Bengals Ring of Honor member Tim Krumrie got a Pro Football Hall of Fame tip of the hat last week when newly elected pass rusher Jared Allen recalled his first day with Krumrie in the defensive line coach's room in Kansas City.
"Hey Krummy, what do I need to do to get better?" Allen recounted after the 2025 Hall class was unveiled. "He said, 'You've got 20 sacks in your first two years, I'm not changing crap.' I said, 'All right Krummy, let's go.' I loved Tim. I loved his toughness. His work ethic. Tim is like me. A grinder. I love him."
Allen proceeded to have 23 sacks in the two seasons with Krumrie, including the breakout 15.5 in 2007 that brought him the first of five Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pros, and a mega deal the next year in Minnesota.
It also got Krumrie an authentic buffalo cowboy hat, Allen's Pro Bowl gift to him. Told that Krumrie wore it at his Ring of Honor ceremony, Allen put together his hands with a bow of his head.
"The coolest thing is (Allen) said, 'He never met a cowboy until he met Tim Krumrie," Krumrie says. "I think he fed off my energy. You get a high-bred horse, you don't bust him. You just let him ride. Just let him go. He'll get there sooner or later because he'll wear the guy's ass out."
The 6-6, 270-pound Allen finished as the 12th most prolific sacker of all-time with 136, and Krumrie says that initial burst is one of the biggest reasons for them. Not to mention the "Long Arm Stick," move Krumrie says he taught him.
"His first step is a foot further than anyone else as he's gaining ground," Krumrie says. "He had that long-arm stick. Stretches the guy up the field. Sticks his inside arm on his inside arm, turns the corner, and stretches him. If he oversets, go underneath."
If there's a 21st-century defensive lineman who is the equivalent of the run-on-your-own-gas Krumrie, it may very well be Allen. Born in Dallas 21 years after Krumrie arrived in Mondovi, Wis., Allen played with the same bottomless fuel tank and suit of armor that saw him miss just five games in 12 years.
"I'm so proud of him that he got in. Well-deserved. It was pure effort," says Krumrie, who hopes to attend the August induction. "He was a great player. A high-motor guy. He would just burn guys down."
JARED ALLEN SEES WILLIE INDUCTION
Jared Allen, Eagles cornerback Eric Allen and Chargers tight end Antonio Gates won a tight election among the Hall's seven finalists that included Bengals Ring of Honor member Wilie Anderson.
Anderson, regarded as the best right tackle of the turn-of-the-century NFL, had some matchups that Jared Allen remembers well.
"Everybody knows Willie Anderson is great," Allen said last week during his first remarks as a Hall-of-Famer. "Another fantastic player. Absolutely, I think he eventually makes it. He's the last of a time right before offensive linemen kind of shrank. We were still running the ball back then. O-linemen had to be 350. He had feet, too, right? He was one of the last before they transitioned."
The pair had their tussles and, like six other top 12 all-time sackers, Allen didn't get a sack off Anderson. And Allen had enough snaps against him to offer insight on why Anderson isn't in yet.
"Willie was a great right tackle. He doesn't get the credit he deserves, I think, because he played on that side," Allen said. "Willie was a monster. He was massive and they were running the crap out of the ball.
"Now, it's crazy. Most of the dominant pass rushers are on the right so now the right tackle position is even more heightened … It's unfortunate linemen don't have a statistical measure."
If history repeats next year, Anderson gets in. Allen made the Hall on his fifth straight trip to the final group of 15 candidates. With the top seven finish, Anderson qualified for his fifth straight finals.
"Everyone knows Willie Anderson is great," Allen said.
