Mike Zimmer proved himself calling the shots for top Dallas defenses.

The Bengals' coaching staff just got a breath of fresh air with the hiring of Mike Zimmer as defensive coordinator on Tuesday.

Known for his fiery, tough, emotional style, Zimmer will attempt to bring the same kind of success to the Bengals that he experienced as the Dallas Cowboys' coordinator from 2000-06.

Zimmer, who takes over for the fired Chuck Bresnahan, spent the 2007 season with Atlanta. But he was set free to pursue other opportunities after a miserable 4-12 season in which former Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino quit with three games remaining.

Zimmer's goal: Jump-start a Cincinnati defense that ranked 27th out of 32 teams, yielding 348.8 yards a game. It's the fourth time in five years the defense was 27th or lower.

"Mike has coordinated defenses at a high level in the NFL for a number of years," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, "and this is obviously a very important hire for me and for our organization. I'm excited about utilizing Mike's ability to develop our young players and our defensive scheme."

Zimmer, 51, joined the Cowboys in 1994, working six seasons primarily as secondary coach before he was elevated to coordinator.

In his 13 years with Dallas, the defense earned seven top-10 rankings in fewest yards allowed, and the team advanced to the postseason seven times. His 2003 defense led the NFL at 253.5 yards allowed per game en route to a 10-6 record.

He was instrumental in the development of several Cowboys Pro Bowl players, including safety Roy Williams, cornerback Terence Newman and linebacker DeMarcus

Dayton Daily News

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