“He is a very good player,” said Pollack. “He is a violent and physical runner who plays the game with a lot of passion.”
Mixon, along with Hopkins, disclosed after Pollack’s interview on Friday that they thought he would be a great hire. But Pollack is far from inheriting the same group.
Four strikers were left over when Pollack was first here, including Hopkins, right-back Bobby Hart and center pivot Billy Price, the club’s No. 1 choice in Pollack’s season as a line coach. Alex Redmond started 15 games on the right guard.
But it is not so much that Pollack brings some familiarity. Because he has a certain mentality built into his NFL curriculum.
“He’s a hot guy. He has experience,” said Hopkins. “He joked. He knows what it is like to go through these practices and he knows what is asked for and what is expected of you. He carries that intensity of those who have experience in the room. It is contagious, it is contagious. it was. “
When Pollack arrived, the Bengals were next to last in the NFL race. With the second Mixon in his first season as a starter, Bengals moved to 21st place, with Mixon chasing his career yards, despite losing two games with a spyglass. In the last two seasons, Bengals finished 25th and 24th, respectively. Before Burrow was injured on November 22, he spent much of the season leading the NFL in passing attempts and was about to launch 680, the third most ever. Taylor said he wants a more consistent racing game.
“Football is the best team game,” said Pollack. “You have to be able to do both when you need to. This is a recipe for success. You definitely have to be able to do that.”
Pollack and Taylor’s careers have crossed at least once. Both played in college for Browns offensive coach Bill Callahan, the guru of active line coaches and the father of Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. Pollack doesn’t see a major makeover, but he, Taylor and Brian Callahan are looking closely.
“There will be some changes. Some things will be the same,” said Pollack. “You don’t want to change just for the sake of it. These guys already have a lot of good things in our attack. I’m sure there will be some things I would like to add. Working with Zac, if he feels good about it and thinks it is the right direction for us is what we will do. Whatever we can do to improve our attack, it is what we will do. “