Zac Taylor Changed the Culture of Cincinnati Football

[Soonerpeace]

(01-18-2022, 07:25 PM)kalibengal Wrote: I think you meant team "FIRST" guys ...LOL
 a team fist guy may have a totally diff meaning Haha
But I agree...I have to give ZT credit, with all the loses, the Joe B injury, he continued to build this the way he thought it would work and stuck to his guns inspite of everyone calling for his firing (including myself). We kept hearing the team really loves this guy and is buying in to what was being built so I guess that was not a big load of BS afterall 

Winning takes care of a lot. Uzomah said Taylor was genuine and consistent. When they lost he kept it on a even keel. But what’s happened recently is that the offense has used plays they’ve worked on that they’ve never used. Taylor they’ve gained confidence in his offensive scheme and play calling. Some of the plays they’ve worked on 2 years but never used until now because the situation wasn’t right. Yet they were ready and knew the play and Uzomah scored. That’s preparation. Buckle up for the ride. If they are aggressive again in FA and successful in the draft then Buffalo,KC, and Cincy will battle it out.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(01-18-2022, 12:02 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Which is crazy because I contend it's more fun to post when things are going good for the franchise. It's miserable when the focus of posts have to be about firing the coach, drafting in the top 5, or moping about 30+ years of Bungling it up.

I much prefer winning, seeing our QB discussed as having the ability to win the Super Bowl, talking up Chase/Burrow/Taylor for NFL awards, and debating who we should match up against in the playoffs. Positive vibes for the win.

Couldn't say it better.

People use this board to vent and get their own lives' anger out, so they say really horrible, nasty things about the team, that are definitely not-warranted.

Let us talk constructively and/or positively about the team and get your personal issues resolved some other way.

[*jason*]

(01-18-2022, 12:02 PM)TecmoBengals Wrote: Which is crazy because I contend it's more fun to post when things are going good for the franchise. It's miserable when the focus of posts have to be about firing the coach, drafting in the top 5, or moping about 30+ years of Bungling it up.

I much prefer winning, seeing our QB discussed as having the ability to win the Super Bowl, talking up Chase/Burrow/Taylor for NFL awards, and debating who we should match up against in the playoffs. Positive vibes for the win.

For real... Had they lost on Saturday, I'd have been done here til at least the draft. Maybe even preseason.

[*jason*]

(01-18-2022, 07:14 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Genuine question - What was wrong with the culture before?
I get changing schemes that fit more of that the coordinator is familiar with running, but I didn't think the culture was terrible.
I felt the biggest reason for the decline was that both the offense and defense schemes were changed so much that a lot of the players didn't really fit in them well.

Honestly I think it's just a talking point... It seems to me what happened was they hit a home run on back to back top 5 picks (one at the most important position), got gifted with a LT who shouldn't have still been available just outside the top 10, finally went after legit free agents, and stopped hiring cheap labor (Burfict and Pacman) that cost us dearly in our pursuit of success. The organization also just randomly joined the 21st century this year too... Better media and fan relations, and what Zac did at the bars this past Saturday is pretty cool.

[SuperBowlBound!]

(12-18-2021, 01:10 AM)BengalChris Wrote: First off, the Bengals were not on life support under Marvin. In 2018 they had a winning record until losing AJ and Dalton to season ending injuries. Who exactly was going to win with Driskel I ask?

Taylor turned it into a 2 win team and the worst record in the NFL and followed that up with a 4 win season.

Mike Brown has opened up the check book like never before, but Taylor is not winning like never before, and he's laid some serious eggs on the field.

Taylor has won a few games, but no where near as many as he should be given the talent the front office has provided him with. Taylor and the coaches do help with the draft, but it is the front office that does the selections.

Taylor has also lost a lot of games to bad teams, which is a marked sign of a bad team itself. Sure a bad team can get lucky sometimes, but to lose to bad teams so often is a fatal flaw. My God, losing to the Jets, losing to the Bears [and to Andy Dalton two years in a row].

The coaches are way underachieving with the talent this team has.

Taylor needs to win A LOT more and he needs the playoffs to keep his job.

