Is it ever too early for an NFL coach to be on the hot seat? For Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, an 0-6 record has him on one already, and it is perfectly appropriate.
So, is it too early for Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor to be on the hot seat? No way. His first job as an NFL head coach has him not just 0-6, but an uninspiring 0-6. If they manage to lose to a 2-4 Jacksonville Jaguars team with a rookie quarterback at the helm in Gardner Minshew, expect the long knives to be out.
Taylor has been overwhelmingly unimpressive. The offensive guru plucked fresh from the Sean McVay coaching tree in Los Angeles has yet to show he’s ready for the big show. If Week 1 through Week 6 is any indication, fans will have to experience a lot of growing with this guy.
But this wasn’t the plan in Cincinnati. Conspiracy theories aside, Taylor just hasn’t shown the chops to lead an NFL team, especially one with deep-rooted flaws. Too often he’s been befuddled, uninventive, bland, overly conservative, and has already been out-coached in games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
As I said, this wasn’t the plan, and that may be what leads to the bigger question: what is the plan? Are the Bengals a run-first team or a heavy passing one? What does Taylor see for Joe Mixon? Does he catch passes or simply run up the middle for a little to modest gain? is it bombs away, or just wait for the two-minute warning to show some guts?
And what about A.J. Green? What about Tyler Eifert? What about Carlos Dunlap? What about Dre Kirkpatrick? Does anyone who watches the Bengals play see a reason why anyone of these players shouldn’t be part of a trade that brings desperately needed picks back to Cincinnati?
The Bengals aren’t a team tanking, but they are a team that doesn’t appear capable of winning many games if any this season.
Cincinnati doesn’t have the kind of history that suggests they would ever jettison a new head coach in his first season. Whether he’s in over his head or not, it’s more than likely he will be around for a while, hot seat and all.