp where you're going through it and you're matching up on those guys daily. We're fortunate to add DJ Turner to the group. And, you know, you got Cam, you got Cheeto, you got DJ, you got really Dax played a whole game for us at Nickel last year against Tampa Bay. So he's almost a fourth kind of hybrid guy that can go in there in a pinch. So we're fortunate that way that we feel like. we got some pretty good matchups.

Starting point is 00:19:39 Speaking of the offense, I've been in buildings before where the quarterback in the D.C., you might never think they'd actually have a cup of coffee together or shoot the shit on the bus. But do you have some sort of relationship with Joe where you can compare notes? Because I feel like I used to hang out with an offensive line coach. You know, Stout and Philly. I'd sit there with him and watch tape sometimes or whoever was, Coach Boo and St. Louis. Those are cool relationships. do you have one with Joe and, you know, has it been valuable to both of you?

Starting point is 00:20:10 Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'll ask him, hey, take a look at this. You know, what did you see? Especially, again, going back to OTA's training camp. But even now, when the scout team's going, I'll tell, hey, take a look at this pressure. Did you see it? Did it disguise well? Or, you know, are dropping out too soon?

Starting point is 00:20:27 And he'll be able to give me some feedback. If I have a, hey, Joe, keep an eye out for this, this week when you're playing. and certain teams that I may have a pretty good idea. You know, Zach and Brian, those guys do a great job. But from my end, if there's one more thing, I can tell him, hey, I remember studying this kid in the draft, you know, a DB, you know, make sure he won't be able to battle T on a deep ball or Jamar or one of those things. You know, so it's funny you asked because I just had a 10-minute conversation with Joe

Starting point is 00:20:56 before we, well, the special teams was going during our walkthrough. We were just talking about a few things. And he actually helped me on something, so it was good. Man, that's awesome. He seems like just the best great teammate the whole thing. Here's the question I think everybody wants to know is, like, are you all just really good at playing possum in September? I mean, you guys are like the possum champions of the world.

Starting point is 00:21:19 And I know that a lot has to do with Zach probably having a process and you having a process and you guys know better than we do. Us idiots on the couch, we're like, oh, they're doing it again. Are they going to turn it around? And you guys always do. There's no panic. assume because you guys have been through it. And does it speak to Zach's process? Well, 100%. I don't think, you know, we'd be lying if we said we want to, we obviously don't

Starting point is 00:21:43 want to start that way. But, you know, there's been, you know, circumstances out of our control and things happen. But to your point, like, you know, I still can hear Zach get up front of the team saying, hey, we've been here. We've done this a few times now. Nobody is panicked. There is no panic in the room. And like I said to the defense Saturday before the game, this past game. And I said, you know, it's never about anybody else. It's always about us.

Starting point is 00:22:13 It's always about our mindset. We're going to play elite players, elite teams. It doesn't matter. As long as we show up with the right mindset, do what we're supposed to do, we'll be fine. If we can keep that approach all the way through, it just helps you be more consistent. It helps you not to be up and down as the season goes. just worry about ourselves and take care of our business and we'll be fine. Last question for you, Coach, I got to ask a Dan Campbell question because I just,

Starting point is 00:22:39 like everybody else, I love the dude from a distance. It's been fun to watch. You and I might have something in common if I read this right. You're not a morning person. No. Me neither. I finally found a damn coach who's not a morning person, man. I hate it. I hate it. Come on, yes. But is Dan Campbell the worst enemy of a morning person. Oh yeah. I told this story on one of the, I forgot one of a podcast I did. And, you know, his locker was right across from me in Miami. Yeah. So like we'd kind of come in at the same time and, you know, Dan's Dan, he's charged up ready to go from the jump as soon as he walks in the building. And he would look over me, oh, up, don't talk to Lou. It's not past seven,

Starting point is 00:23:22 eight o'clock. Can't even talk to him, you know, just busting my jobs from the jump. And, you know, I'd throw something at him or something. But no, I love him. the death, you know, and we got, we, we, we're still, you know, good friends today, and I'm so happy for all their success there at Detroit. That's awesome. Coach Lou Anarumo, one of the best in the game. Love watching defense. Keep up the great work and tell that core for us that, keep getting after it, man. I love those guys. We'll do, brother. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it. Yeah, take it easy, coach.

Green Light with Chris Long - Lou Anarumo! Bengals DC talks Cincinnati's Defense, Joe Burrow & the Bengals Playoff Push

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