HERE⤵IS-Why Bengals DC Lou Anarumo could become a head coach this cycle

Cincinnati — Lou Anarumo’s reputation as a head coach skyrocketed at the conclusion of the Cincinnati Bengals’ two most recent deep postseason runs.

Anarumo was a finalist for Jonathan Gannon’s Arizona Cardinals job last season. Given that the Bengals missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, it is more difficult to determine where the fifth-year defensive coordinator stood this season. Cincinnati allowed 6.1 yards per play, which was the lowest in the league, despite having a young secondary gaining experience on the job.

However, head coach Zac Taylor feels that Anarumo and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan should still be in the running for a head coaching job despite the season’s outcomes.

Taylor stated on December 29 that “I think those guys are as good as anybody out there.”

The defensive stats for this season may indicate why Anarumo may find it difficult to succeed as head coach in this cycle. However, his teammates provided insight into why, in spite of the defensive numbers, he has been effective.

The case for Anarumo

This year presented unique challenges for Anarumo, the 57-year-old coach from Staten Island, New York.

For the past three seasons, Anarumo relied on Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III, two safeties, to fortify the defence. However, Bates and Bell went in free agency as wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow were set to sign contract extensions soon. After recording six interceptions through Week 17, Bates, who is currently with the Atlanta Falcons, was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

In their place, rookie Jordan Battle, a third-round selection, replaced Bell, and 2022 first-round pick Dax Hill replaced Bates.

Mike Hilton, an inside cornerback, observed that Anarumo was working with a seasoned group in 2021. There has to be a change for this year.

“Seeing how much he’s taking these young guys under his wing and really coaching them up and really being in their ear about communicating and being in the right spot, it is big,” Hilton said.

Anarumo also had to manage a tricky situation with Chidobe Awuzie, who was the team’s top cornerback in 2022 before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury. As Awuzie returned this year, he rotated series with rookie DJ Turner, a second-round selection.

Both players have had their roles adjusted at times. Awuzie saw Turner start 11 straight games until last week’s loss to Kansas City, as Turner was relegated to special packages.

Awuzie, who is in his seventh year in the league and third with the Bengals, praised the way Anarumo builds a rapport with players in the locker room. It’s a level of trust that impacts touchy situations such as a player’s usage.

“If Lou puts me in a position, I’m not thinking it’s from ill intent,” Awuzie said. “I’m not thinking it’s from evil. I know it’s from a good place. I know it’s from the best intention, more so for this team and for me and for him.”

Mike Thomas, a safety on Cincinnati’s practice squad, played under Anarumo in stints with the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants. And the difference in Anarumo’s coaching approach this year has been noteworthy.

“I’ve seen how he’s handled young guys before and what he is today is completely 180,” Thomas said. “Like, I don’t know this man. He’s had nothing but patience. He’s continuing to put them in positions to have success.”

That attribute, along with how Anarumo has developed in his ability to communicate and get the best of multiple position groups, shows Thomas why Anarumo is ready to be a head coach.

“He now knows in order to run an organization, to lead a team, he has to be able to relate to all these players,” Thomas said.

The case against Anarumo

Anarumo’s weekly news conferences with local reporters have carried a similar refrain in the final weeks of the regular season.

This year’s Bengals defense will be remembered for allowing opponents to repeatedly reel off long gains.

“We give up big plays,” Anarumo said Wednesday. “That’s never been a trademark of us, but it is for this year. Youth has something to do with it, but it’s not the only thing. We’ve got to get it fixed for sure.”

Entering Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati has allowed 79 plays of 20 or more yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information, eight more than the Washington Commanders, the second-worst team in that category.

Granted, only seven of those 79 plays have resulted in touchdowns. But the 25-17 loss to Kansas City, in which big plays helped the Chiefs kick enough field goals to keep the Bengals at bay, showed why the big plays were an issue.

“You take away those explosive [plays], it could be a totally different game,” Hilton said. “It’s something we’ve been struggling with all season and it just kept biting us.”

Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that it could never get solved. Hilton attributed the maladies to missed communication, blown assignments, bad tackling.

That could be held against Anarumo. But perhaps what makes the failures most frustrating is the players knew there was an issue but couldn’t correct it. For Anarumo, that includes plays that worked in practice but weren’t executed in games, even in a defense that was simplified this year to accommodate the young secondary.

“When push comes to shove and it’s Patrick Mahomes over there, all of a sudden we short-circuit for some reason,” Anarumo said. “Those are the things we’ll have to figure out in the offseason — exactly what our guys do well.”

For the first time since 2020, the Bengals’ offseason will start before the playoffs, where Anarumo and Callahan, the fifth-year offensive coordinator, have been able to display their work in Cincinnati’s back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances, including one win.

The situation will make it harder to create head-coaching buzz, even if Taylor believes it’s warranted for his coordinators.

“If you’re part of a company or something that’s doing well then all boats rise and those opportunities, that’s just the way it works out sometimes,” Taylor said. “But they’re definitely qualified and ready to go if that comes their way.”