Cincinnati Bengals: Coaching and Staff Changes

In light of recent events, the Cincinnati Bengals are making a few coaching changes on offense and defense. We all know about Hue Jackson heading to Cleveland, and long time quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese named the offensive coordinator, but what about on defense?

Yes, Vance Joseph became the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins taking linebackers coach Matt Burke with him, but what about everyone else? Well, over the past few days the Cincinnati Bengals defense has moved on from, well, everyone except defensive coordinator Paul Guenther.

For a team that likes stability, this sends a sharp message to the coaching staff. Specifically the actions that took place against Pittsburgh in the final 90 football seconds on wild card weekend. No one likes to be embarrassed, and Mike Brown is no different. Whether or not he truly was embarrassed, no one will know, but the mass coaching exodus, and not all to promotions, says he felt like it was time for a change.

The defensive coaching positions, formerly occupied by Jay Hayes (D-line), Matt Burke (linebackers), and Vance Joseph (defensive backs), are now occupied by Jacob Burney, Jim Haslett, and Kevin Coyle, but who are these new guys?

Jacob Burney, most recently with the Washington Redskins, began his NFL career in Cleveland in 1994. Going into his 22^nd year, Burney has pretty much seen it all. With his longest stint in Denver, Burney’s defense ranked 10^th in fewest yards allowed. In 2013, Burney helped coach the Washington Redskins to a third down percentage of 34%, third best in the NFL. 

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Jim Haslett, an NFL journeyman, is coming back to his roots. Haslett started as a linebackers coach in 1993 with the L.A. Rams, and worked his way up from there to head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2000-2005. Haslett since bounced around the Rams and most recently the Redskins defensive coordinator until 2014, and even did a small stint in Arena League football.

Lastly, Kevin Coyle. Anyone who has been around this team over the years knows exactly who Kevin Coyle is. He’s the defensive backs coach who helped Jonathan Joseph, Leon Hall, and others become the players they are today. From 2003-2011, Coyle helped mold the Bengals secondary into a force to be reckoned with. After leaving Cincinnati to become the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, Coyle is coming back to what is most familiar.

Sometimes turnover within an organization doesn’t necessarily mean a complete revamp and overhaul of the head coach down. Sometimes it simply means there is a standard of play and conduct that is no longer being met. In this case, it might be both, as the standards set by this organization have not changed.