The Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Unit Receives High Praise From Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay

The Cincinnati Bengals announced their arrival to the big leagues, so to speak, last season, reaching the Super Bowl before bowing out against the Los Angeles Rams. Now, Rams head coach Sean McVay has implied he expects the Bengals defense to be even more formidable next term.

Cincinnati did draw inspiration from the Rams, hiring Zac Taylor as their head coach following his work as an offensive assistant under McVay. And the Bengals’ offense was all the better for it. However, there’s more to winning football games than offense and it appears the Bengals will keep taking pages out of McVay’s book.

The Super Bowl-winning coach brought Wade Phillips in as a defensive coordinator during his earlier years with the Rams, having watched the latter’s defense lead the Denver Broncos to glory.

Taylor saw to Lou Anarumo’s arrival as defensive coordinator following such roles with the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. Of course, Anarumo can’t quite be compared to Phillips but his reputation is growing and McVay has already observed how the Bengals’ defense has improved on the back of two joint practices.

“I think they’ve got really good players on all three levels of the defense,” McVay was quoted as saying by USA Today. “I think Lou [Anarumo] does a tremendous job of being able to keep you off balance offensively, but, a lot of really good football players, they tackle well, they see things as one. They play the run well, they play the pass well, and they understand what offenses are trying to get done. I’d be really surprised if this wasn’t going to be an excellent defense this year and pick up right where they left off.”

Given that such praise has come from one of the best offensive minds in the business, Anarumo should be proud of what he’s managed to do with the defense so far.

The Bengals will hope that their pass rushing will receive a boost when Joseph Osai is at 100 percent, while the additions of rookies Dax Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt to the secondary should help in that regard as well.

The difference under the defensive coordinator became apparent last season when the Bengals finished 11th in EPA/play allowed. The defense was even better in the playoffs.

The unit was impressive in that Super Bowl contest against McVay’s Rams and picked Matthew Stafford twice. They would have likely won their first Super Bowl trophy had it not been for a controversial holding penalty on Logan Wilson. They’re currently among the favorites to win it all next term and Ohio promo codes should be available to fans once betting goes live in the state next January.

In any case, the Bengals will be encouraged by McVay’s assessment of their defense. Anarumo, in particular, will be pleased. He has shown great development over the years and has been able to recruit some top talent during the period.

Sadly, though, all of this has been overshadowed by a brawl between the teams during their joint practice on Thursday.

Aaron Donald is understood to have been the main perpetrator as he was caught swinging a Bengals helmet violently during the dust-up.

The practice got off to a physical start as a few clashes took place following a confrontation between Bengals tackle La’el Collins and Rams defensive end, Leonard Floyd. Things got pretty wild a few plays later.

“I just see guys swinging, and some guys have helmets on, some don’t, there’s a scrum, you just never know what can occur,” McVay said. “My biggest concern is just unnecessary injuries for people that we’re counting on. Whether it’s for our team or the other team. I care about these guys, especially when you start throwing punches with gear on. I’ve been enough of a meathead in my past that I’ve done some stupid stuff, too.

“I know how volatile and how fragile it is when you hit it the wrong way and you break your hand and it could affect a guy’s chance to be OK, or God forbid somebody gets hit in the head with the helmet off. I don’t know what emotions I was feeling right there. I just was glad that everything got broken up, and my understanding was everybody’s OK.”

The Rams have announced Donald will be disciplined internally. The NFL has remained quiet on the matter but also does not punish players for infractions occurring during training camp, leaving it to teams.