Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Why the Cincinnati Bengals moved on from Lou Anarumo and Frank Pollack as they fire 4 coaches on Black Monday

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Cincinnati Bengals did not get the help they needed on Sunday. And after missing the playoffs, they make major coaching changes. Let's break it down. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What up Bengals fans and welcome to another episode of the Locked on Bengals podcast. I'm your host, Jake Liscoe. He's your host, James Rapine.

Starting point is 00:00:31 We are locked on Bengals here on the Lockdown podcast. Network covering your team every day. We're on YouTube, everywhere you get your podcast. And welcome back to all of you who make us your first listen every day and all the everydayers out there. We appreciate all of you very much.

Starting point is 00:00:47 We've got an exciting start, a bit of a bittersweet start, but a lot of changes either way for this Bengals off season happening very quickly as this off season begins for the Cincinnati Bengals. They didn't get the help they needed on Sunday, James. And we're going to dive into those.

Starting point is 00:01:05 coaching changes in an episode brought to you by Fandall where if you win your first $5 bet, you will get $200 in bonus bets. And you can check that out at fandul.com to get started. James, let's dive into these coaching changes. And maybe we talk about the way the season ended as well. The Chiefs not really trying in Denver, but as a Bengals Miss a playoffs, they are moving on from at least four coaches in the immediate aftermath of the 2020. 24 season. Yeah, the change was coming. It felt like it was inevitable and we get it. And they didn't hesitate. They didn't make any, uh, any last ditch effort or anything like that. The dead cat bounce that you were talking about, uh, it didn't really matter because the Bengals moving on from

Starting point is 00:01:57 Luana Rumo early Monday morning, James Betcher, Marion Hobby as well. They're linebackers and defensive line coach and also offensive line coach Frank Pollack. So three defensive coaches, one offensive line coach. Also worth noting that Zach Taylor was asked about Charles Berks and multiple in COVAX as well, the the safeties coach, Jordan Covacks. And no vote of all they're definitely going to be here. And he said it's kind of dependent on the new defensive coordinator that they would work through work that out with the new defensive coordinator, whoever it is. So a lot of moving parts.

Starting point is 00:02:38 I would start here, Jake, and I'm at Paycor Stadium now as we recorded, or recording this. I'm two seats over from where Zach Taylor was when he met with the media. And it was on Zoom as well because of the snowstorm we have in Cincinnati. And he said it was his decision. And that's what I think is where we should start before we dive into Lou and go from there. Is Zach Taylor own this decision, said it was time for a change, said it was his decision, said he talked with ownership in the front office. And so this is Zach Taylor leading the charge here for replacements, including a defensive coordinator. Yeah, and it's easy to see kind of the alignment between the coaches that were immediately moved on from and the most disappointing units on the team.

Starting point is 00:03:26 There's a very direct connection there, right? The offensive line was not up to the standards. that they needed to be. They couldn't pass block well enough. And Zach talked about wanting to control games better and all this stuff too, but they also couldn't run to close out games. And so you have an offensive line where the run game isn't working as well as you wanted to, even though Chase Brown had a better year. In key moments, they can't run when they need to be able to run the ball.

Starting point is 00:03:49 And Joe Burroughs still taking way too much hit, way too many hits, way too much pressure, and having to create way too much outside of structure. In large part, early in the year, we talked a lot about schematic stuff where he had to create, but a lot of it is just pressure and him having to second react play because of pressure issue. So you got the offensive line coach. Everybody that, I did a poll at 2.30 in the morning Eastern time on Twitter, and most people were asleep. But by the time I woke up and saw the news, a lot of people were ready to move on from Lou Enremembermo from Frank Pollock specifically. And then beyond that, you look at the defense on the whole, which, you know, the stat was

