Anyone think Taylor is improving?

[JaggedJimmyJay]

(11-30-2021, 02:08 PM)fredtoast Wrote: It is silly to think that an unproven head coach with a 2-14 record was given more authority that a head coach who took the team to the playoffs 6 times in 7 years.  The reason the Bengals started spending more on free agents was that the stadium was half empty. 

And not knocking Burrow in any way, but the Bengal teams that made the playoffs every year were a much more desirable destination than a 2 win team with an unproven head coach and a QB who had never played a single snap in the NFL.

Zac's "recruiting" had nothing to do with it.  It was the money.

I didn't say anything about "authority". The stadium has been half empty before 2019 too, so I doubt that's the whole story. In many past cases the Bengals have flirted with higher priced free agents who ended up signing elsewhere, though not exclusively. Players themselves have cited Zac Taylor's message and/or the growing culture of the team as important elements of their decisions. Here are some Hendrickson quotes, for example:

https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2021/03/17/trey-hendrickson-reason-choosing-bengals-free-agency/

Vonn Bell had similar feelings. It's the first thing out of his mouth in his initial press conference:

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/vonn-bell-signing-with-cincinnati-bengals

DJ Reader cited the chance to play with Joe Burrow (instead of Drew Lock) as a motivation to sign with the Bengals:

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/dj-reader-playing-with-joe-burrow-played-role-in-decision-to-sign-with-bengals

These aren't the only examples. Obviously money plays a crucial role; that's not a remarkable statement. But discounting the influence of Taylor and Burrow in this matter requires ignoring what the players themselves have told us. I am not interested in doing that.