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Coach Zimmer motivates Bengals defense

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By Carlos “Big C” Holmes, Staff Writer Updated 2:35 PM Friday, July 30, 2010

GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The Cincinnati Bengals are building a foundation on defense upon which championship teams are made.

The unit consists of exuberant youth and crafty veterans with a strong desire to win. There is talent at every position, and the players seem to respond well to the stern coaching of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. His coaching philosophy has made all the difference for this defense.

“I have a good relationship with most of the players,” Zimmer said. “We get along well and don’t hold any punches. I think players nowadays respect honesty. If they think you can help them become a better football player, they’ll listen and do what you want them to do.

"They know that I’m not going to lie to them or tell them something that is not going to be beneficial to them. They know in the long run I’m only trying to help them and the team.”

If Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, then Zimmer would have to be George S. Patton. The players on defense attest to Zimmer’s leadership and are willing to go to battle for the coach at any cost.

“We want to get to the top, and there’s no greater person to lead us than coach Zim,” linebacker Rey Maualuga said. “I believe he’s going to do that, but he can only do so much. We have to put in the work on the field and stay coachable. If we do those things, he’ll get us where we want to be.”

Zimmer is largely responsible for turning the team’s defense around and moving them in a positive direction. They have improved every year of his three-year career with the organization. The Bengals finished the 2009 season ranked fourth overall in total defense.

Despite the breakout season by the defense, Zimmer believes there is room for improvement.

“We have to get more turnovers,” he said. “All the great defenses get turnovers. If you score on defense, you have a great chance to win a Super Bowl. I think that’s one area we really need to improve on.”

Fans are buying into Bengalmania after a 10-6 season and playoff berth a year ago. Expectations coming into this season are high, and winning a championship is the team’s ultimate goal.

“I’m really excited about the group of guys we have,” Zimmer said. “I think we can be as good as we want to be. It all depends on how hard we work, study, compete and stay healthy. My expectations are a lot higher than the fans. I know they have high expectations, and I hope our players’ expectations exceed that as well.”

There are teams in the AFC North Division known for playing great defense, namely Pittsburgh and Baltimore. So how does the Bengals defense stacks up to the elite?

“We don’t have a lot of big talkers on our defense,” Zimmer said. “I had some guys in the past who liked to talk a lot of stuff during the game. These guys go out there and do their jobs and rely on each other. That’s a trait of a great defense. I don’t know how good we are one-on-one, but we’re pretty good 11-on-11. I believe we have the components in place to win it all this season.”

Carlos "Big C" Holmes covers the NFL for Cox Ohio Publishing.

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