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Giants Interview Bengals DC Lou Anarumo for Head Coaching Vacancy

The Giants have now interviewed half of their reported six head coaching candidates.

Patricia Traina

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Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, whose name emerged Sunday morning as a head coaching candidate for the New York Giants, has completed his interview with the team Sunday.

Anarumo, 55, who was previously the Giants defensive backs coach in 2018, is the third of the reported six candidates to receive an interview with Schoen and team co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. 

He joins Bills coordinators Leslie Frazier and Brian Daboll, who met with Schoen Friday and Saturday.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (Monday), Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores are reportedly planning to interview for the Giants' vacancy.

Anarumo, a 30+-year coaching veteran who has spent the last ten seasons in the NFL, is fresh off the Bengals' 19-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Saturday's AFC Divisional playoff round, a game in which the Bengals had three interceptions. The Bengals will be the visiting team in next Sunday's AFC Championship game.

The Bengals' defense finished fifth in the NFL against the run in the regular season, allowing 102.5 yards a game. They were 17th in scoring defense (allowing 22.1 points a game) and 18th in total yardage (350.9 per game).  

Lou Anarumo :: Kareem Elgazzar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Most Recent Position: Bengals Defensive Coordinator

Brian Daboll / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Most Recent Position: Bills Offensive Coordinator

Brian Flores / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Most Recent Position: Dolphins Head Coach

Leslie Frazier / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Most Recent Position: Bills Defensive Coordinator

Patrick Graham :: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Most Recent Position: Giants Defensive Coordinator

Dan Quinn / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Most Recent Position: Cowboys Defensive Coordinator

In Anarumo's debut season as coordinator in 2019, Cincinnati's defense improved markedly in the season's second half, totaling 11 more sacks than it did in the first eight games and allowing 84.1 fewer yards per game.

Before joining the Giants in 2018, Anarumo was the Miami Dolphins defensive backs coach from 2012-2017, having crossed paths with Schoen, who was with the Dolphins personnel department. 

The Staten Island, New York-born Anarumo, who grew up as a Giants fan, also served as interim defensive coordinator for the Dolphins' final 12 games of 2015 after the team fired head coach Joe Philbin and replaced him with interim head coach (and former Giants tight end) Dan Campbell. Campbell promoted Anarumo to interim defensive coordinator after firing Kevin Doyle, Philbin's pick for the role.  

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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