When left tackle Anthony Munoz was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and being coached by Jim McNally of the Bengals, the offensive line coach would occasionally point at Munoz and say to the closest onlooker, “Best who ever lived.”
As part of the Hall’s yearly Awards of Excellence program, which honors noteworthy players in “behind-the-scenes” positions like assistant coaches, sports trainers, equipment managers, film/video directors, and public relations directors, McNally now joins Munoz in Canton.
McNally and veteran running back coaches Dick Hoak and Elijah Pitts were named the 2025 assistant coach class by the Hall on Tuesday.
“It must be the focal point. “If you’re an assistant coach, there’s nowhere else you can go,” McNally said, looking back on his illustrious 43-year career. “It’s the highest award you can get.”
During his 15 seasons with the Bengals from 1980 to 1994, which included two Super Bowl berths and one of the best lines ever that produced back-to-back NFL rushing titles for an offense that had seven consecutive top-five finishes from 1984 to 1990, McNally, now 81, became well-known as one of the pioneers of modern offensive line play.
That offensive line from the 1980s deserves my gratitude. I’m able to identify them,” McNally remarked. “Munoz. Reimers, Bruce. Kozerski, Bruce. Montoya (Max). Joe Walter.
James Brooks and Ickey Woods combined for four 1,000-yard seasons, and quarterback Boomer Esiason won an NFL throwing championship. Brian Blados and David Douglas also came off the bench at different points during a run.
Munoz’s draft selection marked the start of McNally’s NFL career, which concluded during the Joe Burrow Era. Between stints with the Bengals, he helped establish the Carolina Panthers, then led the Giants offensive line to a Super Bowl with Sean Payton, a rookie quarterbacks coach, before returning home to Buffalo to coach the Bills offensive line.
McNally returned home to consult with the Bengals for ten years after working as a consultant with Payton’s Saints and then the Jets. He is still active today and continues to influence line play as one of the original gurus who made many impressions at clinics and camps.
“There are numerous generic expressions of gratitude. “To (Bengals president) Mike Brown in particular,” McNally remarked. “He brought me back.”
On June 25–26, Canton will host an awards luncheon and cocktail reception in honor of McNally, Pitts, and Hoak.
BO AND JOE
A rematch between Broncos quarterback and rookie of the year candidate Bo Nix and Bengals quarterback and MVP candidate Joe Burrow is scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on Cincinnati’s FOX 19 and NFL Network.
Burrow was en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and guiding the Tigers to an undefeated national championship season when they first met on October 26, 2019, at LSU.
Although Nix was only a freshman for Auburn, he missed 20 of 35 passes for 157 yards, but he took the Tigers close before falling 23–20.
That day, each threw for a touchdown and a pick, but Burrow was Burrowesque with a passer rating of 143.5 and a 76% throwing percentage.
With a solid 87.7 passer rating that includes 22 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and the ability to stay true to a dominant defense, Nix has led the Broncos to the verge of the playoffs while being in the middle of the pack and far from Burrow’s league-leading passing stats.
Burrow has gotten in touch with Nix, knows him, and likes to watch the youngster.
Burrow remarked, “I had the opportunity to watch them on TV a few times this year, and they do a good job on offense, running the ball, play action.” “He seems to consistently make plays when asked to drop back.” His arm is, in my opinion, far stronger than most people realized.
“It’s always nice to see guys that you competed against and known for a long time to continue to improve and put themselves in good position to have a career.”
Nix’s ability to maneuver in and out of the pocket while throwing is impressive to the Bengals, and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has taken notice of his 376 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Furthermore, not all of them are scrambles or runs.
It combines both of them. Before Tuesday’s walkthrough, Anarumo stated, “They run a bunch of nakeds and boots and things and if it’s not there, he’ll go.” He will be given design runs, and if he sees an escape lane like the majority of today’s quarterbacks, he will undoubtedly be given only drop-back passes. However, this man is a talented athlete. He can go because he has almost 400 yards of rushing ability.
THE SECOND WIND
Following a loss to the Raiders, Bengals cornerback Maro Wilson was playing nine snaps for a Patriots team that was vying for the #1 selection in the draft a month ago. Wilson is sniffing at a postseason berth after assisting the Bengals in containing Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy last Sunday.
“The NFL is involved. Wilson, who has won 14 games since making the playoffs as a rookie fourth-round pick with the 2021 Cardinals, remarked, “It’s a hard place to win.” “I’m just blessed to be somewhere we’ve got an opportunity to win.”
Wilson, who was selected off waivers the week of the Chargers’ loss in Los Angeles on November 17 due to DJ Turner’s season-ending collarbone injury, played five snaps in last week’s victory over Tennessee and eight in last Sunday’s victory against the Browns.
However, Wilson’s quickness allowed him to shadow the opposing team’s most dangerous receiver on passing downs in every game. He helped chill off Jeudy, who entered with more receiving yards than Ja’Marr Chase in the previous month, and kept Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a 14-yard reception. Wilson followed Jeudy’s every move, and Jeudy ended up with two catches for 20 yards.
“He’s a guy that our scouting department did a great job identifying,” Anarumo stated. “He has excellent coverage abilities. He is a true runner. He’s covered in sticky substance. He spends all of his time with his buddy, who is quite intelligent and has a wonderful personality. adore every aspect of him.
Ridley and Jeudy have already been played by Wilson. High school, seven-on-seven.
“I love going against guys from south Florida,” Wilson, who was born in Fort Lauderdale, said. “Best talent.”
Wilson’s speed makes it possible for Anarumo and cornerbacks coach Charles Burks to switch into matchup mode, with youngster Josh Newton taking on the shiftier players and Cam Taylor-Britt taking on the heavier ones. Wilson might end up with Broncos rookie Troy Franklin on Saturday as a result. Marvin Mims, who has 26 catches but one for a 93-yard score, might also be an option.
“Eye discipline is crucial,” Wilson stated. “They perform well while using the deep ball. We must keep an eye on their quarterback since he has the ability to get out of the pocket. He avoids the typical errors made by rookie quarterbacks. We must force him to make mistakes.
SCREENS AND SLANTS
Zac Taylor, the head coach of the Bengals, is pleased with his starting tackles. During the Tuesday walkthrough, both right tackle Amarius Mims (hand/ankle), who departed in the third quarter of last Sunday’s game, and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (fibula), who has missed six of the previous seven games, were listed as limited.
Taylor stated before they took to the field that he felt good about getting them back to work, but their status is estimated because it was a walkthrough.
At the last moment.
According to Pro Football Reference, three of the Broncos’ edge/defensive lineman rank in the top 20 in terms of pressure. Outside backs Nick Bontito (32) and Jonathan Cooper (27) are ranked 12th and 20th, respectively, while tweener Zach Allen, a 285-pound hybrid, is ranked fourth with 40 pressures.
“They move fast. Taylor remarked, “They get off the snap.” “They avoid the cliff. They can also use power to manipulate men. There aren’t many areas for the quarterback to leave, so they simply get that push, which causes the pocket to collapse and they just chase you down.” …
Forty-eight hours after their victory over the Browns and four days prior to their game against Denver, the Bengals had a walkthrough at the IEL Indoor Facility on Tuesday. Given that Denver has nine days between games following its loss to the Chargers on December 19, Taylor said he shouldn’t be concerned. If the Bengals’ game against the Browns on December 19 hadn’t been flexed, they would have gotten that mini-bye.
“It’s what the schedule is,” commented Taylor. “If we had performed better last Thursday, we could have benefited ourselves. It is what it is. All you need to do is prepare your team, and they will prepare theirs.
