Black monday is coming

[masterpanthera_t]

(12-29-2020, 12:24 PM)TJHoushmandzadeh Wrote: Part of the circumstances is also that Taylor got this job a couple of years too early.

Even if he was this great offensive mind, by rights he shouldn't really be getting HC interviews until about now (if he hadn't have got the Bengals job he'd maybe be two years into an OC job). You compare him to Flores but part of that comparison should also be that he's 2 years younger than Flores. The learning curve for any first time HC must be very steep. For him it must be extraordinary. However the Browns and Blackburns and Tobin were very aware of this and so this will factor into their decision to keep him.

He's the coaching equivalent of a 20 year old going up against 22 year olds in college. If they can nearly hold their own at that age against older, more experienced rivals you hope that with a couple more years maturity they can develop into a dominant force. Sometimes they do (Jessie Bates), sometimes they don't (Michael Jordan).

The Bengals know that they wouldn't have got Jessie Bates with the 54th pick if he'd come out last year instead but having got him in early (and cheaper) they are in prime position to secure him long term. At the moment I'd say Zac is more Jordan than Bates but whilst I'd expect them to both be better in 2021 than 2020 I feel more optimism for Zac than Jordan.

I am heavily leaning towards Zac is more Jordan than Bates, and happy to be proven wrong next year. If we can beat every team in the division at least once next year, then I'll believe he has improved. Otherwise,  the circumstances better be extenuating or I will want his firing.