Starting point is 00:04:31 they've produced a top half DVOA season once in the last five seasons since Joe Burrow was drafted. That was a Shield Capadia tweet earlier today that pointed that out. So on the whole, the defense isn't really getting those kinds of results, even though we've seen Louana Remo get the defense to step up in playoff performances. And we've seen the defense make game winning plays for them in playoff performances. it just hasn't been consistent. And then in addition to that, you get the defensive line coach where we saw a massive drop off from last year to this year

Starting point is 00:05:07 in pressure and in run defense, and they've lost some pieces there for sure, but there's been a real lack of development there. That was a theme, I thought, when you listen closely to what Zach Taylor had to say is getting the most out of players. In a press conference where he didn't want to go into too many details about why it was time to move on and what he was looking for,

Starting point is 00:05:26 and, you know, there were. great questions asked by you and your, your colleagues about, like, what is it that needs to be different? Or what is it that needed to be better or you're looking for? And some good questions that were more specific than that, I'm summarizing, that Zach didn't want to get into. The one thing that we did hear and say is getting the most out of the players. And I think that there's a theme there. When you look at some of the defensive coaches in particular that they kept for now, like you said, not a huge vote of like they'll be here for sure. but Charles, Berks, Jordan, Kovach,

Starting point is 00:05:56 Mark Duffner, Louis Schiaffi, not actually sure how to say his last name. And Ronnie Regula, Coffey, of course you know. That's part for the course for us. And Ronnie Regula, the five defensive coaches still on the staffs and quality control. Covaks, by the way. C-S. And so while there are certainly questions about the safety position,

Starting point is 00:06:21 you can see the themes there, right? And the coaches that came. With seeing some development. to young players at the cornerback position versus seeing regression elsewhere on the defensive side. Yeah, I think it's such a unique thing

Starting point is 00:06:35 because there's going to be a lot of our listeners and viewers, Jake, that are like, why the hell would you get rid of Lou? He doesn't have Jesse. He doesn't have DJ Reader. He doesn't have this guy. He doesn't have that guy. And I get that. I think there's a good argument that can be made for Lou.

Starting point is 00:06:52 And I think the organization knows he's still a good coach. It's not like Zach Taylor's like, ah, he can't coach. I don't think it's that. I think it's a mixture of things. One, sometimes you need a new voice. Two, the defense couldn't figure it out this year and didn't figure it out. Let's be honest here.

Starting point is 00:07:09 The season was essentially over and then they played a little bit better. And that was aided by their opponents and all of those things. And even though they played a little bit better, you don't want to judge it by a late December run. Historically, that is not the smart thing to do. But it's not just that. It's it's the development to your point and the alignment. And I think that's big. Because if you're Lou Anirumo and you get Miles Murphy and you get DJ Turner and you get Jordan Bado and you get the year before, Dax Hill, and you get Cam Taylor Britt and you get, I mean, there were drafts where it was the Lou show.

Starting point is 00:07:50 The first two days of the draft, we're seeing Lou in a suit up here where I'm sitting right. now if we're watching on YouTube. And we didn't see Brian Callahan. We didn't see the offensive line pick that we were thinking that they were going to make. And it was because they were like, all right, we're going to invest in this defense. Lou is going to be able to coach them up and maximize them. And it's not all on Lou because the verdict's out on these guys from a front office standpoint, but I think that played a role as well.

Starting point is 00:08:16 The development in seeing how to use some of these guys. I don't have any doubt in my mind that other organizations, would have found a way to use Daxo as a rookie. I just think he's such a versatile piece. You'd find a way to use him. It doesn't mean he's got to be a deep safety. Find a way to use him. And then the second year, you're like,

Starting point is 00:08:34 oh, we'll go play deep safety and expect them to just take over for Jesse Bates. It's just a tough ask. And so I think there was some frustration there, some friction there. And so it's a mixture. It's not just because they stunk this year on defense. It's much deeper than that.

