When the Cincinnati Bengals hired head coach Zac Taylor in 2019, many had said it was an ill-fated attempt “to find the next Sean McVay.”
But SI.com NFL insider Albert Breer believes that after two AFC Championship Game appearances — and after Sunday potentially two Super Bowl appearances — that Taylor has not only proved his detractors wrong but he’s also owed an apology.
“We should want more teams to think outside the box in hiring their coaches,” Breer explained. “Taylor was an outside-the-box hire, and one based on things other than whether he carried a play sheet in his hands on Sundays in his old job. Did he get a little lucky that the Bengals were the worst team in the league the year Joe Burrow was coming out? Sure he did. But even taking that into account, the Bengals hit a home run. And it’d be cool if some people who were wrong in 2019 could concede it.”
Following the @Bengals since the 70’s not sure Zac Taylor is getting enough credit for the job he’s done in Cincinnati.
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) January 22, 2023
Of course they’ve drafted well & 9 is a GAME CHANGER but Zac’s leadership & energy has helped make this team a consistent winner!
Onto Kansas City!
Although his first two years were rocky (6-25-1 record), Taylor has gone 22-11 over the last two seasons with two AFC North titles to boot.
He led the Bengals to their third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history last season, and he’s one win away on Sunday from being the first head coach in team history to reach the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons.
"Every guy we have in there is made of the right stuff and wants to win."
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2023
Joe Burrow credits the front office and Head Coach Zac Taylor on bringing in players who had experience with winning. pic.twitter.com/gUspTg2Cyq
Prior to joining the Bengals, Taylor spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams under McVay — first as an assistant wide receivers coach then as a quarterbacks coach.
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