After missing the playoffs with a second consecutive 9-8 record, the Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, linebackers coach James Bettcher, defensive line coach Marion Hobby, and offensive line coach Frank Pollack, head coach Zac Taylor confirmed in his Monday news conference.
“As you guys probably saw, we made a couple of coaching changes today. [I] do not take that lightly,” Taylor said. “Those were extremely hard moves for me to make. Those are all men that I have a ton of respect for, been through really high, exciting times with, and do not take those decisions lightly. And appreciate all that those guys brought to the table because they’re like brothers to me, they worked hard every single day. And those were not easy decisions to make. We’ll work to make those hires as soon as possible when that time is appropriate.”
Cincinnati’s defense was a significant disappointment in 2024, with the unit finishing No. 25 in yards allowed and points allowed. It was a significant drop off for coordinator Lou Anarumo, who had been one of the key pieces of the Bengals’ successful postseason runs in 2021 and 2022.
“Just felt like we needed a change. And, again, did not take that decision lightly — thought long and hard about it,” Taylor said. “Lou’s been doing this for six years here and the success we’ve had, he’s been a big reason why we’ve had a lot of the success. So, again, I don’t take this lightly. I put a lot of thought in it. It’s not an easy day for any of us. And just felt like we need to perform better as a football team. So, it’s not in any specific one area. I think we’ve got to be better in all three phases of our team and these are the decisions I made today and we’ll work to be better.”
Though Cincinnati ended the season on a five-game winning streak, the club’s 4-8 start doomed it to missing the postseason for the second straight year.
“Yeah, I think you look at every game and there’s a play to be made in every single phase that we all regret — whether it’s a play-call, a play, whatever it is,” Taylor said. “There’s all things that we’ll reflect back on that are kind of a little bit of a thorn in your side from the season. But all we can do is improve moving forward in making sure a season like this doesn’t happen again.”