Starting point is 00:08:49 Will it fix it? That's the real question, because it needs to fix it now. And I think that's something we're a theme of the off season that we're going to continue to open up is how this defense evolves, how they can figure it out and be much better moving forward. And where they go next is such a pertinent question that we will dive into over the course of the week and we'll probably get some reports about interview requests very, very soon as well. But there's more to it, like you said, in terms of player development and investment and this entanglement in Cincinnati that we've talked about for so long that is. Well, which are these draft picks are Luana Rumo picks and which of these draft picks are front office picks? And was Dax Hill, the canary and the coal mine and the clear disconnect between the front office and Lou Aniromo that we heard about?

Starting point is 00:09:39 And it was very loud this previous offseason. But not only that, like the spending on veterans and the veterans are choosing to bring in and the fits that are or not happening and the spending and all of this stuff. We will continue to dive into those topics a little bit more as we wrap up the conversation on the Luana Rumo firing with one year left on his deal, I believe. And we'll continue that conversation before we talk about some of the other coaching changes coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by prize picks. It's playoff time. And if you're like me, you want to make the most of these final weeks of football action. That's where prize picks comes in.

Starting point is 00:10:18 If you love football, you want a chance to win real money while watching games. prize picks is the place for you. It's the best way to turn your sports opinions into cash with daily fantasy player projections. With prize picks, you simply pick more or less on player stats like total passing yards, rushing touchdowns, and you get a shot up to win 1,000 times your money. You can make your picks in less than 60 seconds, and whether you're looking for a flex play to boost your payout or want to cash out quickly. Prize picks has you covered.

Starting point is 00:10:47 Download the app today and use code locked on NFL to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Again, that's price picks. Download the app today. Use code locked on NFL to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Price picks run your game. The Cincinnati Bengals by salary cap numbers had the fourth most expensive defense in

Starting point is 00:11:08 the NFL in 2024. They spent the fourth most of their cap space on the edge rusher position in the NFL. They spent the ninth most on the interior defensive line in the NFL. spent the fourth most at linebacker. They were not as expensive at safety or corner. Is there some alignment there, perhaps, with the coaches they chose to move on from linebacker's coach out in James Becher, defensive line coach, Marion Hobby, and obviously Luana Rimo, when you take in the overall spending there.

Starting point is 00:11:42 And it's not only that, like you said, James, the amount of draft capital that they've invested on that side of the ball has been significant. And so this is where it's tricky, right, because there's, this mitigating factor for Lou, which is that he did not want to lose Jesse Bates and DJ Reader. And he was correct about those assessments, I think, and certainly for Jesse Bates. And I think that Jesse Bates is in the back of Joe Burroughs' mind when he's saying you don't want to see great players leave. You don't want to make a great habit out of letting great players leave. And I think if Jesse Bates is on this team, the impact that he makes on the back end in terms of putting out fires and covering up mistakes for others and elevate

Starting point is 00:12:22 the play of the secondary overall and the entire defense overall is really easy to understate and kind of hard to quantify from a statistical perspective. But beyond that, and that is a mitigating factor, they had spent all of these resources

Starting point is 00:12:43 on defensive players, and despite all of the spending of draft picks and of money, getting that kind of result from your defense year and year out, where, like I said, they have one top half DVOA performance, which is a football out, formerly football outsiders, now FTN metric that kind of evaluates in a holistic manner, tries to put one number on defensive performance.

Starting point is 00:13:10 It speaks to an underachievement that the Bengals clearly felt they needed to make a move there. And like you said, get a new voice in the room, whether it's to raise the floor, because I think that's really part of what we're talking about here is Leonardo's defense had a ceiling, but there was no floor. Sorry, he raised the ceiling, I think we saw against really good teams in the playoffs. Sure.

Starting point is 00:13:34 But there was no floor. And I think we saw that against like Mike White and this year in many times. Russell Wilson. I mean, giving up 37 to that Steelers team at home is unacceptable. Jaden Daniels lights you up. okay, you know, you get beat by a really good Eagles offense. Okay, Lamar Jackson's Lamar Jackson. Like, okay, but it's Russell Wilson in the year 2024 with the Steelers in your home stadium.

