Bengals Hire Mike Zimmer as Defensive Coordinator, Could Move to 3-4 Defense

That didn't take long. I mentioned that the Bengals were interested in Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer on Sunday, and today he's got the job. Zimmer replaces Chuck Bresnahan, who was canned earlier this month after "leading" Cincinnati's defense to another abysmal effort in 2007.

It's worth mentioning that the Bengals were plagued with injuries this season, but that doesn't excuse the previous two seasons of futility. Whatever, Zimmer's now the guy.

The 51-year-old Zimmer was available because of the Falcons' uncertainty over their next head coach. The Falcons hired Tom Dimitroff as general manager on Sunday, and are still looking for a head coach to replace Bobby Petrino, who quit after 13 games.

Zimmer has a mixed record: he was with the Cowboys for seven seasons and his defense gave up the fewest yards in the league in 2003. That said, the 2007 Falcons were atrocious in every phase of the game (except field goals, Morten Andersen is the bomb) and the defense gave up 414 points, fourth-most in the NFL.

Interestingly, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Mark Curnutte pointed out that if Zimmer got the gig, it could signal a move to the 3-4 defense. As I wrote this weekend, the 3-4 is a swell idea -- a lot of teams are going to that scheme -- but the Bengals need to get the three good linebackers they have healthy before talking about adding a fourth.