CINCINNATI (AP) — Hue Jackson was talking to reporters outside Paul Brown Stadium when quarterback Andy Dalton yelled at him that practice was about to begin.Just like old times.The former Bengals offensive coordinator is back in town Cheap Germaine Pratt Jersey , though this time dabbling in the other side of the playbook — well, mostly. How that part plays out is an interesting subplot as the Bengals (5-4) make one final push to save their at-risk season. An unusual coaching arrangement for desperate times."It's a unique situation for a lot of us," linebacker Preston Brown said.A 51-14 loss to the Saints — the third straight game in which Cincinnati has given up 500 yards — set things in motion. Head coach Marvin Lewis fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin on Monday and installed himself in the dual role of coach and coordinator.He also called his unemployed close friend to see if he was interested in returning for a third stint in Cincinnati as a special assistant on defense. Jackson was fired by the Browns two weeks earlier after winning three games in three seasons.Jackson was hoping the Bengals would reach out to him."This is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I'm just thankful that they said, ‘You come on home,'" Jackson said.So, now what?Lewis built his coaching reputation as a defensive coordinator, directing the Ravens defense that won the Super Bowl in the 2000 season. He's decided to go back to his roots as a coordinator while also functioning as head coach — a challenge that few would undertake."There's a lot," Lewis said Wednesday.He spent Tuesday night at home scripting defensive plays. He then led the team meeting on Wednesday morning and presided over the defensive meeting, simplifying things and pulling out a few plays from his past."He had a different PowerPoint," Brown said. "He had a really small font, so it was kind of hard to take notes. But it was cool having him up there. You can tell he was having fun."We did a lot of things — old plays he was calling in 2015 Germaine Pratt Jersey Womens , '14, stuff I haven't seen yet. So he was bringing back some plays."Lewis isn't sure how it will play out Sunday in Baltimore (4-5), a game the Bengals need to win to stay in the AFC North race. Jackson is providing input for the defensive game plan and will be on the sideline helping Lewis manage the defense, though their game-day roles haven't been defined.One thing is clear: Jackson won't be dabbling in the offense. Not for now, anyway.Asked if Jackson would do anything with the offense, Lewis said emphatically, "No. Separate from the offense."Jackson was the Bengals' offensive coordinator when Dalton had his best season in 2015. He left to take Cleveland's head coaching job after the season. His return could create an awkward dynamic on the coaching staff.Jackson said that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor came to his office at Paul Brown Stadium to greet him. Jackson said he'd be glad to offer an opinion if Lazor asks, but he's going to be careful not to trespass on other coaches' areas.He knows that adding a newcomer midseason can work both ways."It can be impactful, but it can also hurt, too," Jackson said. "And I get that. I just have to play my role, to the best of my ability. I don't want to do anything to upset anything that they have going on here. But at the same time if I can help Germaine Pratt Cincinnati Bengals Jersey , I do want to help."A DOZEN INJUREDSeven players were held out of practice because of injuries Wednesday and five more were limited. The defense has been hit particularly hard.LB Preston Brown (knee), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (concussion), LB Nick Vigil (knee) and DT Adolphus Washington (knee) didn't practice. LB Vontaze Burfict (hip), CB Darqueze Dennard (shoulder) and LB Vincent Rey (groin) were limited.WR A.J. Green is out indefinitely with an injured toe. WR John Ross was limited because of a groin injury.STADIUM UPDATEThe Bengals and Hamilton Country agreed in principle Wednesday on a plan to add parking and a music venue outside Paul Brown Stadium, and to repair and upgrade the 19-year-old stadium. The Bengals retain the right to build a cover over one of their adjacent practice fields, though they would have to pay for it. The team said there are no immediate plans to cover a field. The Bengals use the University of Cincinnati's covered field on wintry days. New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton thinks NFL teams are making a mistake if they’re only focusing on hiring the next trendy offensive mind as head coach.In an interview with the NFL Network, Payton said he concerned about several aspects of the recent head coach hiring processes around the NFL. Despite being one of the best offensive coaches in the NFL himself, Payton feels like the seeming determination of some to find the next offensive savant ready to become a head coach could lead to many mistakes in who teams hire to run their teams.“The thing that can be disappointing though is when you talk to someone and they give you the profile (of the coach) and then I’ll say ‘well you’re not interested in a young Bill Belichick or a young Tony Dungy?'” Payton said.“They get so pigeonholed into – cause this is cyclical, right, – and ultimately you would say if we did a little history, successful head coaches probably come from the east and the west and north and south. They probably come of both color and they probably come on defense and on offense. And they’re good leaders, they’re great leaders. And so if you say well I just want the one that coaches quarterbacks and they’re on offense Germaine Pratt Jersey 2019 , well then you’re going to end up with a smaller pool and you’ll probably have less of a chance to be right because already of eight hired there’s going to be three that survive three years.”There were eight head coaches hired this offseason by NFL teams. Six of those coaches come from offensive backgrounds while only two, Vic Fangio and Brian Flores, have defensive roots. The running joke of the hiring cycle of “if you ever met Sean McVay, you too could be an NFL head coach” was based in a degree of reality. The Arizona Cardinals initially referred to Kliff Kingsbury as a friend of the Los Angeles Rams head coach in their article announcing the hire. Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor have direct ties to McVay and were hired by the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. Rams assistant Shane Waldron was also a candidate for the Bengals job.But Payton believes the search for the next Sean McVay may lead to some large mistakes among coaching hires.“There are a handful of coaches that I know that if I was a G.M. who I would be interested in hiring,” Payton said. “I think more and more it’s season-by-season and ‘I want Alvin Kamara.’ Well, you can’t have him. You can go draft 10 more running backs and be 0 for 10 trying to find him or (Sean) McVay.“And so I see a lot of mistakes made in that process I feel like this long in and so we’re excited to play those teams.”While Payton is absolutely correct to assert that top defensive coaches should not be overlooked as head coaching candidates, there have been a number of successful hires in recent years coming from the hot offensive coach. Doug Pederson (Philadelphia) and Matt Nagy (Chicago) parlayed success with the Chiefs into winning head coaching jobs. Frank Reich (Indianapolis) helped get the Colts back to the playoffs after winning a Super Bowl on Pederson’s staff. Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco) could easily make a leap in his third year if Jimmy Garoppolo can stay healthy. Plus, the hiring of McVay by the Rams was also a roaring success. But teams should absolutely be just as open to the next Belichick or Dungy as they are to the next McVay. If they’re only looking for McVay, they won’t find Belichick or Dungy.