Rick Gosselin

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Mike Zimmer was coaching with mirrors in Dallas in his debut as an NFL defensive coordinator at the start of this decade. The Cowboys weren't very good then – but Zimmer found a way to make a bunch of no-names competitive on defense.

His defense finished fourth in the NFL in 2001 despite the team finishing 5-11. Then Zimmer took the Cowboys all the way to No. 1 in 2003 in Bill Parcells' first year as head coach, a playoff season.

Zimmer is working his mirror trick again, his time in Cincinnati. Marvin Lewis hired Zimmer out of desperation in 2008. The Bengals finished 27th in the NFL in defense in 2007 and Lewis needed a quick fix.

Zimmer gave it to him, propelling the Bengals up the defensive rankings to No. 12 despite the absence of a pass rush. But Cincinnati was still a lousy football team, finishing 4-12.

Suddenly the Bengals are a quality football team. They are 6-2 at the season's midway point and take a share of the AFC North lead into Pittsburgh Sunday for a showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers.

Zimmer's defense is a huge part of the reason the Bengals find themselves sitting atop the standings. Cincinnati ranks second in the NFL in run defense and fifth in scoring defense.

"We've got a bunch of solid guys who play hard," Zimmer said. "They remind me a lot of the guys I had early on in Dallas – (Dexter) Coakley, Dat Nguyen, Brandon Noble...guys that no one really knew about but played well together."

There's been a common denominator in that 2003 Cowboys unit that ranked third in the NFL in run defense and this Cincinnati unit that ranks second – safety Roy Williams.

Williams went to his first Pro Bowl with the Cowboys in 2003 and signed with the Bengals as a free agent in 2009. Run out of Dallas because of his inadequacies in pass coverage, Zimmer knew he could find a home for him in a Cincinnati defense that needed a thumper.

"Roy Williams added a physicalness to us," Zimmer said.

Williams lost 18 pounds in the offseason to reach his college weight – 222. He was off to a terrific start, collecting 30 tackles in the opening month of the season, but suffered a forearm injury that has not come around. That forced the Bengals to finally place him on injured reserve last week.

Now Zimmer is leaning on another former Cowboy – defensive tackle Tank Johnson. Discarded by the Bears after a series of off-the-field issues, Johnson was a disappointment in his short stay with the Cowboys in 2007-08.

"When I brought him here," Zimmer said, "I told him I'm not going to have you come in here and screw up this chemistry. It's either going to be (my) way or I don't want you here.

"He's been really, really good. He works hard in practice and cares. I have no issues with him whatsoever. He's not as good a pass rusher as I thought he'd be but he's been a darn good run defender."

Linebacker Rey Maualuga, a second-round draft pick from Southern Cal, is another key element in the improved run defense. He gives Zimmer a thumper at the second level.