Starting point is 00:14:04 And so I think what Zach Taylor is saying, what this entire organization is saying by saying, hey, Zach, go ahead, make the move, is, yeah, you should be getting more out of Miles Murphy. he's a really talented player he should be better right now and in lou and marian you guys didn't do enough to get him to where he should be by now he should be contributing at a much higher level he should have a sack in his second year multiple sacks in his second year dachshill we shouldn't have to wait till year three to figure out what dax can be as he's going into the final year of his rookie contract cam taylor brett why why is he regressed when we saw that charles burks can coach up and maybe this

Starting point is 00:14:48 is what they're thinking that can coach up Daxil at corner like what why why is cam being put in these situations like I don't know I think they believe they have more talent than they saw on the field from a result standpoint and and so that's it we'll see if they're right I will say this I do think that that when Zach says we got to make this call I don't know if you have anything else on Lou but we got to make this call on these guys it does add pressure to him now You only get to do this once. You only get to go into Mike Brown's office and say, all right, well, I want a new DC, new offensive line coach,

Starting point is 00:15:23 a new defensive tackle or new defensive line coach. And who knows, maybe new defensive tackle for sure, I would say this offseason. But the point is, like, you only get this button once, I would say. And so we'll see what happens. But it is a, it's fair to say that Zach has much more pressure on him going into 2025, even though when I asked him about it, he said, I don't view it as pressure, which I get, shouldn't.

Starting point is 00:15:49 It's probably not good for your mental health if you do. But it's certainly more pressure on him going into next season. Yeah, you get to do this once, typically, unless you run it back and you have another run of success and then things fall apart again. But even then, at that point, I mean, Cincinnati might be the only place you would get the third chance or fourth chance. He's kind of on three now. You know? Yeah. That's why I said our fourth.

Starting point is 00:16:19 I did have one more thing on, Lou. The thing that I would be looking for, and we'll get into specifics. Yeah. And some of the specific guys is consistency is such an issue with this defense. That's what I'm talking about when I say there is no floor. There needs to the apparent inability to get guys. on the same page from a schematic perspective and the amount of coverage busts we've seen in the last two years

Starting point is 00:16:56 where maybe it's just too complicated without Jesse Bates and Von Bell being your veteran leaders back there. Maybe it's just that your scheme isn't clicking with the new players and the young guys that they've brought in. Maybe the message isn't hitting with the young guys and new players they've brought in. I see that as one of the big things, is getting the buy-in,

Starting point is 00:17:14 elevating the floor, schematic consistency, and part of it also is just maybe that Lou's been around with the Bengals for too long and opposing offenses had the buck on them. And that could be part of it too, where they just know what Lou wants to do and whatever Lou wanted to try is not working anymore.

Starting point is 00:17:35 But, you know, the other side of it is, of course, that he earned that mad scientist's moniker for a reason of cooking up great game plans in playoff games and high leverage games, in high leverage games. We've seen him do that as well. So I think there's a chance that they do end up missing that. And I hope they cast a wide net.

Starting point is 00:17:53 There's obviously some big fish out there, some really high-end defensive coordinator prospects that were formerly head coaches. And obviously we're going to talk about Robert Sala and Dennis Allen and that kind of level of coach. You're talking about Rex Ryan. Get out of here. Get out of here, Jim.

Starting point is 00:18:09 I would have made a foot pun of some sort if we were talking about Rex. Football. Looking for a football coach. We can do better than that. We can do better than that. We will get to the defensive coordinator candidates, of course, tomorrow. And then like there's plenty of stuff that we're not going to get to today in the first day of the offseason that I'm sure you want to hear about.

