Tag: zac taylor

Zac Taylor provides injury updates on key Bengals stars

The Bengals had a long list of injury updates before Week 16 vs. Browns.

The Cincinnati Bengals had some eyebrow-raising injury listings during the week before the team’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

But Bengals head coach Zac Taylor gave the all-clear on the two biggest items.

When it comes to Joe Burrow’s injury, Taylor said the knee issue that had him limited all week wasn’t a concern.

As for Tee Higgins’ injury, Taylor said the same thing after Higgins was limited two days and rested another due to a knee injury.

Taylor’s most notable one-liner on these topics: “We’re in management mode at this point.”

Not management, though, is the concussion protocol process for guard Alex Cappa. He’ll have to pass final tests to be able to play on Sunday. Ditto for Orlando Brown Jr., who is also listed as questionable after the re-aggravtion of his knee injury at the start of the month.

Those issues up front could mean Cody Ford starts on the left edge and potentially rookie Matt Lee gets the nod at right guard.

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Bengals coach comments on infamous Joe Burrow-Zac Taylor standoff

One Bengals coach had something to say about the heated exchange between Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor got into it a little bit on the sidelines during last Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans.

Plenty on the internet have already done some fantastic lip-reading on the topic, which includes plenty of F-bombs from Burrow as he converses with Taylor.

Asked about the situation a day later, Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said fans saw what they saw, but that it isn’t all that uncommon on the sidelines.

“It definitely happens more than what is perceived by the public,” Pitcher said, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia. “I mean, he and I have gotten into it a couple times. You know, the camera probably wouldn’t have been on us because I’m not the head coach. That’s kind of – it’s just intense competitors, Joe probably being the most intense competitor I’ve ever been around, and it happens, man. They probably happen more than what gets reported on.”

So there’s one perspective on the ordeal from somebody inside the organization, at least.

Right now, it’s hard to imagine fans disagree with Burrow’s stance on what has been an overall “embarrassing” season for the team. That includes the win in Tennessee, where the Bengals forced six turnovers, yet only won by 10 points over a three-win team.

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Joe Burrow seemed so frustrated with the Bengals in fiery exchange with Zac Taylor

Joe Burrow is fed up with the Bengals.

It’s been a trying season for the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow. The Bengals entered 2024 with Super Bowl aspirations. Instead, they are just 6-8 and sit on the outside of the AFC playoff picture with only three games left in the regular season.

Even in the midst of a double-digit Bengals win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, it seems Burrow is so frustrated with his team’s malaise.

As the Bengals ran out the clock on Tennessee, Fox cameras captured Burrow having a heated discussion with head coach Zac Taylor on the sideline, who seemingly tried comforting his starting quarterback about something as he sat on the bench.

(Warning: NSFW language is apparent in the sequence below.)

The problem for the Bengals here is that Burrow could’ve been angry about many different things.

  • He could’ve been frustrated over Cincinnati’s general inconsistency. Which, fair. Elite quarterbacks hate wasted football seasons more than anyone.
  • He could’ve been incensed about the Bengals’ mediocre defense that let the Titans hang around more than they should’ve. Cincinnati’s defense hasn’t pulled its weight all year. Again, fair.
  • He could’ve been furious about safety Jordan Battle losing the ball as he crossed the goal line for a touchdown. I’d keep this kind of criticism more private, but whatever, that’s fair, too.
  • He could’ve been mad at himself for throwing two picks — including an interception to big man T’Vondre Sweat — against one of the NFL’s worst defenses. Burrow holds himself to a high standard, so I wouldn’t be shocked to learn it was this.

Even in a victory, the Bengals had a laundry list of issues to run through, not all of which were likely related to Sunday’s game.

So, if Burrow is irate about the state of the Bengals, who could possibly blame him?

Joe Burrow’s heated exchange with Zac Taylor goes viral

What was going on between Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor?

The Cincinnati Bengals picked up a 37-27 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Cameras picked up something far more interesting.

Late in the fourth quarter, a livid Joe Burrow was spotted in what looked like a heated exchange with head coach Zac Taylor.

