The Cincinnati Bengals have pulled the rug out from under defensive coordinator Teryl Austin following their 51-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Teryl Austin, the #Bengals’ defensive coordinator, has been dismissed, a source reveals. Another seasonal change.
This wasn’t a surprise, even though it’s only the second time in franchise history that the Bengals have sacked a coordinator in the middle of the season.
Austin’s defense was without Darqueze Dennard, Vontaze Burfict, and Nick Vigil against the Saints, with Carl Lawson on injured reserve. The Saints scored on nine of their ten possessions, accumulating nearly 40 minutes of possession and 509 total yards. The 37-point loss tied for the worst in franchise history and the worst in Cincinnati.
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But this is a reaction to a seasonal tendency. The Bengals became the first team in Super Bowl history to allow more than 500 yards in three consecutive games, missing a fourth in the start of the streak when Pittsburgh totaled 481.
So ends Austin’s potential bid to succeed Lewis as head coach in a few years. For a few years, he had been a head-coaching contender, and the lateral transfer to Cincinnati appeared to place him in a position to advance up the ranks. The intriguing on-paper idea of making minor changes to the previous system while focusing more on turnovers did not convert to the field.
The unit under new direction will still face Baltimore and Cleveland twice, as well as high-flying offenses from Pittsburgh and the Los Angeles Chargers.