Starting point is 00:18:32 You're alluding to new defensive tackle. Yeah, we're going to talk about the offseason priorities and all those things as well. But we still have some coaching changes to talk about here. Let's get this. And the big one is Frank that we're going to get to here to finish up the show because I do think that there's an opportunity for significant improvement on both sides of the ball here, depending on the direction they go with DC and offensive line coach. And so let's dive into the offensive line coach changes coming up next.

Starting point is 00:19:01 I love going to live events. And whether it's sports, music, theater, comedy, the offseason in full swing. And it's about that time to do some of my favorite things, which is why you've got to get the GameTime app. I've used GameTime multiple times. I'm hoping to get to a couple of NBA games this year. Guess what I'm going to use, game time. It makes it so easy to get tickets to your favorite events

Starting point is 00:19:24 with their new feature GameTime picks. It filters out all the fluff and only shows you incredible deals on great seats. So you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. I've had friends. I've had family use game time. They all love it. I've had family use it to go to Bengals games. Obviously, the Bengals not playing a game for quite some time, but any live event you can think of that you're thinking, ah, I might go to that.

Starting point is 00:19:49 Check out at the GameTime app and take the guest work out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, creating account. Use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N-N-FL-N-FL-N-FL-L-N-FL-L-L-FL-L-L-L-L-L-FL-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-tack-tack. What time is it? Game time. We've obviously talked a lot about potential coaching changes, and now that they're no longer potential coaching changes,

Starting point is 00:20:15 Frank Pollock has a name that has been often discussed in the Bengals Media sphere. And it's a change that when we've discussed it, James, we focused a lot on the fit, the schematic preferences, Frank Pollack's background and what the fit would be with, a offense that is built around Joe Burrow. That is probably the crux in addition to performance issues of what led to this move for the Bengals. Yeah, I think fit is fair. I think when you look at, like when I think of Zach Taylor's style in general in the way this offense operates,

Starting point is 00:21:00 and you look at the coaching staff. So you have Zach, you have Dan pitcher. you can look at Brad Craig Thorpe, the quarterback's coach. You could go down the line, right? Jordan Salkin, the guy they hired from Oregon last year, who has, I think, impressed and been a big part of what they've done this year. Who am I missing? I'm missing one more that they brought in from Minnesota.

Starting point is 00:21:23 Yeah, Justin Raskata. I don't want to leave anybody out since I was going to go down that rabbit hole. They all seem to have a certain style, and Frank isn't necessarily that style, and I do think that that matters. I do. like the approach the way it is and you can have a rough and tough gruff old school offensive line coach but i think that's the other element here is yeah you want to get the marriage together between the run and the past has it ever felt like it has has it ever felt like it it has it has worked

Starting point is 00:21:51 and this is before frank for what it's worth but it doesn't feel like it's humming on all cylinders and and that's something that people have an issue with and then the other element is, again, I think style-wise, I just look at that offensive staff, and then you look at Frank, and it's just like, well, maybe a different voice is needed. I think Frank, much like Lou, and people here think Frank stinks. Like, there are a lot of people that don't think Frank is a good offensive line coach. I talked to multiple offensive linemen today. He's a good coach. They love him. Like Orlando Brown Jr. went on and on, on camera, off camera. It's the same thing. And it's one of those things where it's like, all right, well, maybe a new voice is needed.

Starting point is 00:22:36 Maybe you want a style fit. Maybe you need to figure out the scheme element of it. But that doesn't mean he won't be an offensive line coach somewhere. I think it does fit, much like Lou. And so finding the right fit that can work and be an upgrade and get you to where you need to go. It's going to be challenging a defensive coordinator. It's going to be challenging an offensive line coach. But I get why they made the move. And it's up to them to find the right hire. And interestingly, Derek Frazier, the assistant offensive line coach, is for now, at least still on the staff as far as the Bengals website, which has been updated for coaches that have been like go indicates. And he wasn't mentioned, of course, in any reports today. So I do find that interesting.

