–As soon as Hue Jackson was fired from coaching the Cleveland Browns, it was widely assumed he would be returning to the Cincinnati Bengals in some capacity.
Those assumptions became reality Tuesday when the Bengals announced Jackson was joining the coaching staff. His role for his third stint with Cincinnati will be a special assistant to head coach Marvin Lewis.
The special assistant title might as well mean a shoulder to lean on for Lewis in conjunction with some strategic input.
“Hue right now is here to get immersed into what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” Lewis said Wednesday. “He’ll add (insight) for me from things he sees and he’ll assist with the players on the field defensively with the implementation and development of the game plan.”
Lewis is coaching the defense in addition to overseeing the whole operation after Teryl Austin was fired from his role as defensive coordinator on Monday.
Hiring Jackson will help alleviate Lewis some of the work of game planning on offense since his longtime friend has worked as an assistant on the offensive side of things for every season except for 2012 when he was an assistant defensive backs coach following his one year as head coach of the Oakland Raiders.
“Whatever this organization needs me to do,” Jackson said of his role. “Whatever Marvin thinks I need to do to help him be the best version of himself. To help whether it’s offensively, defensively or special teams, I’ll do whatever they need me to do.”
The Bengals can also use Jackson’s knowledge of the Browns to their benefit since they host them Nov. 25 and visit Cleveland Dec. 23. They also plan on using Jackson to break down various things from an analytical point of view.
“They’re friends,” defensive end Carlos Dunlap said. “He has some expertise, and he’s had success here with the players that are here. He’s not doing anything right now. Why not consult with a guy that has that expertise and knowledge of the locker room already. Why not.”
–Statistically, Cincinnati’s defense is among the worst in the NFL, which is the reason for the upheaval at defensive coordinator.
It might be worse without defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who seems to own an ability at making timely defensive plays, especially in the second halves of the five wins Cincinnati has.
In Week 1 against Indianapolis, he sacked Andrew Luck for an eight-yard loss in the third quarter when the Bengals trailed by six points. It resulted in Adam Vinatieri missing a 55-yard field goal and the Bengals went ahead on the next possession.
In Week 2 against Baltimore, Dunlap was able to hit the arm of Joe Flacco on a deep pass attempt and was intercepted by safety Shawn Williams.
In Week 4 at Atlanta, he sacked Matt Ryan on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line and it forced the Falcons to settle for a field goal as the Bengals held the lead.
In Week 5 after Cincinnati held a 20-17 lead over Miami, his hit on Ryan Tannehill’s arm forced a fumble that defensive end Sam Hubbard recovered and scored on a 19-yard return. He then forced Tannehill to scramble and throw a bad pass that was intercepted by safety Jessie Bates.
BY THE NUMBERS: 56.2 — This is the percentage of third downs opponents are converting against the defense and entering Week 11 it is by far the worst figure in the league. During the last four weeks the Bengals have allowed 148 points after opponents converted 60.7 percent (34 of 56) third downs.
