Former Bengals assistant coach follows Lou Anarumo to the Colts for the same job he had in Cincinnati
Lou Anarumo and James Bettcher were both fired by the Cincinnati Bengals 20 days ago, and now they're co-workers once again. Anarumo, now the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, has picked Bettcher to be his linebackers coach according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero. Bettcher spent the past three years as Anarumo's LB coach in […]
Lou Anarumo and James Bettcher were both fired by the Cincinnati Bengals 20 days ago, and now they're co-workers once again.
Anarumo, now the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, has picked Bettcher to be his linebackers coach according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
Bettcher spent the past three years as Anarumo's LB coach in Cincinnati. He was hired to replace Al Golden after Golden left for the Notre Dame DC gig in 2022. Golden then became Anarumo's replacement this week.
Before arriving in Cincinnati, Bettcher spent the 2021 season as a senior defensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers. He was also the New York Giants DC from 2018-19. Bettcher and Anarumo were both on staff in New York in 2018 with Anarumo the defensive backs coach. Bettcher was also the Arizona Cardinals DC from 2015-17, and the Cards' outside linebackers coach from 2013-14.,
This is not only a reunion for Bettcher and Anarumo, but for Bettcher and the Colts. His first NFL coaching gig was with Indy in 2012 as OLB coach and the special assistant to head coach Chuck Pagano.
The Bengals had clear reasons to let go of both coaches this month. Cincinnati's defense had regressed mightily over the past two seasons, and linebacker play was a big part of that. Starters Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt haven't been as consistently effective since signing their respective second contracts in 2023. Now that Golden is back and in charge of operations, there's hope for that position to improve within the defense.
Anarumo and Bettcher will look to leverage their continuity for a new team that was already one of the 10 best against the run in terms of EPA/rush allowed and rushing success rate allowed. Indianapolis' struggles were largely against the pass as the unit ranked 23rd in both EPA/drop back and drop back success rate allowed.
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