Former Bengals Coach Gives Strong Hall Of Fame Endorsement For Geno Atkins

A stalwart on the Bengals' defensive front.

Sep 22, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins (97) jogs off the field following his sack of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (not pictured) during the first quarter at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Geno Atkins has his name in the mix with 127 other candidates to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next August. The former Bengals defensive tackle mauled offenses throughout the 2010s and got a ringing endorsement to make the Hall from his former defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer.

He spoke about Atkins with Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson recently.

"Talk about guys who not only changed the game, but changed the way the game is played," Zimmer said to Hobson about Atkins. "I think he was like a pioneer as far as allowing these undersized defensive tackles to be able to (impact the game). But besides that, he was a great player."

Atkins is a nominee along with 13 other defensive tackles. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, and a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2010s team.

That last factor alone may help him even more to eventually get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after racking up 75.5 career sacks.

"I think he probably was, honestly," Zimmer said to Hobson about Atkins laying the groundwork for plays like Aaron Donald to get first-round notice. "He was a great player, too. But Geno proved a guy with his stature can be a great player in the NFL. He reminded me a lot of Aaron Donald. Because of their stature, he had great strength, great quickness, and speed. We were really fortunate to have him when I was there. ... There weren't that many (short) guys back then. La'Roi Glover was a really good player. But Geno had a lot more power than those guys. We took Geno in the fourth round, and Donald's measurables wouldn't have taken him in the fourth round."

Atkins is eligible to be enshrined for the first time after retiring following the 2020 season.

He played all 11 seasons with the Bengals.

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