I really hate not living in the moment and comparing this coach to that coach. There are many things in the Bengals organization that would not have been possible without Marvin Lewis. He definitely blazed a trail for ZT and should get credit for that. Marvin message was good at first and he had a few good years with Palmer/Chad and again with Dalton/AJ. The culture the last 3 years was a losing culture. I know that because they had a losing record and they were spiraling out of control. They also had the National Media calling our teams thugs which at the time I did not want to believe. I look at the class of the players on this team and I am proud of every one of them. Class from top to bottom. I am not sure who all gets credit for that but ZT has to be in the mix. Let's focus on enjoying what we have and not diminish it by comparing this team to past years. Who Dey!

[NotBigzo]

Taylor did well in one of this three years here. We need to hope Taylor continues to improve or he could just be a coach carried by a HOF QB ALA Mike McCarthy.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-18-2022, 07:14 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Genuine question - What was wrong with the culture before?
I get changing schemes that fit more of that the coordinator is familiar with running, but I didn't think the culture was terrible.
I felt the biggest reason for the decline was that both the offense and defense schemes were changed so much that a lot of the players didn't really fit in them well.

I don't think it was terrible either, but it was stale, there were guys signing deals to get a check it seemed (from outside), and the core was aging. I think some losing had permeated the organization too. When CJ, Hubbard, etc say it's changed for the better, then I'm inclined to believe there was something missing. 

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-18-2022, 09:12 PM)jason Wrote: Honestly I think it's just a talking point... It seems to me what happened was they hit a home run on back to back top 5 picks (one at the most important position), got gifted with a LT who shouldn't have still been available just outside the top 10, finally went after legit free agents, and stopped hiring cheap labor (Burfict and Pacman) that cost us dearly in our pursuit of success. The organization also just randomly joined the 21st century this year too... Better media and fan relations, and what Zac did at the bars this past Saturday is pretty cool.

I don't think many people recall this, but when Zac was hired, he brought along the largest staff ever assembled in Cincinnati. This included analytic guys, an offensive assistant dedicated to watching replays/clock for timely challenges on GameDay, and by default, more eyes to scout. He definitely improved on what Marvin had done.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-18-2022, 08:27 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Couldn't say it better.

People use this board to vent and get their own lives' anger out, so they say really horrible, nasty things about the team, that are definitely not-warranted.

Let us talk constructively and/or positively about the team and get your personal issues resolved some other way.

I don't have a problem with it when warranted. Nitpicking wins and hating just to hate I don't understand.

[SuperBowlBound!]

(01-18-2022, 11:07 PM)NotBigzo Wrote: Taylor did well in one of this three years here. We need to hope Taylor continues to improve or he could just be a coach carried by a HOF QB ALA Mike McCarthy.

It took 2 years for ZT to turn around a losing culture so I will say he did well those 2 years as well. Not everything is measured in wins and losses.

So based on his first 2 years he was laying the ground work and now this year showing the fruits of his labor I will give hime 3 good years.

The hard part is maintaining this culture. Eventually everyone will need to get paid.

[Nepa]

(12-18-2021, 01:10 AM)BengalChris Wrote: ***   Taylor has won a few games, but no where near as many as he should be given the talent the front office has provided him with. T

*** The coaches are way underachieving with the talent this team has.

I'm not a good evaluator of how good a job Taylor is doing.  But it is odd to read posters now state that this team is laden with talent and underachieving, after having listened for months after the draft to various posters complain that this team lacks the talent to compete and was at most a 4 to 6-win team.

Something FredToast said last year, in the midst of the 4-win season, stuck with me: a coach needs three years to be evaluated. I'm just glad the front office didn't decide to start over with a rebuild. Because this season has been a joyous ride from day one. I was here from 1968 and saw both SuperBowls, but also the lean years. This year is without doubt my third favorite year since I started as a fan.

Edit: And I've forgotten a lot of plays in my years, but I don't think that I will ever forget that play of Ja'Marr Chase against Kansas City when he was surrounded by Chief players and ran like a bat out of hell!

[Roland]

I think the primary things responsible for the culture change have been Joe Burrow and the swagger he brings to the team, the personnel department and their shift in where they spend money, and the way Elizabeth Blackburn has marketed the team as something modern fans can relate to.

If we just had Zack Taylor with the next Andy Dalton behind center, nobody is here talking about culture change.

