The first rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club.
Well, tough. I am going to break that rule and talk about Fight Club.
The Cincinnati Bengals offensive line fight club, to be exact.
A group that might be getting grittier and nastier in the best possible way.
Wrestling with new ideas
Recently, a video emerged of rookie guard Dylan Fairchild wrestling with mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Sean Strickland.
Despite being a 320lb lineman, Fairchild showed impressive speed and agility during the short sparring session.
Strickland, a former UFC Middleweight champion, trains NFL linemen and it comes as no surprise to see Cincy’s 2024 third-round pick among them. Fairchild was an undefeated wrestler in high school and won All-State honours for Georgia before switching to football.
Wrestling is clearly a big part of his past but could it also be a sign of things to come? Could the balance, leverage and hand placement he honed on the mat serve him well in the NFL?
It appears so, not least because his skills fit perfectly with a change of philosophy being driven by new offensive line coach Scott Peters.
Peters has everything in hand
A former player himself – albeit briefly – Peters is known for teaching NFL linemen how to use their hands like fighters.
His unique coaching style has evolved from his own interest in MMA. Borrowing principles from jiu-jitsu, wrestling and other combat sports, he helps players dominate their opponents with strikes and counter-punches.
His unorthodox techniques shaped one of the league’s most formidable O-lines while at the Cleveland Browns.
Peters has also won two Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championships, trained UFC champions and even served as a boxing commissioner for the state of Arizona.
In short, the guy knows about fighting.
A new identity
Peters intends to change the identity of a unit that has been the team’s Achilles’ heel for too long.
In recent years, the consistency and dominance needed to protect Joe Burrow have been conspicuous in their absence. Now, maybe Peters is moulding a front line with more aggression, discipline and edge.
While the playing personnel are largely the same as in 2024, putting a premium on this kind of hand-to-hand combat feels like a shift in ethos.
Even center Ted Karras, a 10-year veteran, has shared his excitement about learning something new at this stage of his career.
The first rule of Fight Club might well be to keep it hush-hush. But if the Bengals’ offensive linemen start winning more one-on-one battles in the trenches, they may well become the talk of the AFC North.
