Notre Dame expert reveals how Al Golden grew as a defensive coordinator before reuniting with Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals didn't want a bronze or silver candidate to be their new defensive coordinator; only a Golden opportunity piqued head coach Zac Taylor's interest.Al Golden is back in Cincinnati and beginning the process of applying everything he's learned from the past three years of leading Notre Dame's defense. It was his first time […]
The Cincinnati Bengals didn't want a bronze or silver candidate to be their new defensive coordinator; only a Golden opportunity piqued head coach Zac Taylor's interest.
Al Golden is back in Cincinnati and beginning the process of applying everything he's learned from the past three years of leading Notre Dame's defense. It was his first time in that role since the early 2000s, and now he'll take on the challenge at the NFL level.
Bengals fans certainly remember when Golden was the team's linebackers coach a few years ago, but what were the past three seasons like from the perspective of the Fighting Irish? I went and reached out to A to Z Sports Notre Dame staff writer Ryan Roberts to get the important answers on Golden.
JS: What do you remember thinking about Golden when he was hired in 2022, and how has your opinion on him changed—if at all—in the three years since?
RR: Coach Golden was perceived a little strangely early on. He hadn’t called a defense since the early 2000s at the University of Virginia, so he was a bit of an unconventional hire. There were clearly some growing pains during the first year with Notre Dame due to implementing his system, which is a little complex. You saw the defense improve by a massive margin each other, and he morphed into one of the best defensive coordinators in all of college football the last two years.
JS: With Marcus Freeman being a defensive head coach, how much would you say he let Golden operate by himself as the coordinator on that side of the ball in terms of scheme, play-calling, and everything else?
RR: Coach Freeman has a baseline of defensive football that he believes in, so he wouldn’t have hired Coach Golden if he didn’t believe a lot of the same things. Freeman will always have his input but the defense was Golden’s. He had full autonomy to run it within the structure that he believes in.
JS: Was there anything about Golden’s defense you found yourself critiquing from time to time? Or perhaps an area that has maybe been overlooked amid the overall success of the unit?
RR: My main criticism came from his overaggressiveness at times. He believes in a ton of man coverage and bringing second level pressures. At times, he is going to put his defensive backs in some tough spots. In the biggest moments, he is going to run cover zero and bring the house, and sometimes it’s going to end horribly.
JS: How about a favorite anecdote? Anything he said or did that sticks with you?
RR: Coach Golden is a huge advocate for tackling in space, and everyone perfecting it. He once said that a “peak into the soul of a defense is how defensive backs tackle.” It’s about buy in from everyone.
JS: For Bengals fans who watched the title game and didn’t love what they saw during Golden’s last game, what would you say to them about that night?
RR: They played against a great offense. Ohio State has playmakers everywhere and some things didn’t go Notre Dame’s way. It also just wasn’t Coach Golden’s best game as a play caller. It’s an unfortunate ending to a great tenure.
Be sure to check out all of Ryan's work covering Notre Dame!
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