Tag: zac taylor

A Zac Taylor-Joe Burrow link makes Bengals pick all the more likely

This link shouldn’t go understated.

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It’s no secret both Joe Burrow and Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor have Ohio links.

Taylor spent time as a coach with the University of Cincinnati and Burrow himself grew up in Athens, about three hours away, while his father coached at Ohio University.

This link became more common knowledge nationally when Taylor mentioned it at the Senior Bowl. MMQB’s Albert Breer has recently expanded on the idea:

“Back in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, Cincy coach Zac Taylor mentioned to me that he and Jimmy Burrow, Joe’s dad, became familiar with each other when they were both on the recruiting trail—the elder Burrow as Ohio University’s defensive coordinator and Taylor as the University of Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator. They had a natural connection too, that ran through Nebraska. Jimmy Burrow played there, coached there and had two sons who played there. Taylor, meanwhile, was the quarterback in Lincoln a couple years after Burrow left. So if I’m Taylor, I work that relationship, especially if he likes Burrow as much as I think he does.”

This relationship has already been worked since the NFL season ended, with Taylor reaching out to Burrow’s family about Joe attending the Senior Bowl.

And while Burrow ultimately didn’t attend the event in Mobile for various reasons, Bengals fans can rest easy knowing Taylor has already been putting this connection to work here.

Keep in mind Burrow’s father has also stated multiple times his son would be happy to go first to the Bengals.

If nothing else, this connection should keep things running smoothly if/when the Bengals decide Burrow is the pick and it’s time to work out the specifics before the draft.

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How did Adam Gase compare to other first-year head coaches in 2019?

Jets Wire compares Adam Gase to other first-year head coaches around the league with a comprehensive breakdown.

Adam Gase’s first season with the Jets featured a little bit of good and a lot of bad.

New York was supposed to be on its way back to contender status with Gase at the helm. Instead, due to injuries and incompetence across the board, the Jets sputtered to a 1-7 start, putting themselves out of playoff contention earlier than anyone at One Jets Drive could have imagined entering the year. Gase did well to rally the troops and finish 7-9, but New York didn’t exactly go through a gauntlet to get to seven wins.

Gase isn’t the only first-year head coach who experienced disappointment in 2019, though. Alternatively, there are plenty of other first-year coaches that achieved great success throughout the year.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how Gase stacked up against other first-year head coaches last season.

Zac Taylor

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor posted a 2-14 record in his first season with the Bengals, but it’s hard to blame him for Cincinnati’s shortcomings in 2019.

Taylor inherited a roster seriously deprived of talent. His quarterbacks were over the hill Andy Dalton and rookie Ryan Finley, who was clearly not up to the task of being an NFL quarterback despite putting together a solid career at NC State. He didn’t have A.J. Green all year and Joe Mixon wasn’t able to do much on the ground because of the atrocious offensive line he runs behind.

The good news for Taylor and the Bengals is there is hope for the future. Cincinnati has the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft and will likely go with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, giving Taylor a young signal caller to mold and build around moving forward.

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Zac Taylor reveals the one thing his next QB must have

Zac Taylor has been quite open about what he wants in his next quarterback.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin faced a gauntlet of questions over the past week at the Senior Bowl.

And most seemed to focus on the quarterback position.

Understandable, with it seeming like the Bengals will use the first pick in the draft on LSU’s Joe Burrow, even as Oregon’s Justin Herbert won an MVP award during the Senior Bowl game for the Bengals.

One of the more interesting questions took a deep dive into what trumps everything else for Taylor, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer:

“He’s gotta be able to elevate his teammates around him. Everybody’s gotta have a great confidence level that this guy knows exactly what to do, he’s gonna help me get better, he’s gonna raise my level of play. That’s what championship teams have. That’s what we’ll always look for in our quarterback position.”

That certainly sounds like Burrow, both based on film and what many various interviews and quotes over the years have said about him.

But it also speaks to the simple fact that while Cincinnati’s on-film evaluation might be over at this point, the in-person aspect of it is just getting started. They’ve seen firsthand how Herbert and Jalen Hurts can do this — Burrow and others are next as the draft process continues in the coming months.

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2020 Senior Bowl: How Saints fans can tune in, and who to watch

The New Orleans Saints will be watching when Zac Taylor’s South Team kicks off with Matt Patricia’s North Team in the 2020 Senior Bowl game.

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The 2020 Senior Bowl is hours away from kicking off, and the New Orleans Saints will be watching. Recent draft prospects they’ve selected who stood out in the collegiate all-star game include defensive end Marcus Davenport, who sacked quarterback Baker Mayfield early in the game and later returned a fumble 19 yards for a defensive touchdown. Wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith scored the first points in that 2018 game with a 14-yard touchdown reception.

