Shout out for Zac Taylor

[Soonerpeace]

(Yesterday, 07:17 AM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: These are valid ones. The point i was making was even though the defense was terrible and cost us the season they still did enough in some games that the offense failedto capitalizeon the chance to win. Regardless how it ended in the NE game all we gave up was 16 pts there's a chance to win there. The KC game we gave up 26 pts with a fumble they took in for a score and the defense forced a punt with us up 2 at the end of the game giving the offense a chance to win. Same with the Ravens game a chance to win in overtime. The Chargers game the defense forced three punts with the game tied. I know there were missed kicks but the defense gave they chance that's all I'm saying.

Sorry to wear this out but here’s your comment “ I agree with this take. In a season where 1 more win gets us into the playoffs the defense did enough to win and the offense failed more than a few times.” That’s just not the case. Both the offense and defense had their rough moments but the defense had way more. They battled the Chiefs and the Raven’s (2) (2 best AFC teams) to the last moment. The offense avg. 33 points against those 2. It’s so obvious and why Lou is gone.

[NUGDUKWE]

(Yesterday, 02:30 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: Sorry to wear this out but here’s your comment “ I agree with this take. In a season where 1 more win gets us into the playoffs the defense did enough to win and the offense failed more than a few times.” That’s just not the case. Both the offense and defense had their rough moments but the defense had way more. They battled the Chiefs and the Raven’s (2) (2 best AFC teams) to the last moment. The offense avg. 33 points against those 2.  It’s so obvious and why Lou is gone.

Yeah i didn't word that properly. I meant did enough at times not as thru out the season. But yes I agree the defense was very bad and that I believe we needed to move on from Lou. But that doesn't mean there isn't arguments for why he shouldn't have been let go or was the scapegoat.

[*Synric*]

(01-11-2025, 04:21 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: I agree with this. I think we often see a QB getting pigeonholed into running an offense that the coach prefers and struggling to find success. I'm not saying Zac is perfect, but Burrow came from a high flying spread offense in college. Zac has implemented a spread offense in the NFL and it has worked. Burrow has developed into the best QB in the league when it comes to playing within structure IMO. I attribute some of this to Zac allowing Burrow to do what Burrow is actually good at. 

If someone like Ben Johnson was the OC here and Cincinnati was heavy under center and a lot of playaction, Burrow probably isn't who he is today. 

I agree and disagree.

Burrow and Zac are running one of the best in the NFL but it wouldn't hurt to be able to go undercenter and run a little more to close games out when they have a double digit score. The offense isn't built to eat up the clock.

[KillerGoose]

(Yesterday, 05:02 PM)Synric Wrote: I agree and disagree.

Burrow and Zac are running one of the best in the NFL but it wouldn't hurt to be able to go undercenter and run a little more to close games out when they have a double digit score. The offense isn't built to eat up the clock.

I can agree with that. The offense in 2021 was very much like this. They were in shotgun ~63% of snaps, much less than the recent seasons. Originally, I was saying along the lines off development. If Zac was trying to run a lot of compressed sets, heavy play-action etc. then Burrow probably isn't this guy we see today. At least, not yet. I do think he is talented enough that he eventually would have figured it out. 

[Soonerpeace]

(Yesterday, 04:13 PM)NUGDUKWE Wrote: Yeah i didn't word that properly. I meant did enough at times not as thru out the season. But yes I agree the defense was very bad and that I believe we needed to move on from Lou. But that doesn't mean there isn't arguments for why he shouldn't have been let go or was the scapegoat.

What we don’t know about Lou was how much he was involved in the FA acquiring of Scott & Stone as well as the drafts. If his stamp of approval
was on some or a lot of it then it’s more than just the defense.

[Soonerpeace]

(Yesterday, 05:02 PM)Synric Wrote: I agree and disagree.

Burrow and Zac are running one of the best in the NFL but it wouldn't hurt to be able to go undercenter and run a little more to close games out when they have a double digit score. The offense isn't built to eat up the clock.

I don’t know how much confidence Zac has in the run game and why he doesn’t. It’s not all because Joe wants to pass. Zac sees the efficiency numbers. I was at Met Life in Sept ‘22 and watched us close out that game with 11 straight runs. 9 by Perine and 2 by Joe. Ate up 8 minutes. But we’ve seldom been worth a flip at it.

