Cincinnati Bengals Assistant Offensive Line coach Bob Surace joins Mr. Gallagher for the show's annual NFL preview. For the first time in studio (and not over the telephone) Coach Surace was the head coach of Western Connecticut's Football program. (WCSU) Coach Surace joined Mr. Gallagher in studio to talk about what is happening with the league, what it is like to be an NFL Coach, the rebuilding of the Cincinnati Bengals, coaching the offensive line, the players, running backs and QB Carson Palmer. Also discussed was a look forward to the upcoming season and the Bengals expectations, who finished last season missing the playoffs at 8-8. Bob Surace is in his sixth season on the Bengals coaching staff, and for the fourth straight year, he is in the role of assistant offensive line coach. Surace was offensive staff assistant in his first two Bengals seasons, and in addition to his work with the line, he continues to play a key role in the entire offensive staffs game preparation. Working closely with assistant head coach/offensive line coach Paul Alexander, Surace has helped mold a unit that has led to the Bengals gaining recognition as one of the NFL's most dangerous offenses in recent years. Last season, the line weathered a tougher than usual campaign in the injury department and still led the offense to a number of noteworthy league and franchise achievements. As a unit, the offense ranked eighth in the NFL in net yards (341.4 per game) and sixth in passing yards (239.6). The team ranked eighth in the league in scoring (23.3 points per game). The line aided individual accomplishments that included a club-record 4035 passing yards for Carson Palmer, an NFL-leading 1369 receiving yards for WR Chad Johnson, and 1309 rushing yards for RB Rudi Johnson. Over the last three seasons, the line has paved the way for 4221 yards and 36 rushing TDs for Rudi Johnson, most ever in each category by a Bengal in any three-year span. All of the above was produced despite injuries that sidelined starting C Rich Braham for 14 games, starting LT Levi Jones for 10 games and starting RG Bobbie Williams for three contests. Surace helped coach excellent replacement performances by second-year C Eric Ghiaciuc, rookie T Andrew Whitworth and third-year G Stacy Andrews. Meanwhile, RT Willie Anderson was voted to his fourth straight Pro Bowl berth. Prior to joining the Bengals, Surace was a championship-level head coach in the NCAA Division III ranks. At Western Connecticut State University in 2000-01, his teams posted an 18-3 overall record. In 2001, WCSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships and won the Freedom Football Conference title. In 2000, the Colonials won the Northeast Championship ECAC playoff game. In both of Surace's seasons, the team ranked in the top 25 nationally in the American Football Coaches Association poll. Surace grew up in a coaching family. His father, Tony, was head coach for his high school football and baseball teams in Millville, N.J. Surace went on to earn All-Ivy League honors as a center at Princeton University. Surace began his coaching career in 1990 as running backs coach at Springfield (Mass.) College, where he also earned a master's degree in sports management in 1992. In 1994, when the Canadian Football League fielded teams in the U.S., Surace was with the Shreveport Pirates. He was the assistant to head coach and general manager Forrest Gregg, the former Bengals coach who guided Cincinnati to Super Bowl XVI. Surace was born April 25, 1968 in Harrisburg, Pa. His wife, Lisa, holds a Ph.D. in psychology and practices in Cincinnati. They have a daughter, Alison, and a son, A.J. PLAYING AND COACHING HISTORY 1987-89: Played center at Princeton. 1990-91: Assistant coach (AC), Springfield (Mass.) College. 1992-93: AC, Maine Maritime Academy. 1994: AC, Shreveport Pirates (CFL). 1995: AC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 1996-99: AC, Western Connecticut State. 2000-01: Head coach, Western Connecticut State. 2002-present: AC, Bengals.