While it’s tough to get a read on what was said, lip-readers online certainly seem correct in suggesting some cuss words were flying.

Burrow could’ve been mad about any number of things, such as his two interceptions or having just wrapped up a game that featured a shocking 10 total turnovers between the two teams and the Bengals flagged 14 times.

But unless there is a very, very explicit explanation given by either of the guys involved, the internet is going to do its thing with this one:

 

Update: During his post-game press conference, Burrow had this to say about the exchange, via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.: “I was just frustrated in the day we had on offense. It was too sloppy. We had too many penalties. Too many procedural penalties. I had too many turnovers. It was just a frustrating day on offense.”

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Bengals’ Zac Taylor provides update on Joe Burrow’s knee injury

An update on Joe Burrow’s knee for the Bengals.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow gave fans a small fright on Monday night, at one point hobbling off the field and applying a sleeve to his left knee.

Fast forward to Wednesday, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that Burrow’s knee is merely sore and that the star quarterback will practice this week.

Right after donning the sleeve, Burrow still looked comfortable running around the pocket and making plays. After the game, he said there was swelling and that he would need to see how he feels in the middle of this week.

With small injuries and swelling, it’s always about how things feel not right after the game, but later that night and/or the next day. And when it comes to swelling and compression sleeves, well, Bengals fans surely remember all the drama around those and the wrist injury last year.

As of now, there’s no concern for Burrow, but expect the team to add “knee” to the injury report alongside the “wrist” as it has had all season.

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New report offers more proof Bengals should fire Zac Taylor, start over

The Bengals should have the pick of any head coach they want, should they move on from Zac Taylor.

Is Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor on the hot seat?

One would think so after the team has flopped, wasting an MVP-caliber year from Joe Burrow, who has put the team on notice multiple times about what he expects for the rest of the season.

But these are the Bengals, so it’s easy to see staff changes under Taylor and nothing else.

And yet, that won’t stop potential head coaches from asking around about whether the Bengals job might become available, as reported recently by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:

This is the time of year when people are trying to figure out which rumors are true and which surprise job will open. For example, I’ve had multiple coaches in the league text me this week about the Bengals job, wondering if Zac Taylor is on the hot seat. Not sure I see that, given some of the goodwill Taylor has built up there and owner Mike Brown’s propensity for cost control (Taylor has two more years left on his deal). But the next month will be about deciphering what’s real and what’s not. And perhaps Taylor will make staff changes there.

And that right there is the problem for the Bengals — the job is a super, super attractive one. Burrow. Ja’Marr Chase. An offense that should be good all the time and a defense that the coach could get a blank check to rebuild.

Normally, the conservative Bengals might stick it out with Taylor no matter how badly they finish this year. But the level of replacement candidates will never be higher, both for first-time coaches and veterans, perhaps all the way up to Bill Belichick.

That’s why, if the Bengals even so much as think about firing Taylor as a possibility and starting over around Burrow, they probably just should.

Again, these are the Bengals, so swapping out the head coach doesn’t guarantee much if someone like Duke Tobin doesn’t receive major changes after his own struggles as a roster-builder and/or the front office doesn’t modernize the way it does contracts and overall team management.

But the report just goes to show how attractive the job would be, especially compared to all of the other potential openings.

Who might some of these coaches asking about jobs be? We ranked the top candidates to replace Zac Taylor after the team’s latest loss.

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Yes, Bengals are doing the ping-pong table thing

The Bengals are doing everything they can to turn the season around.

It’s a running joke amongst NFL fans that things aren’t serious until a team messes with the ping-pong tables in the locker room.

Sometimes the removal of the ping pong tables is meant as a punishment and a sign to players that things need to get serious. Other times, the addition of the ping pong tables is meant to build chemistry.

For the Cincinnati Bengals coming out of the bye week, it’s a case of the latter.

The Bengals put ping-pong tables back in the locker room to start the build to Week 13, and it was one of the biggest talking points around the team.

