02-18-2019, 02:44 PM
(02-18-2019, 01:57 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: But who was the 'right guy' in January? Apparently, Taylor wanted Allen from the beginning and thought he could land him. People can call that foolish or a pipe dream (which it probably was) but that's who he had his sights set on. When that didn't happen, he moved on to others.
Unless he has defensive guys that he knows extremely well, the only way to determine who the 'right guy' is to talk to them, make a judgement of how they fit what you want to do and determine if you think you'll be comfortable working with them. Even if you find a guy you like and offer him the job, there's no guarantee he'll take it (Grantham).
Taylor has to keep at it until he finds someone he's good with and that someone has to want to be here. Just my opinion brother, but when that happens...then they'll have the right guy.
Potential head coaches are supposed to network and be ready for when this moment arrives...but Taylor is a very young guy. That said, so is Flores and he had all his spots filled 10 days ago. It does look like Dennis Allen was the primary target, but with a target like that (a guy who isn't likely to take a lateral move to an inferior team) we should've had a clear plan B, C and D.
When you have a clear plan with guys in mind, that tends to expedite the process. Unless Taylor has something very specific he wants, he should already have a very good idea if the coach will be a fit before he even interviews.
When you add up how many names we've been associated with, with several rejections mixed in (Grantham, Capers, Aaron Glenn, Hafley, etc) and how long this is taking, it's clear we either had poor plans or didn't get any of our top options. I respect the Bengals and Taylor trying to save face, but I'm not buying that this has taken so long simply because they're doing a thorough search.
It sounds nice, it's a nice spin to put on it, but looking at the list of name we've been associated with (and what happened) tells a different story:
Dennis Allen: Predictably stayed with the Saints
Jack Del Rio: Apparently Taylor didn't want him
Dom Capers: Said no thanks, for whatever reason you want to insert
Todd Granthem: Turned us down for various reasons
Aubrey Pleasant: Little has been said, but it's apparent we're not interested
Aaron Glenn: Blocked by Saints
Jeff Hafley: Turned us down
Vance Joseph: Apparently we were interested, but he said he'd only come to Cincy as a HC
Marquand Manuel: Rumored interest in an interview hasn't amounted to anything
...and I think I'm forgetting a couple of names here.
Just the number of names on the list is alarming. Sure, the Bengals can paint this as them casting a wide net and being thorough, but the amount of blocks/rejections (6 at least) on the list kinda goes against that narrative and makes it seem like we're likely having to scramble.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
