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Zac Taylor shocked the NFL world Monday by announcing Andy Dalton would once again be the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, pushing aside rookie Ryan Finley.
Finley got to start three games. He struggled, but everything from Taylor and the coaching staff prior to Monday had reinforced the idea the rookie would be the starter the rest of the way.
Taylor met with the media and kept the explanation for the move simple: “Yeah, we just want to win. That veteran presence he has will certainly be helpful through all the things we’ve been experiencing so far on offense.”
Taylor wouldn’t commit to whether Dalton would finish the season and also said he’s not thinking about how it impacts things like the upcoming draft.
On his relationship with Dalton, Taylor offered the following:
“Andy and I have had many, many, many conversations since all that happened, before and after. We’ve been on the same page. Andy has handled it as well as you could hope any veteran would.”
Perhaps most interesting was Taylor commenting on whether this move had anything to do with possibly losing his locker room:
“The team has understood everything we’ve done up to this point. I always have an open door for those guys to come up and talk. There have been times throughout the season where players have felt like they needed to, they have, and they know that I’m going to be open with them. I feel like we’re in a good place with the locker room, and we have been throughout the whole season.”
After briefly attempting to evaluate Finley to get a better idea of the offseason plan — as well as looking for a spark — Taylor and his staff now have a focus on wins.
As Taylor pointed out during his chat Monday though, so many moving pieces have made it hard for either quarterback to excel. Dalton’s second chance this year starts with a visit from the New York Jets on Sunday.
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