CLIMB OF THE CARMAN: Like Carman, the 2021 second-round pick, the former Clemson left tackle who lost the right guard job a few times as a rookie before rookie Cordell Volson beat him in this past training camp for the guard job left.
When Carman had such a good game in his first NFL start on his 23rd birthday Sunday, it was a reminder of how young he was when he entered the league and how high his roof was.
And Pollack loves the way he has stifled naysayers. When he moved to Volson before it opened, Pollack sent Carman a few messages himself.
“I told him, ‘Your story hasn’t been written yet,'” Pollack said. “‘You’re young. You’re still learning. I want you to start focusing on that tackle spot.’ And he quietly did it. He kept his mouth shut. He grinded and showed where he was the other night. I’m really proud of him. He’s taken such a great approach this year like a pro to eliminating noise. “
Carman, the product of the Cincinnati suburb of Fairfield, turned pro in his hometown at the ripe old age of 21.
“He was a top-level pick based on his God-given athleticism, his movement and his talent,” Pollack said. “He was pushed into a position of need as a rookie. I don’t care who you are. If you play guard in college, making that jump to the NFL is going to be difficult. It was a position of need. He was one of the top picks. So we’re going to put it there and give it every chance to succeed.”
CALLY SU LOU: If anyone knows how well Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is calling shots, it’s Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. He has already seen for four years what the nation is accomplishing now. In six playoff games over the past 11 months, the Bengals have allowed 18 points per game.
“I know I wouldn’t want to play against Lou,” Callahan said. “That’s just how it’s been going for the last couple of years and our guys are so smart and they’ve done such a great job with what he’s asking them to do and the position he’s putting them in, it makes life pretty difficult. They don’t give you something easy, which is a nice compliment to a defensive coach.”
They allowed more than 20 twice. To these Chiefs in last year’s AFC title game, when they stoned quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the low red zone as regulation ran out to force overtime in a 27-24 win, and to the Rams two weeks later in a Super Bowl Matthew Stafford didn’t make it to 23 points until finding Cooper Kupp for a touchdown with about 70 seconds left.
“If you take a look and it’s zero pressure, you have to honor it because it looks like the zero pressure they brought in two weeks ago,” Callahan said. “They show the same look and drop eight Two Tampas, drop out and play a version of a single-high cover. So from the same look they will bring a different but not zero blitz, so you have to do so much mental work against teams like that.”
