Tag: Dan Pitcher

Dan Pitcher addresses how much Bengals offense will change in 2024

Dan Pitcher with a hint of what is to come, perhaps?

New Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher isn’t fully buying into the chatter that the offense will look wildly different next season.

While speculation based on roster moves and Joe Burrow’s availability this spring and summer have suggested as much, Pitcher says the level of changes might be overstated.

In a sitdown with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com, Pitcher waved off the idea that this is the biggest playbook change of the Burrow era and simply stressed the offense’s versatility on a per-opponent basis.

Even the reshaping of the tight end room isn’t guaranteed to produce major changes:

Does that mean we’ll play more 12 than we’ve played in the past? Maybe. It may depend a lot on how the receiver room comes along. We’re also very excited about the guys in that room. Even the guys not named Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. It’s going to be a great camp. Guys are going to get opportunities to show what they can do. We’ll compete and we’ll mix and match and we’ll find roles for everybody that deserves to have a role. How that shakes out, remains to be seen.

Coach-speak? Blunt honesty? The answer probably rests somewhere in the middle. It’s not a secret the Bengals wanted to install more under-center looks last summer before Burrow’s injury.

It’s also not a secret that Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd are gone, with the latter especially notable because it opens up the slot for guys like rookie wideout Jermaine Burton, tight end Mike Gesicki and a few others.

Right now, though, the Bengals don’t have any reason to reveal more and preseason games won’t, either.

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Dan Pitcher to take close look at Bengals’ running game over offseason

Dan Pitcher has big plans for Bengals’ running game.

The Cincinnati Bengals‘ new offensive coordinator is already putting some of his ideas out there even though they are staring down a long offseason.

Dan Pitcher wants to take a look at every aspect of the offense over the offseason and make sure it is working as well as it could be for the team, and the run game is a big part of that for him.

“Being able to run the ball is critical to offensive success. And what that looks like is different for every team,” Pitcher said per Geoff Hobson at Bengals.com. “That’s something we’ll look at over the course of the next couple of months when we get back together as a staff and we figure out how to put our players in the best position to be successful. We’ll work on improving in that area as we will in every other one.”

Mixon led the team this season with 257 carries for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns, followed by rookie Chase Brown, who started to get more work in the second half of the season on the ground, contributing 44 rushes for 179 yards and showing off some impressive explosiveness.

Running the ball has been somewhat of a strength for the Bengals in years past with Joe Mixon in the backfield, but Pitcher still will be taking a close look, especially after 2023 when Cincinnati was dead last in the entire NFL with just 89.8 yards per game.

Some of that has to do with the fact that the Bengals are a pass-first team, but their efficiency on the ground wasn’t great either. They were ranked 15th in the league in rushing EPA/play. Pitcher is going to dive into that and try to come up with a fix by the time next season rolls around.

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Around the North: Bengals promote Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator role

The Bengals have promoted their quarterback coach after Callahan joins Titans

The in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals have promoted one of their own after former offensive coordinator Brain Callahan left the team to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. The team acted quickly in promoting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator as it was clear the team didn’t want to risk losing the 37-year-old coach.

Pitcher first joined the Bengals in 2016 as an offensive assistant before being promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 and then quarterbacks coach a year later in 2020. It is always a good sign when an assistant stays on despite a head coaching change when Zac Taylor replaced Marvin Lewis who hired Pitcher.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has flourished under Pitcher who the quarterback has spoken highly of in the past. Taylor made sure that Pitcher didn’t leave town as the Browns will continue to face the duo of Pitcher and Burrow for years to come in the AFC North.

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Dan Pitcher reveals Joe Burrow-based advice that helped him stick with Bengals

Dan Pitcher says friends in the industry had advice based on Joe Burrow.

New Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher says some key advice helped make the decision to stay with the team so much easier.

And that key advice pertained to one Joe Burrow.

During his introductory press conference, Pitcher said that people he trusts within the business offered him a clear-cut message.

“There are a lot of people in this profession that I respect who have great perspective who have reached out to me and almost to a person their advice is, ‘When you have an elite quarterback you hang on as long as you can,’ and we have that here,” Pitcher said. “Not only is he an elite player, but I’ve gotten to know him so well as a person. He’s a special person. He’s different. They don’t make many like him, and to get to continue working with him day in and day out, knowing that we have a guy that can win us a World Championship it’s hard to put a price on that.”

Of course, Pitcher jumping up to coordinator from the quarterback positional responsibilities was always the plan for the Bengals. It came to fruition this week with Brian Callahan off to serve as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

Pitcher had at least three reported interviews with other teams about coordinator positions lined up this week before accepting the promotion with the Bengals. But he made it clear throughout his presser that many factors, ranging from relationships to Cincinnati feeling like home and so much more, played a role in his decision.

And that Joe Burrow factor sure helped, too.

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Bengals reactions, notes and quotes to Dan Pitcher news

Thoughts and quotes to know about Dan Pitcher becoming Bengals offensive coordinator.

The Cincinnati Bengals introduced new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher this week, the first major Zac Taylor coaching tree shakeup since the regime change.

A move necessitated by Brian Callahan leaving to coach the Tennessee Titans, Pitcher’s ascension was as predictable as it gets — but big news nonetheless.

While this plan has been in place for a few years now, the shuffle and domino effect of coaching changes under the coordinator position have created plenty of questions heading into the offseason.

