Al Golden Defines Top Job of a Defense as he Takes on Bengals Defensive Coordinator Role

CINCINNATI — Al Golden gave his thoughts on the most important thing a defense can do in his first public comments as Bengals defensive coordinator.
It comes down to getting the ball back to your quarterback—as much as possible.
"Our number one job is to support our quarterback," Golden said in a team-issued social media clip. "And people are like, you know, 'What does that mean as a defensive coordinator?' We gotta get him the ball."
The Bengals actually did a nice job forcing turnovers this past season, ranking tied for seventh with 25 takeaways on the campaign.
Golden's Notre Dame defense was elite at this. His squad ranked tied for second nationally in fumbles recovered last season (14), and fifth in interceptions (19) en route to the 2025 National Championship game. He's returning to a place he's already called home during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
"All my kids went to school here and I have two still here. Cincinnati is home for us. To have this opportunity at this time is exciting," Golden said in an article by Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "I know how Zac wants things done and how the entire organization operates lends itself to being familiar with everything. I was a huge fan of Zac's culture when I was here the first time."
All in all, Golden is ready to get to work.
"If you want to play fast during the season, you've got to push yourself through the offseason. The OTAs, the minicamps are going to be critical," Golden said in the article. "I'm a big believer in not walking in on Tuesday and creating something. But rather drawing from the reservoir."
Check out the clip below and Hobson's full article here.
Let's play complementary football.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 23, 2025
Time to get started, @CoachAlGolden pic.twitter.com/1qu08T5vSC
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