Quote:The Cincinnati Bengals are in a weird spot. Joe Burrow's team looks like it could spin out, get even worse from 4-7, and, in doing so, end the Zac Taylor era.

But...Burrow is Burrow, and the team played some elite teams well before losing some heartbreaking one-score games. There's always a chance those games start going the other way and they sneak into the playoffs, which would keep Taylor safe.

Assuming Taylor isn't safe and the Bengals learned their lesson from nearly two decades of Marvin Lewis, though, who are some realistic candidates as Burrow's next head coach?

Here are some names to get to know (and some fans 100 percent already do).

Joe Brady, offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills
Bengals fans know all about Brady, one of Burrow's masterminds behind the LSU title run. Now, he's getting his stock raised by dialing up Josh Allen's offense in Buffalo.

Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions
Johnson has quickly established himself as one of the massive names in the upcoming cycle. He surprised by returning to the Lions and is simply orchestrating elite attacks once more.

Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions
If the Bengals wanted to go the other direction, the Lions have one of those, too. Glenn gets tabbed as a player's coach who produces elite, hardnosed units. Losing Aidan Hutchinson hasn't really hurt his unit.

Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator, Washington Commanders
Kingsbury isn't the typical former college coach, considering he won a playoff game and got a second contract. His offense for Jayden Daniels has been impressive, suggesting he can scheme up well to his player's talents.

Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers
Get used to Minter's name. He's coaching the NFL's best defense for the Chargers with scraps and parts cast off from other teams while starting rookies at the boundary corners. That's important, given the so-so talent acquisition of the Bengals lately.

Mike Vrabel, personnel consultant, Cleveland Browns
Vrabel went all-in on his run-first and gaudy defense in Tennessee and wound up running out of steam. Yet, the Titans are miles worse without him. His hardnosed ways, paired with actually having an elite quarterback and offense, might just be the perfect fit.

Bill Belichick, former head coach, New England Patriots
One can't really talk about this without naming Belichick. There's just one big question -- would the allure of coaching a player like Burrow override what he understands about how the Bengals are run from top to bottom?

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Top candidates to replace Zac Taylor as Bengals head coach

(11-19-2024, 01:00 PM)bfine32 Wrote:

We win all the Super Bowlz

(11-19-2024, 12:34 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Weather or not Zac Taylor is feeling the heat from the FO, after this season's implosion at least the media is screaming for Zac to get the axe.

(11-19-2024, 01:22 PM)GodFather Wrote: I wish we could land Bill B. He always puts a top defense out there and knows how to scheme and with the fire power on offense with Burrow and Chase I know we would win a SB. He always made sure Brady had a good line in front of him. 

Problem is, I don't think he would come here and deal with the Brown family way of running things, and also the Brown family would be too cheap to pay him what he would want because they are about money first and foremost over championships. 

(11-19-2024, 01:22 PM)GodFather Wrote: I wish we could land Bill B. He always puts a top defense out there and knows how to scheme and with the fire power on offense with Burrow and Chase I know we would win a SB. He always made sure Brady had a good line in front of him. 

Problem is, I don't think he would come here and deal with the Brown family way of running things, and also the Brown family would be too cheap to pay him what he would want because they are about money first and foremost over championships. 

(11-19-2024, 01:56 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I'd like to see what a Mike Vrabel led team with an actual franchise QB might look like. 

(11-19-2024, 02:08 PM)RegularGuy22 Wrote: The Bengals will always seek unproven head coaches or coaches that don't have a SB win. They are always cheaper to sign and eager to make a name for themselves even knowing how the Brown family runs things. Was it Bill Parcells that said  "If you want to hire me to cook the dinner then I get to chose the ingredients." But the Bengals way is to ask for a full blown steak dinner and hand the head coach a bag of Aldi's frozen rice.

They simply refuse to give up total control and Goodberry is correct when he said coaches here are trying to compete in the NFL one handed because of a tight fisted front office. The list of bright eyed new young coaches will always take the Bengals HC job because it is their shot at success only to learn most doors are closed to them in Bengal land.