I keep seeing Taylor ranked low for his inexperience, yet Flores getting ranked highly when he's essentially the defensive version of Taylor. A young position coach from a successful team that is getting his first crack at a HC gig. Looking over all of the new hires, I can objectively say that Taylor was one of my favorite names on the list, despite the lack of experience:

Vic Fangio - Good DC, but didn't get his first shot til he was 60 years old
Bruce Arians - Love Arians, but he's 66 and doesn't he have health issues? Is he fully invested in coaching?
Kliff Kingsbury - Yuck
Freddie Kitchens - He's essentially a 44 year old version of Taylor. Only coordinating experience was as an intern last year.
Adam Gase - Yuck
Matt LaFleur - His year with the Titans removed a lot of the luster from his name
Brian Flores - Essentially the defensive version of Taylor. He also hired a DC with 0 experience and a 38 year old OC with 4 years experience
Zac Taylor

I'm sure that some would say that we're looking at Taylor through Bengal colored lenses, but I really don't care. I like the strong commitment that the organization made to go with a young, fresh mind. Sure, Flores is going to get a lot of press, as he's the latest to come from the genius, Bill Belichick. However, wasn't Matt Patricia considered to be just as hot a prospect as Flores? And, we hardly hear anything about him, the same way that Taylor isn't getting much positive press. I think the reason is that Taylor and Patricia are coaching the Bengals and Lions, while Brian Flores went to big market, big money Miami.

I think Kitchens is the best hire already has a great relationship with Baker and they did some pretty cool stuff last season offensively.

(02-12-2019, 08:32 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I'm sure that some would say that we're looking at Taylor through Bengal colored lenses, but I really don't care.  I like the strong commitment that the organization made to go with a young, fresh mind.  Sure, Flores is going to get a lot of press, as he's the latest to come from the genius, Bill Belichick.  However, wasn't Matt Patricia considered to be just as hot a prospect as Flores?  And, we hardly hear anything about him, the same way that Taylor isn't getting much positive press.  I think the reason is that Taylor and Patricia are coaching the Bengals and Lions, while Brian Flores went to big market, big money Miami.

Yep,

If ZT were going to a big market/money team with his McVay connection there would be 24 hour coverage on it with tons of what a great hire it was buzz. Coming to the Bengal he just gets a pffft, whatever.

Flores is getting all the press because he's going to continue the long and storied history of successful Belichick proteges as head coaches. You know, like... um... uh... hmm. Well surely there must be one, right? RIGHT?

You know how they say the national sports media never learns not to count the Patriots out? Well they never learn that their assistant coaches never pan out, either.

If the most successful person hired from the Patriots is the perpetually-on-the-hot-seat Bill O'Brien, I think your coaching tree is pretty overrated. It's why I was never interested in Josh McDaniels in the slightest.

...I'd put our hire of ZT up against any of the other hires made around the NFL this offseason. How Adam Gase got another job so fast I will never understand.

(02-12-2019, 11:23 PM)NKURyan Wrote: Flores is getting all the press because he's going to continue the long and storied history of successful Belichick proteges as head coaches. You know, like... um... uh... hmm. Well surely there must be one, right? RIGHT?

You know how they say the national sports media never learns not to count the Patriots out? Well they never learn that their assistant coaches never pan out, either.

If the most successful person hired from the Patriots is the perpetually-on-the-hot-seat Bill O'Brien, I think your coaching tree is pretty overrated. It's why I was never interested in Josh McDaniels in the slightest.

...I'd put our hire of ZT up against any of the other hires made around the NFL this offseason. How Adam Gase got another job so fast I will never understand.

Amen to that, brother. ...and yep this crop of coaches was pretty ugly overall. I'd say we got the best of the bunch not named Arians. Or at least on paper he's as good as any of 'em sans Arians.

(02-12-2019, 11:23 PM)NKURyan Wrote: Flores is getting all the press because he's going to continue the long and storied history of successful Belichick proteges as head coaches. You know, like... um... uh... hmm. Well surely there must be one, right? RIGHT?

You know how they say the national sports media never learns not to count the Patriots out? Well they never learn that their assistant coaches never pan out, either.

If the most successful person hired from the Patriots is the perpetually-on-the-hot-seat Bill O'Brien, I think your coaching tree is pretty overrated. It's why I was never interested in Josh McDaniels in the slightest.

...I'd put our hire of ZT up against any of the other hires made around the NFL this offseason. How Adam Gase got another job so fast I will never understand.

A real head scratcher, for sure.  Basically, what the Jets are saying is they don't think Miami was his fault, right?

(02-12-2019, 11:12 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: Yep,

If ZT were going to a big market/money team with his McVay connection there would be 24 hour coverage on it with tons of what a great hire it was buzz. Coming to the Bengal he just gets a pffft, whatever.

If he wasn't coaching the Bengals he'd probably have Gary Kubiak as his Offensive Coordinator.

(02-12-2019, 09:14 PM)Jakeypoo Wrote: I think Kitchens is the best hire already has a great relationship with Baker and they did some pretty cool stuff last season offensively.

I need to see the Browns put together another decent season before I buy into that hype. Speaks to that franchise when a 7-8-1 record is considered decent.  

(02-13-2019, 08:39 AM)Big Boss Wrote: I need to see the Browns put together another decent season before I buy into that hype. Speaks to that franchise when a 7-8-1 record is considered decent.  

Agreed.

I don't see Kitchens as anything special; as many have noted, they ran the IDENTICAL offense as Oklahoma, in Mayfield's years there.

That won't last more than the half season/season that it already has; Kitchens has to be up to the task to improve and evolve and, looking at other college coaches that are offense-oriented, that were torrid in their first go-around (Chip Kelly), not being able to evolve will kill your career quickly in the NFL.

