CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn’t hesitate to put the blame on himself after watching the Pittsburgh Steelers put up embarrassing numbers against his struggling unit.
The Bengals have been searching for solutions all season and seem to be running out of answers and reasons for the missed tackles, confusion and big plays surrendered. On Sunday, they allowed an opponent at least 34 points for a third straight game while the Steelers seemed to just coast down the field each drive for 520 yards of offense.
Only one team in the league is allowing more points per game than Cincinnati’s 28.3 average. Dallas, who the Bengals play Monday in a primetime road game, is only slightly better in that regard, but Cincinnati’s offense has performed even against the best teams while the defense continues to let Joe Burrow and company down.
“Obviously, all of this starts and ends with me,” Anarumo said Monday. “How we play is certainly my responsibility. I think the players have done a fantastic job of preparing, practicing with energy, giving us their best. I’m proud of the way we’ve gone about that. We need to do a better job -- I need to do a better job of making sure it shows up on Sundays.”
Safety Jordan Battle, who earned his first start of the season over Vonn Bell, said the struggles with missed tackles don’t have anything to do with the preparation or coaching. Players are just not doing the basics and there’s no one to blame for that but themselves, Battle said.
After 12 games, though, the repeated mistakes are mind boggling. Battle said it’s hard to see Anarumo taking criticism for that.
“We know Coach Lou is a great guy,” Battle said. “He’s always gonna put the blame on himself, you know. But in reality, it’s not Coach Lou. It’s all of us as one. We have to do our job when Coach Lou calls the play. And we can always save a down with any call we have, whether that’s rallying to the ball or whether that’s having good eyes, or whether that’s tackling well, whether that’s being all 11 guys on the same page. So, the blame is not always on Coach Lou. It’s always on us as a unit.”
Anarumo just doesn’t know why the things he sees in practices don’t carry over into games. He said it “comes down to the little things” and just inconsistencies, but players are getting his coaching.
“My message is getting across crystal clear,” Anarumo said. “You know, I know what it feels like when players - I think we all do as coaches at some point - feel like if maybe it’s not, it’s no different than being a teacher when you’re in the classroom. If all eyes aren’t on you, you’ve got an issue. All eyes are always on me, and I have a great respect for all of the players in our room and I feel like they’ll give us their best and I feel like my message is getting across.”
Part of the disappointment is that changes made this offseason didn’t end up fixing anything.
After the defense struggled last year, Anarumo and the Bengals were hoping changes at safety, specifically, would be the solution. Communication issues among young players were supposed to be solved with a veteran like Bell returning, and Geno Stone was coming off a career year with Baltimore to replace Dax Hill at free safety.
Bell, brought in to be an upgrade from Battle, gradually has seen his snaps disappear. He played just 18 defensive snaps Sunday after Anarumo informed Battle last Wednesday that he would be starting. Battle had gradually eased in to replace Nick Scott last year and earned high grades from Pro Football Focus, but the Bengals felt like something was missing after Bell and Jessie Bates left ahead of the 2023 season, so at least getting Bell back would help.
Now, Bell is on the bench and Stone has been the worst-graded starter on the team, according to PFF, who also ranks him 89th of 91 qualifying safeties in the league this year.
“We were fortunate a few years back with the situation we were in, and I just think, again, I’ll put it on me,” Anarumo said. “That’s my background. I’m a DB coach at heart. I’ve got to do a better job to get the guys in place to make plays, get guys on the ground. That’s our jobs as coaches. My job. So I’ve got to do better.”
Stone will continue to start alongside Battle, while Bell will get opportunities in certain packages and situation like he did Sunday. Anarumo was pleased with Battle’s play for the most part and the hope is he continues to trend upward.
The Bengals are likely looking at a lot of big changes next year, but Anarumo will continue to “do as much as humanly possible to get the play up to standard.”
“I mean, there’s as much pressure in this league every day you walk into the building,” Anarumo said. “My focus is on our players and trying to get them better every day. That’s all I think about. I mean, we all know, as NFL coaches, what we signed up for. And like I said, my concerns are our players and getting them in the best position to be successful on Sundays. That’s all I think about.”
MONDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., ESPN, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