Of course, just showing out in this exhibition game doesn’t mean the Saints will draft a prospect. But it obviously leaves an impression; they’ve drafted at least one participant in the first three rounds in each of the last five years, and often grabbed two. The opportunity to more extensively scout these players and fill out the scouting report does a lot to help their projection in the NFL.

This year, the North Team (coached by Matt Patricia’s Detroit Lions) will kick off against the South Team (coached by Zac Taylor’s Cincinnati Bengals) in a game featuring several high-profile quarterbacks, including Oregon’s Justin Herbert, Utah State’s Jordan Love, and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts. The Saints currently don’t have a single quarterback under contract for next season, so it’s very possible they end up selecting one of those prospects.

Additionally, the Saints need upgrades at receiver. Keep an eye on players such as Baylor’s Denzel Mims, Florida’s Van Jefferson, Ohio State’s K.J. Hill, and Texas wideout Collin Johnson. This is one of the most-lauded wide receiver classes in recent memory, and New Orleans stands to benefit.

Here’s everything you need to know to tune into Saturday’s Senior Bowl game:

Game Information

North Team (Detroit Lions) vs. South Team (Cincinnati Bengals)

2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 25

Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.

Television

NFL Network

Streaming

fuboTV (try it for free)

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Zac Taylor hints offensive line is in better shape than some think

Zac Taylor doesn’t sound too concerned about the Bengals offensive line.

While offensive line figures to be one of the bigger needs the Cincinnati Bengals address in the 2020 offseason, Zac Taylor doesn’t sound too worried.

As bad as things were in the offensive trenches, things improved down the stretch and Taylor has some intriguing pieces for the future already in place.

Here’s an excerpt of what he told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

“I thought there was lot of growth there in the back half of the season. If you look at Jonah Williams, to me we get two first–round picks this year. Jonah got a chance to go through spring ball and got exposed to what NFL life is like, but he didn’t play for us. ….

“…We’re starting to feel like we’re finding some starters there and some depth at the same time. At the end of the year we felt really good where the offense line is headed.”

If nothing else, it should be encouraging to hear Taylor suggest the line isn’t as big of a need as many think not because of the late-season stretch, but because of future-minded pieces. The team obviously likes Jonah Williams and waiver claim and rookie Fred Johnson was a bright spot while getting starts late in the season.

None of this means the Bengals won’t move to make additions to the line in the draft or free agency. But it’s a public admission the thinking in the building might not perfectly match the narratives outside it.

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Zac Taylor bumped Darrin Simmons to assistant head coach

Darrin Simmons has a new title on his resume.

The Cincinnati Bengals have an assistant head coach for the first time in a few years.

Zac Taylor extending special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons was a big deal for a few reasons and it turns out in doing so, Taylor added assistant head coach to Simmons’ title.

In fact, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com noted the additional title on Simmons’ resume was perhaps a big reason he signed on the dotted line again and that Simmons is “excited about the possibilities of his added role after conversations with Taylor.”

As he should be. The Bengals hadn’t officially had an assistant head coach since the departure of line coach Paul Alexander, a man of 20-plus years with the organization.

And from Simmmons’ perspective it should be especially encouraging given that in the same week a special teams coordinator got hired as a head coach. The position’s dealing with all three phases and working closely with head coaches could mean more and more get the biggest jobs in the coming years.

As of now, there aren’t indications Simmons has eyes for something like that. But for Taylor, having one of the most respected special teams coordinators in the league at his side is a big win.

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Zac Taylor has reached out to Joe Burrow’s family about Senior Bowl

Here’s an interesting note about Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow.

Understandably, the Cincinnati Bengals and head coach Zac Taylor would love if LSU’s Joe Burrow played in the 2020 Senior Bowl.

So much so Taylor himself has apparently put a call in to Burrow’s family, as Jim Nagy, executive director for the Senior Bowl, told the Stick to Football Podcast:

“We do have some recruiting help…and Zac Taylor has reached out to the Burrow family.”

Granted, any team coaching the game would likely reach out to Burrow, one of the greatest collegiate passers in recent memory.

But it’s especially interesting from a Bengals perspective because the team clutches the top overall pick. The obvious idea is Taylor and Co. bring the Ohio kid home with that selection. As Nagy astutely points out, there’s some long-running Nebraska history there between Taylor and the Burrow family too.

If the Bengals indeed plan on taking Burrow or are even leaning that way, getting him in meetings and throwing some notes at him is one way to get ahead of the process well before the draft.