Starting point is 00:23:17 But Frank Pollack, theoretically, is a fit with Zach Taylor's offense if Zach Taylor was running the Sean McVeigh offense, which is what we thought he was. is going to try to bring to Cincinnati. And I think he did try to bring to Cincinnati. And then Joe Burrow came along, and Joe Burrow wants a different kind of offense. And he's better in a different offense, too. It's not just once. Like, he's awesome.

Starting point is 00:23:43 Oh, yeah. He excels. We just saw a great season in an offense that puts a lot on his plate and asks him to drop back and make 7,000 decisions in a second and find the best place to go with the football. he's not as good he could be you know i don't doubt his ability here but he hasn't gotten the kind of production of when he goes under center in that kind of wide zone play action game and that's where frank comes from and so if you can find a coach who can fit with your offensive

Starting point is 00:24:21 philosophy that you've built around your star quarterback and your star wide receivers then perhaps you can take that next step as an offense. And this is a productive offense, but they're a productive offense by putting a ton on Joe Burrow, Jamar, Chase, and T. Higgins' plates. And they got a little bit more out of Chase Brown, right? Like, I don't mean to diminish Chase Brown's role here, but the offense could certainly benefit from a running game

Starting point is 00:24:50 that could close out games and guards who could actually block. I mean, that's a big thing. So for all the praise you're hearing from Orlando and from Amarius Mims, who credited Frank for standing on the table to bring him into Cincinnati and credited Frank for the kind of coaching that he got from Frank Pollock this year. Sounds like Amarius and Frank Pollock had a great relationship. Orlando Brown praising Frank Pollock for helping him to develop as a pass blocker this year in a year that was great for him as a pass blocker, especially when he was fully healthy.

Starting point is 00:25:21 It's not like Frank's in a vacuum, terrible coach, like you said, but he might have been a terrible fit. for what they were trying to do in Cincinnati and what they will be trying to do around Joe Burrow going forward. Yeah, I think that's fair. I think the fit, the fit, the style, all of the above, certainly matter.

Starting point is 00:25:40 And I think about the way this needs to look. And at times, it would be nice, not just to close out games, maybe to start games, knowing that you're going to need Joe to close. hey, we're going to run it here and we're just going to impose our will. And part of that is personnel. In much like Lou, where you can make the argument, you can make the argument with Frank. Like Frank didn't want Jackson Carmen.

Starting point is 00:26:08 I can say it now. We can all say it. It's not like he was like pounding on the table for Jackson Carmen, right? He was given Jackson Carmen. In the very next year, he was like, hey, I would much rather have a kid from North Dakota that is a fourth rounder that might not have the physical talent, but is going to do all the hardworking stuff. Right.

Starting point is 00:26:27 And so I think that's what's interesting is it's like, Omarius was his first, first rounder. It's kind of the opposite of Lou in that element. It's not like they used a bunch of draft capital on offensive lines and said, Frank, develop him. He didn't get many opportunities to do that. But the fit, the style of the above, I think that's interesting. And it's in what they try to find because Joe Bro is going to get hit in this current

Starting point is 00:26:53 style. and if you can just alleviate that by three, four, five snaps where he's getting those hits and instead you're leaning on the run a little bit more or you're making it easy on him. You have an easy button where he doesn't have to scan the field like crazy. It would be nice. And so we'll see if they can get there. I think the offense could certainly take some steps forward and maybe this will help them do that. they got to find the right guy though and the right coach that can not only be an upgrade but a better fit to your point

Starting point is 00:27:27 and this coach is likely taking over the run game coordinator title as well which is something that frank was doing and in his role as offensive line coach not uncommon around the NFL and you're talking about making joe burrow's life easier one thing that makes joe burroughs life easier and we saw the bengals doing this this year with erical in this shift to 12 personnel and doing a little bit more Hall of Personnel with Eric Hall with Mike Kassiki, who we're going to have to talk about Mike Kassiki's future with the team as well. And he had some interesting comments in the locker room on Monday that we'll get to in tomorrow's show in our next show, most likely, as maybe.