I still don't see them emerging or anything of that nature; its like 2010, when we were in the basement, the Browns looked like they were turning a corner with a better season than us, they drafted well, hired a new staff and, "we're going to compete this year!"

And they went 4-12.

Now, the 2019 Browns is a better team than the 2011 Browns, no doubt about it, but again, will it be enough?

(02-13-2019, 10:06 AM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Agreed.

I don't see Kitchens as anything special; as many have noted, they ran the IDENTICAL offense as Oklahoma, in Mayfield's years there.

That won't last more than the half season/season that it already has; Kitchens has to be up to the task to improve and evolve and, looking at other college coaches that are offense-oriented, that were torrid in their first go-around (Chip Kelly), not being able to evolve will kill your career quickly in the NFL.

I still don't see them emerging or anything of that nature; its like 2010, when we were in the basement, the Browns looked like they were turning a corner with a better season than us, they drafted well, hired a new staff and, "we're going to compete this year!"

And they went 4-12.

Now, the 2019 Browns is a better team than the 2011 Browns, no doubt about it, but again, will it be enough?

I think Dorsey is the big difference this time. I really wish they wouldn’t have landed him.

Taylor or Bieniemy were my guys going in and we got one.

Kitchens doesn't concern me at all. Guy looks like he's been thrown out of a few too many pool halls. He's got a good QB and some nice weapons on O, so it'll be hard for him to fail miserably, but he in and of himself adds no value.

I'm thrilled to have Taylor.

(02-13-2019, 10:34 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: I think Dorsey is the big difference this time. I really wish they wouldn’t have landed him.

Agree 100%.  If Haslam can manage to stay out of his way, this could get ugly.


As to the OP, I saw Taylor ranked about mid pack in the only ranking I have seen.

I think we got the best HC when compared to the list. It's the assistant coaches that will tilt the analysis on who ended up in better shape, and while I think we've done well (I didn't care for the Turner hire, but after watching some A&M Offense line film) there isn't any names to excite the Networks. So we'll likely have to earn any respect.

(02-12-2019, 07:59 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I keep seeing Taylor ranked low for his inexperience, yet Flores getting ranked highly when he's essentially the defensive version of Taylor. A young position coach from a successful team that is getting his first crack at a HC gig. Looking over all of the new hires, I can objectively say that Taylor was one of my favorite names on the list, despite the lack of experience:

Vic Fangio - Good DC, but didn't get his first shot til he was 60 years old
Bruce Arians - Love Arians, but he's 66 and doesn't he have health issues? Is he fully invested in coaching?
Kliff Kingsbury - Yuck
Freddie Kitchens - He's essentially a 44 year old version of Taylor. Only coordinating experience was as an intern last year.
Adam Gase - Yuck
Matt LaFleur - His year with the Titans removed a lot of the luster from his name
Brian Flores - Essentially the defensive version of Taylor. He also hired a DC with 0 experience and a 38 year old OC with 4 years experience
Zac Taylor

Sounds like the typical "Bengals Handicap" we usually deal with in the media.  If Taylor had gone to the Dolphins and Flores had come here, people would be praising Taylor and ignoring Flores.

(02-12-2019, 11:56 PM)McC Wrote: A real head scratcher, for sure.  Basically, what the Jets are saying is they don't think Miami was his fault, right?

My understanding is they basically attributed his struggles solely to Ryan Tannehill. But man... go back to the Miami game against the Bengals this year and they blew that game almost entirely on coaching. I remember sitting in the stands watching that game and thinking that he served that game up to us on a silver platter.

TBH I think the Kingsbury hire heavily influenced the national media's perception of us getting ZT. It changed the story from "will anyone give this young, fast-rising assistant a job" to "OMG any1 who knows Sean McVay can get a job!"

ESPN had him listed as the hottest coaching prospect earlier in the year. How they can claim that and then act shocked that anyone would actually hire him is beyond me.

Do all the other new coaches have their coordinators in place already?

(02-12-2019, 08:32 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I'm sure that some would say that we're looking at Taylor through Bengal colored lenses, but I really don't care.  I like the strong commitment that the organization made to go with a young, fresh mind.  Sure, Flores is going to get a lot of press, as he's the latest to come from the genius, Bill Belichick.  However, wasn't Matt Patricia considered to be just as hot a prospect as Flores?  And, we hardly hear anything about him, the same way that Taylor isn't getting much positive press.  I think the reason is that Taylor and Patricia are coaching the Bengals and Lions, while Brian Flores went to big market, big money Miami.

I don't think there was a Wow candidate out there this year.

(02-13-2019, 10:48 AM)Wyche Wrote: Agree 100%.  If Haslam can manage to stay out of his way, this could get ugly.


As to the OP, I saw Taylor ranked about mid pack in the only ranking I have seen.

247sports ranked him 7th (out of 8): https://247sports.com/Article/Ranking-NFL-head-coach-hires-128729915/
Yahoo ranked him 8th: https://sports.yahoo.com/team-made-best-head-coaching-hire-ranking-nfls-eight-new-head-coaches-141303628.html
USA Today ranked him 5th: https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2019/02/06/ranking-the-8-nfl-new-head-coaches-as-the-coaching-carousel-stops-for-now/5/
CBS gave Taylor the worst grade: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/grading-the-eight-nfl-head-coach-hires-bruce-arians-vic-fangio-freddie-kitchens-receive-highest-marks/

It just seems most publications are luke warm at best. 

(02-13-2019, 01:16 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Do all the other new coaches have their coordinators in place already?

Yes they do, although Taylor and Flores obviously got off to late starts.