Miami RedHawks football
OSU vs. OU
Von Maur prepares for opening
Get latest headlines via RSS feeds
NewsVine
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
Stumbleuponbengals
Defensive coordinator an in-your-face kinda guy
Mike Zimmer hates mistakes and isn't hesitant to single out offenders on NFL's 27th-ranked unit.
Friday, July 25, 2008
CINCINNATI — Mike Zimmer is standing near the sideline with arms folded and eyes focused on the play. Suddenly, he breaks the silence with a sprint onto the field and a scream into the face of a rookie cornerback.
As the Bengals' first-year defensive coordinator, the 52-year-old assistant with the muscular physique is stalking mistakes. He's certainly come to the right place.
With a pinch between his cheek and gum, Zimmer is spitting more than tobacco juice. He's spitting nails in an attempt to push the NFL's 27th-ranked unit into the league's top half.
"I'm demanding," Zimmer said. "I hate mistakes. I want 'em to do things right every single time. I believe if you've got 11 guys playing real hard and doing what they're supposed to do and everybody can count on everybody else, you can be good.
"Let's just make it a hard deal (for an offense). Don't give easy catches. Don't give easy runs. Don't give yards after the catch. Make tackles when you're supposed to make tackles. It's not that hard a game."
The Bengals sure make it look difficult. Zimmer, the third coordinator in six years under head coach Marvin Lewis, has been handed the keys to a clunker of a 4-3 scheme and told to fix it — ah, Mr. Goodwrench.
Remember former coordinator Chuck Bresnahan's philosophy of mass substitution depending on down and distance? That's going to change.
"We're trying to be creative in some things without changing everybody," Zimmer said. "If (the offense) comes in with three wide receivers, why do we have to have two safeties in there? Why do we need to go to nickel (five defensive backs)?
"If we just take out one safety and put in a corner and he's playing safety, the other 10 guys are doing what they always do. That's what we're trying — leave 10 guys alone, change one guy out and let him learn that one extra position so we're not learning all different new things. We don't want to do that.
"It's the same defense, but maybe with different little wrinkles here and there."
Lewis likes the concept because players aren't burdened by indecision that triggers mistakes.
"You can play fast, smart and physical because you don't have that gray area," Lewis said. "The players know what's expected from stance to starts and so forth right away. So you put yourself in good alignments with your eyes working in the right spots and things fit together."
Zimmer was molded by two "Bills" — his father, Bill, who coached him at Lockport (Ill.) Township High School, and NFL legend Bill Parcells, whom he served in Dallas — but considers Barry Switzer and Butch Davis as mentors.
Stuff 'em in a blender, hit the puree button and the result is liquid intensity.
"I think they're a little bit afraid of me," said Zimmer, with a smile, about his players.
Bengals starting middle linebacker Dhani Jones has tasted Zimmer's sharp criticism. It's like medicine — exactly what the unit needs.
"He's aggressive," Jones said. "He's going to bark at you and let you know when you're right and when you're wrong. Using his term, he's the hustle coach where he's not going to let anybody slack off, He's going to make sure that everybody holds up to a certain level of expectation because accountability is with everybody.
"A good coach understands when he needs to be a yeller and when he needs to be a quiet killer. He displays that in the right moment. He's going to be a harsh critic, make sure you understand exactly what your responsibility is and he's not going to hold back."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com
Mike Zimmer
Title: Defensive coordinator
Age: 52
Career: Served as defensive coordinator for Dallas Cowboys (2002-06) and Atlanta Falcons (2007)