Starting point is 00:28:04 I don't know, maybe it'll be in two days. We have a lot to get to this week, James. The inability to sit back there when you're Joe Burrow and see that, oh, they only have six guys in the box. They only have seven guys in the box. We have a number's advantage between the tackles here. I should be able to hand the ball off and get six yards. And the amount of times that he saw that and thought he could get six yards

Starting point is 00:28:32 and instead got one or two yards makes life harder for the offense. And we've seen that throughout this season. So like you said, it's not just closing games. It's also staying ahead of the chain, staying on schedules and offense, and punishing defenses for saying, saying we're going to keep a safety over T. Higgins and Jemar Chase the entire game. You've got to be able to do that. Yep.

Starting point is 00:28:53 And so part of its personnel, much like defense, right? This defense is going to look a lot different. That interior of the offensive line is going to look a lot different. I'm confident in San Orlando Brown Jr. And Amarious Mims are going to be the tackles, right? I think Ted Karris is going to be the center. But those two guards, it should, could, probably will look a lot different. And that's, that is the good part, I would say, about these changes.

Starting point is 00:29:17 changes is you're not going to have the loyalty to some of these guys that you're like, ah, well, but, uh, well, if they're healthy, if things are perfect, well, that. And so we can dive into that, but there's just so many questions on both sides of the ball, and that loyalty is going to be gone with a lot of them. And so it's going to be pure production and style and fit and all of the above. And I do think that that's a good thing, especially when you look at how you're going to revamp this offensive line and get it to another level. Because they have some good players, how do they get to the next level and make it great?

Starting point is 00:29:51 I mean, we're still waiting for them to be an average offensive line, despite having some good players on it. This is the sixth, fifth, whatever straight year of us talking ourselves into. This should be the best offensive line, Joe Burroughs, played behind. It was. It was. For part of the year, maybe. But like their past block win rates, according to ESPN, which is based on the ability to hold up for two and a half seconds, was the worst in the NFL. Yep, and it's because they had Cody Ford and, you know, like you're banking on, we didn't have Orlando.

Starting point is 00:30:24 Yeah, but to your point, that means you need depth, reliable depth, you need to invest there. And so it's, boy, oh boy, we just, there's so many cans of worms that are getting ready to be opened, which is why you better not go anywhere, Bengals fans, because we have you, we have you covered. It's going to be a wild offseason. I don't think it's going to be a long off season. I think it's going to be crazy. And there's going to be a lot of moving parts, Jake. I think that that feels right.

Starting point is 00:30:53 They need to learn some hard lessons from their last two offseason. And I think when you look at the potential cap casualties, and this is something that we'll probably get to this week, I think we'll get to this week. It minds up with some of the coaching changes, too. So you talk about the loyalty to guys who have been here and where they made these coaching changes, those things kind of go hand in hand.

Starting point is 00:31:16 I think as well when you look at where some of these cap casualties may be. And we will get to that topic, I believe, this week, because we have much to get to, including candidates to replace these coaches and offseason priorities. We haven't even talked about Jamar Chase winning the Triple Crown. Jamar Chase finished up and won the Triple Crown, and we'll have award candidacies and Pro Bowl candidacies and not Pro Bowl, all pro candidacies to talk about as well. So a lot of topics here, mock draft Monday, not too,

Starting point is 00:31:46 far in the future at this point. Wow. Wow. And we're in the off season now, and we didn't do it this Monday. So it's got to be coming sometime soon. So a lot to get through here on Lockdown Bengals as we transition. Unfortunately, earlier into off-season mode than we expected this year. We will get to all of those. And thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast, Hoodey.

Starting point is 00:32:10 And have a good one.

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Why the Cincinnati Bengals moved on from Lou Anarumo and Frank Pollack as they fire 4 coaches on Black Monday

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.