While Notre Dame football fans aren't happy with new defensive coordinator Chris Ash, former Irish and current Cincinnati Bengals DC Al Golden might not have a ton of job security himself. His job is quite a bit more perilous, despite the Bengals being 2-0 so far this year, with the news that Joe Burrow could miss most of the rest of the season.
Burrow left the Bengals' Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a toe injury. At the time, he was questionable to return, but as the hours have passed, the newest reports say the quarterback could miss as many as three months.
That three months for now is also an optimistic suggestion, and that's where the former Notre Dame football defensive coordinator's job security comes into question. While the Bengals did manage to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the man who will most likely be starting while Joe Burrow is out, Jake Browning, threw three interceptions in 2.5 quarters.
Will the former Notre Dame coordinator survive if Cincinnati collapses?
Browning is the consummate backup who isn't good enough to start for anyone. And now he's going to try to lead the Bengals to a playoff berth. If he's not successful, and his track record says he won't be, where does that leave head coach Zac Taylor? The Cincinnati head coach has been under fire for quite a while despite nearly winning a Super Bowl after the 2022 season.
If the Bengals fail to make the playoffs for a third straight season, the team will likely fire him, even if Joe Burrow's injury was a major culprit for the failure. And if Taylor goes, Al Golden almost certainly goes as well.
After all, it's not as though Cincy's defense has been lights out in the season's first two weeks. Golden's unit is currently 25th in the NFL in total yards, allowing 363.5 yards per game. It's 26th in the league against the pass, allowing 269.5 yards per contest.
The defense will need to play better over the next 15 games if the club wants to win more games than it loses, especially considering their next five games are all against expected playoff teams, and they play the Baltimore Ravens twice in their final six games.
If things go south with the Bengals, it's not hard to imagine fans and the front office blaming Al Golden and Zac Taylor. And suddenly, the former Notre Dame football defensive coordinator might start regretting his decision ever to leave South Bend.