Zac Taylor’s tenure as head coach has drawn growing scrutiny, and recent losses have only made it worse. Some analysts point out that Taylor often plays it safe rather than aggressively pushing for big plays.
Others highlight lapses in clock management, late timeouts, or settling for field goals instead of going for touchdowns. He’s also been faulted for not always putting the team in the best position to succeed, especially in tight games where execution and adjustments matter most.
The criticism has become more intense after the Bengals’ latest collapse. They suffered a blowout loss against Denver and a 24-37 loss against the Detroit Lions. Still, not everyone has turned against him. Chad Johnson has recently come forward in Taylor’s defense, speaking in support of him.
On a recent episode of Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe, Johnson defended the coach, stating that all the blame can’t be put on him. The Bengals legend believes that the team’s failure is a result of collective collapse and the coach shouldn’t be solely targeted for it.
“I love Zac Taylor,” Johnson said. “I hate that people are saying, ‘Oh, the coach needs to be fired,’ and all this. Listen, it don’t matter who you bring in. Goddamn, you could have Jesus coaching, but when Jesus call them plays, it’s our job to execute them.” (From 4:20)
Johnson said that winning games is a collective result of 11 people on the field. Regardless of the shortcomings one might see in the head coach, firing him isn’t going to solve the problem if plays aren’t being executed properly.
Johnson’s support might mean a lot to Taylor, considering he’s being trashed by most fans and analysts. But the reality is that they have lost three consecutive games against the Vikings, Broncos, and Lions.
Zac Taylor Spoke on Jake Browning’s Job Security
The Bengals have not won a game with Jake Browning as the starter. At a time when they’re being criticized for bad plays and coaching, this is the last thing they need. Over the last few days, concerns about Browning’s job security have been on the rise.
After the crushing defeat against the Lions, Taylor spoke on the state of the team and what the conversation around Browning’s future is like.
“Of course, after a game like that we’re going to look at all personnel to make sure we are doing the right thing,” Taylor said, per Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “I won’t shy away from that because it’s a very fair question after the amount of turnovers we had.”
Taylor said that he hasn’t lost trust in Browning’s ability to win games for his team. He still has faith in the 29-year-old quarterback. However, with the recent losses, he might have to make some tough decisions in the coming weeks to get his team back on track.
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