New defensive coordinator Al Golden’s relentless work ethic has been a Paycor Stadium phenomenon during an offseason he’s beaten the famously early Mike Brown to the office on occasion.
Brown, the Bengals president who is in the 5:30 a.m. territory, has had some company these days. Golden and his staff are trying to get the jump on a new playbook, and after Wednesday’s mandatory minicamp practice, Thursday’s last workout before a month-long break loomed.
“We were joking this morning,” said Golden, who led the Notre Dame defense into January’s national title game. “I went from the longest season in the history of college football straight to work. I am ready for a break, and I’m not afraid to say I’m going to take it.
“The coaching staff that we have is awesome. They exceed expectations every day. And it’s been hard. It’s been really hard. You have to assess your current roster, then transition to the draft and get into the field. It hasn’t been many off days for us.”
His new players have noticed.
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. says Golden has gone overtime emphasizing his two leading points: tackling and getting the ball out.
“We’ll be the most technically sound defense in the NFL,” Jenkins said. “We will have every aspect of the defense settled that we can. That’s our job, that’s our mission. It’s on us to be able to achieve that.
“We’re buying into the scheme and you can tell the amount of emotion and passion he has for his scheme and for us.”
Safety Geno Stone has compared Golden’s aggressive approach to the mindset of Baltimore’s No. 1 scoring defense, where he had an AFC-best seven interceptions for the Ravens in 2023.
He says the Bengals are working more on tackling technique this spring than last year at this time, before they finished in the top ten in missed tackles. Stone’s 15 were second-highest among safeties and it’s been a priority for him this offseaon to reduce that number. He thinks Golden’s emphasis is going to boost him.
“Attention to detail,” Stone said. “All the details. I think it’s going to help me. I just have to stay consistent with it and apply it to the field.”
When Golden was last here as a linebacker coach for the 2021 AFC champions, the Bengals were tied for the 10th-fewest missed tackles.
“The effort we are getting in the tackling periods, that’s been awesome. Though it’s not full tackling or any of that. They really are buying into being brilliant in the basics,” Golden said. “We can call a million different things. A lot of times, the players make you right. You didn’t make the right call, but Trey (Hendrickson) got a sack. But there is no substitute of the tackling, the ball disruption, being great in situations. All those things are important to us.
“What’s important is the buy-in from the players, because here in Cincinnati, you have a head coach that protects the players over the long haul, most particularly in the season,” Golden said. “If you’re not over-exaggerating your technique, if you’re not attacking the ball, if you’re not on the leverage hip, if you don’t have the leverage foot up, on and on and on technically, then you’re not building great muscle memory … We’re always talking about just over exaggerate your technique in walk through, over communicate, and demonstrate that you can understand and execute your assignment and, in this case, not tackling.”
Golden had to laugh when asked if he should have heeded head coach Zac Taylor’s advice after he hired him. Taylor told him to take a break before he got going with the Bengals, but Golden had his office door shut that first day and very rarely has it been open since.
“I wish I would have listened,” Golden said.
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