
The Cincinnati Bengals were able to lure defensive coordinator Al Golden away from Notre Dame.
And they might’ve been the only team capable of doing it.
Golden impressed onlookers during his introduction early this week. Naturally, one of the bigger talking points about his arrival was that it technically served as a return.
Golden, after all, had previously coached linebackers under Zac Taylor and didn’t sell his home when he left town.
RELATED: Bengals reveal coaching hires — and one comes with a twist
“I got in the care at 5 a.m. on Thursday, and when I made that right off (I-75) and saw the stadium, I knew I was home,” Golden said. “He keeps telling me to take a break, but I’m so energized by this opportunity.”
The theme prompted reactions such as this from Notre Dame reporter Jack Soble: “Always need to approach pressers with a certain level of skepticism, but based on this, I don’t know if Al Golden would’ve taken an NFL DC job that wasn’t the Bengals. His family stayed in Cincinnati when he was at Notre Dame. He feels at home there (not that he didn’t at ND).”
There was some question about whether Golden would want to leave such a prestigious spot as Notre Dame at all — and perhaps only the Bengals made it possible.