In 1997 LeBeau returned to the Bengals as defensive coordinator The Bengals defense was 25th in 1996 and in his first year back with the Bengals they dropped to 28th and allowed just over 400 points.
As an assistant coach he is credited with inventing the "Fire Zone" or "zone blitz" defense, which employs unpredictable pass rushes and pass coverage from various players [REF].