FanHouse MikeZimmer

Free safety Roy Williams was released this offseason by the only employer he's ever known in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys. The release came on the heels of several years of malign when it came to the pass defense provided by Williams. The former first-rounder can still hit and tackle like a linebacker in a defensive back's body, though, so he continued to rack up Pro Bowl appearances (he has five).

His remaining ability has reportedly helped him find a new home outside of Big D. According to Steve Wyche of NFL.com, the Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to a contract with Wiliams.

FanHouse colleague Ryan Wilson stated that the Bengals are giving up on the season by shutting down quarterback Carson Palmer for the season. I think that is a great idea.

The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-7 and still have the Steelers, Eagles, Redskins, Ravens, Colts and Jaguars remaining on the schedule. Needless to say, this season looks like it has already been lost. Heck, fans are hoping they go 0-16 just to prove a point to owner Mike Brown.

There is no need for Palmer to try to play at any point this season. Lose the battle and win the war. Get your elbow fixed and ready to roll for the 2009 season. In sports, there is no honor in being stupid. Take the time to research the surgery, get the proper advice and information, and then do what you have to do to be ready for '09.

As for the Bengals organization, you'd be best served to use the rest of this season as a big job audition. Just like the consultants did in Office Space, have everyone re-apply for their job and weed out the weak.

There is a rumor spreading around the Cincinnati area that Marvin Lewis could be fired by the end of the week.

Sources have informed Pro Football Central that the Cincinnati Bengals are nearing toward a decision that could result in head coach Marvin Lewis being fired by the end of the week. The source also states that owner Mike Brown is also deciding upon whether to name assistant head coach Paul Alexander or defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer as the interim head coach.

Now who knows if this rumor has anything behind it. I mean, doesn't every breaking story come from Jay Glazer, Chris Mortensen and John Clayton?

Sure, the Rams fired Scott Linehan and the Raiders fired Lane Kiffin already this week. They, like the Bengals, have gotten off to really bad starts this year. However, the Rams and Raiders are heading into bye weeks which gives their new head coaches some time to make their own adjustments. The Bengals' bye isn't until Week 10.

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.

Former defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan took a few parting shots on his way out of town, and former linebackers coach Richard Hunley said the Bengals got too caught up in complex schemes and suggested that the "gameplan has to be about simplicity."

According to Cincinnati Enquirer's Mark Curnutte, Mike Zimmer, recently told by the Falcons to start looking for a new job, could be named to replace Bresnahan next week. And I don't know if this qualifies as "keeping it simple," but there's a chance that Zimmer's hire could signal the Bengals' move to the 3-4 defense.

Zimmer was Atlanta's coordinator in 2007 and was credited as coordinator in Dallas for moving its defense from a three-linebacker to four-linebacker scheme, a possibility this offseason with the Bengals

First things first: Cincinnati needs to stock their roster with linebackers and then hope they can stay healthy. Obviously, injuries are arbitrary and it's hard to fault the Bengals for not carrying 12 linebackers on the roster in 2007. Things were so thin at the position that defensive end Robert Geathers played outside linebacker at times during the second half of the season.

The team also lost 2005 first-round pick OLB David Pollack to a neck injury in 2006, and middle linebacker Odell Thurman has had more than his share of off-field issues.

Assuming Zimmer gets the job, whatever he decides to do can't be much worse than what Bresnahan "accomplished" during his three years in Cincy.

Better late than never, I guess. Chuck Bresnahan, recently fired Bengals defensive coordinator, had some advice for his successor on his way out the door:

"There were things I requested that I didn't get done," Bresnahan told The Enquirer. "We needed to level the playing field between the defense and the offense. To me, we needed to put more money into the defense, so when you start talking about the top-6 offense, we could have been a better team with a better defense and, by extension, special teams."

Okay, that's not so much advice as bellyaching, but it should serve as a warning for the next guy to get the job: the team isn't afraid to drop some coin on the offense, but the defense, not so much. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Mark Curnutte, of the Bengals' top 12 paid players in 2007 – those with salary cap numbers (salary and bonuses combined) of $2.5 million or more– eight were offensive players.

Richard Hunley, the linebackers coach who was also fired with Bresnahan kept it simple: let the players play, and don't worry so much about all the complex schemes.

"In football ... your brain doesn't function like it does in a classroom," Hunley said. "It's about split-second timing. You have to be at your best when the bullets are flying. You have to be sharp. Your gameplan has to be one of simplicity."

Now all the Bengals need to do is hire a defensive coordinator. First up: the Falcons' Mike Zimmer, which must instill all kinds of confidence in the fans that the front office hasn't gone completely insane.

When Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino quit, most of the Falcons' players were furious. But while they didn't vent publicly, Petrino's assistant coaches must have been even more upset.

Now one of those assistants, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, has spoken out about his thoughts on the 2007 Falcons season. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"Obviously I didn't expect to be here for 10 months and then possibly be out of a job," Zimmer, 51, said. .

"Everybody's said, 'You'd be a great head coach. You should get your opportunity any day now. Then you don't get the opportunity," Zimmer said. "Quite frankly I've never been one of those guys that said being a head coach, that's my goal in life.

"I wanted to earn the respect of other people in the league and everything from there would show up. Over the past couple of years, though, I started wanting to be a head coach. I kind of feel like now is my time."

Zimmer was considered a head-coaching candidate in some circles last year, but given the way the Falcons' season has gone this year, it seems unlikely that he'll get a shot. In fact, he might not even get a shot at being a coordinator in 2008. He's probably wishing he had never met Bobby Petrino right about now.