[Bengalfan4life27c]

I wonder at times watching all the football games where the margins are super small if the opposing defenses are bating the opposing coach into a mistake by making it 4th and 1 4th and 2. The good coaches see Taylor as a 25 pound bass in these spots.

[Soonerpeace]

(Yesterday, 05:47 PM)Bengalfan4life27c Wrote: I wonder at times watching all the football games where the margins are super small if the opposing defenses are bating the opposing coach into a mistake by making it 4th and 1 4th and 2. The good coaches see Taylor as a 25 pound bass in these spots.

Well they are shaking in their boots on third down % as Cincy is #5 most successful. On 4th down not as good at #21 but likely reflective to a degree a crap run blocking OL

[*jason*]

(01-11-2025, 04:18 PM)Bengalitis Wrote: There was no reason to fire Lou.. the personnel sucked and he got them to play well to finish with a winning record...

it was cowardice for Zac to fire Lou. The offense lost as many chances as the defense to score/win, even Burrow has highlighted this.

I like Zac overall, but firing Lou with the personnel Lou havd, to accommodate the offense, is just unjust and weak. If anything Zac failed miserably running the offense and failed to win more games  where the real $$$ is invested. Lou the scapegoat. Lou even came to Cinci when nobody wanted to.. very disgraceful to let him go. Good luck next season with same or worse personnel and a new system.. YIKES!

PS. The only reason we went to the SB was because of the defense and Lou, with talented personnel.

Lou came to Cincinnati to get a promotion when the five guys (actual DCs) who were sought after prior to him refused. When Lou got here his defense was historically bad in 2019. Lou's defense wasn't much better in 2020. Lou alienated vets and failed to develop young players. Lou was handed a pretty high payroll for the rest of his tenure in Cincinnati. Lou managed to have a solid defense in 2022. Lou's defense sucked in 2023, and sucked even more in 2024. Lou is not a scapegoat. Lou is a career DB coach who should've never been hired as DC and should have been canned in January of 2020. Lou will never get another DC job in the NFL.

[TecmoBengals]

I think I've decided upon my Zac Taylor shout out: I've decided I'm no longer going to post any gripes complaining about him as the offensive play caller over Pitcher, formerly Callahan. It's easy to point out and rip on some of tendencies, but ultimately this offense puts up points and can score. Sure, I'll always give Burrow the most credit for it, but Zac contributes the success.

Zac mostly had a good season calling the offense.

[*bengalfan74*]

(7 hours ago)TecmoBengals Wrote: I think I've decided upon my Zac Taylor shout out: I've decided I'm no longer going to post any gripes complaining about him as the offensive play caller over Pitcher, formerly Callahan. It's easy to point out and rip on some of tendencies, but ultimately this offense puts up points and can score. Sure, I'll always give Burrow the most credit for it, but Zac contributes the success.

Zac mostly had a good season calling the offense.

I can get on board with that. BUT

I still think he fails a good bit a situational football (3rd and short) And clock management at times. I believe he outthinks himself some as the saying goes.

I'm still glad he's our HC

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(Yesterday, 11:32 PM)jason Wrote: Lou came to Cincinnati to get a promotion when the five guys (actual DCs) who were sought after prior to him refused. When Lou got here his defense was historically bad in 2019. Lou's defense wasn't much better in 2020. Lou alienated vets and failed to develop young players. Lou was handed a pretty high payroll for the rest of his tenure in Cincinnati. Lou managed to have a solid defense in 2022. Lou's defense sucked in 2023, and sucked even more in 2024. Lou is not a scapegoat. Lou is a career DB coach who should've never been hired as DC and should have been canned in January of 2020. Lou will never get another DC job in the NFL.

All true, interceptions and fumbles at the biggest of times are what kept Lou here, these opportunistic plays along with good FA's, with Burrow, 
Chase, Tee, a clutch rookie Kicker got us to a Super Bowl and 2 AFC Championships honestly. This is what kept us happy with the man, plus 
he had a Defense that gave Mahomes problems along with Allen. We need a new DC that knows how to run the entire Defense that can teach 
fundamentals along with his position coaches so we don't have to rely on JUST opportunistic plays. Tackling and covering well would be nice.

There were reasons after reasons to fire Lou after this season, I don't know what Bengalitis is talking about.