For a few days, the Bengals’ defense gets to remind Mike Zimmer of what he built.
Zimmer’s Minnesota Vikings were in town Wednesday for the first of two joint practices leading up to their preseason opener Friday night at Paul Brown Stadium. Zimmer was the Bengals’ defensive coordinator from 2008 to 2013, developing one of the NFL’s top defenses. Before that he was defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys from 2000 to 2006 and for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.
The defense hasn’t changed a whole lot — most of the same players, most of the same schemes — while Zimmer has turned the Vikings back into a winner. And the Bengals’ defenders were looking forward to reminding Zimmer of why they’ve been so good.
“He changed the culture around here, and I have much love and much respect for coach Zimmer,” defensive lineman Domata Peko said before their first combined practice. “I can’t wait to go out and hit some of his players.
