Michael Lombardi's Take on Zac Taylor (Homers Beware)

[THE PISTONS]

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Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor

I saved the Bengals for last in hopes that, by allowing more time, I might understand how Zac Taylor became an NFL head coach when less than 10 years ago, he was a graduate assistant at Texas A&M. Usually, coaches with meteoric rises (like Sean McVay) have past performances that justify that ascent. However in Taylor’s case, there were no surges, just lousy offensive football at every stop until he reached Los Angeles. And the more authority he achieved, the less productive the team became.

In those 10 years, Taylor has been a coordinator twice. In 2015, Taylor was the offensive coordinator of the 6-10 Miami Dolphins. That year, the Dolphins scored 20 or fewer points 12 times and were just 63-for-205 on third down (30.7 percent). You might believe that Dolphins team was not talented, but with the likes of running backs Lamar Miller and Jay Ajayi, as well as receivers Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills, the Fins scored just 310 points all year, averaged 19.4 for the season and could barely convert third downs.

At the University of Cincinnati in 2016, Taylor inherited a team that scored 440 points the year before. However, the next season, under the direction of Taylor, the Bearcats scored 232 points for the season, had four games in which they scored fewer than 10 points, and were 69-for-182 on third down, converting just 37.9 percent.

So with these less-than-impressive numbers, how did Taylor become a head coach? The only logical answer: “the Sean McVay factor,” since Taylor was the quarterback coach in Los Angeles during the last two seasons.

Look, I am not some old NFL veteran who does not believe youth deserves its opportunity, but did anyone watch the Super Bowl this year? And let’s say Taylor is the second coming of Sean; wouldn’t that brilliance show up in Miami during the ‘15 campaign, or on the campus of the University of Cincinnati? If McVay was coaching at either place, I bet the numbers would be way different.

How can this work in Cincinnati now? The Bengals needed a tough coach. They needed a drill instructor to get their team to become more disciplined and focused. The Bengals have talent but lack attention to detail on both sides of the ball. They might believe Taylor will bring out the best in Andy Dalton. But even if Dalton’s play improves, who will keep the team in line and handle the different personalities? Can Taylor do this? Call me skeptical.

The other area in which Taylor lacks experience and expertise in is player personnel. And in Cincinnati, the head coach and staff must be good coaches but also good evaluators because the front office relies on their opinions. With the right head coach and staff, this could prove to be an effective way of team building. But with the wrong crew, this could become toxic fast.

I wish I were more optimistic about the Bengals’ future, but this move reminds me of when Bengals owner Mike Brown hired David Shula in 1992 at the tender age of 32, passing on Bill Cowher. Brown felt that he and Shula shared the same background, being sons of famous coaches. Shula lasted four-plus seasons and had a career record of 19-52. I keep looking for reasons why this time might be different. Unfortunately, I cannot find any.

Eight new coaches in one year. Why do I have a feeling one of these eight might just become one and done and the remaining might only have two seasons to prove they belong?