All that remains is for Burrow to actually accept the invite.

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It doesn’t sound like Zac Taylor will make coordinator changes to coaching staff

Expect the Bengals to retain the same three coordinators.

It doesn’t sound like Zac Taylor plans on making any changes with his coordinators this offseason as he heads into Year 2 as Cincinnati Bengals head coach.

We already had a hint of this with the revelation special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons received or will receive an extension to stick with the team.

The bigger question always pertained to the fates of offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

No longer, based on this from Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

“For what looks to be the first time since 2015, the Bengals are poised to begin and end back-to-back seasons with the same three coordinators. Head coach Zac Taylor won’t announce changes until his staff is completed, but indications are there isn’t going to be shuffling above the level of position coaches or quality control.”

Callahan didn’t figure to go anywhere compared to Anarumo, whose defense struggled in a big way early in the season before improving down the stretch. The fact some big names like Wade Phillips were made available at least made the conversation interesting.

But Taylor seems content with the midseason adjustments of both units, meaning Year 2 provides a second chance for all. And maybe that’s for the better, as now wouldn’t be an ideal time to conduct another hiring search a few weeks away from needing the whole staff to help coach the Senior Bowl in Mobile.

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Should Zac Taylor reunite with Wade Phillips and bring him to Bengals?

Should the Bengals bring Wade Phillips to Cincinnati?

The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t figure to make major moves along the coaching staff under Zac Taylor this offseason.

Then again, perhaps many didn’t expect a name like Wade Phillips to become available.

The news Phillips is available broke Monday when it went public the Los Angeles Rams wouldn’t retain him as defensive coordinator. As Rams Wire’s Cameron DaSilva pointed out, it probably had more to do with control of the defense than actual performance.

Which opens up an interesting possibility for the Bengals, as Zac Taylor worked with Phillips during his time with the Rams. Taylor still has Lou Anarumo, a former Giants coach he settled on last year after an extensive search.

Anarumo’s defense ended up respectable for what it was — a leftover unit from the prior coaching staff after it took longer than expected for the team to find a coordinator at all.

But Anarumo isn’t Phillips, a coach with 37 years in the NFL spanning many coordinator responsibilities, as well as a stint as head coach.

Which isn’t to say Phillips was perfect with the Rams this past season. His defense forced the ninth-most turnovers and ended 17th in points allowed, but also had odd lapses such as surrendering 55 to Tampa Bay. The counterargument is a serious regression for Sean McVay’s offense made things more difficult.

The schematic side of the conversation with Phillips joining the Bengals isn’t as important as the idea behind it. Cincinnati continues to run more multiple looks as it is, so Phillips could make it work.

The idea of it might be more important — McVay brought on Phillips initially to have a veteran presence of sorts helping him along. Taylor could certainly use that in Cincinnati after his inexperienced staff had droves of growing pains while struggling to 2-14.

Wade wants to keep coaching and he’ll undoubtedly have a big list of opportunities. The Bengals should be one, provided Taylor is willing to make a change while seeking out more experience along his staff.

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Bengals stars back Zac Taylor while looking toward Year 2

Bengals stars have rallied around Zac Taylor.

The 2-14 mark isn’t what anybody wanted or expected but Cincinnati Bengals stars haven’t hesitated to rush out in support of head coach Zac Taylor.

A.J. Green led the charge in explaining why the players still have plenty of faith in the first-year head coach:

“Zac is a great coach. I think he’s going to get this rolling as soon as we get everything going,” Green said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “We had a lot injuries. We had to rotate offensive linemen, a lot of stuff like that. It’s kind of tough when you’ve got a coach getting the feel, but I think Zac is a guy that is really going to change us because he’s an unbelievable coach. A player’s coach. He takes care of his guys.”

Green was hardly the only one to pound the table for more than a single year of Taylor in charge.

Here’s Dre Kirkpatrick: “What are you doing if you get rid of him after one year? You have to give him an opportunity. You’ve seen we can be good.”

Giovani Bernard: “Players don’t want him going anywhere.”

And C.J. Uzomah: “I see that in this locker room. People are connected like no other. It kind of gives me hope.”

On one hand, many of these players rallied for more years of Marvin Lewis, too. It’s a high-character group of guys, to say the least. On the other, we have to take the players at their word when they speak on the improvements of the culture.

And besides, Taylor showed significant growth as a play-caller as the season progressed, his staff made noteworthy adjustments coming out of the bye and nobody can argue against the fact he started with a bad roster with bad luck to boot.

Winning two games isn’t good enough, but it isn’t hard to see why Bengals players have rallied around Taylor.

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