Cut to the chase - Zac not playing starters in preseason was a big cause of the loss

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(09-12-2022, 12:01 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Yea but you gotta understand that public perception is generally "Joe Burrow is elite, the coaching staff is holding him back." Zac was one of the worst head coaches in the NFL before Burrow was drafted (and while he was injured), so it's not a stretch to view it this way. Having a rookie throw the most times in the NFL up to his injury behind a terrible Oline reinforced that perception of incompetence as well.

Zac doesn't help that perception when he makes blatantly bad decisions like not challenging certain plays or not running the clock down enough.
Burrow, on the other hand, was PFF's top graded QB last year, led the league in completion percentage and had a few more major accolades, like most deep touchdown passes etc.

If coaches had a PFF grade, I wouldn't be surprised if Zac was at or near near the bottom of the league. I understand why people are quicker to give Burrow grace than the coaching staff.
 

Very fair observation. You're not wrong either. I just think on this particular day, our QB laid the biggest egg and put us at the bottom of a really big hill to climb. Most of the posters on here are acknowledging that, while putting some deserved blame on Zac, Simmons, Pollack, etc. But there are the outliers like I quoted and linked above. Those are the ones I direct my ire at.