As such, here’s a look at some quick thoughts, notes and quotes about the coaching change that will have an impact on Joe Burrow’s offense.

Joe Burrow comments on Bengals promoting Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator

Joe Burrow provides thoughts on the Dan Pitcher news.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow signs off on the coaching staff shuffle taking place this offseason on the offensive side of the ball.

Cincinnati, as expected, has promoted quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator in the wake of Brian Callahan joining the Tennessee Titans as head coach.

Burrow provided a comment on the move Thursday when the team made it official: “Our relationship is as good as it gets. I wouldn’t be the player I am today without him. He’s been preparing for this for years. He takes his job very seriously and does it with a lot of passion.”

A former scout hired by Marvin Lewis and retained by Zac Taylor, Pitcher was the obvious in-house replacement for Callahan should this scenario ever occur. His involvement with Burrow’s development, third-down installs and the overall offense made it obvious — and is also the reason he had teams after him last offseason and three interviews lined up with other teams this week.

Now, Pitcher and Burrow have effectively come up together and the plan has fallen into place as expected.

“And to be working for really good people who want to see you succeed, and in turn you try to provide value for them in a role like this,” Pitcher said. “I think it’s pretty special. This is what I was hoping for all along.”

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Dan Pitcher passes on Saints to accept Bengals promotion

Dan Pitcher passed on the Saints to accept Bengals promotion, taking an offensive coordinator candidate off the table for New Orleans:

This seemed to be the way the wind was blowing: Dan Pitcher will be staying with the Cincinnati Bengals to succeed Brian Callahan as offensive coordinator under head coach Zac Taylor, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Pitcher previously interviewed with the New Orleans Saints for their offensive coordinator opening and was scheduled to travel to New Orleans for a second meeting on Thursday. But they’ll never get that opportunity to speak with him now that he’s staying put and taking a promotion in Cincinnati.

It’s disappointing to miss out on one of their first choices for the job, but the Saints aren’t lacking for qualified candidates. Hopefully they can pivot to another option quickly. Coordinator jobs are being filled around the league and Saints decision-makers Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis have a lot to prove by recruiting a good one. If they fall short of that aspiration, well: it would justify much of the criticism they have faced over the last two years in life without Sean Payton.

Bengals promote Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator

The Bengals make the long-expected move at offensive coordinator.

The Cincinnati Bengals have made the expected move, promoting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed the news just two days after former offensive coordinator Brian Callahan left to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

Pitcher has been the coordinator-in-waiting for a few years now, working on third-down installs and the overall offense alongside Callahan and Zac Taylor while developing the likes of Jake Browning.

Last offseason, the Bengals gave Pitcher an extension to prevent him from accepting a coordinator job elsewhere. This week, he had three offensive coordinator interviews lined up with other teams before the promotion in Cincinnati.

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Recent Patriots OC interview might hint at team’s offensive direction

The Patriots might have hinted at their offensive direction with their latest offensive coordinator candidate

The New England Patriots are expected to continue their round of offensive coordinator interviews this week with Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher slated as next on the list.

Per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are expected to interview with Pitcher via Zoom on Tuesday.

It’s important to note that Pitcher is the third offensive coordinator on the Patriots’ growing list of candidates, and so far, all three have west coast offensive ties to the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. Along with Pitcher, the team has also interviewed Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson and Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley.

There’s a chance the Patriots could be hinting at their offensive direction with the current candidates on their list.

Of course, there are stronger odds that Pitcher ends up back in Cincy with the Tennessee Titans hiring Brian Callahan as their new head coach on Monday. The Bengals will be looking for a new offensive coordinator to fill that role, and Pitcher should be a possible in-house replacement.

The Patriots could be looking to shake things up drastically on the offensive side of the ball after finishing amongst the worst units in the NFL in the last two straight seasons.

Some of that Shanahan offensive magic could go a long way in the bittering cold for a rebuilding team like the Patriots.

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Titans head coach news could have big ripple effects for Saints

Bengals QB coach Dan Pitcher has an interview scheduled with the Saints, but another opportunity just opened up with the Titans hiring Brian Callahan as head coach:

Every head coach change in the NFL creates ripple effects that are felt by other teams around the league, and the Tennessee Titans’ decision is a good example of that. The Titans are hiring Brian Callahan as their next head coach — and that move could hurt the New Orleans Saints’ own personnel plans for 2024.

Callahan previously worked as the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator, and the Bengals have an obvious candidate to replace him already on staff in quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher. The problem for the Saints is that Pitcher is on their list of candidates to interview for their own offensive coordinator opening. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Pitcher already scheduled an in-person interview with the Saints for Thursday after meeting with a few other teams. He’s already spoken with the Saints in an introductory virtual interview per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

But that second sit-down interview may never come to pass if Pitcher would rather stay in Cincinnati and take a promotion (or follow Callahan to Tennessee). It’s too soon to say whether that’s actually going to happen. At the same time, it’s a very realistic possibility.

And that’s a tough break for New Orleans. They swung at a couple of high-profile candidates and haven’t yet made contact. Shane Waldron is joining the Chicago Bears. Jerrod Johnson interviewed with the Saints on Monday, but not even getting a chance to speak with Pitcher in person would be disappointing. Hopefully Pitcher sticks to his commitments and gives the Saints a fair shot. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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