Speaking with reporters after the news went public, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters he hoped the addition of the tables would “generate camaraderie.”

In a perfect world, the Bengals wouldn’t have to resort to such a cliche thing, but kudos go to the coaching staff for trying something with the season on the ropes and the locker room seemingly close to being lost.

Hey, maybe it will work. But it loops up back to this timeless tweet:

 

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Bengals fans aren’t alone suggesting Bill Belichick as team’s next coach

It’s not just fans suggesting the Bengals think about a change…knowing Bill Belichick is out there.

When it comes to spitballing names capable of replacing Zac Taylor as next head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, one can’t skip over Bill Belichick.

Hence, on our top candidates to replace Taylor project, Belichick, is near the top of the list.

Unlikely? Sure. The Bengals firing Taylor at all would be a big change in the franchise’s approach. But one doesn’t have to look far on social media to see fans speculating about the Belichick idea.

And it applies to NFL analysts too. Bill Simmons of The Ringer recently proposed the idea, citing the Bengals as a possible win-now spot.

“This could be another job that’s open, and I was thinking it’s a pretty interesting [Bill] Belichick job,” Simmons said. “If you’re going for wins if you’re Belichick, if one of the reasons you’re coming back is to break the record, then Burrow is the best quarterback available. Otherwise you’re looking at [Jacksonville Jaguars QB] Trevor Lawrence, you’re looking at whatever the Giants do, you’re looking at whoever the hell the Raiders QB is going to be.”

This is something the Bengals should probably be thinking about if the train really goes off the tracks the rest of the way. If they choose to move on from Taylor, they would get the very top candidates looking their way, not guys with little head coaching experience.

Would Belichick come to town? Would the Bengals even entertain firing Taylor if they lose out the rest of the way? Maybe not, but it depends on the temperature of a locker room led by Joe Burrow that, frankly, doesn’t seem all that hot right now.

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Trey Hendrickson details run-in with Zac Taylor on Bengals sideline

What happened with Trey Hendrickson and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor?

As the Cincinnati Bengals went down hard at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers, Germaine Pratt wasn’t the only player involved in a sideline outburst.

At one point during the loss, star defensive end Trey Hendrickson ran off the field and exchanged words with Zac Taylor, even swatting away the head coach’s arm.

After the game, Hendrickson opened up about it.

“You play with an edge,” Hendrickson said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “Everybody should. I love Zac. He’s a great head coach. He’s done a lot for me as a person. I love him. He plays with the same intensity and fire as me.”

The altercation happened near a roughing-the-passer flag on Hendrickson that even the NBC broadcast agreed shouldn’t have been called.

Meaning, it was probably nothing more than typical adrenaline-filled sideline stuff that happens in the pros all the time.

But at the same time, it’s clear tensions are high in Cincinnati for obvious reasons.

Yet, Ja’Marr Chase bringing up Taylor’s name after the game speaks volumes about where things are at right now, too.

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Ja’Marr Chase comment on Zac Taylor says it all about 2024 Bengals

Ja’Marr Chase didn’t hold back after the Bengals lost to the Chargers.

Speaking after yet another heartbreaking loss as his Cincinnati Bengals fell to 4-7, Ja’Marr Chase brought up the name of head coach Zac Taylor.

And that sort of says it all, right?

Chase did this when asked after the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers about finishing games.

“How do I do it?” Chase said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “I don’t know. Ask Zac. Ask the coaches. Don’t ask me. It’s not my job. I play football on the field. I don’t call plays for us. So I can’t really do nothing.”

On one hand, this is what Chase tends to do when he’s frustrated after a loss, generally deferring to the head coach on broader matters.

But on the other, it’s those broader matters that are failing the Bengals. The roster construction over the last two years has been abysmal and it’s showing up on the field.

And at this point, nobody is safe from criticism…or accountability — which explained Germaine Pratt’s sideline meltdown during the game.

If the Bengals keep losing, Chase might be on to something here. There will obviously be roster turnover, but it’s safe to reason that an overhaul of the coaching staff might be on the way, too.

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