05-05-2022, 11:41 AM
I don't think there are any absolutes. For example it isn't all about talent and it isn't all about building a certain culture. It is a good mix of both. Building a highly talented team takes time. Instilling a certain type of culture in a team also takes time. Usually neither can be done over night or even in a year.
For example I've worked in places where if things were going down hill they would bring in someone and have a day of "team building exercises". The only thing that accomplished was wasting everyone's time and wasting money. A day of team building does nothing if there are a few rotten apples on the team. The people that care about their performance didn't need it and the slackers didn't change from a day of "team building". Things only improved over time when the slackers were weeded out and it took awhile to get there.
From what I understand Zac seems to value a certain type of player. Not only a talented player but also a player that exhibits leadership. It seems to me he likes players that were team captains and players with reputations of showing character on the field and in the locker room. Is that culture building? Maybe. But one thing I noticed last season during some tough games like the games against the Chiefs is that even when things looked bad the players never gave up. It seems in the past those were games the Bengals would lose because in my opinion they looked like they gave up or start making a lot of mental mistakes.
Is Zac some super coach that has unlocked some great secret by valuing culture over talent? No. Do I think he is building a team based on talent and players that fit into his vision? Yes. Does this mean he is going to be a great coach? Time will tell. With only one amazing season under his belt he still has a lot to prove.
But again on the argument of culture. It takes time to build a team around that vision. Just like it takes time to build a talented team (unless you do like the Rams and trade away tons of draft picks for talent) . So I don't think it is fair to say, "Well how did that culture work out his first two seasons when he only won 6 games?" The Bengals are only 3.5 years into building around both talent and Zac's vision. In that 3rd year they went to the Super Bowl. Now we will see how talent and Zac's push for a certain culture plays out this year and if the success continues.
Edit: It also certainly helps that the Bengals front office has started placing more value on free agency. I don't know if that is due to Zac being the coach or having drafted Burrow and wanting to put the best team around him as possible given his level of talent.
For example I've worked in places where if things were going down hill they would bring in someone and have a day of "team building exercises". The only thing that accomplished was wasting everyone's time and wasting money. A day of team building does nothing if there are a few rotten apples on the team. The people that care about their performance didn't need it and the slackers didn't change from a day of "team building". Things only improved over time when the slackers were weeded out and it took awhile to get there.
From what I understand Zac seems to value a certain type of player. Not only a talented player but also a player that exhibits leadership. It seems to me he likes players that were team captains and players with reputations of showing character on the field and in the locker room. Is that culture building? Maybe. But one thing I noticed last season during some tough games like the games against the Chiefs is that even when things looked bad the players never gave up. It seems in the past those were games the Bengals would lose because in my opinion they looked like they gave up or start making a lot of mental mistakes.
Is Zac some super coach that has unlocked some great secret by valuing culture over talent? No. Do I think he is building a team based on talent and players that fit into his vision? Yes. Does this mean he is going to be a great coach? Time will tell. With only one amazing season under his belt he still has a lot to prove.
But again on the argument of culture. It takes time to build a team around that vision. Just like it takes time to build a talented team (unless you do like the Rams and trade away tons of draft picks for talent) . So I don't think it is fair to say, "Well how did that culture work out his first two seasons when he only won 6 games?" The Bengals are only 3.5 years into building around both talent and Zac's vision. In that 3rd year they went to the Super Bowl. Now we will see how talent and Zac's push for a certain culture plays out this year and if the success continues.
Edit: It also certainly helps that the Bengals front office has started placing more value on free agency. I don't know if that is due to Zac being the coach or having drafted Burrow and wanting to put the best team around him as possible given his level of talent.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
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