3 years ago today the Bengals hired Zac Taylor. It has been an up and down ride but right now we are all pretty darn satisfied with the choice

And to think I preferred Bienemy over Taylor.

There's a clip from GMFB on the home page titled "Building a Champion" that talks about Taylor being hired and has some vintage clips of him that is worth the watch.

(02-04-2022, 12:10 PM)Sled21 Wrote: There's a clip from GMFB on the home page titled "Building a Champion" that talks about Taylor being hired and has some vintage clips of him that is worth the watch.

Can you really call it 'vintage' if it's from 3 years ago?

Lately it occurs to me, what a looooooong strange trip it's been.

(02-04-2022, 12:12 PM)PhilHos Wrote: Can you really call it 'vintage' if it's from 3 years ago?

Yep, I just did....

I knew the second he was hired we'd be making the Super Bowl within in his first three season.

(02-04-2022, 12:36 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: I knew the second he was hired we'd be making the Super Bowl within in his first three season.  

Hell, I just wanted him to have us break .500 this season and I would have called it progress.

https://youtu.be/_mRy7OJ0iBk

Here’s the GMF piece on building a champion

I freely admit I had serious reservations about Zac Taylor. As the 2019 and 2020 seasons unfolded I thought my reservations about Zac were spot on and I wanted him out the door.

Never in my life have I been so happy to have been proven so wrong. A month ago the Bengals hadn’t won a playoff game in over three decades. Now they’ve won three playoff games in three weeks.

I didn’t trust Zac and I didn’t trust the process. Now I trust both.

It must have taken extreme toughness for him to get through 2019 and 2020. I've always liked him.

(02-04-2022, 12:54 PM)WiregrassBenGal Wrote: It must have taken extreme toughness for him to get through 2019 and 2020. I've always liked him.

It’s at least a 3 year process ….on average not a lead pipe cinch. His first year was tough as he lost 2 OL starters to retirement right before preseason. He also got a late start on hiring his staff. He’d never been a head coach. The best players were aging stars. The second year the team was devastated with injuries. The Browns whose entire family’s livelihood is tied to the financial success of the team got worried. The pandemic hurt everyone in the NFL but the Bengals with the worst team in the league was reeling. They answered the bell with an aggressive free agency assault and it’s paid huge dividends all the way around.

Luckily I’m sure they can be convinced to again be aggressive in FA because they know they need to protect Joe. I think that right or wrong the Brown’s are conservative and it’s their sole income and the entire front office is dependent on turning a profit. It will be an interesting watch the next five years. Keeping Taylor was more about liking him and their philosophy of a contract is a contract. It’s bit them on aging players. The best thing about all this turnaround? Mike Brown and family may be more open advice from within the organization

(02-04-2022, 12:53 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: I freely admit I had serious reservations about Zac Taylor.  As the 2019 and 2020 seasons unfolded I thought my reservations about Zac were spot on and I wanted him out the door.

I think I still had reservations around week 8 of this current season!  

People point to his record, but after going 4-24, he has gone 15-8. That's a huge turnaround.

(02-04-2022, 12:05 PM)pally Wrote: 3 years ago today the Bengals hired Zac Taylor.  It has been an up and down ride but right now we are all pretty darn satisfied with the choice

What a trip! Who would of thought this after the last 2 seasons?

(02-04-2022, 01:28 PM)Sled21 Wrote: People point to his record, but after going 4-24, he has gone 15-8. That's a huge turnaround.

as well as 3-0 in the playoffs. 

Honestly, I did not see this coming .., not at all. A year ago I wanted him fired. With a "papal bull of excommunication" hanging over his ass..

This 180 degree turn goes against all logic.

That being said, I'm humble enough to admit: I was wrong !

With 30 difficult years behind us .., I hope for 30 golden years ahead of us.

I had reservations about Zac as well but I was rooting for him. Really questioned somethings after 2019 but we got Burrow. Then when Burrow got hurt I was furious and thought Taylor deserved a lot of the blame I also thought due to the injury we were stuck with him at least 2 more seasons. But I'm glad and amazed we are where we're at right now.

I know its been said by others and myself that Lou also deserves some credit. I thought it was laughable that this past off-season Lou just needed his guys. But this a very good group of guys we have on defense. Even if the front office was heavily involved in picking the players in free agency Lou and Co. have them playing some ball.

He's proved what most of us thought he wasn't capable of. Hat's off to him.

I thought he did well last year considering the cards he was dealt and was 100% on board with seeing another year. Wonderful player acquisitions and health have lead to one amazing season. He was without a single doubt the right hire.