The Taylor Way
“Who?”
“What the fuck?”
The reaction of most when the Cincinnati Bengals decided to make Zac Taylor their head coach, after nearly two decades of mediocracy under the helm of Marvin Lewis.
Those sentiments resemble my thoughts, but overall, I was relieved and ready for the change.
Two years in, the seat was hot.
We watched this team “secure” the number one overall pick. Then subsequently allow that new asset to have his leg ripped to shreds before our eyes, like a duel in the Court of King Joffrey (I’m going to see how many GOT references we can pile into this blog before House of Dragons comes out). Going into the 2021 season, my barometer was set at 7 wins. Anything less, he should be fired.
I’m not calling myself the inspiration behind the Bengals success, but I’m also not, not calling myself the inspiration behind the Bengals success. That’s between you and Aslan.
One Superbowl appearance later, Taylor has his extension and all is well in the Who(dey)ville.
When the initial struggles of the first two seasons dragged on, the fan base began to question Taylor and his “vision”. All the while ZT preached that in the near future, Bengals fans would have something to be proud of. The main message was “building this the right way”. A lot of coaches say this, commonly referred to as “coach speak”.
The “talk” became the “walk” as we watched the Bengals reach the Superbowl, the vision took shape, but I’d argue that the real testament to this vision was exemplified in the 2022 NFL Draft.
After watching this draft I realized the rarity of the position the Bengals have put themselves in. Sure, there are needs that should be addressed, but there are no massive issues as in years past. Offensively, the biggest issue is the tight end position. Defensively the depth at the linebacker position is a sore spot. I’ve literally just listed off the two least important positions in the NFL outside of special teams. Can those positions change a team? Sure. Are they anywhere as important as the offensive line and defensive back room, respectively? Abso-fucking-lutely not.
So what does that mean? It means the Bengals have shifted away from adding for need, and are adding the best available athletes for DEPTH. Creating a pipeline of talent under team control for 4-5 years.
Why does that matter? Stars are expensive and you cannot pay them all. Even though you’ve heard us preach that the salary cap is a myth, which it is, owners' pockets and the willingness to empty them is not unlimited. The more resources you invest in making sure the depth chart is chalked full and the gap between 1st and 2nd string is minimal, the ability to win late in the season and for seasons to come is increased exponentially.
Again, what does that mean? The “Superbowl Window” is often referred to when a team has drafted a Franchise QB and has the cap space to surround that QB with top talent. When you get to the point when you are still on that QB rookie contract and you’re adding depth through the draft, rather than drafting for major needs, you are making that Superbowl window much, much wider.
The “right way” is this. The Taylor way. And for the first time in a long time, It would appear this is NOT the same old Bengals.