[sandwedge]

(01-19-2022, 01:05 AM)Roland Wrote: I think the primary things responsible for the culture change have been Joe Burrow and the swagger he brings to the team, the personnel department and their shift in where they spend money, and the way Elizabeth Blackburn has marketed the team as something modern fans can relate to.

If we just had Zack Taylor with the next Andy Dalton behind center, nobody is here talking about culture change.

So everybody but Zac deserves the credit....smh

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-19-2022, 01:23 AM)sandwedge Wrote: So everybody but Zac deserves the credit....smh

Pretty much....like I said, he's the new Dalton.

[Joelist]

There are definite differences between what we have now and what we had in even the Marvin era. This team is more disciplined, not just far fewer penalties but the play is a lot less sloppy. Also they don't seem to do what Marvin era teams tended to do and go into a shell when faced with adversity. Some of this (especially on offense) is Burrow's level headedness and ability to process the defense very rapidly but part is definitely Zac bringing in smarter players and leaders and instilling the belief that they can beat anyone.

[Roland]

(01-19-2022, 01:23 AM)sandwedge Wrote: So everybody but Zac deserves the credit....smh

Not what I said.  I listed what I think were the primary factors.  Taylor has contributed but I think he's still finding his own way.   He could be the next Sam Wyche from the fan perspective if he could add a little more spice and find a DC that will allow him to be more aggressive.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

Burrow certainly helped, but the biggest change in the culture of Cincinnati football was opening up the check book.

Reader
Ogunjobi
Bell
Hendrickson
Awuzie
Hilton
Reiff

All very uncharacteristic FA signings that brought the Bengals to where they are right now this season. I think that's more >$5m/yr outside FA signings in a 2 year span than the entire rest of Bengals history combined? Something changed in the FO, and I don't think it was because Taylor was the first coach for the Bengals under Mike Brown to ask to sign some good FA. Really makes me sad that this kind of proactive approach wasn't used 2005-2009 and 2011-2015 for what could have been.

Thankfully enjoying the now helps me from dwelling on that, but it doesn't change the fact that the biggest change of Cincinnati football culture is opening up the check book. If they had continued their FA non-approach then this team would still be winning 4 games and looking like the Lions when they had Stafford and Megatron.

[WiregrassBenGal]

(01-19-2022, 01:42 AM)Joelist Wrote: There are definite differences between what we have now and what we had in even the Marvin era. This team is more disciplined, not just far fewer penalties but the play is a lot less sloppy. Also they don't seem to do what Marvin era teams tended to do and go into a shell when faced with adversity. Some of this (especially on offense) is Burrow's level headedness and ability to process the defense very rapidly but part is definitely Zac bringing in smarter players and leaders and instilling the belief that they can beat anyone.

Yes, the turnaround against the Chiefs is all on the coaches. A Marvin-era team might have lost that game 42-14 or something. The Chiefs game was the most exciting Bengal victory I've ever seen.

[Sled21]

(01-18-2022, 07:14 PM)ochocincos Wrote: Genuine question - What was wrong with the culture before?
I get changing schemes that fit more of that the coordinator is familiar with running, but I didn't think the culture was terrible.
I felt the biggest reason for the decline was that both the offense and defense schemes were changed so much that a lot of the players didn't really fit in them well.

The biggest problem with the culture before were they seemed to be ok with losing. How many times have we seen them on the sidelines of a losing game, cutting up and laughing. The sad thing is the man who seemed to care the most about losing was PacMan. I get that they are professional athletes that are paid to play a game, but the culture of losing was permeated throughout the locker room and accepted. You don't see that now.

[*SHRacerX*]

(01-19-2022, 08:33 AM)WiregrassBenGal Wrote: Yes, the turnaround against the Chiefs is all on the coaches. A Marvin-era team might have lost that game 42-14 or something. The Chiefs game was the most exciting Bengal victory I've ever seen.

Excellent example.  They also fought WAY back against the Chargers when they dug themselves in to a 24-0 hole.  

It didn't come out a win, but I think they realized they are never out of a game.  They are the product of all their experiences and what I have seen from ZT and his staff is they LEARN from these experiences.  They shifted all season as Joe got back to 100% allowing him to do more and more.  

I give the coaches huge credit for how they have prepared and executed all season.  My biggest recent gripe was "taking the ball out of Joe's hands" against the 49ers.  I think they learned from that, and will put it in Joe's hands.